Rideau Centre Expansion | Completed

[loga0082]

Photos of demolished cinemas
Silvia Logan
February 9, 2015

These are very nice photos which you have taken of the Rideau Centre, Harley. I will be stopping by the Rideau Centre tomorrow and take a walk up to the rooftop terrace to see the demolished cinemas. I prefer to see them in person, so I can take a photo of them with my IPad. I want to email the demolished cinemas to my friends and family. Do you have any idea what the former cinemas are going to become in the future?

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[mac_junkie1]

the first picture taken is NOT where the cinemas used to be. that picture shows the expansion up to where building used to finish. the outside cinema wall has not been touched yet. All they did was gut the inside of it and use it for whatever their using it for now. i'm sure down the line they'll do something with the space, but for now, the picture there shows the expansion has reached where its meeting the old part. i'm sure knocking the walls to make it 1 structure will happen soon if it hasn't happened yet already.

[danishh]

i'm not that worried about losing another cinema downtown. Within the next 5 years both silvercity and south keys cinemas will be connected by rail to downtown. Add in that demand for actually going to the cinemas (rather than just watching at home) is falling every day, and i'm confident urban ottawa will be served just fine.

[loga0082]

Originally Posted by mac_junkie1

the first picture taken is NOT where the cinemas used to be. that picture shows the expansion up to where building used to finish. the outside cinema wall has not been touched yet. All they did was gut the inside of it and use it for whatever their using it for now. i'm sure down the line they'll do something with the space, but for now, the picture there shows the expansion has reached where its meeting the old part. i'm sure knocking the walls to make it 1 structure will happen soon if it hasn't happened yet already.

One of the guys; maybe it was citydweller, told me that he went up to the roof terrace and gone outside and saw the demolished cinemas with only the steel remains. He saw the roof of the cinemas. The manager Ms. Vanbuskirk told me that the construction workers are using the former cinemas for offices, meetings, and lunch breaks.

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[loga0082]

Cinemas
Silvia Logan
February 9, 2015
I agree with you that taking the LRT is much faster than going either by car, bus, or foot from downtown to Silvercity to see a movie. The closest movie theatres to my house are the Bytowne and Rainbow which is a 20 or 30 minute walk from my house, even though they are not first run movie theatres. Once the LRT is finished, I can walk to Hurdman and take the LRT to see first run movies at Silvercity. I go regularly to Silvercity to see first run movies and plays from London. I hate taking a taxi because I wait forever for them to show up. Once Lansdowne park cinemas are finished, I can easily walk there because it takes me roughly an hour to get there. I walk to St. Matthew's church from my house which is not much different.

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[kevinbottawa]

I went for my first day of training at Nordstrom. It's a beautiful space. Got to see the restaurant and rooftop patio; seats 70. The restaurant has a chef's table and a bar with a good selection of drinks (including hard liquour). This is going to be a different shopping experience for Ottawa.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

I went for my first day of training at Nordstrom. It's a beautiful space. Got to see the restaurant and rooftop patio; seats 70. The restaurant has a chef's table and a bar with a good selection of drinks (including hard liquour). This is going to be a different shopping experience for Ottawa.

Can you please pm me if you have a contact for the restaurant? I'm in the wine business and would love to get some wine on the list for opening!

[loga0082]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

I went for my first day of training at Nordstrom. It's a beautiful space. Got to see the restaurant and rooftop patio; seats 70. The restaurant has a chef's table and a bar with a good selection of drinks (including hard liquour). This is going to be a different shopping experience for Ottawa.

I receive the Retailer Insider regularly and I did receive news about the new Nordstrom opening next month. I checked the restaurant and I have heard the menu selection is good. I might try that place in the summer. I will be I Spain in the grand opening day, so I might go the end of March or beginning of April to shop.

Loga0082

[mac_junkie1]

That's fine... But because of the new construction up there, from the viewpoint, you can no longer see the theater. The wall is now incorporated into the addition. It was just an older cinema. It's not a big loss. I had heard that a cinema may return, or a restaurant. Not all the new tenants have been announced, so Vanbuskirk wouldn't go around saying stuff before its announced. Wait until 2016 to see what will go on... There is still time for a theater tennant to return... It's all a matter of patience. I covered the teardown of Ogilvys and the full build of this addition and now the return of Ogilvys... Whatever angle I could get, I've gotten for this immense project. It has been pretty exciting to follow.

