RETAIL TERMINOLOGY:
Hoping not to be too retail redundant, I am including
the following segment for readers of the MALL HALL
OF FAME Blogspot. It has been created especially for
those who are not initiated with the jargon used within
the industry, who happened to stumble upon the site.
The following terms, set as the standard by the Inter-
national Council of Shopping Centers, will be found in
copy and captions throughout the Mid-Mod Mall
Museum.
Thanks for shopping and do come again!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
MALL- Some degree of confusion exists as to the actual definition of
this term. Often, a strip center -or ANY type of shopping center- will
be referred to as a "mall". On this blogspot, a shopping center will
ONLY be classed as a "mall" when it has its stores configured around
a lengthwise corridor (or corridors), with stores facing each other on
both sides of said corridor(s).
OPEN-AIR MALL- A non-enclosed, non-climate-controlled, shopping
mall, usually with awnings on the front of stores and along its roofless
corridors. In the early days of shopping malls in America, open-air
centers were the standard. This began to change in late 1956, following
the opening of Minnesota's SOUTHDALE CENTER, which was the
nation's first fully enclosed, regional-class mall.
ANCHOR STORE- Usually, a large -often upscale- department store,
with 100,000 to 500,000 leasable square feet, that serves as the focal
point of a shopping center, acting as the draw to get people to patronize
said center.
JUNIOR ANCHOR- In the typical mid-century mall, the larger
department stores would often be joined by a supermarket, 5 and
10 or larger apparel store. In the present, a junior anchor might
be a multiplex cinema, larger apparel store or big box-type retailer.
BIG BOX RETAILER- Also known as a CATEGORY KILLER. An outlet
of a large, national, chain specializing in a certain type of product line,
such as apparel, electronics, housewares, building materials or office
supplies. As the term suggests, such a store is built like a big box and is
situated at the back -or center- of a large parking area.
STRIP SHOPPING CENTER- A group of stores, usually arranged
lengthwise in a row, with sidewalks and parking in front. Serves a
small area or neighborhood. Often a supermarket will be its focal
point.
COMMUNITY SHOPPING CENTER- When in the form of an
enclosed mall, will have up to 399,000 leasable square feet and
(perhaps) a single anchor store, along with other junior anchors.
REGIONAL SHOPPING CENTER- A complex designed and built
to service a larger area than a standard strip center or community-
type mall. Encompasses 400,000 to 800,000 leasable square feet
and has at least two anchor stores, along with one or two junior
anchors.
SUPERREGIONAL SHOPPING CENTER- A complex with over
800,000 leasable square feet. May have as many as six large
department stores and several junior anchors. Serves as the
dominant shopping center of an entire metropolitan area.
LIFESTYLE CENTER- A retail term coming into common usage in the
1980s and '90s. Generically applied, the term describes an open-air
shopping center, smaller than a superregional mall, ALWAYS upscale
and centered around entertainment or leisure venues.....such as a
multiplex cinema. Several high-end bistros, and smaller boutique-type
stores, are included. There may also be a department store -or two- in
the retail mix.
POWER CENTER- Also referred to as a STRETCH MALL.
Retail terms also coming into prominence in the 1990s.
This type of shopping center, an evolution of the 1950s-era
strip center, is open-air and encompasses between
250,000 and 750,000 leasable square feet. It is geared
toward a middle-class type of clientele and has several big
box-type retailers arranged in a row, either behind
-or along both sides of- a large parking area.
The Atlanta expressway system opened in segments.The first, the Northwest Expressway (stretching between Piedmont Avenue and Northside Drive), was dedicated in 1951.The final portion of the region's toll-free super-highway system, Interstate 75, was completed through Marietta in 1974.
This map, circa-1974, shows the locations of shopping malls that existed at the time, with "Lost Malls" indicated by black squares...other malls by gray squares.
A listing of the city's LOST MALLS reads as follows;
1. Stewart-Lakewood Center [1960 to present] 2. Cobb County Center [1963-1998] 3. Ansley Mall [1964 to present] 4. Columbia Mall [1964 to 2007] 5. Buford-Clairmont Mall [1970 to present] and 6. Parkaire Mall [1974 to 1986]
Poster Ken reminded me that a seventh "Lost Mall" Atlanta shopping center deserves at least a perfunctory mention here...ROSWELL MALL.
Info on the early incarnation of this North Fulton County complex is hard to come by. What I have been able to dig-up indicates that the shopping venue opened in 1974. It was a 500,000 square foot, strip center-format complex with a bi-level, enclosed arcade area. The original anchors were Kmart and Richway (a bargain branch of Atlanta-based Rich's). There was also the 4-plex, Roswell Mall Cinema.
A Startime 10 multiplex opened in the 1980s. The complex was redeveloped into a completely open-air format in 1994. Burlington Coat Factory, Publix and Target stores have come and gone over the years...with the most recent shuttering being the Value City (which occupied the old Richway spot).
This map, circa-1974, shows the locations of shopping malls that existed at the time, with "Lost Malls" indicated by black squares...other malls by gray squares.
A listing of the city's LOST MALLS reads as follows;
1. Stewart-Lakewood Center [1960 to present] 2. Cobb County Center [1963-1998] 3. Ansley Mall [1964 to present] 4. Columbia Mall [1964 to 2007] 5. Buford-Clairmont Mall [1970 to present] and 6. Parkaire Mall [1974 to 1986]
Poster Ken reminded me that a seventh "Lost Mall" Atlanta shopping center deserves at least a perfunctory mention here...ROSWELL MALL.
Info on the early incarnation of this North Fulton County complex is hard to come by. What I have been able to dig-up indicates that the shopping venue opened in 1974. It was a 500,000 square foot, strip center-format complex with a bi-level, enclosed arcade area. The original anchors were Kmart and Richway (a bargain branch of Atlanta-based Rich's). There was also the 4-plex, Roswell Mall Cinema.
A Startime 10 multiplex opened in the 1980s. The complex was redeveloped into a completely open-air format in 1994. Burlington Coat Factory, Publix and Target stores have come and gone over the years...with the most recent shuttering being the Value City (which occupied the old Richway spot).
Dekalb County, Georgia's BUFORD-CLAIRMONT MALL as it
existed in 1971. The middle-market merchandising mecca was
added to a freestanding Woolco that was in existence by 1968.
The mall, completed in 1969-1970, had a smaller junior anchor
on its south end. In the early years, it was a Sunshine Department
Store.
The structure that originally housed the Twelve Oaks Theatre at
BUFORD CLAIRMONT is now occupied by a nightclub.
Photo from Stan Malone Collection
PLAZA FIESTA, the Mexican flea market-motif reinvention of
the circa-'68 center, has worked out well. It will celebrate its
tenth year in business in 2009.
Photo from Yelp / "JulioP"
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
BUFORD CLAIRMONT MALL
Buford Highway NE / US 23 and Clairmont Road
Dekalb County, Georgia
Metro Atlanta's ninth mall-type center was constructed on a 28.8 acre plot, 9.6 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta's Five Points. The site was immediately south of the corporate limits of the north Dekalb County suburb of Chamblee.
BUFORD CLAIRMONT MALL, a single-level, 345,400 square foot community-type shopping venue, was completed in 1969-70. The enclosed and open-air center was added to a freestanding, 1-level (103,000 square foot) Woolco.
