What Happened to Heritage Mall? - Best Edmonton Mall
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- Опубліковано 20 лип 2019
- Patreon: / bestedmontonmall
Special Thanks to John Webster, Architect AAA
Heritage Mall in Edmonton, Alberta was once one of Edmonton's most beautiful shopping centers. Discover the history behind the mall, where it came from, and how it found its fate.
What today lives as Century Park, was once home to Sears, Eaton's, and Woolco, and was Southgate Center's biggest mall rival of the 1980's and 1990's. Heritage Mall was developed with spring, and beauty, in mind... long before it was an edmonton dead mall.
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now THIS! Is a good local doc the quality of something usually found on Netflix!
Thanks so much for the kind words!!! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it!
Hahah fellow Albertan and UA-camr, we've United
My family moved to Edmonton because my dad got offered a job working on Heritage mall, he did the wood ceilings.
Heritage mall was classy, from the first day to its last. I remember getting my foot caught in the escalator in the main rotunda (by the Laura Secord). I had my rubber boot too close to the edge and it got sucked into the works. It was by luck that someone hit the emergency stop in time or I would have lost my foot. My mother was so embarrassed because it was right in the middle of the mall and EVERYONE stared while maintenance was called to reverse the escalator to get my foot out. It was after that incident that the edges of the steps were painted yellow to warn people.
Ugh these videos make me so nostalgic, where’s the time machine? Take me back!
Me too. I wanna go back and live it again. So many choices back then. Heritage Mall was much nicer than West Edmonton Mall. Had a better feel to it. Damn, you have to savour whatever you like, cause just like that 💨 and it's gone.
I had no idea this mall ever existed. I'm surprised I had never even heard of it. I haven't ever really wondered what used to be at Century Park before the the LRT. Great bit of Edmonton history. Thanks so much for the video!
you would be shocked if you knew what was around years ago compared to whats there now
I had the pleasure of climbing around inside the mall well after it was shut down as a kid (14-15 years old) I knew runaways that mulled around and slept inside. Was kinda spooky in there lol.
This mall was southwest of Southgate centre mall……..had been there in the way early 80s. A mall that was built of hemlock wood in side beautiful done grain wood paneling.
The lrt wasn't down there at the time of heritage mall days. I went often.
I lived in Edmonton for many years.I use to go to Heritage mall with my parents all the time. When I moved to BC I went to a mall in port coquitlam called coquitlam center and I was presently surprised to see that this mall looked and felt exactly like Heritage mall.
Same developer
This has been a topic that I've wanted to cover for a long time. Aside from WEM, Heritage was "my mall" growing up. Lots of good memories and great style. I'm glad I was able to do my part to bring it back from the brink of being forgotten.
Thank you!!!
would be interesting to see you do a piece on the great divide that the high level had! i didn’t even know it was a thing until you mentioned it!
Thank you so much
It will never be truly forgotten. Both me and my sister have pictures taken at heritage mall at our parents house that the next generation sees (doesn’t help I currently live 2 block away for the site of heritage mall / century park)
Very sad that was a great Mall in its day and a nice change from Southgate Mall
I grew up a half mile from Heritage Mall and actually remember it’s opening day. Prince Charles and Lady Diana had just married a week earlier on July 29, 1981. So many of us students of Harry Ainlay High School all had part time jobs there. It was a stunningly beautiful mall in its heyday and was a really great centre for many years after. So many great memories shopping there. It even had the great English retailer Marks and Spencers. It was the era of the great indoor malls. Bad luck and loss of all the anchor stores killed that mall. It was so sad to see the wrecking balls destroy that structure and what a waste of materials and resources. Century Park and the LRT are an eyesore of a replacement truthfully. Great to see this well produced video honouring a significant part of South Edmonton’s history. Too bad the youth of today didn’t get to experience this once great landmark.
I think it would be fun to convert old Malls to Paintball parks.
This was my favourite shopping place. Too bad it's gone.
@@persistentapparartionkitty5830 I can think of a lot of better uses than a stupid paintball park!
I had a girlfriend that worked in 89'.
I had no idea the mall was once where century park is now. And I'm a born n raised Edmontonian..
I graduated from Harry Ainlay in 1981, just as Heritage opened. However I met a girl who worked for Sears Heritage, and we dated for a couple of years. I spent lots of time there. I agree that the mall looked great in those days, and Southgate was starting to look a little dumpy after 10 years. I lived just North of Southgate and recall that it took about 10 minutes to drive past Southgate, past HACHS, and to Heritage, and thought that it was odd that there were two large malls so close together. I bought lots of tools at Sears with my girlfriend's discount, and no doubt passed by you there sometime in the early 80s.
