Memorial and South Columbia Drives
Dekalb County, Georgia
On April 10, 1963, ground was broken at an 8.6-acre site, located 6.8 miles east of Atlanta's Five Points. The land parcel was situated in a section of unincorporated Dekalb County known as Belvedere Park. A fully-enclosed "shopper mall" was planned for the parcel. COLUMBIA MALL, designed by Atlanta's Toombs, Amisano & Wells firm, would be built by a joint venture of Homart Development (a Sears subsidiary) and D & D Properties (an R. H. Macy & Company subsidiary).
The first COLUMBIA MALL structure was a 2-level (124,000 square foot), Atlanta-based Davison's. This freestanding store opened for business May 14, 1964. It was followed by a 2-level (116,600 square foot) Sears. Also built as a freestanding structure, Sears was officially dedicated on August 5, 1964.
It would take over 3 years for the mall section in the middle to be completed. When dedicated, on November 9, 1967, the fully-enclosed COLUMBIA MALL covered approximately 350,000 leasable square feet and housed twenty stores and services. Among these were Barricini Candies, Parklane Hosiery, Bond Clothes and Thom McAn Shoes. When fully-leased, COLUMBIA MALL housed twenty-seven tenant spaces. A Walgreen Drug was dedicated on April 10, 1969.
Shopping hubs in the COLUMBIA MALL trade area included NORTH DEKALB CENTER (1965) {3.4 miles north} and SOUTH DEKALB MALL (1970) {3.1 miles south, also in Dekalb County}.
By the early 1980s, COLUMBIA MALL had been outpositioned by the proliferation of shopping malls in Greater Atlanta. The complex was in a downward spiral that was exacerbated by the closing of its Sears, on January 28, 1984. In February, the struggling shopping venue was acquired by a joint venture of Cadillac-Fairview Shopping Centers (US), Limited and Atlanta's D. Scott Hudgens. They initiated a 4.5 million dollar, post-modern face lift.
As part of the indoor-outdoor renovation, the first level of the vacant Sears was divided into inline retail spaces, including a (30,000 square foot) Sears Surplus Store. The upper floor included a 5-bay Food Court. The opposite end of the shopping hub was anchored by its original tenant, by this time operating as a Davison's-Macy's.
A formal dedication was held on October 10, 1985. The complex would be known, henceforth, as AVONDALE MALL. The retail hub housed thirty-seven stores and services. These included Rainbow Records, Eckerd Drugs, ETC Gifts, Easy TV & Appliance, Stuarts ladies ready-to-wear and Kay Jewelers.
A formal dedication was held on October 10, 1985. The complex would be known, henceforth, as AVONDALE MALL. The retail hub housed thirty-seven stores and services. These included Rainbow Records, Eckerd Drugs, ETC Gifts, Easy TV & Appliance, Stuarts ladies ready-to-wear and Kay Jewelers.
Davison's-Macy's morphed into a standard Macy's on November 17, 1985. This store would be shuttered in August 1992. Its upper floor was, then, reconfigured as the O'Neill Theatres Avondale Mall Cinema 16, which opened for business on July 15. 1994.
Alas, the mid-'80s reinvention of the mall was not entirely successful. By the mid-1990s, the complex was in another downward spiral. Its shopping concourse was populated by mom & pop-type stores such as Direct Imports, Gold Plus and Bernard's Records.
AVONDALE MALL was sold to Newnan, Georgia's Thomas Enterprises in December 1999. Under its new proprietor, the shopping center continued to decline. On December 31, 2001, its remaining merchants closed for good. The abandoned facility languished for several years, while a protracted battle was fought between Wal-Mart and Stop Wal-Mart, a consortium of local citizens opposed to plans to raze the mall and replace it with a SuperCenter.
By late 2006, the war had been won by the Bentonville retailer. A wrecking ball was brought in and the mall had been reduced to rubble by early 2007. A 1-level (182,000 square foot) Wal-Mart SuperCenter welcomed its first shoppers on March 7, 2008.
Sources:
Dekalb County Georgia tax assessor website
http://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
"Avondale Mall" article on Wikipedia
Alas, the mid-'80s reinvention of the mall was not entirely successful. By the mid-1990s, the complex was in another downward spiral. Its shopping concourse was populated by mom & pop-type stores such as Direct Imports, Gold Plus and Bernard's Records.
AVONDALE MALL was sold to Newnan, Georgia's Thomas Enterprises in December 1999. Under its new proprietor, the shopping center continued to decline. On December 31, 2001, its remaining merchants closed for good. The abandoned facility languished for several years, while a protracted battle was fought between Wal-Mart and Stop Wal-Mart, a consortium of local citizens opposed to plans to raze the mall and replace it with a SuperCenter.
By late 2006, the war had been won by the Bentonville retailer. A wrecking ball was brought in and the mall had been reduced to rubble by early 2007. A 1-level (182,000 square foot) Wal-Mart SuperCenter welcomed its first shoppers on March 7, 2008.
Sources:
The New York Times
The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta Journal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
www.dekalbhistory.org / "Columbia Mall - Avondale Mall Time Capsule"Dekalb County Georgia tax assessor website
http://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
"Avondale Mall" article on Wikipedia
