Stephen Avenue

Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian mall in downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The mall is actually the portion of 8 Avenue SW between 4 Street SW and 1 Street SE. It is open to vehicles only from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The street terminates at Olympic Plaza and Calgary city hall. It also intersects with Barclay Mall (3 Street SW), another pedestrian mall that connects Stephen Avenue to Eau Claire Plaza.

The street is known for its restaurants, high-end retail, art house movie theatres and its pubs. Stephen Avenue also sits adjacent to downtown Calgary's primary indoor shopping complex comprising Calgary Eaton Centre, TD Square, Bankers Hall and Scotia Centre. The complex is anchored by Sears and The Bay. Some of the major luxury retail tenants on Stephen Avenue include Holt Renfrew (containing Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. boutiques), Aveda Lifestyle Salon and Bang & Olufsen.

The street is also home to downtown Calgary's major convention and exhibition facility, the Telus Convention Centre, and two hotels, the Hyatt Regency Calgary, which incorporates several historic buildings into its facade, and the Calgary Marriott.

Unlike 17 Avenue, Stephen Avenue is not regarded as a major night spot in the city, although there are night clubs located on the mall.

History

The street was named after George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway. [ [http://www.glenbow.org/exhibitions/online/historicCalgary/stephen.html Glenbow Archives] ] Stephen Avenue contains a high concentration of registered historic buildings in the city and the street itself was declared a Canadian historic site in 1992. [ [http://www.downtowncalgary.com/SAW/dynamic.php Calgary Downtown Association] ] Most of these building are sandstone; a result of the construction of fire resistant buildings that followed a fire in 1886 that damaged much of the city.

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