Heritage Mall had a Marks & Spencer which is from the UK. I loved going there with my grandma as they had the coolest food section. Good memories!!
And an neat escalator to get to the second floor of the marks and spencer!
Yep, I remember that Marks and Spencer. Londonderry had one too
What a disaster when M&S left (although that wasn't the mall's fault)
@@oilers999 The was the move-altor thing in Woolco. Basically a people conveyor belt
Mmmmmm shrimp cocktail chips!
I feel like the inside of that mall is considerably nicer than most malls now. I love the warm tones, the integration of plants and the whimsy of the waterfall. Modern shopping centre design seems diametrically opposed to anything whimsical, or at the very least, fun is value engineered out of everything.
My pet theory is the West Edmonton Mall "trooical" theme was inspired by (or copied from) Heritage Mall - the skylight glass ceilings, the palm trees, tropical plants, et cetera.
I remember Heritage!! They had the most beautiful Santa's village at Christmas time
Competition is always a good thing. Both malls thrived when they were owned by separate entities. Once Cambridge owned both, it started to shifting resources and emphasis on Southgate and cannibalizing heritage. If Heritage had a different owner it may very well still be here today.
Agreed! It was a great mall!
When I first moved to Edmonton on June 25, 2004 I was staying with my mom beside Safeway. The mall was still there but it was boarded up. I have a fascination with malls like that. I would always imagine what it looked like on the inside. Amazing documentary, thanks :)
I also moved there summer of 2004 and peeked around there managed to get a peek inside.. I remember seeing the escalators and such wish I got to see more though
When I first moved to Edmonton, I lived close to that mall and walked there frequently. Loved that mall. So sad to see it closed
I ran the Bentley and Collacut stores that were in the center of the mall right by the escalator, so it was rather interesting seeing the storefronts under construction in this video. The Bentley was the second last store to close, the only other store there the day I locked the door for the last time was the Dollar Store. When I started at the Bentley the whole mall was still full. I sometimes miss that place even all these years later. I drive by there weekly on my way to somewhere else, and it still feels a little strange.
RIP JOHN CANDY
70s and 80s architecture and décor are the best... this place had it.
Yes, this place is a prime example of 70s/80s style.
Straight out of an episode of "Stranger Things"!
Great video! Southgate Mall was a dump in the 80s; dark, low ceilings, all one story. Heritage was a beautiful mall. It was sad to watch it empty out and get boarded up while that monstrosity across the highway (SEC) filled in.
I actually loved the dark, bricky Southgate.
It started with the exodis of mallwart
Well, thats what happens when there is no competition. On the bright side, Southgate has significantly improved since then.
Watched this today with my wife. We both have fond memories of this mall. The MMMuffins near the food court was owned by my best friend’s parents. I used to help out and take home tons of leftover muffins. The Woolco also had the flat escalator, which I don’t think had ever existed in any other Edmonton mall. It was so novel. I loved to pretend I was surfing on it.
The Woolco escalator was so awesome as a kid.
That flat escalator was called "the movator." Source: I worked at that Woolco from 1989 to 1994. I lived a few blocks from Heritage and still think it's a shame it met the fate it did. Such a great mall!
My favorite mall! Loved going to the mall in the 80's because Southgate mall was so dark!
The wood panel ceiling looked so nice...way more appealing than the stark white "clean" look of a "modern" mall. I really miss older mall interiors. Can't wait for those styles to circle back around.
When used judiciously, wood can look postmodern, especially when combined with glass and other postmodern architectural materials.
It wasn't wood paneling, it was actual wood.
It kills me when a complex tries to freshen up their property by stripping its original theme and decor and replace it with a white beige and gray shit show with no personality and nothing different than every other boring big box store. I dont see the wrong in keeping its vintage look or at least the essence of it as long as its still kept fresh not run down. It can be the most dated look thats ugly but I still enjoy properties like that and take you back to a different era and to this very day I love to explore hotels, stores, theaters and even homes that have been abandoned with their original look, and i really dont know why I do but i do know that they were crafted with more care and have an originality all their own. I dont know why i just shared all of that but hope everyone enjoyed it .
