In the following MALL HALL OF FAME Cavalcade, we'll
explore eight American malls; each built as a single
entity, each later combined with a neighboring shop-
ping center to form one megamall.

After reading through the section, some readers may wonder why complexes such as Philly's KING OF PRUSSIA MALL or Southern California's SOUTH COAST PLAZA are not featured.

In the case of KING OF PRUSSIA MALL, the center presently encompasses two individual shopping hubs...KING OF PRUSSIA PLAZA and COURT AT KING OF PRUSSIA. These are in the process of being physically linked into a single structure.

SOUTH COAST PLAZA and the former CRYSTAL COURT
were merged, in a sense, by the outdoor "Bridge Of
Gardens" walkway...and the CRYSTAL COURT moniker
was officially retired in 2000. However, the two malls
are not linked via an enclosed concourse. Hence, they
are, in essence, two individual shopping complexes
operated as one.

San Jose's Valley Fair



North Court in the original, open-air VALLEY FAIR CENTER. The
mosaic-tiled tower on the left was part of an exhaust system for a
subterranean shipping and receiving area.
Photo from Malls Of America Blogspot

VALLEY FAIR CENTER
Stevens Creek Boulevard and Eastshore Freeway
San Jose, California

One of the earliest regional shopping centers in Northern California's Santa Clara County was built on a 41 acre tract -located 5.5 miles southwest of San Jose's Central Business District- which was adjacent to a newly-opened segment of the Eastshore Freeway.

VALLEY FAIR CENTER, an open-air retail venue, was designed by Victor Gruen and developed by Macy's San Francisco. The 504,000 square foot complex, anchored by a 2-level (157,300 square foot) Macy's, was completed in 1956. The thirty-nine store center included a Joseph Magnin apparel, F.W. Woolworth 5 and 10 and supermarket.

In its early years, VALLEY FAIR CENTER was famous for the carnival rides that had been installed on the roof of its Macy's. Included were a 40-foot ferris wheel, merry-go-round and mini-train. These attractions were removed in late 1957. In 1963, a 78,600 square foot third level was added to the existing Macy's, taking the space previously used for the "rooftop fair". The store now encompassed 235,900 square feet.

In the 1970s, the center was sold to El Segundo, California-based Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated. A major renovation of VALLEY FAIR CENTER was soon completed. The complex was fully-enclosed and a multi-level parking garage added to the east end of the retail venue. Henceforth, the shopping hub was known as VALLEY FAIR MALL.

A vintage advertisement for San Jose's open-air shopping center.
Drawing from www.cestcop.com/macys.htm

A stunning nighttime shot of the VALLEY FAIR CENTER Macy's, showing
it high-end, Mid-Mod design.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/14696209@N02/3732941678 / Arnold Del Carlo and "HmDavid"



A computer-generated rendering of the same store, which includes its
rooftop carnival rides.
Drawing from http://www.cestcop.com/macy

An aerial rendering of the legendary rooftop carnival rides at VALLEY
FAIR CENTER. They were removed in 1957, with the space becoming
a third retail level in 1964.
Drawing from www.cestcop.com/macys.htm

A circa-'65 physical layout of Santa Clara County's neighboring shop-

ping plazas. VALLEY FAIR had opened in 1956. STEVENS CREEK

PLAZA, added to a previously-existing Emporium store, came along in

1964. The centers were adjacent to the Eastshore Freeway, which had

opened in 1954. It was renamed the Nimitz Freeway in 1958 and

designated as Interstate 880 in 1986.

STEVENS CREEK PLAZA



A circa-1965 aerial view of the shopping venues. VALLEY FAIR CENTER
is seen in the center, with STEVENS CREEK PLAZA occupying the upper
left corner.
Photo from Malls Of America Blogspot

The south-facing facade of Emporium Santa Clara . Originally a free-
standing store, it was incorporated into STEVENS CREEK PLAZA in the
mid-1960s. At the time of the store's opening, in 1957, it was a 2-level
location. It was later expanded to 3.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/14696209@N02/3732941678 / Arnolde Del Carlo and "HmDavid"




San Fran-based I. Magnin opened its STEVENS CREEK PLAZA
location in 1964.
Photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/65359853@N00/4506751886 / Arnold Del Carlo


STEVENS CREEK PLAZA
Stevens Creek and Winchester Boulevards
Santa Clara, California

In 1957, the 2-level (231,000 square foot) Emporium Santa Clara department store opened. A branch of the Bay Area-based Emporium chain, the freestanding store sat on a 20.3 acre plot, situated west of VALLEY FAIR CENTER.

