St. Laurent Shopping Centre

[jchamoun79]

Originally Posted by JHikka

What drives this narrative? It's the same as most any other mall these days. It's not as if the mall is littered with empty storefronts and discount stores or money lenders. Its current state is more a reflection of what retail looks like in the 2020s in general rather than an issue with the mall itself. It's identical to leading malls in smaller centres like Belleville or Kingston, as it should be.

The last renovation didn't do it any favours. Everything just looks cheap and dated. Everything that was architecturally unique has been gradually removed to the point that there's nothing left of the original mall.

Sure that might be the case with other malls built around that time and progressively "updated" and expanded. But as I said, I have a soft spot for St. Laurent in particular based on how much time I spent there in my youth.

[Norman Bates]

I shopped weekly at St-Laurent starting in the fall of 1977. I started working there in 1982 and continued through to the end of 1986.

The round structure at the south central location was a licensed restaurant. It was called Steak and Burger. A portion of it was cordoned-off as a tavern. Colloquially it was referred to as the Steak and Puke.

There was no food court in the mall at that time. There was Laura Secord, as well as a cafeteria inside the Bay (Frieman’s). I don’t recall any food service inside Simpson-Sears. I have faint recollection of Pik-Nik fountain drinks sold from a kiosk in the mall. But I could be conflating that with Bayshore.

The Toys ‘r Us was originally a Dominion Grocery store. OC Transpo had a pretty significant urban transit station alongside the Dominion.

The Mall had its own security force, wearing red suit jackets and black trousers.

I had just come to Ottawa from two years in Edmonton. And St-Laurent had a very Montreal feel to my Grade Eight aesthetic.

The first expansion I recall of the mall was the opening of Arlington Sports, accessible from an interior corridor (Arlington Lane) near Dominion and where de Serres is now. That was in 1978.

Around 1985 there was another expansion and a food court was added adjacent to the cinemas.

The original ‘inverted canoe’ roof had tiny skylights with tented plaster surfaces pyramiding-up. They let almost no light in. But we’re there.

Some stores actually had a basement accessible by stairs. The WH Smith and Continental Music come immediately to mind. Sears also had a basement. But it was not normally accessible to the public.

The Bay, built and opened as a Frieman’s, had a large fountain in the centre. The space that it occupied was intended for future escalators to a planned second floor. The Bay chose to build anew, and that original Frieman’s space is now two floors and a part of the open mall and present-day food court.

The next expansion was associated with OC Transpo’s shift to the south and transit way. That’s when a new south side addition was built, together with a new Bay and a department store called Breton’s. Breton’s occupied a slightly higher positioning. Perhaps comparable with Robert Simpson’s (not Simpson-Sears). Its focus was on high profit fashion and cosmetics, not unlike les Ailes de la Mode. They also had a location in the Rideau Centre, above Ogilvy’s, that is now Simmons.

The basement of the mall contained mainframe computers used by government. I think they were under contract from Burroughs and used for what was then Unemployment Insurance and perhaps CPP.

[jchamoun79]

Originally Posted by Norman Bates

I have faint recollection of Pik-Nik fountain drinks sold from a kiosk in the mall. But I could be conflating that with Bayshore.

There was definitely a snack bar of some sort (probably Pik Nik) in the long corridor between Sears and the Bay.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Norman Bates

I shopped weekly at St-Laurent starting in the fall of 1977. I started working there in 1982 and continued through to the end of 1986.

The round structure at the south central location was a licensed restaurant. It was called Steak and Burger. A portion of it was cordoned-off as a tavern. Colloquially it was referred to as the Steak and Puke.

There was no food court in the mall at that time. There was Laura Secord, as well as a cafeteria inside the Bay (Frieman’s). I don’t recall any food service inside Simpson-Sears. I have faint recollection of Pik-Nik fountain drinks sold from a kiosk in the mall. But I could be conflating that with Bayshore.

The Toys ‘r Us was originally a Dominion Grocery store. OC Transpo had a pretty significant urban transit station alongside the Dominion.

