Houston's Galleria

An early 1980s view of Houston's trend-setting shopopolis. The

GALLERIA I project received the prestigious "Award Of Excellence"

from The Urban Land Institute.

Photo from Malls Of America Blogspot

A site plan of the original complex, now known as GALLERIA I.
At the time, there was only one department store anchor, Dallas-
based Neiman Marcus. The store opened for business in 1969,
with the mall coming inline in November 1970.

Nameplates of the various department stores that opened at Houston's
toniest retail complex during the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Only Neiman
Marcus and Macy's still operate GALLERIA locations.

A pre-2003 shot of GALLERIA I and its ice rink.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Conversion Script"

Between 1976 and 2003, the existing -circa-1970- structure was

expanded three times. During the thirty-eight year history of the
super chic shopopolis, there have been seven anchor stores. Two of

these (Lord and Taylor and Frost Brothers) were shuttered and

sectioned into new retail spaces. Marshall Field's reopened as Saks;

Foley's as a second Macy's. Neiman Marcus, Macy's At Sage and

Nordstrom sport their original nameplates.

GALLERIA I as it appears today. The Ice Rink, an original feature of the
mall, still invites skaters. A fixture of many a mid-century center, this
is among the few that remain in the here and now. Another commercial
contemporary -Portland's LLOYD CENTER- has retained its facility.
Others -such as those at New York's ROOSEVELT FIELD, Chicago's
WOODFIELD and Milwaukee's MAYFAIR- gave way to redevelopment.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / Jonah Norason



A Level 2 view of the mall's most recent expansion, GALLERIA IV.
That's a Nordstrom nameplate off in the distance.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / Jonah Norason

An post-2003 aerial of the GALLERIA, which is the Lonestar State's
largest retail complex and the third-largest enclosed mall in the USA.
Photo from http://www.simon.com/


THE LARGEST ENCLOSED SHOPPING
MALLS IN THE UNITED STATES, 2008:

1. MALL OF AMERICA, Bloomington MN
2. AVENTURA MALL, Dade County, FL
3. THE GALLERIA, Houston, TX
4. SAWGRASS MILLS, Sunrise, FL
5. ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL, Town of Hempstead, NY


THE GALLERIA
Westheimer Road and South Post Oak Boulevard
Houston, Texas

Noteworthy as the nation's first major mixed-use retail / office / hotel development, Houston's GALLERIA was something of a mid-20th century reinvention of Milan, Italy's GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II (1865-1877).

The complex was situated on a 14 acre plot, 15 miles west of the center city, which was adjacent to the West Loop / Interstate 610 Expressway, completed in 1968.

Designed by the HOK (Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum) Group, the GALLERIA was built by Gerald D. Hines, one of the major developers of the Houston metropolis. The first phase of the project, now known as GALLERIA I, was dedicated November 16, 1970.

The original 600,000 square foot, tri-level structure was anchored by a 2-level (224,000 square foot), Dallas-based Neiman Marcus. The Galleria Cinema I and II was located on the first level of the center, along with an Ice Rink. A multi-level parking garage was included on the south end of the structure. The (400 room) Houston Oaks Hotel was added in 1971.

Houston's GALLERIA was surrounded by several shoppping malls. These included MEYERLAND PLAZA (1957) [July 2008 archive], SHARPSTOWN MALL (1961) [July 2008 archive), MEMORIAL CITY MALL (1962), NORTHWEST MALL (1968) [June 2009 archive] and TOWN AND COUNTRY MALL (1983). However, within a few years of its opening, The GALLERIA was firmly established as the preeminent shopping mall in all of Houston. These other centers provided no real competition.

The second construction phase, referred to as GALLERIA II, was built over two levels of parking and added 449,700 square feet to the west of the existing building. It was completed during 1976 and 1977.

This bi-level segment included a 2-level (67,500 square foot) Lord and Taylor and 2-level, San Antonio-based Frost Brothers. GALLERIA II also included the Galleria Financial Center offices, (500 room) Galleria Plaza Hotel, Galleria Cinemas III and IV and a second parking garage.

In 1979, a 2-level (185,000 square foot) Marshall Fields came inline, which was the first southern store in the Chicago-based chain.

The fourth implementation phase, GALLERIA III, was completed in 1986. This bi-level addition -also built atop a parking deck- encompassed 328,000 square feet and included a 2-level (232,000 square foot) Macy's.

Frost Brothers was shuttered in 1988, with the store being sectioned into smaller retail spaces. In 1996, Marshall Field's closed their GALLERIA store, which opened as a Saks Fifth Avenue in 1997.

Beginning in 1999, the controlling interest in the sprawling mall complex changed four times, with the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group prevailing with majority ownership interest in 2002.

In March 2003, a fifth (and perhaps final) construction phase was dedicated. Known as GALLERIA IV, it was a bi-level, 800,000 square foot expansion, anchored by a 2-level (250,000 square foot), Houston-based Foleys's and 2-level (226,000 square foot), Seattle-based Nordstrom.

With this addition, the GALLERIA encompassed 2.4 million square feet, with over three hundred and seventy-five stores and services, making it the nation's third-largest enclosed shopping center.

In 2005, the Lord and Taylor was shuttered. The building was renovated into new mall retail space, which opened in 2006. Also in 2006, Foley's (due to the May / Federated merger) was "Macy-ated".

Sources:

"Houston Galleria" article on Wikipedia
"Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II" article on Wikipedia
Harris County, Texas Tas assessor website
Information and photos from Jonah Norason
Cinema Treasures / "Galleria Cinemas" article / submitted by Jack Coursey and "Caro"
www.simon.com
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