STEVENS CREEK PLAZA, a small open-air mall, was added to the existing Emporium store in 1964. It included a 2-level (32,000 square foot) I. Magnin and Roos Atkins, Granat Brothers Jewelers and Stickney's Hick'ry House Restaurant.

Competing shopping malls sprang up in the region during the 1970s, including EASTRIDGE CENTER (1971) {6.9 miles east, in San Jose}, OAKRIDGE MALL (1973) {6.4 miles southeast, also in San Jose}, VALLCO FASHION PARK (1976) {3.3 miles west, in Cupertino}, and SUNNYVALE TOWN CENTER (1979-2007) {5.5 miles northwest, in Sunnyvale}.


STEVENS CREEK PLAZA TENANTS 1965:

THE EMPORIUM (with outparcel Tire Center) / Safeway supermarket / Safeway Drug / Granat Brothers Jewelers / Burk's Luggage / Ferguson Music House / Stickney's Restaurant / Mark Fenwick Women's / I. Magnin (opened in 1964) / Bloom's Florsheim Shoes / Roos-Atkins / Marcus Furs / Wells Fargo Bank

Circa-1987 site plan depicting the recently-merged malls, now known as
simply VALLEY FAIR. During the connecting-renovation project (indicated
in light gray), most of the original VALLEY FAIR CENTER had been torn
down. Only its Macy's remained. The old STEVENS CREEK PLAZA was
retained, renovated and incorporated into the new complex.

Macy's Men's and Home Store, originally a Bay Area-based Emporium
in the STEVENS CREEK PLAZA portion of today's mega-mall.
Photo from "UCD Vicky"



WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR, decked out for the holidays.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Brendel Signature"

A circa-2001 site plan shows all of the changes done to the mall since
the 1980s. The 1986 structure (shown in black) has been expanded
with a second mallway (indicated in medium gray) linking a new
Nordstrom with the original Macy's (now a Women's Store). Three
parking garages have also been added. Garage "A" was built in the
mid-1990s. Garages "B" and "C" were completed between 1999
and 2001.

VALLEY FAIR

In 1985, the Hahn company -by now technically known as TrizecHahn- acquired the neighboring STEVENS CREEK PLAZA and began a large-scale renovation of it and VALLEY FAIR MALL. The bulk of VALLEY FAIR was razed, leaving only the Macy's and its parking garage. The department store, expanded by 160,000 square feet, would now comprise 396,000 square feet of floor space.

A 100 million dollar, 2-level mall concourse was built, linking an expanded Macy's with the Emporium and I. Magnin at the old STEVENS CREEK PLAZA. At the center of the center was a 2-level (168,000 square foot) Nordstrom. Renamed simply VALLEY FAIR, the amalgamated mall encompassed 1.2 million leasable square feet. One hundred and twelve stores (out of an eventual one hundred and seventy-five) were dedicated October 15, 1986.

Shopping malls in the VALLEY FAIR trade area (not including the aforementioned 1970s-era centers) include WESTGATE MALL (1960) {2.9 miles southwest, in Campbell} and GREAT MALL OF THE BAY AREA (1994) {6.4 miles northeast, Milpitas}.

Anchor stores at VALLEY FAIR changed nameplates during the 1990s. I. Magnin closed in 1992. Its area became inline store space. The Emporium was expanded with an additional (85,000 square foot) third level, for a grand total of 316,000 square feet. The store was rebranded as a Macy's Men's and Home Store in 1996.

In 1998, TrizecHahn sold the complex to a joint venture of Australia-based Westfield Holdings (now the Westfield Group) and the Maryland-based Rouse Company. Westfield soon established full ownership of the venue and renamed it WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN VALLEY FAIR. This was truncated to WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR in June 2005.