There was also a supermarket (possibly / originally) a Winn-Dixie, as well as a 1-level (30,000 square foot) Sunshine Department Store. The supermarket was not connected into the interior mall and had only an exterior entrance. The Sunshine Store was accessible via both interior mall and exterior doorways.
On February 10, 1971, the Loews Twelve Oaks Theatre came inline. It was a one thousand two hundred-seat, single-screen venue and the second of two Gone With The Wind-themed theatres in the metropolis.
A sister cinema to Atlanta's Tara, which had been completed three years earlier, the Twelve Oaks was twinned in May 1975, quaded at a later date, and shuttered in 1998.
By this time, BUFORD CLAIRMONT MALL had gone through two mall mutations. The first, was initiated by the Maryland-based Rouse Company, who acquired the shopping center in July 1983. It became OUTLET SQUARE.
The Woolco, which had closed June 28, 1980 and reopened as a Burlington Coat Factory August 1 of the same year, was joined by Marshalls (in the south end, Sunshine space). Other stores opening during this time frame included Georgia Girl ladies' apparel and Famous Footwear.
Eventually, this retail format faded. The mall was sold and reinvented as ORIENTAL MALL in 1996...marketed to the area's booming Asian population. Unfortunately, the Hong Kong Streets motif did not catch on. A third mutation of the thirty-one year-old retail center came inline in 1999.
On its third time around, the complex was given an 11 million dollar overhaul. The concept, devised by developers Vincent Riggio and Doug McMurrain, was to recreate a Mexican flea market within the gutted interior of the structure.
Two hundred and fifty stalls were built. There were also twenty-two other inline store spaces in the renovated retail hub, which was given the name PLAZA FIESTA.
The Latino theme went over quite well and remains in place to this day. The center is managed by an Atlanta branch of Beverly Hills-based Kennedy Wilson.
Sources:
www.creativeloafing.com
Cooment Post from "TenPoundHammer"
www.plazafiesta.net
Dekalb County Georgia tax assessor website
Comment Posts by Clay
Buford Highway NE / US 23 and Clairmont Road
Dekalb County, Georgia
Metro Atlanta's ninth mall-type center was constructed on a 28.8 acre plot, 9.6 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta's Five Points. The site was immediately south of the corporate limits of the north Dekalb County suburb of Chamblee.
BUFORD CLAIRMONT MALL, a single-level, 345,400 square foot community-type shopping venue, was completed in 1969-70. The enclosed and open-air center was added to a freestanding, 1-level (103,000 square foot) Woolco.
There was also a supermarket (possibly / originally) a Winn-Dixie, as well as a 1-level (30,000 square foot) Sunshine Department Store. The supermarket was not connected into the interior mall and had only an exterior entrance. The Sunshine Store was accessible via both interior mall and exterior doorways.
On February 10, 1971, the Loews Twelve Oaks Theatre came inline. It was a one thousand two hundred-seat, single-screen venue and the second of two Gone With The Wind-themed theatres in the metropolis.
A sister cinema to Atlanta's Tara, which had been completed three years earlier, the Twelve Oaks was twinned in May 1975, quaded at a later date, and shuttered in 1998.
By this time, BUFORD CLAIRMONT MALL had gone through two mall mutations. The first, was initiated by the Maryland-based Rouse Company, who acquired the shopping center in July 1983. It became OUTLET SQUARE.
The Woolco, which had closed June 28, 1980 and reopened as a Burlington Coat Factory August 1 of the same year, was joined by Marshalls (in the south end, Sunshine space). Other stores opening during this time frame included Georgia Girl ladies' apparel and Famous Footwear.
Eventually, this retail format faded. The mall was sold and reinvented as ORIENTAL MALL in 1996...marketed to the area's booming Asian population. Unfortunately, the Hong Kong Streets motif did not catch on. A third mutation of the thirty-one year-old retail center came inline in 1999.
On its third time around, the complex was given an 11 million dollar overhaul. The concept, devised by developers Vincent Riggio and Doug McMurrain, was to recreate a Mexican flea market within the gutted interior of the structure.
Two hundred and fifty stalls were built. There were also twenty-two other inline store spaces in the renovated retail hub, which was given the name PLAZA FIESTA.
The Latino theme went over quite well and remains in place to this day. The center is managed by an Atlanta branch of Beverly Hills-based Kennedy Wilson.
Sources:
www.creativeloafing.com
Cooment Post from "TenPoundHammer"
www.plazafiesta.net
Dekalb County Georgia tax assessor website
Comment Posts by Clay
Site plan, circa-1977. The Laundry Lounge laundromat and New Order
cocktail bar are the only tenants still in business today. Kroger moved
to a new store, next door to the mall, in the early '80s. The Big Star /
A & P was replaced by a newly-built Publix in the late '90s.
ANSLEY MALL
Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive
Atlanta, Georgia
The fourth shopping mall in Atlanta (albeit a very small, community-sized one) was located 3.5 miles northeast of downtown's Five Points, on a 16 acre tract just north of the Ansley Park neighborhood.
ANSLEY MALL was developed by the Atlanta-based Adams-Cates Company and opened in 1964. It was a 201,400 square foot, open-air complex, anchored by a 27,000 square foot Woolworth and 35,000 square foot Colonial supermarket. The tenant list of the 3.2 million dollar complex included Jordan Jewelers and twenty-three other retailers.
The Ansley Mall Mini-Cinema opened, in the western section of the shopping center, in 1968. This venue had one hundred seventy-five seats and -in its early days- was operated by the Atlanta-based Weis Theater Circuit.
By 1978, ANSLEY MALL was anchored by two supermarkets. The Colonial, on its west end, had been converted to a Big Star in the early 1970s. Moreover, a Kroger now occupied a 15,500 square foot space on the east end of the mall.
Other tenants during the late 1970s included Regalos (an emporium of sorts), Ansley Florist, the New Order cocktail bar and Laundry Lounge laundromat.
In 1982, the Kroger relocated into a newly-built -166,800 square foot- store, located northwest of the mall. Its space in the shopping center became a Super X Drug. Two years later, the entire shopping complex was renovated, which included a facelift of its exterior. The Big Star supermarket was rebranded as an A & P in 1993. During this time frame, the Super X had been converted into a Treasury Drug and then a Revco.
Several changes took place at ANSLEY MALL in 1997. The Woolworth closed, along with the entire chain. Its space became an L.A. Fitness Center. The A & P was torn down and a new Publix opened in its spot in 1998. The old Mini-Cinema was renovated into a Morrison's Cafeteria, which was soon converted to a Piccadilly. The Revco was rebranded as a CVS. By this time, Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises owned the mall complex.
In 2008, ANSLEY MALL still sits at the southwest corner of Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive. This might cause the reader to wonder why, then, that the shopping center is being included in a "Lost Malls" write-up for Atlanta........
Plans are presently underway for the redevelopment of 22 miles of former Norfolk and Southern railroad right-of-way, in the center city. This initiative, known as "The Beltline", will convert the abandoned railway into new green space, with park areas, transit guideways and trails, along with mixed-use retail and residential developments.
