WINNIPEG | Portage Place Redevelopment

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by BAKGUY

The once glamorous mall that boasted the most luxurious brands, is now depleted, tired, & more than ready for a transformation.Late in fact but better now than never.

Portage Place was never really that glamorous. Within a year of opening, many of the stores went under in 1988, and it never lived up to projections. It was obvious to many by the early 90s at the latest, that the mall was somewhat of a white elephant.

However, TNSE has a stellar reputation in rejuvenating downtown, and I have faith in them, that they can make this work, if the get the green light.

[drew]

I have clear memories of Portage Place when it first opened. It was amazing to the 9 or 10 year old me - that fire house fountain, the stores in the walk-ways near the Bay and Eatons - IMAX.

[Jammon]

Originally Posted by drew

I have clear memories of Portage Place when it first opened. It was amazing to the 9 or 10 year old me - that fire house fountain, the stores in the walk-ways near the Bay and Eatons - IMAX.

I totally agree. We must be around the same age. I remember going with my Grandma and Mom when it first opened and I must have watched the fountain for an hour. LOL

[esquire]

I remember going to Portage Place on day one, back when I was in elementary school. At the time it was extremely impressive. Certainly for the next few years it was a popular place for outings, the IMAX was a big thrill and it was interesting to browse the shops, watch the fountain, etc. It was still a great place to go when I was in high school in the 90s.

The shine came off the place once Eaton's closed in 1999. That's when downtown retail lost its critical mass and retailers started leaving Portage Place in earnest. The pandemic just finished the job. So for all the effort that went into creating it, Portage Place really only lasted as a major regional mall for about 15 years. I thought Hydro and the arena would breathe some new life into it, but that never happened.

[bomberjet]

Ditto for me. Loved going to Imax. It was awesome. And still is in concept. But obviously not in reality.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

Ditto for me. Loved going to Imax. It was awesome. And still is in concept. But obviously not in reality.

Standalone IMAX theatres seem to thrive in other places. Regina still has its IMAX.

I wonder if it was just too out of sight, out of mind in Winnipeg? A third floor location might be fine for a cinema in Hong Kong, but in downtown Winnipeg it's pretty out of the way.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by esquire

Standalone IMAX theatres seem to thrive in other places. Regina still has its IMAX.

I wonder if it was just too out of sight, out of mind in Winnipeg? A third floor location might be fine for a cinema in Hong Kong, but in downtown Winnipeg it's pretty out of the way.

Would make a great Esports venue now.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by esquire

I remember going to Portage Place on day one, back when I was in elementary school. At the time it was extremely impressive. Certainly for the next few years it was a popular place for outings, the IMAX was a big thrill and it was interesting to browse the shops, watch the fountain, etc. It was still a great place to go when I was in high school in the 90s.

The shine came off the place once Eaton's closed in 1999. That's when downtown retail lost its critical mass and retailers started leaving Portage Place in earnest. The pandemic just finished the job. So for all the effort that went into creating it, Portage Place really only lasted as a major regional mall for about 15 years. I thought Hydro and the arena would breathe some new life into it, but that never happened.

I was 11 when the mall opened. The family went to the IMAX in the fall of 1987. At school we also went twice in 1989, 90. It wasn't horrible, but by the early 90s, the food court was becoming a zoo. By the time I began to workout at the YMCA in the second half of the 90s, the mall was completely dead after 6. I was at the movie theatre twice in the 90s, and it never seemed to be too busy.

My favourite places at the mall were the sports store on the 2nd floor just below the IMAX. McNally Robinson was cool to chill out at, and enjoy an espresso. I also liked Branigans(?) on the 2nd floor near the YMCA. That's all I can think of off hand.

I always questioned the logic of opening Portage Place, when Eaton Place and Winnipeg Square were struggling. However, if anyone can rescue Portage Place, it would be TNSE.

[WinCitySparky]

My late grandfather took me to the IMAX to see a couple flicks when I was very little. “Space” and “Natural Disasters”. Still remember it clear as day like 30 years later.

