Stephen Avenue is a major pedestrian mall in downtown

Downtown Calgary

Downtown Calgary is a region of central Calgary, Alberta. It is not a single neighbourhood per se, but is actually a larger community containing three neighbourhoods and a number of districts....

 Calgary

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The mall is actually the portion of 8 Avenue SW between 4 Street SW and 1 Street SE. It is open to vehicles only from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.

The street is known for some of Calgary's finest restaurants, cafés, pubs and bars. The street also provides an eclectic mix of boutiques and high-end retail. Major shopping centres include The Core Shopping Centre, (formerly Calgary Eaton Centre/TD Square), Bankers Hall

Bankers Hall

Bankers Hall is a building complex located in downtown Calgary, Alberta, which includes twin 52-storey office towers , designed by the architectural firm Cohos Evamy in postmodern architectural style....

, Fashion Central

Fashion Central

Fashion Central is a shopping complex located in downtown Calgary, Alberta, at the corner of Stephen Avenue and First Street SW.The complex comprises three historic buildings that have been renovated, retaining the historic character of the buildings combined with modern elements. It houses a...

, Scotia Centre, and The Bay

The Bay

The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...

 department store.

The street is also home to downtown Calgary's major convention and exhibition facility, the Telus Convention Centre

TELUS

Telus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...

, and two hotels, the Hyatt Regency Calgary, which incorporates several historic buildings into its facade, and the Calgary Marriott

Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...

.

Unlike 17 Avenue, Stephen Avenue is not regarded as a major night spot in the city, although there are night clubs located on the mall.

History

The street was named after George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen

George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen

George Stephen, 1st Baron of Mount Stephen , known as Sir Stephen, between 1778 and 1891.-Canadian Pacific Railway syndicate:...

, the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway

Canadian Pacific Railway

The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

. Stephen Avenue contains a high concentration of registered historic buildings in the city and the street itself was declared a Canadian historic site in 1992. Most of these building are sandstone; a result of the construction of fire resistant buildings that followed a fire in 1886 that damaged much of the city. Wooden constructions consumed in the fire were replaced by Paskapoo

Paskapoo Formation

The Paskapoo Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Paleocene age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.It takes the name from the Blindman River , and was first described in outcrops along the river, north of Red Deer by J. B...

 sandstone buildings such as the Burns Building

Burns Building

The Burns Building is a historic six story building located in downtown Calgary, Alberta. It sits at 237-8th Ave. S.E. on the end of Stephen Avenue overlooking Olympic Plaza and City Hall.-History:...

 and Fairmont Palliser Hotel

Fairmont Palliser Hotel

The Fairmont Palliser, is a hotel of the Canada-based Fairmont Hotels and Resorts chain. The historic hotel is located in downtown Calgary, Alberta on 9th Avenue South adjacent to the Calgary Tower and Palliser Square...

.