A major expansion began in late 1998. The project, encompassing three phases of construction, included two parking garages and a new 3-level (225,000 square foot) Nordstrom. A fifty-store, wrap-around concourse (built north of the existing mall and connecting the original Macy's and second Nordstrom) was dedicated in 2001. The circa-1986 Nordstrom was sectioned into smaller retail spaces within the new concourse.

2006 brought news of a third major expansion of the 1,475,600 square foot, two hundred sixty-two-store, WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR. The project was to add 650,000 leasable square feet in a second wrap-around concourse of seventy-two stores. This would be built on the south side of the existing mall, replace a parking garage, and connect the two Macy's stores.

Two new anchors, a 2-level (120,000 square foot) Neiman Marcus and 3-level (150,000 square foot) Bloomingdale's, would be included in the new concourse. Moreover, the existing Safeway supermarket and Longs / CVS Drug, outparcels of the circa-1964 STEVENS CREEK PLAZA, would be relocated to new structures and a parking garage would be built to replace that that would be demolished.

The adjusted GLA of a new WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR would be approximately 2,395,600 square feet, with a retail roster of three hundred and thirty-four stores and services. This would make it the second-largest shopping mall in the United States, following the 2,779,000 leasable square foot MALL OF AMERICA, in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The project was approved by the local government in November 2007. However, the economic collapse of the early 21st century slammed the brakes on the prospective remodeling. It was put on indefinite hold in May 2009 with no indication of when -or if- it would ever be started. The building permit for the expansion expired in November 2009.

Westfield's website does not include any mention of a prospective renovation of the mall. However, it was stipulated -in mid-2011- that the sale of several of the corporation's "B-Grade" malls, such as WESTFIELD BELDEN VILLAGE (near Canton, Ohio) and WESTFIELD CONNECTICUT POST, would help finance a future redevelopment at WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR.

Sources:

"Westfield Valley Fair" article on Wikipedia
www.renewvalleyfair.com
www.cestcop.com / Mike Carrol Productions
http://www.bigmallrat.com/
Post By Paul
Santa Clara County tax assessor website
www.cahighways.org

Los Angeles' Del Amo Center



A circa-1962 view of the original DEL AMO CENTER. Sears, the south
anchor, faces the Hawthorne and Sepulveda Boulevards intersection
seen in the foreground. The complex was eventually linked with its
neighbor mall, DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE. The merged malls were
known, henceforth, as DEL AMO FASHION CENTER.
Photo from Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archive

DEL AMO CENTER
Sepulveda and Hawthorne Boulevards
Torrance, California

The eleventh shopping mall in Los Angeles County was constructed by Del Amo Estate Development and designed by Los Angeles-based Welton Becket and Associates. DEL AMO CENTER was officially dedicated in May 1960. The open-air complex was situated on a 78 acre site, 20.5 miles southwest of center city Los Angeles, in the suburb of Torrance.

Two department stores anchored the original, 1,100,000 square foot shopping hub. A 3-level (225,000 square foot) The Broadway had opened for business February 16, 1959. Sears' 2-level (284,000 square foot) store began business the following July. A 2-level (70,000 square foot) [dry goods only] J.C. Penney opened along with the mall and served as a junior anchor.

The center, consisting of a main mall level and service / retail basement, included Silverwood's apparel, Hallmark Greeting Cards, LeRoy's Jewelers, Food Giant supermarket, Lerner Shops, C.H. Baker Shoes, Foreman and Clark apparel and an Ontra Cafeteria and F.W. Woolworth 5 and 10. A 24,400 square foot Joseph Magnin apparel opened in previously-existing store space in March 1965.

There was also a 71,000 square foot annex in the northeast parking area which included a Magic Chef supermarket, Thrifty Drug and liquor store. Another outparcel structure, in the southeast section of the mall site, housed a Two Guys discount mart, which opened in the early 1970s. It became a FedMart in mid-1977 and was rebranded by Target on April 17, 1983.

The two "DEL AMO" centers, DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE

(nee' BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE) and DEL AMO CEN-
TER, in 1975. FASHION SQUARE (the north mall) had been
enclosed and expanded in 1971. Its new East Wing is indi-
cated in medium gray. DEL AMO CENTER, to the south,
would remain open-air until the early 1980s.

BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE (Del Amo)
West Carson Street and Hawthorne Boulevard
Torrance, California

A 57 acre site directly north of DEL AMO CENTER was developed, by the Los Angeles-based Bullock's Realty Company, as an open-air shopping venue. It was the third of their Southern California BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE shopping centers; a listing including properties in Santa Ana (1958), Sherman Oaks / San Fernando Valley (1962) and La Habra (1968).

BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE in Torrance was dedicated in September 1966. It featured the 3-level (250,000 square foot) Bullock's Del Amo and included Desmonds apparel and Orange Julius. San Francisco-based I. Magnin held a grand opening for their 1-level (25,000 square foot) Del Amo / Torrance store March 6, 1967.

In 1970, the complex was sold to Los Angeles-based developer Guilford Glazer, who initiated a redevelopment project, during which the existing center was enclosed.

An east wing was also built, with a 2-level (150,000 square foot), New York City-based Ohrbach's, 2-level (160,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward, Del Amo 4 multiplex and forty-nine inline stores. The refurbished and expanded mall was dedicated August 9, 1971. It was now officially known as DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE.

The street-straddling shopping center as it was configured

at the completion of the mall marriage in 1981. The original

shopping venues are shown in black, with the new connecting
concourse indicated in light gray. With this addition, the newly-
named DEL AMO FASHION CENTER was the largest enclosed
mall in the USA. Today, it occupies the second-largest spot.

A final footprint, dated 2012. Naturally, since 1981, a lot has
changed. Macy's rebranded three of the anchor stores between
1996 and 2006. The 1971 addition to the FASHION SQUARE
section of the mall was razed and replaced with a open, Lifestyle
Wing (shown in medium gray). Presently, the shopping center
is America's second-largest shopping mall.

The 2-level, Lifestyle Wing, which was dedicated in September 2006.

Within its seventy store spaces are retailers such as Metro Park,

Guess, Levi's, Eddie Bauer, Free People and Urban Outfitters. Sit down

restaurants include Lazy Dog Cafe and P.F. Chang's China Bistro.

Photos One and Two from www.rtkl.com (RTKL Associates, Inc.)

Photo Three from www.simon.com (Simon Property Group)

DEL AMO FASHION CENTER

Guilford Glazer acquired DEL AMO CENTER in 1978. The complex, still open air, now had three major anchors, as its J.C. Penney had -by then- expanded into a 163,300 square foot, full line department store.

Glazer decided to link DEL AMO CENTER and BULLOCK'S FASHION SQUARE / DEL AMO FASHION SQUARE into a single entity. This was done with the construction of a concourse extending south from FASHION SQUARE, over West Carson Street, connecting to a 2-level (171,400 square foot), Los Angeles-based J.W. Robinson's at the newly-enclosed DEL AMO CENTER.

The amalgamated mall, christened DEL AMO FASHION CENTER, was dedicated in November 1981. With over 2 million leasable square feet, it was the largest enclosed shopping center in the United States; an honor held until the dedication of Minnesota's MALL OF AMERICA, in August 1992.

Regional retail competitors included CARSON MALL / SOUTHBAY PAVILION (1973 {4.9 miles northeast, in Carson} and SOUTH BAY GALLERIA (1985) {2.3 miles northwest, in Redondo Beach}.

Anchor store nameplate changes at the DEL AMO malls had begun in 1987. Ohrbach's was shuttered in 1986. It was eventually divided into Marshalls (Level 1) and T.J. Maxx (Level 2). I. Magnin closed in 1989, with its space sectioned into two restaurants and The Good Guys!, a Brisbane, California-based electronics outlet. Robinson's morphed into Robinsons-May in January 1993. Montgomery Ward closed in the year 2000.

The new century brought more shutterings and nameplates. Bullock's had become the primary Macy's at DEL AMO in 1996, with Level 2 of the old The Broadway store housing Macy's Home and Furniture; Jo-Ann Fabrics occupied Level 1. Robinsons-May was rebranded as a third Macy's ("Macy's South Del Amo") in 2006.

In the meantime, the shopping center itself had changed hands. The Arlington, Virginia-based Mills Corporation bought the complex in July 2003 and sold a 50 percent share to J.P. Morgan Fleming Asset Management. In turn, the assets of The Mills Corporation were acquired by the Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group in April 2007.

