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When it was built it had only 6 stores, of which two remain to this day: Loblaws and Reitmans. In 1962 the mall underwent a major expansion to 23 stores which made it the largest shopping centre in Ottawa at the time. Ogilvy's opened a location at Billings Bridge in the 60s. Later it was replaced by a Robinson's , which was itself replaced by the Zellers in 1996. The second major expansion came in 1975, which saw the addition of an office tower housing federal government offices, and the mall became "enclosed" which was the trend in retail at the time.
The shopping centre was extensively refurbished in 1996-1999. A large new atrium and food court were added at a cost of C$25 million. The shopping centre is located on the transitway, and serves as a major OC Transpo hub.
According to the mall's management, 6.1 million people visited Billings Bridge in 2003. At 450,000 square feet, it earns C$543 (2003) per square foot, up from C$332 per square foot in 1998. Capital City Shopping Centre Ltd. has owned the plaza since 1962, when they bought it from the original developers.
The mall is named after Bradish Billings an original settler of Ottawa. The bridge built over the river, near the site of the current mall came to be known as Billings' Bridge, since it led to his property.
Ottawa buildings Canadian shopping malls