- Old Quebec Street Mall
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The main entrance to the Old Quebec Street Mall on Wyndham Street North.
Contents
Location
The Old Quebec Street Mall is located on Wyndham Street North in the heart of downtown Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The main entrance faces the intersection of Quebec Street and Wyndham Street at St. Georges Square[1]. The Old Quebec Street Mall stands where Quebec Street originally extended east of Wyndham Street. The back entrance of the mall leads out onto Woolwich Street next to the Sleeman Centre. Since St. Georges Square is a central hub for public transportation, students at the University of Guelph and workers are drawn to downtown Guelph creating the potential for commercial business.
General Features
The Old Quebec Street Mall itself provides retail shopping on the first floor and office space on the second floor for visitors[2]. Although parking is available to the public throughout downtown Guelph the Old Quebec Street Mall has the West Parkade attached to the building providing plenty of parking for visitors[3].
History
Guelph was discovered by John Galt and the Canada Company in the 1820's. Quebec Street was one of the original streets named in Guelph. Quebec Street extended east and west of Wyndham Street North having several store fronts and services until about 1980. From 1980 to 1984, Quebec Street east of Wyndham Street North was closed off to build a mall which officially opened in 1984 with an Eaton Centre. The Eaton's company eventually ended in 1999 and the mall was purchased by the city and was named the Guelph Centre. The Eaton's store was replaced with the Sleeman Centre and the remaining portion became The Old Quebec Street Mall which opened in 2003[4].
Architecture
The skylights over the shops in the mall make a visitor feel as though they were outside.The Old Quebec Street Mall displays a unique architecture, making visitors feel like they stepped in a historic town's main street as an indoor version of the traditional marketplace. The mall is full of antique architectural style. The distinctive interior design has a high skylight roof, exposed bricks, and decorations of hanging plants and banners surrounding it to create an historic atmosphere[5] influenced by the old limestone and brick buildings commonly found in downtown Guelph. It is meant to resemble the old Quebec Street with outdoor store fronts before the mall was built. As a result, The Old Quebec Street Mall has become a common destination for visitors.
Stores and Services
The mall offers a wide range of cafes, stores and services to suit the needs of many different people, giving visitors convenience and entertainment at the same time. The location also creates many business and job opportunities for retailers and professionals. A complete listing of the tenant directory can be found at the official mall website. Below is a list of popular stores and restaurants found on the first floor in the mall.
- Retail Stores
- Artzii
- Black Chandelier
- Golden Rule Coins and Collectibles
- Guelph Artisans
- LCBO
- Modern Tourist
- Pharma Plus
- Save Mart
- The Dragon
- Wind Mobile
- World News Plus
- Restaurants and Cafes
- Coco Latte
- Red Papaya Thai and Grill
- The Nutty Chocolatier
The Sleeman Centre TicketmasterAccessibility
The Old Quebec Street Mall is located at the center of Downtown Guelph. Although the mall provides the West Parkade for visitor parking, a fee is required to park there[6]. As an alternative visitors go to the mall by public transportation since many bus stops are available on Wyndham Street facing the main entrance of the mall. Visitors also do not need a car to visit the mall for a day since the Guelph Bus Terminal is just a street away. The terminal is located on MacDonell providing bus routes for Greyhound, GO transit and Aboutown to other cities in Ontario[7].[8][9].
The Guelph Storm Box Office
The Guelph Storm Box office is located at the second level of the mall. Tickets are available here for visitors to attend scheduled hockey events. The hockey arena is located inside the Sleeman Centre beside the box office, it mainly serves as a training field for the Guelph Provincial Guelph Provincial Hockey team, known as the Guelph Storm[10]. The Guelph Storm is one of the junior ice hockey teams in the Ontario Hockey League.
References
- ^ "The location St. Georges Square". Google maps Canada. http://maps.google.ca/maps?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=St.+Georges+Square+guelph&fb=1&gl=ca&hq=St.+Georges+Square&hnear=0x882b9ad0c3a9fb6b:0x5037b28c7231b60,Guelph,+ON&ei=5ts6Tr6ZGIOrsQLhhZH-Dw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&ved=0CAQQtgM&cid=0,0,18255127175253406650. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "Old Quebec Street Mall Official Website". Old Quebec Street Mall, Guelph. http://www.oldquebecstreet.com/. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "The West Parkade". Parkopedia. http://en.parkopedia.ca/parking/parkade/west/guelph/. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "History article about Quebec Street". The Record. http://www.therecord.com/living/article/292998--flash-from-the-past-east-end-of-quebec-street-gave-way-to-mall-and-arena. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "Malls in Guelph". USA Today Travel. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/malls-guelph-ontario-57488.html. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Old Quebec Street mall". Guelph Mercury. http://www.guelphmercury.com/news/article/428402--at-the-core-old-quebec-street-mall-struggles-with-identity. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Guelph Bus Terminal". GO Transit Guelph. http://www.gotransit.com/publicroot/en/travelling/stations.aspx?station=GUEL. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ^ "Greyhound Bus Terminal". Greyhound Bus. http://www.greyhound.ca/home/en/location/AgencyInformation.aspx?city=122572. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
- ^ "Round-trip Service". ABOUTOWN. http://www.aboutown.com/northlink.php. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- ^ "Guelph Storm in the Community". Guelph Storm. http://www.guelphstorm.com/page/community. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
External links
Categories:- Shopping malls in Ontario
- Buildings and structures in Guelph
- Retail Stores
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