Unfortunately for ANSLEY MALL, its acreage is adjacent to this prospective "Beltline". The land the mall sits upon is simply too valuable for it to continue being utilized as a low-density retail complex. In other words, the powers that be are eyeing this property for major redevelopment, which will surely include high-rises and high-end retail.
And so, the days of ANSLEY MALL appear to be numbered, which, regretfull, makes it another addition to the list of Atlanta's "Lost Malls".
Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive
Atlanta, Georgia
The fourth shopping mall in Atlanta (albeit a very small, community-sized one) was located 3.5 miles northeast of downtown's Five Points, on a 16 acre tract just north of the Ansley Park neighborhood.
ANSLEY MALL was developed by the Atlanta-based Adams-Cates Company and opened in 1964. It was a 201,400 square foot, open-air complex, anchored by a 27,000 square foot Woolworth and 35,000 square foot Colonial supermarket. The tenant list of the 3.2 million dollar complex included Jordan Jewelers and twenty-three other retailers.
The Ansley Mall Mini-Cinema opened, in the western section of the shopping center, in 1968. This venue had one hundred seventy-five seats and -in its early days- was operated by the Atlanta-based Weis Theater Circuit.
By 1978, ANSLEY MALL was anchored by two supermarkets. The Colonial, on its west end, had been converted to a Big Star in the early 1970s. Moreover, a Kroger now occupied a 15,500 square foot space on the east end of the mall.
Other tenants during the late 1970s included Regalos (an emporium of sorts), Ansley Florist, the New Order cocktail bar and Laundry Lounge laundromat.
In 1982, the Kroger relocated into a newly-built -166,800 square foot- store, located northwest of the mall. Its space in the shopping center became a Super X Drug. Two years later, the entire shopping complex was renovated, which included a facelift of its exterior. The Big Star supermarket was rebranded as an A & P in 1993. During this time frame, the Super X had been converted into a Treasury Drug and then a Revco.
Several changes took place at ANSLEY MALL in 1997. The Woolworth closed, along with the entire chain. Its space became an L.A. Fitness Center. The A & P was torn down and a new Publix opened in its spot in 1998. The old Mini-Cinema was renovated into a Morrison's Cafeteria, which was soon converted to a Piccadilly. The Revco was rebranded as a CVS. By this time, Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises owned the mall complex.
In 2008, ANSLEY MALL still sits at the southwest corner of Piedmont Avenue and Monroe Drive. This might cause the reader to wonder why, then, that the shopping center is being included in a "Lost Malls" write-up for Atlanta........
Plans are presently underway for the redevelopment of 22 miles of former Norfolk and Southern railroad right-of-way, in the center city. This initiative, known as "The Beltline", will convert the abandoned railway into new green space, with park areas, transit guideways and trails, along with mixed-use retail and residential developments.
Unfortunately for ANSLEY MALL, its acreage is adjacent to this prospective "Beltline". The land the mall sits upon is simply too valuable for it to continue being utilized as a low-density retail complex. In other words, the powers that be are eyeing this property for major redevelopment, which will surely include high-rises and high-end retail.
And so, the days of ANSLEY MALL appear to be numbered, which, regretfull, makes it another addition to the list of Atlanta's "Lost Malls".
The second shopping mall in Georgia was an expansion of
a circa-1952 strip plaza (shown in black). An open-air
structure was added in two phases. The first, shown in
dark gray, was built in 1959-1960. The second addition,
indicated in light gray, was inline by 1968. This expansion
included a new Woolco anchor store.
STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER
Stewart Avenue / US 19 and 41 and Lakewood Avenue
Atlanta, Georgia
A decaying and virtually forgotten retail complex on Atlanta's south side holds the distinction of being the city's second mall-type shopping complex.
LAKEWOOD CENTER, a small strip plaza developed by Atlanta's Adams-Cates Company, was completed in 1952. The venue was situated on 26 acres, 4 miles south of downtown Atlanta's Five Points.
The site was one block west of an interchange on the city's South Expressway, which was opened to traffic in 1955. This highway was eventually designated as the routes of Interstates 75 and 85.
LAKEWOOD CENTER featured a Jacob's Drug, Colonial supermarket and approximately four other tenants. Between 1959 and 1960, the strip complex was enlarged into an open-air mall, known as STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER.
The primary stores were Colonial, a dry goods only J.C. Penney, Western Auto, Rhodes Furniture, W.T. Grant and Lerner Shops. The tenant list also included Lee's Men's Shop, Dipper Dan's Ice Cream, Bell Brothers Shoes, the Stewart-Lakewood Fabric Center and a National Shirt Shop.
At the time of the mall's grand opening in 1960, there was talk of Atlanta-based Rich's building a location at STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. However, this never came to fruition.
The opening of GREENBRIAR MALL [November 2008 archive], in 1965, was the first blow to STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. GREENBRIAR was much larger, fully-enclosed and situated only 5 miles west of the older complex. The small Penney's at STEWART-LAKEWOOD was replaced by the 130,000 square foot, full-line store at GREENBRIAR.
Around this time, a second expansion of STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER was added to the north end of the structure, anchored by a 1-level Woolco. An outparcel movie house, the single-screen Stewart-Lakewood Cinema, opened in 1969. It was twinned in the early 1970s and remained in business until 1989.
By 1970, the demographics of the area surrounding STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER had changed dramatically. The Lakewood Freeway, a segment of the never-completed Interstate 420 project, opened, which provided improved access. However, the neighborhood was quickly becoming a very rough area, populated by prostitutes, pimps and pushers.
It may have been during this time frame when the name of the shopping complex was changed to CROSSROADS CENTER. Unfortunately, this did not stop its decline from a regional complex, leased to several nationally-known mall merchants, into a rather decrepit, nearly abandoned, community shopping center.
In an attempt to dispel the negative image of the area, the City of Atlanta changed the notoriously-named Stewart Avenue to Metropolitan Parkway. This effort has created mixed results, but -with the unchecked growth of the surrounding metropolis- the area has been on the upswing.
As one hears over and over, it's location, location, location. This has been evidenced by two of Atlanta's "Lost Malls. ANSLEY, enjoyed its being situated in the upscale-gentrifying hinterlands of Atlanta's Midtown area (at least until this process got out of hand, and will most likely to lead to the demise of the shopping center).
The now-forgotten shopping mall on the city's south side obviously fell on the opposite end of the changing demographic equation. However, with continued development of Atlanta and its environs, the owner of the STEWART-LAKEWOOD / CROSSROADS CENTER -Larry Walinsky- is optomistic about the shopping center's future.
Some of the abandoned spaces in the mall were demolished a few years back. Perhaps one day, those remaining store fronts will be incorporated into a newly-refurbished shopping complex, echoing its former position as a major south side shopping center.
Stewart Avenue / US 19 and 41 and Lakewood Avenue
Atlanta, Georgia
A decaying and virtually forgotten retail complex on Atlanta's south side holds the distinction of being the city's second mall-type shopping complex.
LAKEWOOD CENTER, a small strip plaza developed by Atlanta's Adams-Cates Company, was completed in 1952. The venue was situated on 26 acres, 4 miles south of downtown Atlanta's Five Points.
The site was one block west of an interchange on the city's South Expressway, which was opened to traffic in 1955. This highway was eventually designated as the routes of Interstates 75 and 85.