The Mall had its own security force, wearing red suit jackets and black trousers.

I had just come to Ottawa from two years in Edmonton. And St-Laurent had a very Montreal feel to my Grade Eight aesthetic.

The first expansion I recall of the mall was the opening of Arlington Sports, accessible from an interior corridor (Arlington Lane) near Dominion and where de Serres is now. That was in 1978.

Around 1985 there was another expansion and a food court was added adjacent to the cinemas.

The original ‘inverted canoe’ roof had tiny skylights with tented plaster surfaces pyramiding-up. They let almost no light in. But we’re there.

Some stores actually had a basement accessible by stairs. The WH Smith and Continental Music come immediately to mind. Sears also had a basement. But it was not normally accessible to the public.

The Bay, built and opened as a Frieman’s, had a large fountain in the centre. The space that it occupied was intended for future escalators to a planned second floor. The Bay chose to build anew, and that original Frieman’s space is now two floors and a part of the open mall and present-day food court.

The next expansion was associated with OC Transpo’s shift to the south and transit way. That’s when a new south side addition was built, together with a new Bay and a department store called Breton’s. Breton’s occupied a slightly higher positioning. Perhaps comparable with Robert Simpson’s (not Simpson-Sears). Its focus was on high profit fashion and cosmetics, not unlike les Ailes de la Mode. They also had a location in the Rideau Centre, above Ogilvy’s, that is now Simmons.

The basement of the mall contained mainframe computers used by government. I think they were under contract from Burroughs and used for what was then Unemployment Insurance and perhaps CPP.

OMG you are like a St Laurent historian! Your mother should be proud.

I remember almost all of this.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by JHikka

What drives this narrative? It's the same as most any other mall these days. It's not as if the mall is littered with empty storefronts and discount stores or money lenders. Its current state is more a reflection of what retail looks like in the 2020s in general rather than an issue with the mall itself. It's identical to leading malls in smaller centres like Belleville or Kingston, as it should be.

HUH?!? It is literally littered with empty storefronts and discount store, if not money lenders. Nearly half of it's GLA is non-retail. St. Laurent's occupied retail GLA is comparable to Carlingwood.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Harley613

HUH?!? It is literally littered with empty storefronts and discount store, if not money lenders.

Eh, a handful of empty storefronts after a global pandemic is hardly littered, and it is not filled with discount stores or money lenders, but I guess we'll agree to disagree on that one. Feels like people are being unnecessarily harsh on it despite the fact that that is simply the way that general retail has gone lately. It's not going to be a Rideau Centre or Yorkdale and never will.

Would have been nice if the Toys'r'Us/Urban Behavior was switched out for the nearby Adonis but can't win them all I guess.

[lrt's friend]

I actually visited St. Laurent within a couple of weeks of its opening in October 1967. It was a marvel at the time, being Ottawa's first indoor mall, and the ultra modern ceiling and lighting. Every store sign had the same script except having a different colour for each store. At the time, there were a lot of local retailers which eventually died off as the national and multi-national chains took over. It coincided with arrival of colour television in Ottawa and during the same year as Expo 67. Very much a 60s vibe. Its early tremendous success drove most shopping centres in Ottawa to move to the indoor format.

The picture was taken before the mall opened. The restaurant and cinemas didn't open until 1968, and you can see that portion was significantly behind. Originally, the restaurant was the Carousel, and when it applied for a liquor license, a bit of a controversy arose. See, this was originally part of Gloucester Township, and Gloucester was a 'dry' township. The liquor rule was retained when this portion of Gloucester was annexed by Ottawa in 1950 and caused a bit of a stir in 1967. This story hit the papers at the time, while Gloucester itself was holding a referendum ending its 'dry' status that same year.

It is really a pity that Sears closed after the American parent company sucked all the cash out of its Canadian subsidiary. I believe that Sears Canada was doing pretty good, better than the parent company until it was sucked dry.

