The pursuit of prosperity motivated postwar developers, as seen with Westgate’s backers, who, like many others, aimed to capture the business of affluent, mobile suburban families.[1] Developers in the United States similarly targeted suburban sites as early as the late 1940s, drawn by favourable tax treatment and new shopping centre concepts advocated by European architects like Faludi and Gruen. Yet, Westgate’s significance is best understood by how it diverges from earlier precedents: rather than serving solely as an economic site, Westgate evolved into a communal space for social, cultural, and public gatherings, developments enabled by its early extension of expected services.
In addition to retail offerings, Westgate Shopping Centre provided specialized services that enhanced its role as a community hub. Throop Pharmacy carried medical and veterinary items alongside regular pharmaceutical services.[2] Paul’s Service Store offered shoe repair, as well as laundry and dry cleaning, while the “Flamingo Room,” a rental space for private functions, could host up to 45 guests for social events.
Description: This 1955 black-and-white photograph shows a happy social club meeting at Westgate Shopping Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. It captures the West Ottawa Lionettes at Miss Westgate Restaurant. One woman hands a small hammer to another, while the rest of the group smiles and observes.
Caption: Andrews-Newton Photographers Limited, West Ottawa Lionettes at Miss Westgate restaurant, June 20, 1955, black-and-white negative photograph, 4 x 5 in. Courtesy of the City of Ottawa Archives.
Description: This 1955 black-and-white photograph shows two men in front of an entrance sign that reads “Westgate Shopping Centre.” They hold a large sign advertising a football rally. The sign reads “Good luck Rough Riders: From the Merchants of Westgate Shopping Centre.”
Caption: Andrews-Newton Photographers Limited, Football rally at Westgate, September 1, 1955, black and white negative photograph, 4 x 5 in. Courtesy of the City of Ottawa Archives.
Westgate also became a gathering place. Musicians shared new records, vocal groups entertained crowds, and in 1955, the Ottawa Rough Riders visited, all reinforcing its identity as a local communal hub.[3] Seasonal events also strengthened Westgate’s community role. The Easter Bunny made regular visits, as did Santa Claus, who arrived by helicopter, marking the first such visit to an Ottawa shopping centre. Westgate’s design also reflected Gruen’s broader influence. Like Gruen’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and other postwar Ontario centres, Westgate incorporated features such as pedestrian walkways, large parking lots, and social gathering spaces, highlighting the architect’s effect on Canadian shopping environments.[4]
Description: A 1955 black-and-white photograph captures a special kids and family day event at Ottawa’s Westgate Shopping Centre. Dozens of children and community members gather in an open space near an enclosed walkway, their attention fixed on the ongoing games. To the left, a man raises a stick high, perhaps to catch the photographer’s eye.
Caption: Unknown photographer, Kids Day at Westgate Shopping Centre, May 1955, photograph. Courtesy of the City of Ottawa Archives.
However, despite these similarities, Westgate did not follow all the practices advocated by the father of the modern shopping centre. As in many postwar suburban commercial spaces across North America, a divide emerged between Gruen’s vision and reality.[5] For example, Westgate lacked open green space and instead extended its parking into more overflow areas behind the centre. When Carlingwood Shopping Centre emerged as a competitor, Westgate lost its status as Ottawa’s western gateway. As West End suburbs expanded, more homes and commercial spaces emerged nearby, further reshaping the landscape. By the 1960s, Westgate’s early popularity faded.[6] To stay relevant and desirable in changing times, especially amid the competition from the new Carlingwood and St. Laurent Shopping Centres, Westgate underwent several major renovation projects.
Description: A 1978 black-and-white article announces plans to renovate Ottawa’s Westgate Shopping Centre. The article is accompanied by a photo of three smiling merchants standing by an entrance sign that reads “Westgate Shopping Centre.”
Caption: Gordon Pitts, "City’s first shopping centre to shed ‘tacky’ image.” The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, ON), June 10, 1978. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
In 1960, Harold Shenkman sold the Westgate Shopping Centre to work on other development projects nearby.[7] Ownership of the site passed to Canscot Realty Investments Ltd., a subsidiary of Berkely Property Corp Ltd., until 1977.[8] In that year, the Toronto-based Group R eagerly acquired the centre, aiming to revitalize the 23-store property and boost profits. Westgate’s fortunes declined in 1972 when Freiman’s, its anchor tenant, was sold to The Bay: the Westgate store closed in 1974.[9] In response to these challenges, a 1978 Ottawa Citizen article quoted Bill Sheldon, Group R’s general manager, announcing major renovations: enclosing the centre, replacing Freiman’s with Consumers Distributing, and attracting a more diverse tenant base.[10]
This renovation aimed to offset losses from Freiman’s closure by giving Westgate a warmer, more inviting look.[11] Plans included adding plants, building specialty stores, and closing older shops, including Clark’s Dairy Bar, a popular spot since 1955. By summer 1978, renovations were complete: for $750,000, Westgate became a fully enclosed mall with moveable glass-panel walls.[12] Developers hoped the $750,000 renovation—including movable glass-panel walls—would boost sales by 30%.[13] These walls could open in summer for airflow or close in winter to conserve heat. The project aimed to further modernize Westgate and secure its future as a shopping destination.