LAKEWOOD CENTER featured a Jacob's Drug, Colonial supermarket and approximately four other tenants. Between 1959 and 1960, the strip complex was enlarged into an open-air mall, known as STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER.
The primary stores were Colonial, a dry goods only J.C. Penney, Western Auto, Rhodes Furniture, W.T. Grant and Lerner Shops. The tenant list also included Lee's Men's Shop, Dipper Dan's Ice Cream, Bell Brothers Shoes, the Stewart-Lakewood Fabric Center and a National Shirt Shop.
At the time of the mall's grand opening in 1960, there was talk of Atlanta-based Rich's building a location at STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. However, this never came to fruition.
The opening of GREENBRIAR MALL [November 2008 archive], in 1965, was the first blow to STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. GREENBRIAR was much larger, fully-enclosed and situated only 5 miles west of the older complex. The small Penney's at STEWART-LAKEWOOD was replaced by the 130,000 square foot, full-line store at GREENBRIAR.
Around this time, a second expansion of STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER was added to the north end of the structure, anchored by a 1-level Woolco. An outparcel movie house, the single-screen Stewart-Lakewood Cinema, opened in 1969. It was twinned in the early 1970s and remained in business until 1989.
By 1970, the demographics of the area surrounding STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER had changed dramatically. The Lakewood Freeway, a segment of the never-completed Interstate 420 project, opened, which provided improved access. However, the neighborhood was quickly becoming a very rough area, populated by prostitutes, pimps and pushers.
It may have been during this time frame when the name of the shopping complex was changed to CROSSROADS CENTER. Unfortunately, this did not stop its decline from a regional complex, leased to several nationally-known mall merchants, into a rather decrepit, nearly abandoned, community shopping center.
In an attempt to dispel the negative image of the area, the City of Atlanta changed the notoriously-named Stewart Avenue to Metropolitan Parkway. This effort has created mixed results, but -with the unchecked growth of the surrounding metropolis- the area has been on the upswing.
As one hears over and over, it's location, location, location. This has been evidenced by two of Atlanta's "Lost Malls. ANSLEY, enjoyed its being situated in the upscale-gentrifying hinterlands of Atlanta's Midtown area (at least until this process got out of hand, and will most likely to lead to the demise of the shopping center).
The now-forgotten shopping mall on the city's south side obviously fell on the opposite end of the changing demographic equation. However, with continued development of Atlanta and its environs, the owner of the STEWART-LAKEWOOD / CROSSROADS CENTER -Larry Walinsky- is optomistic about the shopping center's future.
Some of the abandoned spaces in the mall were demolished a few years back. Perhaps one day, those remaining store fronts will be incorporated into a newly-refurbished shopping complex, echoing its former position as a major south side shopping center.
Cobb County Center
*
The third mall in the Atlanta metro was located in Cobb County, which
lies northwest of the city center. COBB COUNTY CENTER was anchored
by the fourth store in the Atlanta-based Rich's chain. This location was
shuttered in early 2004.
A layout of the original, open-air shopping venue, from 1964.
At the time, it encompassed 320,500 leasable square feet.
A site plan from 10 years later. Known as COBB CENTER
MALL, the complex is now fully-enclosed, with 417,000 square
feet of retail area. A second anchor -Grant's- was added some
time before the roofing renovation commenced in 1973. This
store closed in 1976 and was retenanted by Atlanta-based
Kessler's.
Two shots of the shuttered Rich's at COBB COUNTY CENTER. Today,
the 2-level portion of the building houses the Imagine International
Academy of Smyrna, a public charter school.
Photos from Wikipedia / "Etittle1978"
COBB COUNTY CENTER
South Cobb Drive SE and Pat Mell Road
Cobb County, Georgia
Atlanta's third shopping mall opened, as suburban Cobb County's first mall-type retail venue, August 15, 1963. Originally known as COBB COUNTY CENTER, the complex was situated on 44 acres, just north of the Smyrna City Limits. The site was 13.5 miles northwest of Atlanta's Five Points.
The original structure was open-air in format and comprised 320,500 leasable square feet, with a 2-level (120,000 square foot), Atlanta-based Rich's as its anchor.
The directory of thirty-seven stores and services included Dunaway Drug, Radio Shack, a Davis House restaurant, F.W. Woolworth 5 and 10 and Colonial supermarket.
There was also the single-screen Cobb Center Theatre, which opened, as a northern outparcel, soon after the completion of the mall proper. A few years later, Rich's was expanded, with a 1-level (46,100 square foot) addition. The store now comprised 166,100 square feet.
COBB COUNTY CENTER enjoyed its exclusive status, as the county's only shopping mall, until August 1973, when CUMBERLAND MALL [April 2008 Archive] was completed. This fully-enclosed, superregional center was located 4.5 miles southeast of the older venue.
A 1-level (40,000 square foot) W.T. Grant had been added to COBB COUNTY CENTER around 1970. As a keeping up with CUMBERLAND measure, the open-air walkways were fully-enclosed in 1973.
Moreover, the Colonial supermarket was expanded and converted to a Big Star and the single-screen theatre enlarged into a 3-plex.
With these additions, the newly-named COBB CENTER MALL incorporated 417,000 leasable square feet. Its Grant's became an Atlanta-based Kessler's in 1976. By this time, competition from CUMBERLAND MALL was taking its toll on the older shopping complex.
By the 1980s, the demographics in the area were changing, resulting in a further decline of COBB CENTER MALL. Another fatal blow came with the opening of TOWN CENTER AT COBB, in 1986, which was situated 7.5 miles north, in Kennesaw.
In order to compete with -yet- another supperregional shopping mall in the area, a facelift renovation and name change to FOUR SEASONS AT COBB was done. Unfortunately, the newer malls in the county won out.
By the mid-1990s, Rich's at FOUR SEASONS AT COBB had been demoted to a Clearance Center. Big Star had been shuttered, followed by Kessler's and Woolworth. The mall closed in late 1997. Most of the structure was demolished in early 1998, except for Rich's.
This was joined by a newly-built Publix supermarket on the south, and small strip center on the north. A series of softball fields were built in the rear parking area. The renewed retail complex, known as COBB CENTER, was dedicated in 1999.
Rich's was rebranded as a Rich's-Macy's Clearance Center in 2003 and closed for good in February 2004. In 2009, the 2-level section of the store re-opened as the Imagine International Academy of Smyrna, a public charter school covering kindergarten through grade 8.
South Cobb Drive SE and Pat Mell Road
Cobb County, Georgia
Atlanta's third shopping mall opened, as suburban Cobb County's first mall-type retail venue, August 15, 1963. Originally known as COBB COUNTY CENTER, the complex was situated on 44 acres, just north of the Smyrna City Limits. The site was 13.5 miles northwest of Atlanta's Five Points.
The original structure was open-air in format and comprised 320,500 leasable square feet, with a 2-level (120,000 square foot), Atlanta-based Rich's as its anchor.
The directory of thirty-seven stores and services included Dunaway Drug, Radio Shack, a Davis House restaurant, F.W. Woolworth 5 and 10 and Colonial supermarket.
There was also the single-screen Cobb Center Theatre, which opened, as a northern outparcel, soon after the completion of the mall proper. A few years later, Rich's was expanded, with a 1-level (46,100 square foot) addition. The store now comprised 166,100 square feet.