[Norman Bates]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I actually visited St. Laurent within a couple of weeks of its opening in October 1967. It was a marvel at the time, being Ottawa's first indoor mall, and the ultra modern ceiling and lighting. Every store sign had the same script except having a different colour for each store. At the time, there were a lot of local retailers which eventually died off as the national and multi-national chains took over. It coincided with arrival of colour television in Ottawa and during the same year as Expo 67. Very much a 60s vibe. Its early tremendous success drove most shopping centres in Ottawa to move to the indoor format.

The picture was taken before the mall opened. The restaurant and cinemas didn't open until 1968, and you can see that portion was significantly behind. Originally, the restaurant was the Carousel, and when it applied for a liquor license, a bit of a controversy arose. See, this was originally part of Gloucester Township, and Gloucester was a 'dry' township. The liquor rule was retained when this portion of Gloucester was annexed by Ottawa in 1950 and caused a bit of a stir in 1967. This story hit the papers at the time, while Gloucester itself was holding a referendum ending its 'dry' status that same year.

It is really a pity that Sears closed after the American parent company sucked all the cash out of its Canadian subsidiary. I believe that Sears Canada was doing pretty good, better than the parent company until it was sucked dry.

Great memories.

I recall that brushed stainless steel plating, with letters cut-out and back lit, for the individual store signage.

In terms of local Ottawa enterprise, there were some very nice ‘boutiqueie’ type stores. I specifically recall Rideau Draperies, the Golden Dolphin (bathroom towels and fixtures), Nelm’s Opticians, Fine’s Flowers, Continental Music, Treble Clef records (and I think Treble Clef stereos in a separate location in the main mall), Wilson Stationary (from Toronto), ladies garment stores Gazebo and local chain Town and Country, Armstrong & Richardson shoes, McIntosh & Watts china and crystal, local blue Jean retailer Warren’s House of Britches, gentlemen’s attire E.R. Fisher.

Bowrings, Birks, and a downmarket jeweller, probably Peoples. Black’s Cameras. There were also the Dylex clothing chains: Fairweathers, Big Steel Man, Tip Top Tailors, Suzy Sheer.

Buster Brown shoes. Perhaps le Château. There was also Addition Elle and Discus (out of Montreal), Atlantic Stereo and TV (later absorbed into the Future Shop), a knife shop, one of the chartered banks (can’t remember which one), Arlington Sports, and the Dominion, where you could rent a Betamax tape and player for the night.

[Acajack]

Great thread, guys.

[Norman Bates]

A few more memories of my time at St. Laurent.

For my 13th birthday I saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the cinema on its original 1977 release. The thing that I remember most about that was people smoking in their seats. The armrests had little integrated ashtrays.

It would be another decade or so before there was a separate smoking section in the cinema.

In 1979 I saw Love at First Bite at that same cinema.

About 1984 or so I was sitting on the bench in front of the Discus when two or three children scurried into the store followed by two men in trench coats. The person I was sitting with leaned over and told me that they were the Mulroney kids accompanied by their RCMP minders.

[Harley613]

Fantastic anecdotes all around! I never smoked (Haven't smoked in many long years btw) in St. Laurent because Bayshore was my teenage years mall. In Bayshore, we lamented the removal of the smoking zones at the benches all over the mall mid 90's. We were then relegated to the food court, where we could smoke along the edge of the smoking section a single table away from families with young kids....well....the families with young kids that weren't in the smoking section, anyways.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Norman Bates

A few more memories of my time at St. Laurent.

For my 13th birthday I saw Close Encounters of the Third Kind in the cinema on its original 1977 release. The thing that I remember most about that was people smoking in their seats. The armrests had little integrated ashtrays.

It would be another decade or so before there was a separate smoking section in the cinema.

In 1979 I saw Love at First Bite at that same cinema.

About 1984 or so I was sitting on the bench in front of the Discus when two or three children scurried into the store followed by two men in trench coats. The person I was sitting with leaned over and told me that they were the Mulroney kids accompanied by their RCMP minders.

I thought that smoking at theatres ended earlier.

