Scotia Square is a 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.
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.