1938–1970s: Background, development, opening and early operations
The site where Sherway Gardens currently is was previously a farm owned by Sheridan Nurseries that had operated since 1938 in an area in Toronto nicknamed "The Queensway".[3]
Maryland-based developer The Rouse Company, founded by James W. Rouse, applied to Etobicoke Council to acquire and rezone this 100-acre site on the south side of The Queensway, east of the West Mall, from an industrial development to a commercial development to redevelop the site into a shopping center known as Sherway Gardens Shopping Plaza. The name "Sherway" is a portmanteau of "Sheridan" and "Queensway", while the other term "Gardens" refers to the mall's original use of lots of greenery. This would be Rouse's first mall to be built outside of the United States.[3]
Rouse acquired the site in 1964 and founded the Canadian subsidiary known as Sherway Centre Limited.[4]
However, development was stalled for eight years because of competition from other malls such as Cloverdale Mall, and the council was concerned about the redevelopment plan, citing local traffic.[3] The redevelopment plan ultimately ended up in the OMB before finally being approved.[3] Construction began in 1969. The mall costed approximately CA$21.5 million to complete.
Sherway Gardens had its grand opening on February 24, 1971. The mall was laid out in an "S" shape design. Community events and promotional activities took place at the centre of the mall in the central court with its 31 ft high skylight. Like other shopping centres, Sherway Gardens contains fountains, indoor greenery (hence the name Sherway "Gardens"), benches and couches for the enjoyment of shoppers. Unlike the designs of other malls, such as the Toronto Eaton Centre, Sherway Gardens was built with "intimate low ceilings".
Rouse founded the subsidiary Rouse Services Limited Canada for Sherway Gardens' day-to-day operations.[5]
Sherway Gardens' original food court, known as the Gourmet Fair, was credited as The Rouse Company opening the first successful food court in an enclosed shopping mall, albeit in Canada and not the U.S., following an unsuccessful attempt with Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania in 1968. While Paramus Park in Paramus, New Jersey was credited as one of the company's first successful food courts in the United States, that mall opened three years later.[6]
The Gourmet Fair included a "tent-like" roof (designed by Eberhard H. Zeidler) and plants throughout the area, following James Rouse's vision for food courts as "community picnics". The success of this food court is what led to the company's first successful food court in the United States being Paramus Park in 1974. However, the food court was demolished for Nordstrom Canada and other shops in the 2010s as part of the mall's renovation and expansion.[6]
The new food court is smaller and is similarly named (but not to be confused with) Gourmet Fare. However, the new food court has been met with criticism with locals, arguing that it has less and boring food options, lacks the "community picnic" feel, and the new stores that replaced the original food court hindering visibility of the unique architectural features like the tent-like roof, especially Nordstrom.[7]
After opening
In 1975, to accommodate for 75 new retail spaces, the "S" layout was altered to resemble a figure eight. In 1987, Holt Renfrew (one of Sherway Gardens anchor retailers) was moved to a location (33,670 square foot) in a newly built wing on the north side of the mall The expansion allowed for 20 additional stores and was later referred to as the "fashion wing", as it housed clothing stores.
In 1989, the mall continued to expand leading to the construction of a new south wing. The new south wing has a large "tent-like" roof structure on its upper level, similar to the food court. The million-dollar canopy, designed by architect Eberhard H. Zeidler, won the Canadian Consulting Engineering Award of Merit. In 2000, the Cadillac Fairview Corporation acquired Sherway Gardens. Following a previous bankruptcy in February 1997, Eaton's filed for bankruptcy again in August 1999 and liquidated all of its locations,[8] and the mall space was taken over by Sears Canada.
2013–2017 renovation and expansion
In 2013, Cadillac Fairview announced a CA$335 million renovation and expansion that added 210,000 square feet to the existing 988,000 square foot mall. The project took over three and a half years and added new department store anchors like Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. The inclusion of Nordstrom required the demolition of the original food court developed by The Rouse Company.[2] This added retail space for 50 stores, a new food court with a capacity of over 1,000 patrons, and a parking structure for 1,200 vehicles. The expansion used limestone obtained from the same quarry that was used in the mall's initial construction.
Sears Canada vacated its space in 2014, which was subsequently occupied by Saks Fifth Avenue (announced on January 27, 2014), Sport Chek and Atmosphere. On September 22, 2015, the 210000 sqft north expansion was opened, including relocated spaces for Holt Renfrew (consisting of a 29,440 square foot ground floor, a 60,425 square foot second floor, and a 12,000 square foot mezzanine level)
