Station Mall

Station Mall opened on October 31, 1973 with 284,000 square feet of retail space and 45 tenants, including a two-story Sears department store and Dominion Food Stores as its anchors. Other retailers when the mall opened in 1973 included Lakeshore Drug Mart, People's Jewelers, Lighting Unlimited, Davis II men's wear, Big Steel, Dalmys, Fairweather, Penningtons, Laura Secord Candies, Coles - The Book People, Melody Lane Record Shop, The Leather Touch, Kinney Shoes, Dolomity Shoes, Tip Top Stores, Happy Hour Card 'n Party Shop, and the Loon's Nest. The 400-seat Station Cinema opened with the mall, as did J.B.'s Big Boy Family Restaurant. The original "Pufferbelly" food court included space for a delicatessen and 10 snack bars.[2] A departure from downtown retailers at the time, the mall advertised free parking for 1,800 cars and a climate-controlled shopping experience.[3]

The original construction was part of a $30 million development of the Algoma Central Railway's Bay Street property, which also included the construction of a 200-room hotel near the mall, originally occupied by Holiday Inn.[4]

The original building was designed by James A. Murray, Architects and built by Eastern Construction Co. Ltd.[5]

The mall underwent two expansions in 16 years, in 1981 and 1989, adding more than 200,000 square feet of additional retail space.[6]

Before it had even opened, plans were already underway for a 150,000 square feet expansion to add another department store, 20 additional retail stores, a second cinema, a third large restaurant as well as parking for 200 additional cars.[7]

The mall's Phase III expansion continued its westward growth with the addition of Zellers as an anchor store at the western end. With its opening in the fall of 1989, the new phase brought the total number of stores, shops and restaurants to 115. Among the new or relocated stores in Phase III were Lady's a Champ/Frat House; Sam the Record Man; Footlocker; Rafters; CAA Travel; Pantorama; Cotton Ginny, Saan for Kids, and Beef n' Brand Restaurant.[8]

In 2000, the 52,000-square-foot Galaxy Entertainment Complex was opened on the waterfront side of the mall. The Complex includes a 12-screen, 2,400 seat movie theatre.[9] The mall underwent a major renovation project, adding large format stores and revamping the interior. 2011 saw a number of smaller stores combined for a new Sport Chek location. The small former Zellers location reopened in 2012 as a smaller Walmart Supercentre. On November 25, 2013, Galaxy Cinemas downsized from 12 screens to 7 screens in order to make room for H&M.[10] In October 2017, Sears Canada permanently closed their Station Mall store, leaving Coles, Lakeshore Drug Mart, Laura Secord and the Vacation Station as the only remaining original tenants of the mall. In May 2019, Walmart announced that its store in the mall would close in June of that year. This left the mall without any major anchor stores.

Seven years after announcing plans to sell off all of its commercial real estate holdings, in July 2022 Algoma Central Corporation announced a deal to sell the mall to SM International Holdings Ltd., a Markham-based company for $30 million, consisting of $12 million in cash and the remainder as debt.[11] In August 2023, a consulting firm working with the mall's owners announced a $60 million redevelopment plan, consisting of new retail stores, a 50,000 square foot "eatertainment complex" and a casual dining sports bar. This renovation is expected to be completed early in 2024.[12]