After nearly half a century, Town and Country Shopping Centre on the north end of Douglas Street has officially closed.
One of the region's first modern shopping centres will be torn down to make way for the second phase of Uptown, the massive mixed-use project that already features big-box retailers Wal-Mart, Future Shop, Shoppers Drug Mart and Best Buy in an initial phase.
The hoopla was huge when a crowd of 5,000 turned out for the grand opening of the strip mall back in June 1961.
A Victoria Colonist headline stated "It Will Be Hub of Victoria" above a story describing the "almost incredible crush of people."
The Times newspaper called the mall "ultra-modern" and said crowds lined up in the hundreds to visit each of the centre's businesses. The parking lot, which then had space for 800 vehicles, was packed.
Three years later, a $2-million, 151,000-square-foot Woolco store opened, adding to Town and Country's existing 111,000 square-feet.
Today, Morguard Investment's Uptown development dwarfs the original Town and Country blueprint. With an eventual construction price tag projected to reach $350 million, it is expected to include 1.3 million square feet of open-air shopping and 180,000 square feet of Class A office space, plus a hoped-for residential component.
Local politicians anticipate Uptown will become a community centre for Saanich and an important transportation centre for the region. Uptown's first phase opened earlier this summer, with retail openings again drawing crowds.
Moores Clothing for Men was the final business in the old shopping centre to close its doors. It reopened this week in Uptown.
"It's like going from the basement to the penthouse. While Town and Country was a very productive mall, Uptown is like a breath of fresh air for the entire community," said Bruce Smith, Moores' manager.
More stores are slated to open through the summer, including Urban Barn and several fashion retailers.
Uptown's second phase is expected to start in September, when existing buildings are taken down.
"As in Phase 1, we'll carry out an environmentally sensitive deconstruction rather than a simple demolition," said Geoff Nagle, Morguard's director of development for Western Canada. "This is a longer, more expensive process, but it's a strategy that fits with our sustainability objectives."
Phase 2 is expected to finish in 2012 and will see the completion of the central plaza, the Uptown Boulevard, as well as commercial and office buildings.
cjwilson@tc.canwest.com
