Chinook Centre


Chinook Centre is the largest shopping mall in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located near the geographic centre of the city on Macleod Trail, north of Glenmore Trail about south of downtown, and three blocks west of the Chinook CTrain station. The mall is operated by Cadillac Fairview.
CF Chinook Centre covers of space, and includes 250 stores and restaurants. As the largest shopping destination in Calgary, it offers a range of mid-priced retailers as well as higher-end offerings in a luxury wing. Junior anchors include Sport Chek, H&M, and Chapters.
Chinook Centre also operated a Nordstrom store until its closure in 2023.
The centre also includes a professional tower, bowling alley, 900-seat Dining Hall, and the 16-screen Scotiabank Theatre Chinook.
The focal point of the mall is a four-storey-high rotunda, including a time capsule at the centre's axis, set to be opened on December 31, 2999.

History

In 1960, with Calgary's population and city limits rapidly expanding, the first section of Chinook Centre was opened August 16 on the site of the Chinook Drive-In Theatre and the adjacent Skyline drive-in and driving range. Designed as an open-air complex, the mall was anchored by Woodward's, Holt Renfrew, a bowling alley, and a branch of the Calgary Public Library.

1970s Merger

In 1963, a separate mall, Southridge, was opened across the street from Chinook. Built to be a competing centre with Sears and approximately 30 other stores, Southridge operated separately until 1974, when the company that owned Southridge bought out Chinook, and an expansion was built to bridge the centres together. The new, larger mall was renamed Chinook Ridge Shopping Centre, and included a major enclosed parking structure, a movie theatre, an office tower, and a food court.
In the 1980s, a two-storey wing of specialty retailers was added leading to a new anchor store and a new food court. This expansion brought the mall's store count to approximately 300.
A popular feature of the mall was an indoor merry-go-round, which was initially located outside the entrance to The Bay; following the 2000s renovation, the attraction was relocated to the expanded food court. The construction of a pedestrian bridge from the food court required the removal of the carousel in 2018, when it was relocated to Spruce Meadows; it was later used in filming of an episode of the 2023 TV series The [Last of Us (TV series)|The Last of Us].

2000 overhaul

In the late 1990s, Chinook Centre underwent a $300 million, three-year renovation. The complex was completely rebuilt in three phases, and added new stores for Sears, The Bay and Zellers, as well as the south parkade and theatre complex. The former Chinook Movie Theatre location, which had closed in the early 1990s and converted into a large gaming arcade, became a much-expanded food hall. The move to larger format retailers reduced the number of stores to approximately 200. This re-merchandising program was unkind to smaller, locally owned businesses who were squeezed out by the 'upscaling' of the property. Some relocated to strip malls located near Chinook for a time.

2010 expansion

On September 29, 2010, a major 2-level expansion was opened. The new wing added approximately 60 new retailers, many of which were new to the Calgary market or considered high-end luxury brand stores. The expansion increased the number of retailers to 250, and added two levels of underground parking.

Pedestrian and transit access

Until the late 2010s, pedestrian access to the mall from east of Macleod Trail was facilitated by way of a thin pedestrian bridge, an underground tunnel, and an at-grade crosswalk. Use of these three options grew after the City's CTrain station was built approximately five blocks east of the mall. Concerns over pedestrian safety resulted in a large pedestrian bridge being constructed in the late 2010s; running more than a block, it connects the Dining Hall on the second level to 61st Avenue, which in turn takes pedestrians to the CTrain station. In late 2018, the pedestrian tunnel was closed due to safety concerns, and the new bridge allowed the removal of the at-grade crosswalk at Macleod and 61st.