In February 2005, a 160 million dollar renovation of the former FASHION CENTER end of the mall had got underway. The circa-1975 East Wing addition was demolished, including its vacant Montgomery Ward. A 2-level (thirty-five-store) "outdoor promenade" was built, which included the AMC Del Amo 18 multiplex, P.F. Chang's China Bistro and Anthropologie apparel. This new Lifestyle Wing was dedicated September 14, 2006. The Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley was part of the expansion.

A subsequent refurbishment of the previously-existing sections of the 2,269,000 square foot DEL AMO FASHION CENTER was announced, by the Simon Property Group, in August 2010. This project was to consist of two phases and cost upwards of 200 million dollars. However, as of late, no concrete plans have been made available to the public.

The mall presently houses three hundred and fourteen stores and services, with three seperate Macy's locations. These are known by several different names. The store in the upper level of the old The Broadway, listed on the Macy's website as the Macy's Del Amo Home Store, is labeled as "Macy's A" on the Simon Property Group's DEL AMO FASHION CENTER website.

The old Bullock's store has been referred to -in bygone days- as "Macy's North". It is now listed on the Macy's site as "Macy's Del Amo Fashion Center" (its address being 21600 Hawthorne Boulevard). The same store is indicated as "Macy's C" by Simon.

The Macy's mercantile at DEL AMO FASHION CENTER that opened as a J.W. Robinson's was previously known as "Macy's South Del Amo". Today, it is listed as "Macy's Del Amo Fashion Center" (at 21760 Hawthorne Boulevard) at the www.macys.com web address. On the Simon mall site, the same store is "Macy's B". Go figure...

Sources:

"Del Amo Fashion Center" article on Wikipedia
Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archive website
Postings by Randy
Posting By Paul

www.macy's.com
www.delamofashioncenter.com
Los Angeles County tax assessor website

FAIR USE OF DEL AMO CENTER PHOTOGRAPH:

The image from the Cal State University Dominguez Hills Archive illustrates a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The image is not replaceable with a free-use or public-domain image. The use of the image does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the image in any way. The image is being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and its use is not believed to detract from the original image in any way.

Arizona's Scottsdale Fashion Square

A 1960s shot of the 3-level Goldwaters which served as the sole anchor

of the original SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE. The open-air complex

was dedicated in late 1961.

Photo from http://azmemory.lib.az.us/ / Arizona Memory Project /

Scottsdale Historical Society)

A site plan showing two independently-operated centers that were
merged into a single shopping mall. The original core complexes
are indicated in black. Additions are shown in dark gray. This lay-
out -of 30+ years ago- seems almost unrecognizable, what with
the enormous amount of development that has taken place.

SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE
East Camelback and North Scottsdale Roads
Scottsdale, Arizona

Metropolitan Phoenix's fifth open-air mall was constructed on a 32.2 acre plot, 13 miles northeast of the Arizona State Capitol, in suburban Scottsdale. The site, formerly farm fields, had been utilized as rodeo grounds by the Scottsdale Jaycees in the late 1950s.

In 1960, the area was cleared and graded for the construction of the original SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE. The complex, consisting of a single retail level, was dedicated in the autumn of 1961. It was anchored by a 3-level (102,500 square foot), Phoenix-based Goldwaters. There were also an A.J. Bayless supermarket, Guggy's Coffee Shop and Jennifer's apparel.

A major expansion was done in the mid-1970s. Two levels of stores were added on top of existing inline space and a 3-level expansion of the open-air concourse was built onto the west side of the mall. This included a 3-level (200,000 square foot), Phoenix-based Diamond's.

In the early years, the primary retail rival of FASHION SQUARE was LOS ARCOS MALL (1969) {3 miles south}. Also located in Scottsdale, it was a fully-enclosed mall, in opposition to FASHION SQUARE, which was still open-air.

CAMELVIEW PLAZA
East Camelback Road and North 68th Street
Scottsdale, Arizona

In 1977, a competing shopping center opened, which was a fully-enclosed mall. It occupied a 26.9 acre parcel directly west of (and next door to) FASHION SQUARE.

CAMELVIEW PLAZA was built over a subterranean parking garage and featured 2 levels of retail. It was anchored by a 2-level (153,200 square foot), Los Angeles-based Bullock's and 2-level (118,000 square foot), Houston-based Sakowitz.

