Winnipeg Square (also known as the Shops of Winnipeg Square) is an

underground shopping mall An underground city is a series of linked subterranean spaces that may provide a defensive refuge; a place for living, working or shopping; a transit system; mausolea; wine or storage cellars; cisterns or drainage channels; or several of the ...

located at

Portage and Main Portage and Main is an intersection in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, located where Portage Avenue (Route 85) and Main Street (Route 52) intersect. The corner is known as the "crossroads of Canada", due to its relative proximity to the lo ...

downtown Winnipeg Downtown Winnipeg is an area of Winnipeg located near the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. It is the oldest urban area in Winnipeg, and is home to the city's commercial core, city hall, the seat of Manitoba's provincial government, a ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was built in 1979 by Smith Carter Parkin for the

Trizec Corporation Trizec Properties, Inc., previously known as TrizecHahn Corporation, was a real estate investment trust headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was originally a Canadian company. The name is derived from the initials of the three groups (Tri) that f ...

, and has 45 stores and restaurants. It also includes the 300 Main apartment block, 330 Main surface level retail complex (both under construction), and the 360 Main Commodity Exchange Tower (also known as the Trizec Building). Winnipeg Square is connected to the

Winnipeg Walkway The Winnipeg Walkway System, also known as the Winnipeg Skywalk, is a network of pedestrian skyways and tunnels connecting a significant portion of downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. The City of Winnipeg described the Walkway as a system of 14 skyways ...

through the Concourse which links all four corners of the city's main office district via an underground

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

. It has been estimated that 16,000 people pass through Winnipeg Square each weekday.

History

The mall was purchased from

Oxford Properties Group Oxford Properties is a Canadian multinational corporation, with operations in real estate investment, development and property management. Its portfolio includes office, retail, industrial, multi-residential, life sciences and hotel assets. Esta ...

and GE Capital Canada Inc in September 2007 by Crown Realty Partners, a Toronto-based company. The purchase included both the Winnipeg Square shopping mall and the former Commodity Exchange tower, now known as 360 Main for approximately $102.5 million. In 2008, the owner of the Shops of Winnipeg Square began a $3 million upgrade to Winnipeg Square and the lobby to 360 Main. In 2010, Artis Real Estate Investment Trust acquired the remaining 62% stake in the former Commodity Exchange Tower/Winnipeg Square complex for $70.7 million. The Winnipeg Square parkade is a 936-stall heated parking garage located between

Portage Avenue Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

and Graham Avenue, and Main Street and Fort Street. According to city documents, the parkade made a $1.5 million profit in 2008. In 2009, the City of Winnipeg sold the parkade to the owners of the Commodity Exchange and Winnipeg Square for $23.6 million. The sale involved $400,000 in real-estate fees paid to Shindico, the Winnipeg firm that brokered the deal. Next to Winnipeg Square was the prairie regional headquarters of

Scotiabank The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...

, at 200 Portage Ave., a five-storey building that opened on September 13, 1979. Scotiabank has since moved their headquarters to the more modern

True North Square True North Square is a public plaza and mixed-use development in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. Managed by True North Real Estate Development, a joint venture between James Richardson & Sons and True North Sports & Entertainment, it is still un ...

at 225 Hargrave St., while maintaining a branch at 200 Portage Ave. featuring a more prominent street entrance (under construction). As part of the 42-storey 300 Main apartment complex construction, Winnipeg Square is getting a makeover. A pair of escalators were constructed. A

GoodLife Fitness GoodLife Fitness Centres Inc. is the largest health club company in Canada with over 450 locations across the country, under the banner of four brands.

gym is being constructed at 330 Main that will open in 2020. File:Shops in "Winnipeg Square" underground mall in Winnipeg, Manitoba 02.JPG, Shops in Winnipeg Square File:Shops in "Winnipeg Square" underground mall in Winnipeg, Manitoba 04.JPG, Shops in Winnipeg Square File:Shops in "Winnipeg Square" underground mall in Winnipeg, Manitoba.JPG, Shops in Winnipeg Square File:Restaurants in "Winnipeg Square" underground mall in Winnipeg, Manitoba.JPG, Restaurants in Winnipeg Square File:Winnipeg Square official opening plaque.JPG, Plaque commemorating opening of Phase I

External links

Winnipeg SquareArtis REIT

References

{{coord, 49.8940, -97.1385, type:landmark_region:CA-MB, display=title Buildings and structures in Winnipeg Shopping malls in Manitoba Shopping malls established in 1979