COBB COUNTY CENTER enjoyed its exclusive status, as the county's only shopping mall, until August 1973, when CUMBERLAND MALL [April 2008 Archive] was completed. This fully-enclosed, superregional center was located 4.5 miles southeast of the older venue.
A 1-level (40,000 square foot) W.T. Grant had been added to COBB COUNTY CENTER around 1970. As a keeping up with CUMBERLAND measure, the open-air walkways were fully-enclosed in 1973.
Moreover, the Colonial supermarket was expanded and converted to a Big Star and the single-screen theatre enlarged into a 3-plex.
With these additions, the newly-named COBB CENTER MALL incorporated 417,000 leasable square feet. Its Grant's became an Atlanta-based Kessler's in 1976. By this time, competition from CUMBERLAND MALL was taking its toll on the older shopping complex.
By the 1980s, the demographics in the area were changing, resulting in a further decline of COBB CENTER MALL. Another fatal blow came with the opening of TOWN CENTER AT COBB, in 1986, which was situated 7.5 miles north, in Kennesaw.
In order to compete with -yet- another supperregional shopping mall in the area, a facelift renovation and name change to FOUR SEASONS AT COBB was done. Unfortunately, the newer malls in the county won out.
By the mid-1990s, Rich's at FOUR SEASONS AT COBB had been demoted to a Clearance Center. Big Star had been shuttered, followed by Kessler's and Woolworth. The mall closed in late 1997. Most of the structure was demolished in early 1998, except for Rich's.
This was joined by a newly-built Publix supermarket on the south, and small strip center on the north. A series of softball fields were built in the rear parking area. The renewed retail complex, known as COBB CENTER, was dedicated in 1999.
Rich's was rebranded as a Rich's-Macy's Clearance Center in 2003 and closed for good in February 2004. In 2009, the 2-level section of the store re-opened as the Imagine International Academy of Smyrna, a public charter school covering kindergarten through grade 8.
The Decatur, Georgia Sears, sometime around 1963. Looking to the
right, we can see the Davison's department store. Obviously, the
mall in the middle had not been built yet.
Photo from www.pleasantfamilyshopping.blogspot.com
.JPG)
Metro-Atlanta's fifth mall-type shopping center and Georgia's first
fully-enclosed complex. The 6 million dollar center was built between
its two previously-existing anchors and was completed in 1964. The
retail hub did well for several years, but was eventually done in by
changing area demographics and the over-malling of the region.
A latter-day view of AVONDALE MALL. The Davison's building is seen
in the distance.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Etittle1978"
COLUMBIA MALL
Memorial and South Columbia Drives
Dekalb County, Georgia
Georgia's first fully-enclosed shopping center opened in 1964. Known at the time as COLUMBIA MALL, it occupied an 8.6 acre site, 8.5 miles east of Atlanta's Five Points, in unincorporated Dekalb County.
The single-level, 351,000 square foot complex was built between two previously-existing anchor stores; Sears and an Atlanta-based Davison's. There were twenty-five inline stores in the 6 million dollar complex, including Walgreen Drug, Thom McAn Shoes and a J.G. McCrory 5 and 10.
COLUMBIA MALL was quickly followed by other competing shopping centers in the area. First came NORTH DEKALB CENTER [November 2008 archive] in 1965, then SOUTH DEKALB MALL [November 2008 archive], which opened in 1970.
As has been the case with most of Atlanta's "Lost Malls", changing demographics in the surrounding area also had an impact on COLUMBIA MALL. By the early 1980s, the shopping center was going downhill. This was exacerbated by the closing of its Sears in 1984, which prompted the owners to carry out a renovation of their ailing shopping center during the mid-1980s.
Both levels of the old Sears were sectioned into several smaller store spaces, the exterior of the entire mall was modernized, the Davison's was rebranded as a Macy's and the center was rechristened AVONDALE MALL. These changes did little to increase foot trade at the complex, which -by the early 1990s- had graduated to the status of a dead mall.
The Macy's was shuttered in 1995, with a 16-screen multiplex cinema installed on its second level in 1997. The mall continued to founder, nonetheless. The cinema finally closed in 2000.
By late 2001, the remaining merchants in COLUMBIA / AVONDALE MALL closed for good. The center 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 183,000 square foot Supercenter.
By late 2006, the war had been won by the Bentonville retailer. The wrecking ball was brought in; the mall was gone by early 2007. The new Supercenter opened in March 2008.
Hence, COLUMBIA / AVONDALE joins the ranks of other mid-century shopping meccas -such as Kansas City's BLUE RIDGE MALL [March '07 archive] and Birmingham's EASTWOOD MALL [November '06 archive]- both razed and "Supercentered" during the early 2000s.
PARKAIRE MALL
Lower Roswell and Johnson Ferry Roads
Cobb County, Georgia
If one lived in -or around- Altanta during the 1970s and 1980s, and blinked, they might have missed this mall entirely.
PARKAIRE was built on an 18 acre site, formerly the Parkaire Field airport. The land parcel was 15 miles north of Atlanta's Five Points, in unincorporated Cobb County.
The center, which opened in the spring of 1974, was -by no means- regional in format. It was very small, by some descriptions, merely a strip center configured in a circle, with an ice rink in the middle and a roof enclosure overhead.
There was a Kroger as its anchor, and the -one thousand seat- Parkaire Twin Cinema, which was attached to the mall structure but did not have a connection to its interior.
PARKAIRE MALL was razed in 1986 and replaced with the PARKAIRE LANDING strip center, which was completed in 1987. Like the former shopping center, PARKAIRE LANDING is anchored by a Kroger. There is also an ice rink on the premises, but the complex does not feature a cinema.
LOST MALL MUSINGS
The landscape of the ever-expanding Atlanta metro has been the site of twenty-six shopping malls, since the first one opened in the region in August 1959. To refer to present-day Atlanta as an over-malled metropolis would probably be making a substantial understatement.
This fervor to develop and over develop has earned the city the reputation as one of the nation's most deforested places. They used to say "Atlanta....a city grew amongst the trees". Well, one never hears this cliche' any more.....because it would be absurd to say it with any conviction.
Most of the trees are now gone. In their place are hundreds of monster monoliths; high rise offices, banks, hotels, condominiums and one mixed-use development and stretch mall after another. Back in the 1980s, Atlanta was derisively-described as a bunch of shopping malls connected by traffic jams. I think that whoever came up with this description was stuck in a traffic tie-up back in 1988 and may still be sitting there.
The larger -newer- development upon the smaller -older- development mentality might have resulted in the aforementioned PARKAIRE MALL only lasting for twelve short years. However, this was not the only Atlanta shopping center to fall to enforced obsolesence.
Does anybody recall downtown's RIO MALL? This was a really neat, 120,000 square foot, open-air deal. It won two very prestigious awards for its design and landscaping in 1988.......but bit the dust after only twelve years.
They say that nothing stays the same. In Atlanta, nothing ever stays.
Sources:
Comment post by Ken
Comment post by Jeannie / www.southsideatlantamemories.typepad.com
Creative Loafing / Plaza Fiesta" article / By Alyssa Abkowitz / June 21, 2006
http://www.branch-associates.com/
Georgia Retail Memories Blog / Created and maintained by "J.T."