You'll love the recent proposal for the MacDonald Hotel. It'll put your head in your hands, for sure
Lol, I love minimalist colours and glass with some possible implementation of natural tones. Century Park seems to do that well. That said, the design of Heritage Mall seemed nice.
Agree 100%
Remember that the 70s and 80s were very brown. Very, VERY brown. That look wasn't vintage; it was just old, and in a dying mall, that probably just made it look even worse. Seeing these pics remines be of the oldest parts of West Ed prior to the somewhat recent renos. There were parts of the mall that felt like you were on the wrong side of the tracks, and this is honestly what I saw in these pictures. I'm sure it was amazing when it opened, but it just looks dated and rundown.
I remember this mall, it was a beautiful mall with it's natural esthetic, waterall, skylights, just a nice place to be expecially in the winter. Sad to see it go.
I still refer to the area as "where Heritage Mall used to be" out of habit, even though the mall closed when I was a kid
Lived in Blue Quill when I was in high school. I remember when Heritage mall was still booming and remember when it had only about 3 stores remaining. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.
I live in Blue Quill today… and I am shocked this mall existed.
Heritage Mall was already boarded up when I moved to Edmonton, so until watching this I never got to see inside. This is fantastic. Thank you for documenting our history. ❤️🍍
Very interesting. I worked a the Safeway from day 1. What a mad day that was. Started work at noon but didn't finish 'til after 11 that night. After the mall closed at 9 we were collecting shopping carts from all over! Shame the mall didn't make it. At the time it represented the optimism of Edmonton and provided a great compliment to Southgate. But WEM and its development then the Ivanhoe-Cambridge dual ownership of Southgate represented the beginning of the end. Heritage was a really nice mall to be in, both for working and shopping. The area is all very sterile now but that's progress, apparently.
I was there on opening day and I worked there at a few stores when it was open. It was a very nice mall in its day.
I have been in Japan for over two and a half years already, so this video was such a nostalgia trip! I think your English is simple enough that I might even be able to share it with my older students. Thanks!
I very much like his narration style, and enjoy how it fits with the videos and it is balanced, simple, and articulate. I saw someone else comment in another one of his videos about his voice on the videos being done well. Good job.
I'm 26, so I only have very vague memories of Heritage Mall. I remember my mom taking me to Eaton's there when they were having some big closing sale. Would've been like 1999/00.
While I resided in Calgary I frequented Market Mall, Chinook Centre and Deerfoot Mall. The rare time I checked out Sunridge Mall it resonated with me. After watching I probably was thinking about the resemblance between the old Heritage Mall, now that John Webster confirmed his team was involved it all makes sense to me.
Yes looks like a version of Sunridge
My pet theory is the West Edmonton Mall "trooical" theme was inspired by (or copied from) Heritage Mall - the skylight glass ceilings, the palm trees, tropical plants, et cetera.
I loved that mall I grew up there my family would always do there mall shopping there
That’s where I got my first bike
I remember almost everything about that mall the locations of certain stores the food court the arcade the water fall
I wish it was still standing to this day it could have been better than it was before
Thanks for the great vid
This really brought back memories
Heritage was awesome. Great trip down memory lane!
I have so many memories of this mall when I was a child, and it was Heritage that helped fuel my love of Architecture and Design as well among other buildings. Thanks so much for the trip down memory lane!
I'm happy that you enjoyed it!
Lots of memories at this mall. Wizards Castle arcade and Robbie's hamburgers! :) Thanks for the video.
I was just at Southgate for the first time. I love the three story Bay that looks much as it did when it opened in 1970. I had no idea Heritage Mall had been so close to it.
Absolutely love this, thank you so much!! I've been obsessed to know more about this mall but there is little out there. I have so many memories of going to this mall as a kid and later as an adult on my days off from work. I remember buying my first CD there and all three of my sisters worked there at one point. They worked at Robbi's hamburgers, another at Sears and another at Eaton's. I even helped with inventory at Eaton's one Saturday evening in the mid 90's and got $20 out of it. I applied at both Safeway and Wal-mart but never got a job but eventually got a job at Food for Less (another long gone store) which was owned by Safeway. Back in the 80's I remember seeing the Eskimos' Gizmo Williams walking in the mall with two tall attractive blondes on either side of him (well, they seemed tall but he was pretty short). I moved away to Calgary in '95 and visited every once in while but was shocked in May of 2000 on a visit to Heritage to see the vacant store fronts, I counted around 40 and had no idea at the time it was in trouble. Also very cool to see some of my photos on here I took from a 2005 visit knowing that was probably the last time i'd see it like that.