The shopping venue included Lillie Ruben apparel, The Mole Hole gift shop and a 12 story office tower. The Harkins Camelview Twin Theatre opened -as an outparcel- in the mall's northeast parking area. It was eventually expanded into a five-plex.

A circa-2005, Upper Level site plan, showing the various expansions
that had been added to the original FASHION SQUARE. The construc-
tion of 1988-1991 -the connecting corridor with CAMELVIEW PLAZA-
is shown in medium gray. The 1998 Nordstrom wing appears in light
gray.

The mall's stunning Palm Court. Originally, its area was an open-air
promenade and part of a Diamond's (later Dillard's) anchor store. A
new 3-level atrium was created during the enclosure of the complex
in 1988-1991, which was covered by a system of retractable skylights.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Flyer84"

The latest incarnation of Arizona's "Diamond In The Desert" mercantile.

Expanded in 1974, 1991 and 1998, the 1,858,300 square foot megamall

dedicated its latest makeover in October 2009. A vacant anchor on the

east end was removed and replaced with a Barney's New York, 2 levels

of subteranneran parking and an extension of the mallway with several

toney tenants.

The brand new Barney's New York, built on the site of the old east
parking garage. This 55,000 square foot store replaced the old Gold-
waters / Robinsons-May location and was dedicated October 15,
2009.
Rendering from www.fashionsquareredevelopment.com



A rendering, looking over the FASHION SQUARE Nordstrom toward the
Barney's New York Expansion and McDowell Mountains.
Rendering from www.fashionsquareredevelopment.com


SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE

The two malls at the corner of Camelback and Scottsdale Roads operated on a competitive basis for 19 years, with a shopper shuttle service providing transportation across their communal parking lot.

The situation began to change in 1983 when Phoenix-based Westcor bought the FASHION SQUARE center. In 1988, the owners of both malls embarked upon a project to physically connect the centers with a 2-level concourse stretching from the west end of FASHION SQUARE, over North 70th Street / North Goldwater Boulevard, to the existing eastern entrance of CAMELVIEW PLAZA.

This project included gutting much of the existing FASHION SQUARE and enclosing the structure. Diamond's, which had been rebranded by Dillard's in late 1986, was sectioned into smaller retail spaces and replaced by a 3-level (236,000 square foot) store, built on the north side of the original complex.

Likewise, the A.J. Bayless building was torn down. Goldwaters -by then a Los Angeles-based J.W. Robinson's- was expanded to 235,000 square feet, taking the space of the old supermarket.

A parking garage was also added to the northeast corner of the shopping center. A Food Court and Harkins Fashion Square 7 Cinema opened in the ground level of the newly-expanded mall.

The renovation / connection project was completed in 1991. However, the malls were maintained as two individual shopping centers until Westcor purchased CAMELVIEW PLAZA in 1996 and renamed the entire (1.8 million square foot) merged mall SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE.

By this time, the CAMELVIEW Sakowitz had been shuttered. It re-opened as a Neiman Marcus in 1992. Robinson's, in the east end of the original FASHION SQUARE complex, morphed into Robinsons-May in 1993. The CAMELVIEW Bullock's was shuttered in 1996 and sat vacant for 2 years.

Another major expansion of the shopping center structure got underway in the mid-1990s. This, time, a connecting corridor of stores was built onto the mall's south side, which extended over Camelback Road to a 3-level (235,000 square foot) Nordstrom. Three new parking garages were added, as well.

Dillard's, in the original FASHION SQUARE, moved into the vacant CAMELVIEW Bullock's. The store's area had been expanded with a new addition on the west side.

Moreover, smaller stores, which had been a part of the original CAMELVIEW PLAZA, were gutted and renovated into additional space for the new Dillard's. Sears opened in the old Dillard's space in February 1999.

By the time the renovation project was completed in 1998, the 2-level Dillard's, on the west end of the mall, encompassed 365,000 square feet. It was (and is) the largest location in the entire Little Rock-based chain.

The newly-remodeled SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE now comprised 1,929,632 leasable square feet, was the largest shopping center in Arizona and the thirteenth-largest enclosed shopping mall in the nation.