Mall articles on Wikipedia
Fulton County Georgia Tax Assessor website
Dekalb County Georgia Tax Assessor website
Cobb County Georgia Tax Assessor website
http://www.southsideatlantamemories.typepad.com/
http://www.seligenterprises.com/
http://www.atlantada.com/
"Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields" website / Paul Freeman
www.cinematreasures.com / Classic Movie Theaters In Georgia" article /
http://www.cinematreasures.com/ /"Cobb Center Cinema" & "Parkaire Twin" articles / articles and comments by Raymond Stewart, Stan Malone, and Jack Coursey
www.groceteria.com/"Colonial Stores" article & "Georgiablogger" comment / David Gwynn, webmaster
www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
www.groceteria.com / "Parkaire Kroger" article / Submitted by Matt Burwick http://www.walmartfacts.com/
http://www.med.emory.edu/CME/partic/shopping.html / Shopping In Atlanta
Lower Roswell and Johnson Ferry Roads
Cobb County, Georgia
If one lived in -or around- Altanta during the 1970s and 1980s, and blinked, they might have missed this mall entirely.
PARKAIRE was built on an 18 acre site, formerly the Parkaire Field airport. The land parcel was 15 miles north of Atlanta's Five Points, in unincorporated Cobb County.
The center, which opened in the spring of 1974, was -by no means- regional in format. It was very small, by some descriptions, merely a strip center configured in a circle, with an ice rink in the middle and a roof enclosure overhead.
There was a Kroger as its anchor, and the -one thousand seat- Parkaire Twin Cinema, which was attached to the mall structure but did not have a connection to its interior.
PARKAIRE MALL was razed in 1986 and replaced with the PARKAIRE LANDING strip center, which was completed in 1987. Like the former shopping center, PARKAIRE LANDING is anchored by a Kroger. There is also an ice rink on the premises, but the complex does not feature a cinema.
LOST MALL MUSINGS
The landscape of the ever-expanding Atlanta metro has been the site of twenty-six shopping malls, since the first one opened in the region in August 1959. To refer to present-day Atlanta as an over-malled metropolis would probably be making a substantial understatement.
This fervor to develop and over develop has earned the city the reputation as one of the nation's most deforested places. They used to say "Atlanta....a city grew amongst the trees". Well, one never hears this cliche' any more.....because it would be absurd to say it with any conviction.
Most of the trees are now gone. In their place are hundreds of monster monoliths; high rise offices, banks, hotels, condominiums and one mixed-use development and stretch mall after another. Back in the 1980s, Atlanta was derisively-described as a bunch of shopping malls connected by traffic jams. I think that whoever came up with this description was stuck in a traffic tie-up back in 1988 and may still be sitting there.
The larger -newer- development upon the smaller -older- development mentality might have resulted in the aforementioned PARKAIRE MALL only lasting for twelve short years. However, this was not the only Atlanta shopping center to fall to enforced obsolesence.
Does anybody recall downtown's RIO MALL? This was a really neat, 120,000 square foot, open-air deal. It won two very prestigious awards for its design and landscaping in 1988.......but bit the dust after only twelve years.
They say that nothing stays the same. In Atlanta, nothing ever stays.
Sources:
Comment post by Ken
Comment post by Jeannie / www.southsideatlantamemories.typepad.com
Creative Loafing / Plaza Fiesta" article / By Alyssa Abkowitz / June 21, 2006
http://www.branch-associates.com/
Georgia Retail Memories Blog / Created and maintained by "J.T."
Mall articles on Wikipedia
Fulton County Georgia Tax Assessor website
Dekalb County Georgia Tax Assessor website
Cobb County Georgia Tax Assessor website
http://www.southsideatlantamemories.typepad.com/
http://www.seligenterprises.com/
http://www.atlantada.com/
"Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields" website / Paul Freeman
www.cinematreasures.com / Classic Movie Theaters In Georgia" article /
http://www.cinematreasures.com/ /"Cobb Center Cinema" & "Parkaire Twin" articles / articles and comments by Raymond Stewart, Stan Malone, and Jack Coursey
www.groceteria.com/"Colonial Stores" article & "Georgiablogger" comment / David Gwynn, webmaster
www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
www.groceteria.com / "Parkaire Kroger" article / Submitted by Matt Burwick http://www.walmartfacts.com/
http://www.med.emory.edu/CME/partic/shopping.html / Shopping In Atlanta
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Interior view of Chicago's WOODFIELD, soon after
its dedication in September 1971. The mega-mall was the final
installment in the Windy City's progression of larger and larger
shopping complexes that started with RANDHURST in 1962
and continued with YORKTOWN in 1968.
Photo from Steven Wilson
A circa-1973 physical layout. A newly-completed addition (indicated
in dark gray) brought the GLA of the mall up to 1.9 million square
feet. It was the nation's (and the world's) largest enclosed shopping
center until it was trumped by L.A.'s DEL AMO FASHION CENTER
in 1981.
A simplified cut-away view of the mall. The center has four levels;
a predominantly service-oriented (partial) basement, two double-
decked retail concourses and a two-part (northwest and southeast)
mid-mall mezzanine.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot
Then and now shots of Marshall Field's-Macy's, the center's center
anchor.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot
Then and now views of Sears, the mall's southeast anchor.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot
Then and now shots of J.C. Penney, the northwest anchor.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
The original Lord and Taylor location at WOODFIELD opened in
1973. The store was gutted in the mid-1990s and sectioned into
several smaller stores. These became part of the new Lord and
Taylor-Nordstrom Wing, completed in 1996.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot
Photo from www.taubmancenters.com
Shots of today's Grand Court.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Ptange Way"
The mammoth mall as it is configured in the present. Three expan-
sions onto the southwest-facing front have added two anchors and
one hundred and three inline stores. The basement level Ice Arena,
opened in December 1973, gave way to a multiplex cinema in the
'80s, the Mars 2112 restaurant in 2000 and an Improv Comedy
Club in 2006.
Yet another contemporary view of Grand Court.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
One of the mall's six side corridors. This one has never been
renovated during the thirty-sum years of the shopping
center's existence.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
THE LARGEST ENCLOSED SHOPPING
MALLS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1973:
1. WOODFIELD MALL , Schaumburg, IL
2. ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL , Town of Hempstead, NY
3. METROCENTER MALL, Phoenix, AZ
4. CINDERELLA CITY MALL, Englewood, CO
AND
4. YORKTOWN CENTER, Lombard, IL
5. SUNVALLEY MALL, Concord & Pleasant Hill, CA
WOODFIELD MALL
East Golf and North Meacham Roads
Schaumburg, Illinois
Built in the Chi-Town suburb of Schaumburg, WOODFIELD MALL was located on a 191 acre tract, 24 miles northwest of "The Loop". The site was adjacent to the Interstate 90 / Northwest Tollway and a newly-opened section of Interstate 290.
The center, which was the first shopping mall in the world to span over 1.5 million square feet, was developed by Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based Taubman Centers and Chicago-based Homart Development (a Sears subsidiary) and Marshall Field and Company.
With WOODFIELD, Taubman Centers strived to the build the biggest. Anchors of the original shopping venue were a 2-level (416,000 square foot) Sears, which opened August 4, 1971. At the time, it was the largest store in the chain. Presently, it is in the number two position.