Originally Posted by loga0082

One of the guys; maybe it was citydweller, told me that he went up to the roof terrace and gone outside and saw the demolished cinemas with only the steel remains. He saw the roof of the cinemas. The manager Ms. Vanbuskirk told me that the construction workers are using the former cinemas for offices, meetings, and lunch breaks.

loga0082

[mac_junkie1]

Can't wait to see what Nordstrom will offer to Ottawa. Target came and failed, so lets see how a company that DID IT RIGHT will succeed in our Capital.

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

I went for my first day of training at Nordstrom. It's a beautiful space. Got to see the restaurant and rooftop patio; seats 70. The restaurant has a chef's table and a bar with a good selection of drinks (including hard liquour). This is going to be a different shopping experience for Ottawa.

[OTSkyline]

In my opinion a movie theatre doesn't belong in a mall, it has totally seperate operating hours and most people would either for the the cinema OR for the shopping, most people wouldn't go shopping at Lasenza, then head to the movies...

If we were to get a cinema downtown I would like to see one go on Rideau St with its own entrance. Maybe were Metro is.. or at the King Edward intersection.. It could help revitalize Rideau again and make it lively at night with people from downtown and the Byward/Rideau condos walk along Rideau to the cinema. It would also help if Rideau St. is truly trying to brand itself as an "entertainment" street/district...

If not, then hopefully they could find a way to include one at Lebreton /Bayview with the new community and condos that is bound to go there... That west part of downtown has nothing and is very sleepy.

[MoreTrains]

This redvelopment is pretty sweet. The stages that they are opening with and the stores are pretty class A. The Birks and Harry Rosen facades are very modern and fitting for a mall that is trying to up itself from a D to a B. And to be honest, when all of the redevelopment is done it will probably become a B+ to A-. I cannot think of a mall apart from maybe Yorkdale that is upto the task of higher end retail.

Harley, thanks for the pics, they are fantastic. The only question that I am raising from them is now that the expansion is taller than P4... will they build another level or two of parking or will they build a roof and put a larger terrace with seasonal outdoor shops to try and reduce the number of recidivists that frequent the roof.

[loga0082]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

In my opinion a movie theatre doesn't belong in a mall, it has totally seperate operating hours and most people would either for the the cinema OR for the shopping, most people wouldn't go shopping at Lasenza, then head to the movies...

If we were to get a cinema downtown I would like to see one go on Rideau St with its own entrance. Maybe were Metro is.. or at the King Edward intersection.. It could help revitalize Rideau again and make it lively at night with people from downtown and the Byward/Rideau condos walk along Rideau to the cinema. It would also help if Rideau St. is truly trying to brand itself as an "entertainment" street/district...

If not, then hopefully they could find a way to include one at Lebreton /Bayview with the new community and condos that is bound to go there... That west part of downtown has nothing and is very sleepy.

Excuse me for a moment! There is a movie theatre on Rideau Street called the Bytowne which is close to Loblaws. Even though, it is not a first run movie theatre, it shows foreign, classic, indie, and documentary films. I am a member there. I go there quite frequently. I even some three Shakespearean plays at the Globe in the Bytowne. Did you ever go to the Bytowne? Do you know where it is? St. Laurent Shopping Centre has the Rainbow cinemas. I go there a few times, but it is just a second run movie theatre. However, at St. Laurent there is a lot of parking space and you do not have to pay for parking unlike the Rideau Centre. I wish that they did include new cinemas at the Rideau Centre.

Loga0082

[loga0082]

This morning I did go up to the escalator up to the roof terrace. I did not see the interior of the demolished cinemas at the Rideau centre. I just saw the roof and the walls and back doors. It looks like to me that the expansion is starting to connect to the former Rideau cinemas. I know that the Simon 's store in the expansion is supposed to go up the 4th floor. When I emailed the leasing owner, she told me that Simon's will not be taking over the former cinemas. I did see the construction workers enter into the former cinemas and I did see grey brick. I asked one of the construction workers what the former cinemas will
become in the future. He did not know. He told me you never know maybe cinemas could go there. They have the Bytowne a few blocks down and they are building a first run cinema at Lansdowne park. I wish that they did include new cinemas at the Rideau centre because to me they have enough clothes shops, shoe shops, jewellery shops, coffee shops, beauty shops, and restaurants. I do not think that alcoholic beverages should be sold in cinemas like Lansdowne park. The Rideau centre is much closer to my house than Lansdowne and Silvercity. The Rainbow is just a second run movie theatre and the Bytowne just shows foreign and classic movies. You are right I did not see the interior of the cinemas, just the back doors and the roof.