[esquire]

I remember when the IMAX first opened I thought it was so weird that they didn't sell popcorn. But you could get a cappuccino, haha. Eventually they relented and started selling popcorn. I remember seeing "Heartland", the IMAX movie about Manitoba, several times. Same with "The Dream Is Alive".

In hindsight something like the IMAX would have probably worked better as part of the Manitoba Museum...

[CoryB]

Originally Posted by esquire

The shine came off the place once Eaton's closed in 1999.

For me the decline of Portage Place happened shortly after Cadillac Fairview's bankruptcy in late 94. As part of the restructuring they gave up their management contract for Portage Place. With CF out of the picture they were no longer strong arming retailers into taking space in Portage Place to get more favorable opportunities in other CF properties including Polo Park and many of Canada's other premiere malls. Without that strong arming of retailers the exodus from Portage Place was free to start. It also was very telling that even from the start retailers needed to be heavily pressured into having a presence at Portage Place. Of course the first of Eaton's three bankruptcys happening in 99 just further accelerated to spiral down the drain.

[thurmas]

Originally Posted by CoryB

For me the decline of Portage Place happened shortly after Cadillac Fairview's bankruptcy in late 94. As part of the restructuring they gave up their management contract for Portage Place. With CF out of the picture they were no longer strong arming retailers into taking space in Portage Place to get more favorable opportunities in other CF properties including Polo Park and many of Canada's other premiere malls. Without that strong arming of retailers the exodus from Portage Place was free to start. It also was very telling that even from the start retailers needed to be heavily pressured into having a presence at Portage Place. Of course the first of Eaton's three bankruptcys happening in 99 just further accelerated to spiral down the drain.

That sounds about right as in the early 90s as a kid I remember it as a decent place to visit but by the late 90s the decline was very evident when I went there.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by CoryB

For me the decline of Portage Place happened shortly after Cadillac Fairview's bankruptcy in late 94. As part of the restructuring they gave up their management contract for Portage Place. With CF out of the picture they were no longer strong arming retailers into taking space in Portage Place to get more favorable opportunities in other CF properties including Polo Park and many of Canada's other premiere malls. Without that strong arming of retailers the exodus from Portage Place was free to start. It also was very telling that even from the start retailers needed to be heavily pressured into having a presence at Portage Place. Of course the first of Eaton's three bankruptcys happening in 99 just further accelerated to spiral down the drain.

I didn't realize that's how/why they got out of Portage Place. Yeah, so I guess you could say Portage Place's tenure as a top tier mall was brief, late 87 to late 94. In those early years there were a lot of national retailers but during the 90s they were replaced by a lot of local/regional operators. Then in the 00s it started emptying out altogether.

[pspeid]

One step closer to TNSE owning PP:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manit...-epc-1.6777387

[Wpg_Guy]

Announcement on Portage Place tomorrow morning.

[BlackDog204]

Originally Posted by esquire

Standalone IMAX theatres seem to thrive in other places. Regina still has its IMAX.

I wonder if it was just too out of sight, out of mind in Winnipeg? A third floor location might be fine for a cinema in Hong Kong, but in downtown Winnipeg it's pretty out of the way.

This is exactly it. People could not be bothered to come downtown for the IMAX, especially when they had to pay for parking, and being on the 3rd floor indeed impeded it's success.

If they had built IMAX near the St.Vital Mall or in the Polo Park area, it most likely would have succeeded.

[wags_in_the_peg]

Wow...

https://globalnews.ca/news/9693240/w...evitalization/

[Wpg_Guy]

Winnipeg’s Portage Place set for massive, $500m revitalization

Friday marks a new day in the history of Portage Place.



The beleaguered mall in the heart of downtown Winnipeg – an crown jewel intended to anchor the city’s downtown, filled with ‘For Lease’ signs just a few decades later, is set to get a massive shot in the arm today.

The Province of Manitoba, Shared Health, True North Sports and Entertainment will unveil ambitious plans for the property at a news conference Friday morning.