The 3-level (315,500 square foot) Marshall Field's began business September 8, 1971. It was the largest suburban store in that retail chain. The third anchor, a 2-level (300,000 square foot) J.C. Penney was -and remains- the world's largest. It opened October 6, 1971.
The official grand opening of twenty-eight stores in the mammoth merchandising mecca was held September 9, 1971, officiated by Vincent Price and singer Carole Lawrence. Two marching bands also entertained at the festivities.
The outparcel Woodfield I and II Cinema had opened July 25, 1971. By the end of September, there were fifty-six inline stores in operation in the mall, including Lerner Shops, Casual Corner, The Limited, Stride-Rite Shoes, Gingiss Formalwear and Waldenbooks. At year's end, WOODFIELD featured one hundred and thirty-eight stores and services.
In 1973, a Southwest Wing addition was completed, with fifty inline stores and a new Lord And Taylor. An Ice Arena was also installed in a basement level off of the Grand Court. The mall now encompassed 1.9 million leasable square feet and one hundred and eighty stores and services.
In the mid-1980s, the Ice Arena was replaced by a second (5-screen) multiplex cinema. An additional twin cinema had also built, adjacent to the northeast parking lot. At one time, there were nine theatrical auditoriums in operation in and around the mall.
A second expansion of WOODFIELD, in 1991, brought twenty-three new stores. A third expansion, in 1996, added another fifty, including a newly-constructed 2-level (124,000 square foot) Lord and Taylor and 3-level (215,000 square foot) Nordstrom. In September 2006, the Marshall Field's anchor store was rebranded by Macy's.
The present-day, 2,224,000 square foot, WOODFIELD MALL houses over two hundred and sixty-three stores. It is currently America's sixth-largest enclosed shopping center and the top tourist attraction in the state of Illinois, bringing in over twenty-seven million visitors each year.
It is still owned and operated by one of its original developers, Taubman Centers, Inc. .
Sources:
"Woodfield Mall" article on Wikipedia
"Interstate 290" article on Wikipedia
"Largest Malls In the USA" list on Wikipedia
Personal impressions of the author
http://www.shopwoodfield.com/
http://www.taubmancenters.com/
MALLS IN THE UNITED STATES, 1973:
1. WOODFIELD MALL , Schaumburg, IL
2. ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL , Town of Hempstead, NY
3. METROCENTER MALL, Phoenix, AZ
4. CINDERELLA CITY MALL, Englewood, CO
AND
4. YORKTOWN CENTER, Lombard, IL
5. SUNVALLEY MALL, Concord & Pleasant Hill, CA
WOODFIELD MALL
East Golf and North Meacham Roads
Schaumburg, Illinois
Built in the Chi-Town suburb of Schaumburg, WOODFIELD MALL was located on a 191 acre tract, 24 miles northwest of "The Loop". The site was adjacent to the Interstate 90 / Northwest Tollway and a newly-opened section of Interstate 290.
The center, which was the first shopping mall in the world to span over 1.5 million square feet, was developed by Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based Taubman Centers and Chicago-based Homart Development (a Sears subsidiary) and Marshall Field and Company.
With WOODFIELD, Taubman Centers strived to the build the biggest. Anchors of the original shopping venue were a 2-level (416,000 square foot) Sears, which opened August 4, 1971. At the time, it was the largest store in the chain. Presently, it is in the number two position.
The 3-level (315,500 square foot) Marshall Field's began business September 8, 1971. It was the largest suburban store in that retail chain. The third anchor, a 2-level (300,000 square foot) J.C. Penney was -and remains- the world's largest. It opened October 6, 1971.
The official grand opening of twenty-eight stores in the mammoth merchandising mecca was held September 9, 1971, officiated by Vincent Price and singer Carole Lawrence. Two marching bands also entertained at the festivities.
The outparcel Woodfield I and II Cinema had opened July 25, 1971. By the end of September, there were fifty-six inline stores in operation in the mall, including Lerner Shops, Casual Corner, The Limited, Stride-Rite Shoes, Gingiss Formalwear and Waldenbooks. At year's end, WOODFIELD featured one hundred and thirty-eight stores and services.
In 1973, a Southwest Wing addition was completed, with fifty inline stores and a new Lord And Taylor. An Ice Arena was also installed in a basement level off of the Grand Court. The mall now encompassed 1.9 million leasable square feet and one hundred and eighty stores and services.
In the mid-1980s, the Ice Arena was replaced by a second (5-screen) multiplex cinema. An additional twin cinema had also built, adjacent to the northeast parking lot. At one time, there were nine theatrical auditoriums in operation in and around the mall.
A second expansion of WOODFIELD, in 1991, brought twenty-three new stores. A third expansion, in 1996, added another fifty, including a newly-constructed 2-level (124,000 square foot) Lord and Taylor and 3-level (215,000 square foot) Nordstrom. In September 2006, the Marshall Field's anchor store was rebranded by Macy's.
The present-day, 2,224,000 square foot, WOODFIELD MALL houses over two hundred and sixty-three stores. It is currently America's sixth-largest enclosed shopping center and the top tourist attraction in the state of Illinois, bringing in over twenty-seven million visitors each year.
It is still owned and operated by one of its original developers, Taubman Centers, Inc. .
Sources:
"Woodfield Mall" article on Wikipedia
"Interstate 290" article on Wikipedia
"Largest Malls In the USA" list on Wikipedia
Personal impressions of the author
http://www.shopwoodfield.com/
http://www.taubmancenters.com/
The Atrium, at the center of the center. Its two levels fronted on the
Rike's anchor store. As originally built, DAYTON MALL was a no-frills
structure with few interior embellishments. The wavy ceiling treatment,
spanning this area, was -in actuality- made of strips of paper.
The original, 1970 site plan of DAYTON MALL. To a newly-converted
"mall-o-phile", this shopping center seemed HUGE. Of course, I was
unaware of much larger interior malls that existed in Chicago, Denver,
San Fran-Oakland and Long Island.
The 212,000 square foot Penney's, anchoring the west end of the circa-
'70 mall. It had a brief stint as a Cincinnati-based McAlpin's in the late
1990s.
The mall's second level Mezzanine as it was situated during the
early years of the shopping center. The area fronting on Rike's,
and overlooking the Lower Level Atrium, was a dark, empty
"dead zone" for several years.
Please pardon the quality here. This is a shot, taken in 1993, of the
Upper Level ("Mezzanine" in the 1970 mall) "dead zone" area. By
this time, the space had been utilized as a Food Court.
DAYTON MALL in 1996. Penney's had just relocated from the west
end of the mall into a newly-built store at front center. The old McCrory
5 and dime was now a 4-screen multiplex. On the periphery, the grand
Southland 75, a cool, Mid-Century Modern drive-in, had been bulldozed.
The land became too valuable to waste as an outdoor movie theater.
A circa-2005 aerial. The previous parking area has been prepared for
the construction of a new open-air, twenty-five tenant addition.
Photo from www.glimcher.com
Bird's-eye view of the northwest corner of the complex, with the newly-
built VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL in the foreground. This 90,000
square foot lifestyle component was completed in early 2007.
