Located at the southwest corner of the interchange between Highway 401 and Allen Road, it opened in 1964 as the largest enclosed shopping mall in the world.

[3] In the late 2010s, Yorkdale is the third largest shopping mall in Canada by floor space and has the highest sales per unit area of any mall in Canada,[4] with current merchandise sales levels at roughly CA$1,905 per square foot (CA$20,505.25 per square metre).

Yorkdale is currently owned by a joint venture between the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) through its subsidiary Oxford Properties Group and the Alberta Investment Management Corporation.

[1] In the 1950s, the department store chain T. Eaton & Co. bought a 40-hectare (99-acre) site at Dufferin Street and Highway 401 for a new massive, suburban location.

In 1958, rival department store chain Simpson's purchased an 8-hectare (20-acre) site to the east and the plan to build the complex was announced that year.

[13][14] The Universal Man statue in the west parking lot was relocated from the base of the CN Tower—to accommodate the construction of the Rogers Centre (then known as SkyDome) in 1987—to Yorkdale in 1994.

In 1999, Yorkdale completed a major overhaul, adding a Rainforest Café restaurant, a Famous Players SilverCity movie theatre (which has since been taken over by Cineplex Entertainment and rebranded as such), and a two-storey Indigo Books and Music store on the north side of the northeast corner of the mall, facing Highway 401.

Key elements of this project included new public washrooms, the opening of a Moxies Grill & Bar restaurant, and new sliding automatic doors at all entrances.

was launched in conjunction with the renovation and redevelopment, winning a MAXI Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) in 2007.

In January 2011, Yorkdale announced another expansion, adding another 145,000 sq ft (13,500 m2), sufficient for 40 storefronts, and 800 underground parking spaces.

The expansion also relocated and doubled the number of seats at the food court, improved public access, and landscaped portions of the property.

The new food court, named "Dine on 3", covers 45,000 sq ft (4,200 m2) over two floors and features 18 different eateries, including A&W, KFC, New York Fries, Subway, and the second Ontario location of Chick-fil-A[19] (after the first at One Bloor in downtown Toronto).

The second level of the foot court had an Illy café, which will be replaced with a Shake Shack restaurant on February 12, 2025, the third such location in Toronto.

[24] The wing also includes Uncle Tetsu's Cheesecake bakery, a CIBC branch, a relocated Starbucks, Landwer Café, a Johnnie Walker-branded Scottish whisky-tasting pop-up bar operated by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), a Miele appliance showroom, and high-end restaurants.

In 2017, mall owner Oxford Properties submitted an application to the City of Toronto for a block zoning plan to guide future development of the site.

In March 2019, the City launched a study on the re-development of the parking lots and other areas of the mall property to improve traffic as well as mixed-use for the site to include residential and retail use.

[28] From late 2020 to 2022, Nissan Studio occupied the space that was formerly the Microsoft Store and serves as a showroom for the Japanese automaker's vehicles, not a dealership.

A security guard was shot in the chest, saved by his kevlar vest, confronting two teenage robbery suspects, intervening in a dispute with the two with another in the parking lot in April 2009.

Since the late 1990s onward, Yorkdale's management has focused on attracting luxury brand retailers, especially those selling clothing and accessories, as well as high-end electronics, a strategy also adopted by Sherway Gardens, owned by rival mall operator Cadillac Fairview.

[35] These include Versace, Bulgari, Burberry, Cartier, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Moncler, Jimmy Choo, Apple, and Bose before Bose closed most physical retail operations, including its Yorkdale location.

[22][46][47] From 2019 to mid-2023, Yorkdale used otherwise vacant retail space in the centre of the mall for paid-admission temporary exhibits with gift shops.