Algo Centre Mall

Algo Centre Mall
Algo Centre Mall in 2006
Map
LocationElliot Lake, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates46°23′04″N 82°39′00″W / 46.38444°N 82.65000°W / 46.38444; -82.65000
Address151 Ontario Avenue
Opening dateAugust 1980[1]
Closing dateJune 23, 2012
DeveloperAlgocen Realty Holdings Ltd.
ManagementRhonda Bear
OwnerEastwood Mall Incorporated, Toronto (2005–present)
Elliot Lake Retirement Living (1999–2005)
Algocen Realty Holdings Limited (1980–1999)[2]
ArchitectJames Keywan (architect)
Beta Engineering
No. of stores and services50
No. of anchor tenants3
Total retail floor area190,000 sq ft (18,000 m2)[3] (17,600 m2)
No. of floors2 (retails)
2 (hotel)
ParkingGround level and roof
WebsiteArchive of website

The Algo Centre Mall (legally Eastwood Mall since 2005 but almost never referred to as such) was a mall and hotel located near Highway 108 in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada.[3] It was the largest commercial complex in the area. When the community was hit by uranium mine closures in the 1990s, the complex gradually refocused, hosting multiple services, such as a library, constituency offices, and public health offices. In the years leading up to 2012, many businesses located in the mall either closed or moved to outside locations. Still, the mall was a community hub, with most of the area's clothing stores and its largest grocery store, employing upwards of 250 local residents. It accounted for 10% of the community's retail space and 6% of the total wages.[4]

The mall was plagued by structural problems and leaks throughout its history.[5] It underwent a partial structural failure on June 23, 2012, when a 12m x 24m (39'-by-79') segment of the rooftop parking deck collapsed into the building, crashing through the upper level lottery kiosk adjacent to the food court and escalators to the ground floor below.[6] Two people died in the collapse and more than 20 people received non-life-threatening injuries.[7] An investigation and class action lawsuits into the collapse are ongoing and the mall has been demolished.

The city of Elliot Lake purchased the vacant former Algo Centre Mall site in 2019, as the first stage in redeveloping the land for new residential and commercial uses.[8] Part of the site will be retained by the city as a municipal "community hub" project, while the rest of it will be sold back to residential and commercial developers.[8]

  1. ^ Old Time Trains (2004). "Algocen Realty". Retrieved 2012-06-27.
  2. ^ R.F. Jeffreys; B. Sanders, eds. (13 Dec 2012), "Interim Engineering Collapse" (PDF), The Elliot Lake Inquiry, Ontario Ministry of Labour[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ a b "The Algo Centre Mall". Marino Locations Limited. Toronto ON. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  4. ^ "$30m lawsuit filed in mall roof collapse". The Chronicle-Herald. Halifax NS. Canadian Press. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Latest Breaking News, Headlines & Updates | National Post".
  6. ^ "Surfside Condo Collapse: What We Know So Far". YouTube.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference TS-40 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b "Elliot Lake buys site of former Algo Centre Mall". Northern Ontario Business, April 18, 2019.