Description: This 1978 black-and-white article announces the closure of Throop Pharmacy at Ottawa’s Westgate Shopping Centre. At the top is an image of Russ Freure and Phyllis Throop. The text notes that the store’s unfortunate closure is linked to the "Westgate plaza expansion."
Caption: Louise Crosby, "Pharmacy closing marks end of an Ottawa first.” The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, ON), April 27, 1978. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
From the early 1980s to the early 2000s, Westgate Mall saw several renovations, expansions, and transformations to refresh Ottawa’s oldest shopping centre. The Westgate Theatre opened in 1980, offering viewers a three-screen cinema experience until its closure in 2000.[14] By 1990, Westgate underwent another phase of renovation, expanding by 15,000 square feet, adding a food court, and increasing the number of stores to 50. The Consumers Distributing store, which had been seen as an anchor tenant after Freiman’s closure, declared bankruptcy and closed in 1996.[15] After Your Independent Grocer replaced Steinberg’s in the late 1990s, Shoppers Drug Mart opened in its place in 2003-04, as the Westboro Superstore drew away most grocery customers. By the mid-2010s, only remnants of Westgate Mall’s financial dreams remained: Shoppers Drug Mart was now its largest store, Royal Bank its oldest occupant, and most tenants focused on small, healthcare-related businesses.[16]
Description: This 1997 colour photograph shows the entrance sign and movie showings at Ottawa’s Westgate Shopping Centre. The sign is a large concrete arch with red geometric details in the parking lot near Carling Avenue. Your Independent Grocer appears in the right middle ground.
Caption: OttawaElectronics, "Decades-old barbershop to shut its doors ahead of Westgate Mall demolition," r/Ottawa, Reddit, July 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/1mb0wil/comment/n5j5exs/?context=3.
[1] James Powell, “Temples of Commerce,” The Historical Society of Ottawa, accessed October 17, 2025. https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-public-and-private-buildings-in-the-city/temples-of-commerce.
[2] Powell, “Temples of Commerce,” https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-public-and-private-buildings-in-the-city/temples-of-commerce.
[3] Charlie Senack, “Ottawa’s oldest mall closes today after 70 years,” Kitchissippi Times (Ottawa, ON), October 31, 2025, https://kitchissippi.com/goodbye-to-westgate-a-look-at-the-malls-historic-past/.
[4] Marie-Josée Therrien, “Shopping Malls in Post-war Ontario,” Docomomo Journal 38 (2008): 41, https://doi.org/10.52200/docomomo.38.
[5] Powell, “Temples of Commerce,” https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-public-and-private-buildings-in-the-city/temples-of-commerce.
[6] Senack, “Ottawa’s oldest mall closes today after 70 years,” https://kitchissippi.com/goodbye-to-westgate-a-look-at-the-malls-historic-past/.
[7] Dave Allston, “Did you know that Ottawa’s first mall was built in Kitchissippi?” Kitchissippi Times (Ottawa, ON), May 20, 2015, https://kitchissippi.com/westgate-shopping-centre/.
[8] Gordon Pitts, “City’s first shopping centre to shed ‘tacky’ image,” The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, ON), June 10, 1978, ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
[9] Senack, “Ottawa’s oldest mall closes today after 70 years,” https://kitchissippi.com/goodbye-to-westgate-a-look-at-the-malls-historic-past/.
[10] Pitts, “City’s first shopping centre to shed ‘tacky’ image,” ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
[11] The Historical Society of Ottawa, “Sundaes, Milkshakes & Sodas, Oh My! Remembering the Westgate Milk Bar,” The Historical Society of Ottawa, June 20, 2025, https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/blogs/hso-blog/sundaes-milkshakes-sodas-oh-my-remembering-the-westgate-milk-bar.
[12] Senack, “Ottawa’s oldest mall closes today after 70 years,” https://kitchissippi.com/goodbye-to-westgate-a-look-at-the-malls-historic-past/.
[13] Pitts, “City’s first shopping centre to shed ‘tacky’ image,” ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
[14] Allston, “Did you know that Ottawa’s first mall was built in Kitchissippi?” https://kitchissippi.com/westgate-shopping-centre/.
[15] Senack, “Ottawa’s oldest mall closes today after 70 years,” https://kitchissippi.com/goodbye-to-westgate-a-look-at-the-malls-historic-past/.
[16] Powell, “Temples of Commerce,” https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-public-and-private-buildings-in-the-city/temples-of-commerce.