Rideau Centre

Rideau Centre

The Rideau Centre at Christmas
Location	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Opening date	March 16, 1983
Developer	Viking Rideau, Eaton's
Management	Cindy VanBuskirk
Owner	Viking Rideau Corporation
No. of stores and services	171
Total retail floor area	1,021,827 sq ft (94,930.8 m2)
Parking	1,590 spaces in two indoor lots and a surface lot
No. of floors	3
Website	http://www.rideaucentre.net/

Rideau Centre (Centre Rideau in French) is a three-level shopping centre on Rideau Street in Downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It borders on Rideau Street (and the Byward Market), the Rideau Canal, the Mackenzie King Bridge, and Nicholas Street.

At the time of its construction in 1981 and 1982, the Rideau Centre was somewhat controversial: a whole block of stores was torn down to make room for the Rideau Centre, and many people were opposed to their destruction.^{[citation needed]} Others feared the impact of increased traffic and buses on the area. The Eaton's department store chain, one of the partners in the development, caused further controversy when it attempted to rename the mall the "Rideau Eaton Centre" while it was still under construction; the company backed down in the face of local opposition to the name change.

The Rideau Centre was built with the agreement that it would become a pedestrian right-of-way. The malls doors are open 24 hours a day to allow pedestrians access between Rideau Street and the Mackenzie King Bridge. This by-law was passed upon the opening of the Rideau Centre in 1982. Similarly, the Freiman Mall, which is attached by an overpass to the Rideau Centre, is also a pedestrian right of way for access to the Byward Market.^{[citation needed]}

The Rideau Centre opened on March 16, 1983, and today it is a major transport and shopping hub in downtown Ottawa. The centre's proximity to the shops in the Byward Market and on Rideau Street, and its location near most of the city's main attractions, contribute to its status as one of the region's top shopping and tourist destinations.^{[citation needed]}

The Rideau Centre complex also includes approximately 180 other retailers, the Westin Hotel, a rooftop park, a movie theatre and the Ottawa Convention Centre (Old Congress Centre). With 740,757 sq ft (68,818.6 m²) in size it is the fourth largest shopping centre in the Ottawa-Gatineau area (behind the St. Laurent Centre, Les Promenades de l'Outaouais and Bayshore Shopping Centre). Significant expansions of the Rideau Centre are planned for the near future.

The Rideau Centre also has a rooftop garden with views of part of the Byward Market, the Rideau Canal, the Château Laurier, and the Parliament buildings. During the annual Tulip Festival, the garden is filled with tulips.^{[citation needed]}

The Rideau Centre and the adjacent National Defence Headquarters building are both served by OC Transpo's Mackenzie King Transitway station, which is served by a number of major bus routes.

Rideau Centre security and maintenance staff have been the subject of a number of controversies. In 2002, security staff handcuffed and detained two men for carrying an Israeli flag in order to enforce a mall rule prohibiting political signs. The men claimed that abusive comments were made towards them as Jews but a police investigation was unable to sustain the allegations of anti-semitic abuse. In 2011, security staff handcuffed and detained a man who was attempting to cancel a gym membership. The man was released when police arrived and the Rideau Centre's tenant GoodLife Fitness suffered a media-backlash over the incident. That same year, as 9 people, including a former Speaker of the House of Commons and other dignitaries were trapped for more than an hour and a half in the mall elevator, a former Senator criticized the Rideau Centre for it's slow response time

Stores

There are 156 stores in the mall:

Anchors

• Sears - closing October 31, 2012
• Empire Theatres

Major stores

• Aeropostale
• American Eagle Outfitters
• Apple Store
• Banana Republic
• Dairy Queen
• Eddie Bauer
• Gap, Gap Kids
• Hallmark
• Harry Rosen
• Lacoste
• LCBO
• Le Chateau
• Lenscrafters
• Mexx
• Michael Kors
• New York Fries
• Payless Shoe Source
• Rogers Plus
• Roots
• Starbucks
• Subway
• Thai Express
• The Source
• Virgin Mobile
• Wind Mobile
• Yogen Fruz

See also

• Eaton Centre
• A list of Canada's largest shopping malls

External links

• Official website