Rideau Street Hudson's Bay and Freiman Mall

[Admiral Nelson]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Awnings are effectively banned in Ottawa.

Why is that? (And for that matter, old school store signs hanging toward the street)

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by Admiral Nelson

Why is that? (And for that matter, old school store signs hanging toward the street)

Mid-century ideas about "visual clutter"; possibly also some experiences with unsafe awnings coming down on people, and awnings attracting aCtIviTieS.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Mid-century ideas about "visual clutter"; possibly also some experiences with unsafe awnings coming down on people, and awnings attracting aCtIviTieS.

Visual clutter, unlike the millions of street signs, the traffic signals and cars.

[Johnny Kit Kat]

Originally Posted by Johnny Kit Kat

I would love to see the former Bay repurposed into a hybrid entertainment complex with a next generation dual lazer imax screen and outdoor rooftop screen (seasonal), food hall and gaming (e.g. golf simulator, bowling, etcetera). It would be a good fit with the Ottawa History and Sandbox virtual reality venues next door.

If they did do an entertainment complex, I would hope they would link it directly to Sandbox virtual reality with a connection between them going over the repurposed "History " building. It's an easy connect. I would also construct a direct connection to the History venue from inside the entertainment complex. They are adjacent buildings. The idea would be to make the connections seamless so it would feel as if the three buildings were all part of the same building once you are inside.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I am glad to see a real improvement for our downtown area. Now, let's find something great for the old Freiman building. If we do things right, we could finally tremendously upgrade the Rideau corridor.

Here's the latest:

CBRE Finds Buyers for Hudson’s Bay Buildings Across Canada
July 28, 2026

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Bought by a Local Homebuilder In Ottawa

In the nation’s capital, the Hudson’s Bay building on Rideau Street in Ottawa’s ByWard Market area was purchased by Claridge Homes, a local developer.

CBRE’s NIT-Ottawa point man Nico Zentil, working with Jamie Boyce, ended up securing the ideal buyer for the property in Claridge Homes. “A local buyer, a local developer,” Zentil says. “It was the best possible outcome in this case.”

Claridge has developed over 14,000 properties, most of them in the National Capital Region, including the city’s tallest residential building, the Claridge ICON, a 45-storey tower.

CBRE’s marketing materials noted that the property, which is attached to CF Rideau Centre by a skywalk, provides “a generational repositioning / redevelopment opportunity offering scale, diversity and cachet – making this one of Ottawa’s most exciting community building opportunities in the city’s history.”

Zentil says the deal was complicated by the fact that the property consists of three separate parcels, two of which are freehold and one is on a long-term land lease with the City of Ottawa. “There were lots of different historical legacy agreements with the City that had to be renegotiated.”

While Claridge has not made its plans publicly known, Zentil says the building likely will be part of a full mixed-use redevelopment. “There is a 60,000 sq. ft. site there, so they'll be able to do something significant.”

“It's a pretty unique site, which is why we had so many people looking at it with great interest.”

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https://www.cbre.ca/insights/articles/cbre-finds-buyers-for-hudsons-bay-buildings-across-canada