Global News got an early look.

A healthcare hub
The east end of the property, adjacent to Carlton Street, will become home to two separate healthcare centres.

You’ll be able to visit a walk-in clinic and primary care clinic on the ground floor, which government sources say is designed to take the stress off the nearby Health Sciences Centre and Misericordia hospitals.

Dialysis patients will have a 26,000 sq. ft. facility for their treatment, and others will be able to go their physiotherapy appointments.

The Downtown Winnipeg Health Centre for Excellence will also contain a future Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine (RAAM) clinic.

Rising above it: a 15-storey tower containing the Pan Am Centre for Advanced Musculoskeletal Medicine.

It will contain nearly 50,000 sq. ft. of ambulatory and orthopedic surgery space, a concussion clinic, pain clinic, space for minor injury and sports medicine professionals and more.

The healthcare centres come at a cost of more than $300 million.

“Right in the downtown area: Where people are working, where people are living, where people are part of that community, they’ll be able to have access to those services,” Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson told 680 CJOB’s Richard Cloutier.

Plans shown to Global News ahead of Friday’s announcement show Edmonton Street cutting through the property, allowing a space for patients to be dropped off at the centre.

The two centres promise more than 220,000 sq. ft. of new healthcare space for the city, and province.

It will contain nearly 50,000 sq. ft. of ambulatory and orthopedic surgery space, a concussion clinic, pain clinic, space for minor injury and sports medicine professionals and more.

The healthcare centres come at a cost of more than $300 million.

“Right in the downtown area: Where people are working, where people are living, where people are part of that community, they’ll be able to have access to those services,” Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson told 680 CJOB’s Richard Cloutier.

Plans shown to Global News ahead of Friday’s announcement show Edmonton Street cutting through the property, allowing a space for patients to be dropped off at the centre.

The two centres promise more than 220,000 sq. ft. of new healthcare space for the city, and province.

A place to live, shop, eat, and connect
The space to the west of the new Edmonton St. greenway will be re-worked to include community services like a dental office, optometry space, pharmacy and more.

“This is really connecting the downtown area, and making it a very welcoming place to come to, and a place where they can get help,” Stefanson says.

The ground floor features space for groups like Service Canada, Newcomer Services, and the Downtown Community Safety Partnership.

The heart of the property will also have plenty of room for a food court and retail stores.

Above it, the existing Prairie Theatre Exchange and YMCA will be joined by a community centre/drop in space complete with a basketball court, and an outdoor community garden overlooking Portage Ave.

The westernmost portion of the property will see another large tower rise above the existing structure – this one full of homes.

Details on how many residences, and the portion of homes designated as affordable housing, are unclear.

And the building contains something the downtown area has been lacking for years.

Adjacent to the lobby near the Portage Ave. entrance: a 20,000 sq. ft. grocery store.

Plans, partners, and a start date
True North’s real estate arm will purchase the mall from the Forks North Portage Partnership, which represents the city, province, and federal government.

A report sent to city hall earlier this year gave True North a year to do due diligence on the property – and noted the minimum purchase price would be a little more than $34 million.

The ambitious plan will result in 569,000 sq. ft. of floor space being added to the property – more than double the mall’s current amount.

1,000 existing underground parking stalls will be retained.

A government source tells Global News the plans will run in the $500-600 million range. True North Sports and Entertainment will put up the money for the healthcare portion of the property – more than $300 million – and the province will lease the space.

All three levels of government will be involved in the build, particularly the housing component, and the Richardson family is also a part of the group working to transform the mall.

Premier Stefanson will be joined by True North CEO Mark Chipman, President of the group’s real estate arm, Jim Ludlow, and new Shared Health CEO Lanette Siragusa for a formal announcement at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

[wags_in_the_peg]

Chipman & Richardson & Government a hitting a Home Run with this one!

[thurmas]

This looks like a home run to me and shows why a local group developing it instead of people unfamiliar with the market from Toronto did not understand. Kudos to Chipman Stefanson and Gillingham for getting this done.