A dead mall
As I’ve previously stated, Canadian shopping malls tend to have several distinct differences from peers built south of its border. They tend to be more compact and less sprawling, pedestrian focused facilities compared to what I grew up with.
The newer outdoor plaza of the Amazing Brentwood just off of the Brentwood Towne Centre SkyTrain station with its large circular water feature.
While I very much prefer these Canadian mall traits, every once in a while I’ll find one that reminds me more of the places where I grew up. One example is Coquitlam Centre in the Vancouver suburb of the same name. Another was hidden out of sight behind the complex recently renamed as The Amazing Brentwood.
Brentwood Mall lease plan ca. 1990. View the full PDF version here.
Stepping off of the Millennium Line of Vancouver’s SkyTrain rail system at the Brentwood Town Centre Station, I found myself surrounded by newly built, shiny skyscrapers all around me. Not knowing much about the history of this retail facility, I deduced that it was just another new build urban center catering to Burnaby’s upscale set.
1- Welcome! 2 to 8- The main stretch of outdoor facing shops leading to Brentwood Boulevard with the original Brentwood Town Centre located just behind.
But a quick walk past a circular fountain and exterior facing outlets of Sephora and H&M, I found my way into the enclosed common area of what used to be called Brentwood Towne Centre. And I couldn’t be more thrilled with what I found.
The smaller indoor portion of The Amazing Brentwood tacked onto the front side of what was formerly the Brentwood Mall. The skywalk connects the older building with the newer indoor builds.
I found myself in the center court of an absolute relic. From the dark earth tones, ceramic tiles beneath me to the stretched white nylons tenets above, I was in a time capsule of eighties retail design.
Brentwood Town Centre Mallmanac ca. 2000. View the full PDF version here.
However, the double tiered concourse was also devoid of shoppers or any businesses to cater to them even if they had any. But as far as I was concerned, this was the amazing part of Brentwood and I found it much more engaging than the open air lifestyle element just outside.
1 to 4- Center Court in the original Brentwood Mall lower level. 5 to 8- Plenty of empty storefronts in the mall’s western corridor.
Brentwood Town Center opened in 1961 as a major part of Burnaby’s Brentwood Park development that was started in the previous decade. The facility, boasting over fifty retail outlets and more than 450,000 square feet of space was Canada’s largest.
The facility was anchored by Canadian retail stalwarts of the time Eaton’s department store, Loblaw’s and Zellers discount chain. The corridors of the original Brentwood Town Center were divided between interior and exterior sections.
1 to 4- Center court under the tents from the second floor. 5 & 6- The shorter eastern concourse from center court. 7 & 8- The miniscule and largely empty original food court.
In the eighties, a second tier was added to Brentwood Town Centre, sometimes colloquially referred to as Brentwood Mall. At the same time, the remaining portions that were originally open-air were enclosed as well.
Brentwood Towne Centre Mallmanac ca. 2020. View the full PDF version here.
Brentwood Town Centre held its own, but the new millennium brought further challenges as competitors Lougheed Mall, Coquitlam Centre and Metrotown, among others, asserted their own dominance. However, 2014 was the beginning of Brentwood’s biggest changes.
1 to 3- London Drugs at the rear of the mall serves as one of the only remaining anchors still doing business in what was once the Brentwood Mall. 4 to 7- Darkened retail spaces in the eastern concourse of the Brentwood Town Centre. 8- Accents @ home is the only other anchor. It only occupies the upper level of the building once belonging to Eaton’s and Simpson Sears.
A mixed use element was added between the original complex and the Brentwood Town Centre rail station. It consisted of high-rise retail and office buildings with a selection of mainly exterior facing shops at their base. This eventually overshadowed the original complex, leaving it to its inevitable fate.
1 & 2- The eastern concourse. 3 to 6- Vacant shops and winding hallways lead to the eastern facing entrance to Brentwood Town Centre.
Renamed as The Amazing Brentwood, a moniker giving the same vibe as World Famous Bridge Street, the sparking new district officially debuted in 2019. Later phases will bring a total of a dozen high rises to the site which leaves little space for the extant Brentwood Town Centre mall.
The Amazing Brentwood mallmanac ca. 2025. View the full PDF version here.
It wasn’t long before the smaller shops still occupying the initial build of Brentwood Town Centre starting leaving for greener pastures. The lone remaining anchor, London Drugs, has made their exit plans, vying for a space within the development’s newer portions.
1 to 3- The rear facing exterior abutting London Drugs. 4 to 6- The eastern mall entrance and exterior of Brentwood Mall. This building at one time housed Eaton’s before Sears.
Recently it was announced that the outdated single use building now languishing in the darkness of The Amazing Brentwood’s towers will soon be no more. By the spring of 2025, what’s in my opinion the most fascinating piece of The Amazing Brentwood will be dust. I’m just happy to have seen it firsthand.
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