Famous Players was first in 1979. I believe that Odeon (including St. Laurent) followed soon after.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115045863/famous-players-theatres-ban-smoking/

Non-smoking sections did exist before that and policies varied by theatre. In some cases, smoking sections had existed for decades, sometimes restricted to balcony areas.

I remember seeing American Graffiti at the Elmdale (before it was twinned) and gagging from the smoke.

I do know that smoking in the classroom ended at Carleton University in 1974, but you could still smoke in other public areas after that.

[lrt's friend]

The original internal signage (but not showing the peaked ceiling) including the red and white balls that read 'St. Laurent'. Simpsons-Sears in the background




https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...DZHWLdO6rgXiix71msjzrqXD1xmw&oe=63CCADDF

[Harley613]

I desperately want to see original pictures showing the the inside of 'The Wave' with the skylights at the top. I often wonder what's in there today since they blocked it off....

[lrt's friend]

Sorry, no luck so far. It may have been difficult to photograph. That peaked ceiling was really high.

Here is another interior photo that captured the globes well.



https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...xJBBcTEvbYAZ_zbnm8NCG1Ckh4ow&oe=63CCB8B9

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

The food court is oddly located in this mall and I have a feeling the stairs leading to it are steeper than standard.

If they consolidated most of the food (as well as access to the theatre) closer to the LRT, maybe turn it into some sort of indoor street where feel you're patio dining all year round, they'd have something unique to Ottawa. Sort of like West Edmonton's BRBNst, but maybe make it look like a quintessential Ontario mainstreet. This area could even stay open longer than mall hours and add a bar or two. Could be really popular in the winter for condo dwellers along the LRT line.

That would be a great improvement to elevated the mall once again. So much they could do, but they seem unwilling to act.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by jchamoun79

The last renovation didn't do it any favours. Everything just looks cheap and dated. Everything that was architecturally unique has been gradually removed to the point that there's nothing left of the original mall.

Sure that might be the case with other malls built around that time and progressively "updated" and expanded. But as I said, I have a soft spot for St. Laurent in particular based on how much time I spent there in my youth.

The mall started to lose it's luster when the fountain was removed around 2000. I agree the last reno is what removed any uniqueness to the place, transforming it into yet another generic mall.

Originally Posted by Norman Bates

I shopped weekly at St-Laurent starting in the fall of 1977. I started working there in 1982 and continued through to the end of 1986.

The round structure at the south central location was a licensed restaurant. It was called Steak and Burger. A portion of it was cordoned-off as a tavern. Colloquially it was referred to as the Steak and Puke.

There was no food court in the mall at that time. There was Laura Secord, as well as a cafeteria inside the Bay (Frieman’s). I don’t recall any food service inside Simpson-Sears. I have faint recollection of Pik-Nik fountain drinks sold from a kiosk in the mall. But I could be conflating that with Bayshore.

The Toys ‘r Us was originally a Dominion Grocery store. OC Transpo had a pretty significant urban transit station alongside the Dominion.

The Mall had its own security force, wearing red suit jackets and black trousers.

I had just come to Ottawa from two years in Edmonton. And St-Laurent had a very Montreal feel to my Grade Eight aesthetic.

The first expansion I recall of the mall was the opening of Arlington Sports, accessible from an interior corridor (Arlington Lane) near Dominion and where de Serres is now. That was in 1978.

Around 1985 there was another expansion and a food court was added adjacent to the cinemas.

The original ‘inverted canoe’ roof had tiny skylights with tented plaster surfaces pyramiding-up. They let almost no light in. But we’re there.

Some stores actually had a basement accessible by stairs. The WH Smith and Continental Music come immediately to mind. Sears also had a basement. But it was not normally accessible to the public.

The Bay, built and opened as a Frieman’s, had a large fountain in the centre. The space that it occupied was intended for future escalators to a planned second floor. The Bay chose to build anew, and that original Frieman’s space is now two floors and a part of the open mall and present-day food court.