The dawn of the 21st century brought more changes. The owner of the mall, Westcor, was absorbed into the Santa Monica-based Macerich Company in May 2002. Sears was shuttered and re-opened as a Macy's in 2002. Robinsons-May closed in June 2006.

On September 1, 2007, a 130 million dollar renovation got underway. The vacant Robinsons-May building was bulldozed, along with adjacent parking garages on the store's north and east sides. These were replaced by 2-levels of undergound parking, topped off by a 2-level (65,000 square foot) Barney's New York and bi-level mallway addition housing eighteen store spaces.

The Barney's New York Expansion was officially dedicated October 15, 2009. Joining the SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE retail roster were tenants such as Love Culture, Aqua Beachwear, Arthur, Michael Stars, Ed Hardy and the Modern Steakhouse and Marcella's Ristorante Pizzeria and Wine Bar bistros.

With the reconstruction, the GLA of SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE was adjusted to 1,858,300 square feet, making it America's seventeenth-largest shopping mall.

The Days Inn, at the northeast corner of the mall site, is also owned by Macerich / Westcor. It is expected that this 30+ year-old motor court will be bulldozed and replaced with more luxurious accomodations in the near future.

Sources:

"Scottsdale Fashion Square" article on Wikipedia
www.hortonrealtyadvisors.com
http://www.westcor.com/
http://www.fashionsquareredevelopment.com/
Maricopa County, Arizona tax assessor website
http://www.scottsdalepublicart.org

FAIR USE OF GOLDWATERS IMAGE:

The photograph from the Arizona Memory Project / Scottsdale Historical Society illustrates a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The image is of lower resolution than the original (copies made would be of inferior quality). The image is not replaceable with free-use or public-domain image. The use of the image does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the image in any way. The image is being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and its use is not believed to detract from the original image in any way.

Rochester's Mall At Greece Ridge



A vintage shot of the North Court at GREECE TOWNE MALL. This
center served as the nucleus for the development of today's 1.7 million
square foot megamall.
Photo from Malls Of America Blogspot



A circa-'60s view of the east side of the mall and its Sibley's anchor
store.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

A shot of the "Wonderfall" (a.k.a. "falling glycerine") faux

water feature / fountain that once graced Center Court at

GREECE TOWNE MALL.

Photo from www.vintageviews.org

GREECE TOWNE MALL
West Ridge Road and Somerworth Drive
Monroe County (Town of Greece), New York

The first interior mall in the Rochester region was not a suburban-type center. MIDTOWN PLAZA (1962) was located in the epicenter of the city. GREECE TOWNE MALL, the first fully-enclosed shopping venue built in the outlying metro area, was developed by Rochester-based Wilmorite Properties and dedicated May 1, 1967.

The mall occupied half of a 72 acre site, 8 miles northwest of downtown Rochester, in an unincorporated section of Monroe County known as Town of Greece. It was anchored by a 2-level (150,000 square foot), Rochester-based- Sibley, Lindsay and Curr ("Sibley's"), National Clothing Company and Loblaw's supermarket. The original forty-five store complex also included a David's apparel and G.C. Murphy 5 and 10.

A ten store addition was built onto the mall's south end in in the early 1980s which included a 1-level (110,300 square foot), Worthington, Ohio-based Gold Circle discount mart.

This store lasted until 1988, when it morphed, first, into a Canton, Massachusetts-based Hills and then Norwalk, Connecticut-based Caldor. In 1999 the store was replaced by a newly-built Hoyt's 12 Cinema, which came under the Regal Cinemas nameplate in 2003.

The two seperate shopping venues, circa-1973. GREECE TOWNE
MALL had opened for business in 1967. LONG RIDGE MALL
had been dedicated in 1972.

LONG RIDGE MALL
West Ridge and Long Pond Roads
Monroe County (Town of Greece), New York

The biggest retail rival of GREECE TOWNE was built right next door, on the western half of the 72 acre parcel, at the southeast corner of West Ridge and Long Pond Roads.

LONG RIDGE MALL began with a freestanding, 1-level (122,900 square foot) Sears, opened in 1959. Next came a freestanding, 2-level (114,600 square foot), Rochester-based, McCurdy and Company ("McCurdy's"), completed in 1970.