My first job after high school was working at the Wal-Mart there. I was part of the transition group that moved everything to the South Edmonton Common location. Good memories.
Michael Meloche the two story wal mart with cart escalators
I miss this mall a lot.
Cool! I was a tiny person when Heritage mall was around. I remember my eye doctors office was in there and there was a Smitty's on the backside of the mall. And I remember all the debris and parts not demolished yet at the gross old Heritage bus station lol
It's too bad you don't have any footage of the mall at Christmas time. I've never seen a mall that looked as good than Heritage with Christmas lights.
Great Video!I moved to Bearspaw (11th ave) in the early 90's as a child and Heritage Mall was the mall we went to! I remember the food court (close to the safeway I recall)
I used to go there all the time I sure miss it . It was sad to see it destroyed after it went through major interior retrofit .
This was very well made been in edmonton now for 7 years didnt know there was a mall there....wow
You made me cry...I remember this mall, I spent most of my childhood here
Love it. I grew up minutes from Heritage and most of my memories are of it boarded up pre-demolishing. Still live just south of Century so that 1980 vs 2018 shot was crazy. This is great, keep it goin dude big up
This is incredibly well done. Very informative. I'm going to have to watch all of these videos, amazing work!!!
It can't have helped Heritage Mall's fortunes when Mill Woods Town Centre opened up in 1988, either. I was just a kid, but I remember MWTC taking about 90% of my family's mall-going business, because it was like four miles closer to us.
I miss Heritage. I worked there when it was first built in the food court. Woolco rocked too.. miss those stores.
who did you work for?
@@brendahall5928 For an electrical contractor who was doing the electrical for a bunch of the fast food restaurants. (on the east side)
@@MicheIIePucca Robbie's Hamburgers and Schooners?
If you look in the right places around Century Park, you can still see an old concrete berm that used to have Heritage Mall signage on it.
Oh for real? Where at?
@@carlos230893 IIRC, somewhere along the southwestern corner.
I moved here in October 2005. I would take the ETS home from school and always wondered what Heritage Mall was like. Thank you for this video.
I can still picture the boarded up front doors of the mall. But I cannot remember what 111st looked like before the LRT tracks
Awesome video! Grew up at this mall....and Southgate. I remember running up and down the conveyor belt escalators at Woolco ; the escalators where designed for customers to go on with their shopping carts. So many memories at this mall brought back by this video. My brother was part of the crew that moved Sears to Southgate.
Thanks for putting together this video. I remember going to this mall many time with my family when I was a kid. So it was cool to see video of it again.
Watched this from your link on Reddit, left a comment there. Great video. I would love one on Southgate.
Again another great video 👌 you crushed this one again! Always appreciate your trips back in time!
Loved to see old videos and photos of City Centre Mall, plus a little history too!
One of your best videos. Watched this one several times and look forward to more videos of this quality!
Such an interesting place, great vid!
I actually worked in the mall at ‘LensCrafters’ when it first opened up. Heritage mall was really nice but it lost too many customers to the more popular mall 10 minutes north ( Southgate mall ).
Amazing video. A couple of friends and I explored the abandoned mall before it was torn down to make the condos. A night I'll never forget. So cool.
It was a great shopping center.
I love 2 story malls. We don't have 2 stories where I am. We have the largest mall between Vancouver and Calgary but it's 1 story. To be honest I prefer the shopping experience of Aberdeen mall in Kamloops with its 2 story layout over Orchard Park in Kelowna even if it is a smaller mall. The 2 story layout gives access to escalators and also makes for a less spread out shopping experience.
Wonderful story-thanks so much for us updating what ever happened!
All you’re videos are very well done. Always can’t wait for the next one. Thank you.
*your
Just discovered your channel today - love the content, it brings back many memories!
I used to love going to Marks and Spencer there, lots of UK items and goodies at a time when they weren't readily available.
I miss Heritage Mall. I remember going there quite often. On the North East Corner of the site, at 109 Street & 29th Ave, I believe this little piece of road is still one of the original entrances to Heritage Mall's parking lot.
I remember the waterfall. I had only been in that mall twice. Never knew what happened to it. I honestly haven't heard anything about Heritage Mall since 1992.
AMAZING, thank you. I’ve tried for so long to find pictures of the inside. Trip down memory lane. Vividly remember the conveyor belt “escalators” in Walmart as a kid.
OH YEAH! Heritage mall. Time flies.