The next expansion was associated with OC Transpo’s shift to the south and transit way. That’s when a new south side addition was built, together with a new Bay and a department store called Breton’s. Breton’s occupied a slightly higher positioning. Perhaps comparable with Robert Simpson’s (not Simpson-Sears). Its focus was on high profit fashion and cosmetics, not unlike les Ailes de la Mode. They also had a location in the Rideau Centre, above Ogilvy’s, that is now Simmons.

The basement of the mall contained mainframe computers used by government. I think they were under contract from Burroughs and used for what was then Unemployment Insurance and perhaps CPP.

Fantastic story! Thanks for sharing. I do remember the music store with the basement. The fountain you speak of at Freimans, did it remain even after the Bay moved closer to the new addition closer to the Queensway? Was that the same fountain that was around until about 2000?

I do wonder what happened to all the basements that were in certain stores. Storage or just boarded up?

The rounded section seems to just be retail now. Don't think the roundness is even visible now, probably just hidden in the ceiling.

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

I actually visited St. Laurent within a couple of weeks of its opening in October 1967. It was a marvel at the time, being Ottawa's first indoor mall, and the ultra modern ceiling and lighting. Every store sign had the same script except having a different colour for each store. At the time, there were a lot of local retailers which eventually died off as the national and multi-national chains took over. It coincided with arrival of colour television in Ottawa and during the same year as Expo 67. Very much a 60s vibe. Its early tremendous success drove most shopping centres in Ottawa to move to the indoor format.

The picture was taken before the mall opened. The restaurant and cinemas didn't open until 1968, and you can see that portion was significantly behind. Originally, the restaurant was the Carousel, and when it applied for a liquor license, a bit of a controversy arose. See, this was originally part of Gloucester Township, and Gloucester was a 'dry' township. The liquor rule was retained when this portion of Gloucester was annexed by Ottawa in 1950 and caused a bit of a stir in 1967. This story hit the papers at the time, while Gloucester itself was holding a referendum ending its 'dry' status that same year.

It is really a pity that Sears closed after the American parent company sucked all the cash out of its Canadian subsidiary. I believe that Sears Canada was doing pretty good, better than the parent company until it was sucked dry.

We're lucky to have a few forumers on here who have more lived experience and remember such things. Thank you for sharing also.

You mention a restaurant called Carousel and it triggered a memory of an actual carousel in the mall. Maybe I'm imagining things, maybe I'm just confusing the little horsies that mom paid a quarter for us to ride.

[eltodesukane]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi View Post
The food court is oddly located in this mall and I have a feeling the stairs leading to it are steeper than standard.

And the fence around the food court is lower than standard.
Would be easy for someone to fall over it, an accident waiting to happen.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

The original internal signage (but not showing the peaked ceiling) including the red and white balls that read 'St. Laurent'. Simpsons-Sears in the background




https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...DZHWLdO6rgXiix71msjzrqXD1xmw&oe=63CCADDF

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Sorry, no luck so far. It may have been difficult to photograph. That peaked ceiling was really high.

Here is another interior photo that captured the globes well.



https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t...xJBBcTEvbYAZ_zbnm8NCG1Ckh4ow&oe=63CCB8B9

Wow, that looks great! We still got something decent with the 80s renovations, at least. Why do mall owners these days insist on making them as generic and sterile as possible?

[J.OT13]

This article from Urbsite has some great background on the architectural philosophy behind the Carlingwood and St. Laurent Sears stores:

http://urbsite.blogspot.com/2010/04/simpsons-sears-west-end-and-east-end.html

And here's an overview of the original mall (drawing):

The first fully-enclosed mall in -or around- Canada's capital opened its doors in October 1967. ST. LAURENT CENTRE, a 30 million dollar facility, was anchored by Simpsons-Sears and Ottawa-based Freimans. It encompassed 750,000 leasable square feet and contained fifty-three stores and services under its roof.
Drawing from the Fairview Corporation

http://shoppingmallmuseum.blogspot.com/2010/07/canadas-first-large-scale-interior-mall.html