Westfield Hornsby originally opened in 1961, In 1968, Westfield Hornsby was reopened following the completion of a major redevelopment which saw the centre quadruple in size. The centre was refurbished for a third time in 2001, costing $360 million. During this refurbishment, the centre was rebuilt and combined with the extended and refurbished former Northgate centre.
Access
Westfield Hornsby is a two-minute walk from Hornsby railway station. The centre also has approximately 3,680 parking spaces. The management of Westfield Hornsby introduced a "Car Park Management System", in which over 50 devices including entry and exit devices, barriers, automatic pay stations were installed.
Recognition and celebrity appearances
In 2003, Westfield Hornsby won the Rider Hunt Award in recognition of its building design excellence, commercial and financial performance and impact on the community. In August 2009, Australian pop singer Ricki-Lee Coulter made an appearance at Westfield Hornsby to promote her album, Hear No, See No, Speak No. Former Miss Universe Australia contestant Laura Dundovic was involved in a fashion show in the centre in September 2009. In October of the same year, UK stylists Trinny and Susannah appeared in the centre to give "makeovers" to shoppers. In 2013 former Australian test captain Ricky Ponting signed autographs for promotion of his autobiography released that day.
Incidents
On 18 November 2013, a tornado formed over the Hornsby area. There was damage to the Westfield complex as part of the roof collapsed over the Event cinema. Nearby, a demountable structure was completely uplifted and landed a few metres away. There were no reported injuries. Media frequently reported the tornado as a 'mini-tornado' however, no such classification exists. The Bureau of Meteorology has classified the tornado as an EF1 with winds between 117 km/h to 180 km/h.
On 13 February 2015, a bomb threat caused a centre lockdown, and the central plaza was evacuated. There were unconfirmed reports that a man left a bag unattended at a restaurant and told staff it was a bomb. The man was later taken into police custody.
On 31 March 2016, a man was stabbed to death at a restaurant by his partner's ex-husband. The attacker allegedly walked into the restaurant at 9.30pm, took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed the pair. The woman suffered serious injuries to her chest and a punctured sternum. Witnesses allege that after he stabbed the pair, he calmly walked up and down the shopping centre's concourse, covered in blood and carrying the 20 cm knife in his hand. He surrendered himself to police arrest without incident.
On 9 June 2016, a patient from a nearby psychiatric hospital escaped and confronted pedestrians at the central plaza. The man was confronted by police and was shot after he attempted to retaliate. As a result, three bystanders were injured by ricocheting bullets that struck them in the legs.