Loga0082

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by loga0082

Excuse me for a moment! There is a movie theatre on Rideau Street called the Bytowne which is close to Loblaws. Even though, it is not a first run movie theatre, it shows foreign, classic, indie, and documentary films. I am a member there. I go there quite frequently. I even some three Shakespearean plays at the Globe in the Bytowne. Did you ever go to the Bytowne? Do you know where it is? St. Laurent Shopping Centre has the Rainbow cinemas. I go there a few times, but it is just a second run movie theatre. However, at St. Laurent there is a lot of parking space and you do not have to pay for parking unlike the Rideau Centre. I wish that they did include new cinemas at the Rideau Centre.

Loga0082

I love the Bytowne but I think we need both types of theatre on Rideau...it is the 'Theatre District' after all :p

[MoreTrains]

Originally Posted by Harley613

I love the Bytowne but I think we need both types of theatre on Rideau...it is the 'Theatre District' after all :p

True story especially considering there is a play house down the road on King Edward and Arts Court will also include auditoriums for plays and likely screening. A theatre would add to this. We have second run and indie films from Bytowne, so a First run and film fet theatre would be a nice addition to the area.

[rocketphish]

3 high-enders coming to Rideau Centre

By Dani-elle Dube, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Monday, February 09, 2015 11:28 PM EST | Updated: Tuesday, February 10, 2015 07:43 AM EST

During a time when all hope seems lost for American retailers in Canada, Rideau Centre has confirmed three additional high-end retailers that will be calling the downtown shopping centre home later this year.

Tiffany & Co., Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman are set to open their doors following the grand opening of Nordstrom on March 6.

But with retailers like Target, Mexx, Sony, Jacob and Smart Set announcing their departure from Canada, Ottawa is actually the perfect market for higher-end sellers, said assistant professor Ian Lee at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business.

"There are some failures in the mass market at the lower end but that doesn't mean that there isn't money to be made," said Lee.

"It just means that the ones that did fail weren't very good at what they were doing against stronger competition in their space."

Because Ottawa's employment market largely consists of public sector employees with yearly salaries well over $100,000, Ottawa's economy is more stable than anywhere else in Canada, said Lee.

In fact, he's surprised it took high enders like Nordstrom this long to come in.

"We shouldn't take Target failure as the Canadian economy tanking because it isn't or that retail is screwed in Canada," said Lee.

"What we're seeing is the evidence that retailing has become a game of survival of the fittest.

It's kill or be killed and the stronger retailers are killing and destroying the weaker retailers."

Kate Spade will be the first of the three to open in June, followed by Tiffany & Co. in August and Stuart Weitzman in October.

The opening dates are subject to change, depending on the construction process.

[email protected]

http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/02/09/3-high-enders-coming-to-rideau-centre

[loga0082]

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

True story especially considering there is a play house down the road on King Edward and Arts Court will also include auditoriums for plays and likely screening. A theatre would add to this. We have second run and indie films from Bytowne, so a First run and film fet theatre would be a nice addition to the area.

Last fall, I read in the Ottawa Citizen about doing a big renovation to the Arts Court building. The manager of Arts Court did say that she was going to put films there. When I asked her are they going to make it a first run movie theatre like Silvercity or a second run like the Rainbow. She said no, but just show special films for university purpose. It is not going to be equivalent to the Bytowne. I wish that they do put a first run movie theatre downtown. Lansdowne Park to me is not located downtown.

Loga0082

[citydwlr]

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

True story especially considering there is a play house down the road on King Edward and Arts Court will also include auditoriums for plays and likely screening. A theatre would add to this. We have second run and indie films from Bytowne, so a First run and film fet theatre would be a nice addition to the area.

I hope something like this does happen eventually. It's a good spot for it.

Also, there are actually 2 playhouses along King Edward around that corner: Ottawa Little Theatre, and La Nouvelle Scène (currently under construction). So, all the more reason to have a Theatre district. A solid concert hall could be good around there too...

[loga0082]

I agree with you a 100%. I wish that one theatre does show first run films, since a Lansdowne park cinemas are not centrally located and I can walk easily in 30 minutes near the Ottawa Little theatre. I some some plays at the OLT and the Arts Court building.

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