Goodbye Centre 2000
Anyone remember the shopping mall next to Casablanca Port station? It’s gone, demolished - Centre 2000 is no more.
The Moroccan railway company ONCF has started the demolition of one of Casablanca’s weirdest corners, the Centre 2000 next to Casablanca Port station.
Built in the late Seventies, Centre 2000 was conceived as a modern shopping mall in the heart of the city. But lately, with the building left to rot amid a legal battle over its future, it became a popular hangout for street children and other homeless people. Shoppers weren’t charmed and stayed away.
Only train passengers waiting for their departure would have a quick coffee on one of the mall’s outdoor terraces.
That pit with terraces was a nice enough place to have a drink, but as you would look around, you couldn’t help wondering what the point of the place was.
The ONCF will use the land to expand the Casablanca Port station and build new headquarters for the company. The area around the station is being refurbished completely, with the Accor group building three hotels in the project, known as Casablanca City Center.
It took the railways almost six years to evict the 60 shopkeepers from Centre 2000. With the last legal challenge squashed in court, the bulldozers arrived this week.
- Still, Casablanca has its moments