Didn't know this mall even existed, not really a surprise, it closed long before i began to really explore the city. During Heritage Malls final years and closure, all childhood me knew of Edmonton was my home neighborhood in the north and the few places mom and grandma took me (like Northgate, Londonderry, and WEM) Most of south Edmonton was a mystery for me until the Captial LRT line got its south extension, long after Heritage Malls era. Thank you for making this mini documentary, i never would've known about Heritage mall otherwise.
You should talk about the former mall in St. Albert known as Grandin Mall. I’de love to know more about that mall.
Same I remember going to the movie theater next to it when I was a kid. It was the first movie theater I ever went to and I saw Finding Nemo. Honestly the "mall" never seemed like much of a mall to me. At least not in my lifetime. Id love to learn more about its "prime". I guess im lucky that Saint Albert Center has been around my whole childhood (although its changed a lot too) so ive only been to Grandin Mall a few times before it was gone.
You should do one about Abbotsfield. :) Love your stuff.
Love for a video on Beaumaris Lake Mall in Castledowns.
Amazing! just happened to found this video by chance. Nice work. Subscribed!
Awesome video! Earlier in my career (2007-09) I did a bunch of design work on Heritage Mall’s successor, South Edmonton Common. Brought back at lot of memories for me, including working with the Naqvi family. I live a long ways away from Edmonton now but this made me think of home.
There was design work done at SEC!? :-)
Cool video! I remember going to this mall as a child on a regular basis. I was sad to see it close and torn down. Never understood why it shut down, until I saw this video. Thanks for sharing!
I was thinking of Heritage mall not so long ago. Thanks for a great video.
Great video and this was such a beautiful mall. I still remember the commercial "Heritage Mall!! Were Ready!!"
These videos always remind me how long it's been since I've lived in Edmonton! You should get a grant for these videos, really cool history.
Thanks for Etown history
oh man i remember this mall as a child. Thanks for making a video about this.
Had no idea that there was a mall there. Great video, hope to see more like it.
I'd almost forgotten about this mall! I don't really remember any individual stores but I do remember playing carols there with my junior high school band class. I think Heritage could have done really well if they could have stuck it out to the Century Park days, especially since it's the end station and everyone gets off there.
Such a shame to lose Heritage Mall. It was a nice place to shop, before the big box model took off.
Interesting connection there with 3 malls in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer. I frequented Bower many a time in my Red Deer days.
Great video! Keep up the great work!
What Happened to Edmonton?
Can we just please go back to this.
it'll be so crazy to put the old Heritage Mall photo and the future Century Place photos side by side. Check out Procura building and their plans for Century Park area, it's going to be nuts! :D
Never knew about this mall either. Really cool to hear about it! The high level bridge fact interested me in a video about that one day?
I appreciate these videos. I grew up across 111 from this mall. On Saddleback road. Oh the memories.
more pictures and memories here facebook.com/groups/4763819301
When we saw the big stores being transferred over to Southgate, and the modernizing of it's once dark brick interior to the open, lighter version we have today...we knew the owners were going to close Heritage. Sad that that beautiful mall was cannibalized the way it was, yet they didn't save the best parts: the waterfall, the wood, the floor inlay of the 4 cardinal points, or the palms. Never got to explore the interior once the mall was abandoned, unfortunately. Would have been nice to see it one last time.
Coquitlam Centre is still very original, the wood ceilings with stain glass... That was "my mall" growing up.
It would be cool to see a video of documentary about Oliver Square and the transformation from an Industrial and railway area to one of the busiest most and popular shopping districts in Edmonton
Crazy how excited we got about mall openings
Thanks for this!
Wow I never got to visit this mall nice video!
The last time I ever went to Heritage Mall was when they had a Card Show there in the early 00's. Most of the stores were gone. It was done. So sad. All I remember of this place.
Great video! As a teenager I once tried to ride my bike down the parkade staircase closest to the transit center. It didn't go so well.
Kool story bro!
I never went in the Heritage Mall. It was already closed for good when I moved to the south side of Edmonton. I watched as it was torn down bit by bit though. I've always wondered why it got demolished. Thank you very much for this video. I love that you make videos about other Edmonton malls and places.
You might not have read my comment in your last video, but I want to know more about the Turbo Ride under the Mind Bender. I went on 4 or 5 different Turbo Ride shows. I want to know how many have been played there and if I can somehow see them again. Even on my Computer screen. The James Bond one was really good. Thanks!