![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Scotia_Square_Map.jpg/240px-Scotia_Square_Map.jpg)
Scotia Square is a large commercial development in Downtown Halifax, in the Halifax Regional Municipality Nova Scotia managed by Halifax Developments Limited. It was built in the late sixties to mid seventies. It is connected to the Downtown Halifax Link and serves as a major Metro Transit bus terminal in Halifax.[1].
History
At its peak in the 1980s, Scotia Square was a shopping destination for many in the city. Among some of the most notable shops and services within the mall was a Woolco department store, a single-screen Famous Players theatre [2], the Dick Turpin tavern, a 1950s-style diner complete with an antique car in its entrance, a food court known as the Port of Call, and an area on the second level where the store fronts were all designed to resemble a small-town village. Woolco closed in 1994, shortly before the chain's purchase by Wal-Mart. The Woolco space was vacant for many years until 2000 when Aliant Telecom converted the space into a call centre. Scotia Square used to have many retail shops on its second level but over time these shops closed or relocated to other malls in the area. Today, there are no retail shops on the upper level; it only contains office space for Aliant Telecom and Scotiabank.
Location and layout
Scotia Square consists of a mall, a hotel, and a number of office towers connected to each other and to other buildings by pedways and tunnels. The complex is adjacent to the Cogswell Interchange, and it fronts on Duke Street to the south, Barrington Street to the east, and Albemarle Street (formerly Market Street) to the west. Scotia Square caters to mainly professionals who work in the downtown area and as such most of the establishments close at 6:00pm. The mall itself is clean and well-maintained by both maintenance staff and patrons.
Buildings
- Barrington Place Shops (3 floors)
- Barrington Tower (20 floors, 84 metres)
- Brunswick Place (5 floors)
- Cogswell Tower (20 floors (14 office levels on top of 6 parkade levels), 79 metres)
- Duke Tower (16 floors, 71 metres)
- Delta Hotel building (15 floors)
- Scotia Square Mall (2 floors)
Pedways and tunnels
- Pedway connecting Brunswick Street to the Scotia Square Parkade, and the west parkade stairwell. Passes over Albemarle Street (formerly Market Street).
- Pedway connecting the northwest corner of Scotia Square Parkade (topmost level) to Brunswick Place (formerly called Trade Mart building), which is located beside Scotia Square Parkade, on the north side of Cogswell Street.
- Tunnel connecting mall to World Trade and Convention Centre, as well as the Halifax Metro Centre. Passes under Duke Street.
- Three-level pedway going from Barrington & Duke Towers to a stairwell, which leads to parking and the mall. The middle level of this pedway joins up to the Brunswick Street Pedway mentioned above.
- Pedway going from Scotia Square Mall, over Barrington Street, and into Barrington Place Shops. From there one can go via pedway to Purdy's Wharf, Casino Nova Scotia, the CIBC Building, and the TD Tower.
Future Development
A proposal has been put forward by Crombie REIT with DSRA Architects to expand the Scotia Square Complex along Barrington Street.[1] The proposed 3-story development would include street-level commercial, as well as office and retail above. The changes would bring the site into better agreement with HRM design guidelines mandating more pedestrian-oriented districts.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Crombie REIT. "HRM Planning Application" (PDF). Retrieved 4 February 2014.
- ^ Crombie REIT. "HRM Substantive Site Plan Approval Pre-Application: SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS" (PDF). Retrieved 4 February 2014.