These two stores were joined by a sixty-five store, fully enclosed complex, developed by McCurdy and Company and dedicated in 1972. In addition to its Sears and McCurdy's, LONG RIDGE MALL included a 2-level (122,800 square foot) J.B. Hunter discount mart, Rochester-based B. Forman and Woolworth 5 and 10. In 1973, J.B. Hunter went bust and was replaced with Rochester's first, full-line J.C. Penney.

The two malls in Greece, New York competed against one another, as well as with newer suburban shopping centers, such as EASTVIEW MALL (1971) {17.1 miles southeast, in Ontario County (Town of Victor)}, and IRONDEQUOIT MALL (1990) {5.7 miles east, in Monroe County (Town of Irondequoit)}.

1995 and the two malls are one! The original centers are indicated in
black. The early '80s addition to the previous GREECE TOWNE MALL
is shown in dark gray. The connecting corridor, completed in 1994, is
shown in light gray.

A contemporary view of the main entrance of MALL AT GREECE RIDGE.
Photo from Wikipedia / Matthew D. Wilson

A 2009 physical layout of MALL AT GREECE RIDGE. The latest
developments were the 12-plex that replaced the empty Caldor
(1999), new Target (2000) and "Macy-ation" of Kaufmann's (2006).

In a 2014 site plan, The Bon Ton, which anchored the northeast corner
of the complex between 1995 and 2012, has been torn down and re-
placed by a Lifestyle Wing (shown in medium gray). It is comprised
of three sit-down restaurants and two upscale apparel stores; LOFT
and Chico's.


MALL AT GREECE RIDGE CENTER

In the early 1990s, Wilmorite Properties acquired LONG RIDGE MALL and embarked upon a construction project to merge the two shopping centers into a single structure.

A connecting corridor was built which extended between the GREECE TOWNE west entrance and the northeast entry at LONG RIDGE MALL. The project included a 2-level (164,400 square foot) J.C. Penney and 9-bay Food Court. The existing structures were also given interior and exterior facelifts to make them more consistent with the new construction.

The merged mall was dedicated in 1994. A new name was chosen, MALL AT GREECE RIDGE CENTER. The 1.7 million square foot shopopolis comprised over one hundred forty stores and services and was billed as the second-largest enclosed mall in the eastern United States.

Its retail roster changed over the years. The first rebranding occurred in 1990, when Sibley's became a Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's. In 1994, the old J.C. Penney was subdivided into a Burlington, New Jersey-based Burlington Coat Factory (upper level) and Woburn ["woo-burn"], Massachusetts-based Lechmere ["leech-meer"] (lower level). Woolworth's folded in 1994, being replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods.

B. Forman also closed up shop in 1994, with its space re-opening as a Kaufmann's Home Store four years later. McCurdy's was rebranded a Kaufmann's in 1995, replacing the circa-1990 Sibley's location (in the old GREECE TOWNE MALL), which was then leased out as a York, Pennsylvania-based The Bon-Ton. The newer Kaufmann's (in the original LONG RIDGE MALL) was rebranded a Macy's in late 2006.

New stores in MALL AT GREECE RIDGE CENTER included Old Navy (1994), Bed, Bath and Beyond (1998), Circuit City (1998-2009), Michaels Arts and Crafts (1999), as well as a 1-level (124,000 square foot) Target, which was built -as an outparcel- southeast of Sears. It opened in late 2000.

Wilmorite Properties became a subsidiary of the Santa Monica-based Macerich Company in April 2005. In September 2006, the official name of their Greece, New York complex was shortened to MALL AT GREECE RIDGE (dropping the "CENTER").

A renovation of the mall's northeast corner commenced in April 2012. The Bon Ton, which had closed for good in March of the same year, was demolished. It was replaced by an open-air Lifestyle Wing, which housed three sit-down restaurants; Bar Louie, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Moe's Southwest Grill. Two upscale fashion retailers -LOFT and Chico's- were included in the project. The new businesses began opening in the fall of 2013.

Sources:

"Mall At Greece Ridge Center" article on Wikipedia
Malls Of America Blogspot / Keith Milford, webmaster / "Greece Towne Mall" posts
http://www.wilmorite.com/