Freiman Mall

Freiman Mall is an enclosed shopping passage in central Ottawa, Ontario, linking Rideau Street with George Street and the ByWard Market. It lies east of Sussex Drive and west of William Street, and is directly connected to the adjacent Hudson's Bay department store on both its northern and southern sides. Unlike a conventional enclosed shopping centre, Freiman Mall functions primarily as a public pedestrian route integrated with a department store and the surrounding downtown retail district. The site has a commercial history connected with Freimans, the department store established by Archibald Jacob Freiman. Before the mall was created, the location was occupied by Mosgrove Street, a public street running beside the Freimans store and near the ByWard Market and the former Metropolitan department store. Mosgrove Street was later renamed Freiman Street in recognition of the department store and its founder. Freimans was acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1972 and subsequently operated as an outlet of HBC's department-store chain, then known as The Bay. The present enclosed mall emerged from the redevelopment surrounding the Rideau Centre. In 1981, the City of Ottawa agreed to close Freiman Street and lease the land to the Hudson's Bay Company for 99 years. In return, HBC was to construct an enclosed pedestrian passage between Rideau Street and George Street, providing a route through the downtown retail area and toward the ByWard Market. The arrangement required the passageway to remain open around the clock and permitted HBC to install three kiosks associated with its department store. Operating and security expenses were shared between the city and HBC, with the city's contribution calculated partly according to the proportion of public, non-retail space and the hours during which the mall remained open beyond the department store's normal trading hours. Freiman Mall officially opened on May 12, 1983, in a ceremony led by Ottawa mayor Marion Dewar. A commemorative plaque honouring A. J. Freiman and his family was unveiled inside the passageway, linking the modern public facility to the retail history of the site. The mall therefore serves both a circulation function and a commemorative one: it preserves the Freiman name within Ottawa's central shopping district while accommodating access to Hudson's Bay and nearby streets. The operating model changed in 1992 when the lease was amended. To reduce the city's share of operating and security costs, HBC was allowed to extend merchandise displays into parts of the mall, provided that a public passage at least 6.1 metres, or 20 feet, wide was maintained. The amendment also permitted the mall to close for part of the night, reducing security costs while modifying the original 24-hour access requirement. Freiman Mall's identity is consequently tied to a combination of public infrastructure, private retail use, and the historical legacy of the Freimans department store. The available reference material does not identify a separate corporate brand owner, standalone product range, or independent retail operation beyond this site-specific pedestrian and shopping function.

Freiman Mall occupies a site whose identity was shaped by Ottawa's department-store and downtown street network. The location was formerly Mosgrove Street, a public street beside the Freimans department store. Freimans was associated with Archibald Jacob Freiman and stood near the ByWard Market and the former Metropolitan department store. Mosgrove Street was later renamed Freiman Street, preserving the name of the department store and its founder in the local streetscape. The department store connection changed in 1972, when the Hudson's Bay Company acquired Freimans. The store was subsequently converted into an outlet of HBC's The Bay chain. This acquisition created the institutional relationship that later shaped the mall: Freiman Mall was not established as an independent shopping-centre company, but as part of an arrangement involving HBC and the City of Ottawa. The redevelopment of the area coincided with the development of the Rideau Centre across Rideau Street. In 1981, Ottawa agreed to close Freiman Street and lease the land to HBC for 99 years. The consideration for the lease was the construction of an enclosed public pedestrian passage connecting Rideau Street to George Street and the ByWard Market. The passage was intended to remain open 24 hours a day and to provide a convenient link through a busy downtown retail district. HBC was authorized to install three kiosks associated with its store. The lease also established a cost-sharing model for operations and security, with the city's share linked to the public portion of the facility and to the hours it remained open outside the department store's normal schedule. Freiman Mall opened on May 12, 1983. Marion Dewar, then Ottawa's mayor, conducted the opening ceremony, and a plaque honouring A. J. Freiman and his family was placed inside the mall. The opening gave the Freiman name a continuing civic and commercial presence even after the original department-store business had become part of Hudson's Bay. In 1992, the lease was amended to address operating and security expenses. The amendment allowed HBC to use portions of the public interior for merchandise displays, subject to maintaining a public route at least 6.1 metres wide. It also allowed the mall to close during part of the night, reducing the security burden and lowering the city's associated costs. These changes adjusted the balance between the mall's public-access role and its use as an extension of the neighbouring retailer. Freiman Mall is therefore best understood as a hybrid urban facility rather than a conventional destination mall. Its primary function is to connect streets and retail landmarks, while its interior supports access to Hudson's Bay and historically accommodated kiosks and displays linked to that store. The available reference material does not document a separate product portfolio, independent corporate leadership, or a distinct expansion programme. Its significance lies in the continuity of the Freiman name, the redevelopment of downtown Ottawa, and the negotiated relationship between public pedestrian infrastructure and private retail operations.

• 1992

  Lease terms are amended

  [1]Freiman Mallen.wikipedia.org

  HBC received permission to use space for merchandise displays while maintaining a 6.1-metre public passage, and gained the ability to close the mall for part of the night.

• 1983

  Freiman Mall opens

  [1]Freiman Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall opened on May 12, 1983, with an inauguration by mayor Marion Dewar and the unveiling of a plaque commemorating A. J. Freiman and his family.

• 1981

  Ottawa approves the Freiman Street lease arrangement

  [1]Freiman Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The City of Ottawa agreed to close Freiman Street and lease the land to HBC for 99 years in exchange for construction of an enclosed public pedestrian passage.

• 1972

  Freimans is acquired by Hudson's Bay Company

  [1]Freiman Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Hudson's Bay Company acquired the Freimans department store, which was later operated as an outlet of HBC's The Bay chain.

A downtown public shopping passage that combines pedestrian connectivity with access to an adjacent Hudson's Bay department store and the ByWard Market.

• 1992

  Balance public passage requirements with retail useStrategy

  Background

  The original operating arrangement created municipal costs for security and for keeping the passage open beyond the department store's trading hours.

  Action taken

  The lease was amended to permit HBC merchandise displays within the mall, provided a 6.1-metre public passage remained available. The amendment also allowed partial overnight closure.

  Aftermath

  The changes were intended to reduce the city's share of operating and security expenses while retaining a substantial public pedestrian route.

  Source

• 1981

  Create an enclosed public pedestrian connectionStrategy

  Background

  The planned Rideau Centre redevelopment and the need to connect Rideau Street with George Street and the ByWard Market created the basis for replacing the former Freiman Street route with an enclosed passage.

  Action taken

  The City of Ottawa leased the street land to Hudson's Bay Company for 99 years in exchange for construction of a public enclosed passage, with provisions for HBC kiosks and shared operating costs.

  Aftermath

  The resulting facility opened in 1983 as Freiman Mall and became a pedestrian link integrated with the adjacent Hudson's Bay store.

  Source

1. 1Freiman Mallen.wikipedia.org