Freiman Mall

Freiman Mall (French: Mall Freiman) is an enclosed arcade between Rideau and George Streets in Downtown Ottawa, Canada, east of Sussex Drive and west of William Street. The adjacent Hudson's Bay department store abuts the Freiman Mall on both its north and south sides, and can be accessed from the Freiman Mall interior.

Freiman Mall
Freiman Mall entrance at 73 Rideau Street
Location73 Rideau Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 5W8
Coordinates
Opening dateMay 12, 1983
DeveloperViking Rideau
OwnerHudson's Bay Company
No. of floors1
Public transit accessOC Transpo Rideau, STO

History
A.J. Freiman on Rideau, 1938
Mosgrove Street, from Rideau, 1938

The current location of the Freiman Mall was once a public street called Mosgrove Street, located immediately to the east of the Freimans department store which was adjacent to the ByWard Market and the former Metropolitan department store. The street was later renamed Freiman Street after the department store and its founder, Archibald Jacob Freiman. The Freimans department store was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1972 and rebranded as an outlet of the company's (then) "The Bay" chain.[1][2]

In conjunction with the development of the Rideau Centre across the street, the City of Ottawa agreed in 1981 to close Freiman Street and to lease the land to the HBC for a term of 99 years in exchange for the construction of an enclosed, public pedestrian passageway connecting Rideau Street to George Street and the ByWard Market, to be open 24 hours per day. Under the terms of the lease, HBC was entitled to install three kiosks related to its store within the new Freiman Mall. The company and the city would share operating and security costs, with the City's share based on the proportion of public (non-retail) floor area and the amount of time the mall would be open past the store's operating hours.[1]

The Freiman Mall was officially opened by Ottawa mayor Marion Dewar on May 12, 1983, at which time a commemorative plaque was unveiled within the mall honouring A. J. Freiman and his family.[3][4]

In order to reduce the City's share of the operating and security costs, the lease was amended in 1992 to allow HBC to encroach into the Freiman Mall with its merchandise displays, as long as a minimum 6.1-metre (20 ft)-wide public passageway was maintained. So as to reduce security costs, the lease amendment also allowed the company to close the Freiman Mall during a portion of the night.[1]

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References
  1. "Report Ref N°: ACS2004-CCS-PEC-0014". Planning and Environment Committee. City of Ottawa. 2 December 2004. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  2. "Our History". Hudson's Bay Company. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  3. "You are invited to the Official Opening of the Freiman Mall". Ottawa Citizen. 7 May 1983.
  4. Middleton, Janice (30 December 1986). "Much-honored businessman, Lawrence Freiman, dies". Ottawa Citizen.
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