Planning for the Confederation Court Mall began as far back as 1974 when the Stevenson Kellogg report strongly recommended that major infrastructure be established because the city was deteriorating and decay had already started to set in. Opened in the summer of 1981, the $6.5 million mall and office tower grew out of the back yards and ware houses of many of the long established private businesses on the block. Jointly financed by the Charlottetown Area Development Corporation, businesses and property owners on the block, the mall 
was created by expanding existing buildings and completely refurbishing the stores and offices. Also during the same period, the Queen Parkade was constructed through a multi-party financing agreement, which included participation by all the businesses on the block and all three levels of government.
In May of 1989, Dyne Holdings Ltd. came to an agreement to purchase the Confederation Court Mall and office tower, including the Holman building, from CADC. The purchase was announced by Stan H. MacPherson, chairman of the CADC’s board of directors, and Michael Arnold, president of Dyne Holdings Ltd.