Photo from www.glimcher.com
The present-day site plan of DAYTON MALL. Soon to celebrate its
fortieth anniversary, the original tri-anchor center has been expanded
twice since its grand opening in 1970.
Today's Elder-Beerman, originally a J.C. Penney. It is quite ironic that
Elder-Beerman is now a part of the mall. In 1969, the chain (then
Dayton-based) was blocked -by Rike's / Federated and Debartolo- from
being included as a mall anchor. In 2008, Elder Beerman anchors the
mall and Rike's and Federated Stores are gone and -nearly- forgotton!
The mall's new Borders is located in an extension of the space that was
occupied by The Metropolitan apparel store in the circa-'70 center.
Photo from www.glimcher.com
Ann Taylor Loft and Bravo! Cucina Italiana, tenants in the new VILLAGE
AT DAYTON MALL lifestyle center.
Photos from www.glimcher.com
Today's Abercrombie and Fitch occupies space that was part of
Donenfield's apparel in the circa-'70 shopping center.
Photo from www.glimcher.com
DAYTON MALL
Miamisburg-Centerville Road and Dayton-Springboro Pike
Miami Township (Montgomery County), Ohio
DAYTON MALL is located 8 miles south of downtown Dayton, in unincorporated Miami Township / Montgomery County, between the suburbs of Centerville and Miamisburg. It is situated on 51.4 acres, at the intersection of State Routes 725 and 741. Additional access is provided by Interstate 75, 1 mile west, and Interstate 675, 1 mile east.
The mall was built by Edward J. DeBartolo / DeBartolo Development. Planning for the center began in the mid-1960s and construction was underway by 1968. A grand opening was held in 1970, with some stores having been in operation since the previous year.
Originally, there were three anchors; a 2-level (230,000 square foot) Rike's -a Dayton-based retailer that had been acquired by Federated Stores in 1959- 2-level (212,000 square foot) J.C. Penney and single-level (with basement) Sears.
There was also a Liberal supermarket, J.G. McCrory 5 & 10, Hickory Farms of Ohio, Chess King, Thal's apparel, Donenfield's apparel, Mayors Jewelers, Docktor's Pets, Cassano's Pizza King, Camelot Music and a single-screen cinema.
The Southland 75 Drive-in, located directly west of the mall on Dayton-Springboro Pike, had opened July 13, 1964. At the time, the theater had the largest outdoor screen in the Buckeye State. The venue, twin-screened in the early 1980s, closed July 13, 1986. It was replaced by the fifteen-store, SOUTHLAND 75 SHOPPING CENTER, which was completed in the spring of 1987.
At its grand opening in 1970, DAYTON MALL featured one hundred and twenty stores and was one of the largest shopping centers in the state. It was substantially larger than its only Dayton area competitor, SALEM MALL [June 2009 archive], and also dwarfed all malls that existed in Cincinnati's suburbs at the time.
It remained the largest shopping complex in southwestern Ohio until FOREST FAIR MALL opened in Fairfield (a northern Cincinnati suburb) in 1989.
The first renovation of DAYTON MALL had been completed in 1984, when new terra cotta tile floors were placed over the original terrazzo surfaces. A Food Court was also installed on the Mezzanine Level.
A second renovation (to keep the center competitive with the new MALL AT FAIRFIELD COMMONS in Beavercreek) got underway in February 1994. This 20 million dollar project included face-lifts of the east and west wings and bi-level main concourse.
A 2-level (179,000 square foot) J.C. Penney was built in front of what had been the main entrance. The store was completed in March 1996. Moreover, two cinemas on the Mezzanine were replaced by new stores and the basement of Sears became an additional sales floor. The original Penney's, at the end of the West Wing, reopened as a Cincinnati-based McAlpin's in October 1996.
With its remodeling now complete, the mall encompassed 1,300,300 leasable square feet and had one hundred and sixty retailers under one roof.
Changes in the retail industry over the past twenty years made an impression at DAYTON MALL. The Rike's anchor was placed under the Shillito-Rike's nameplate in 1982, changing to Lazarus in 1986. This store is now a Macy's.
The former Penney's, briefly a McAlpin's, was rebranded a Dayton-based Elder-Beerman in July 1998. The mall itself had been acquired by the Columbus-based Glimcher Realty Trust in 1997.
With enclosed shopping malls starting to become passe' in the late 1990s, and malls in the region such as Dayton's SALEM MALL (1966), Middletown's CITY CENTRE MART (1975) [March 2009 archive] and TOWNE MALL (1977) losing tenants and being torn down or demalled, DAYTON MALL had to strive to keep a competitive edge.
The latest thing in retail is trendy, upscale and open-air. Enter THE GREENE, in Beavercreek, an 800,000 square foot lifestyle center, which opened in August 2006. News of this new retail complex initiated plans for a "lifestyle component" to be added to the DAYTON MALL.
In July 2005, Glimcher announced plans for the 20 million dollar (90,000 square foot) VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL. This was built in the northwest parking lot, along Ohio Route 725. It added twenty-five tenants to the mall and included upscale shoppes, a Barnes and Noble bookstore and three full-service restaurants. The project was completed in early 2007.
The mall and its peripheral open-air VILLAGE now encompass 1,390,300 leasable square feet and one hundred and eighty-five stores and services.
Sources:
Personal recollection of the author
http://www.daytonmall.org/
Cinema Tour website / "Dayton Mall Cinemas" article / Contributed by David Sparks
http://www.glimcher.com/
http://www.whio.com/
www.fds.com (Federated Stores)
http://www.answers.com/
http://www.thegreene.com/
http://www.daytonhistorybooks.citymax.com/
DAYTON MALL MUSINGS:
My fascination with shopping malls began in the late "classic mall era", when I was still living in my native southwestern Ohio (between Dayton and Cincinnati).
Until 1969, I had never heard of (much less actually visited) a quote/unquote "shopping mall". By 1968, there were five regional shopping centers in Cincinnati-Dayton, that could be classed as "malls" [CINCINNATI: 1. Swifton Center (1956), 2. Tri-County Shopping Center (1960) 3. Western Woods Mall (1963), 4. Kenwood Mall (1966) / DAYTON: 1. Salem Mall (1966)].
At this time, I was a wide-eyed kid, infatuated with drawing house plans, building plans and structural renderings. I didn't have a clue about the aforementioned shopping meccas in the nearby "big city".
This all changed in 1969, when my stepfather took me on an insider tour of the site where he had been doing electrical wiring over the past year.
When I first visited DAYTON MALL, construction was about three quarters complete. The Rike's department store was ready to open. As I recall, it was a stipulation of Federated Stores, that their Rike's was to be the first store opened in the mall. This came to pass.
The new, 230,000 square store had 2 levels. It was much larger than its "sister" shopping mall store, that had opened three years earlier at Dayton's SALEM MALL. I also recall venturing to the sears store sight at this time. It was sealed off from the rest of the mall by a plastic barrier. It had no walls....yet.
What I recall the most about the circa-1969 DAYTON MALL Rike's was the optical illusion-design carpeting in the men's clothing section, that made you kind of dizzy if you stared at its patterns while walking through the department.
Of course, in keeping with the times, the DAYTON MALL Rike's was a full-service department store. There was a gourmet food counter on the first level, and an electronic/tv department on the second. This was back in "the days", before big box stores cornered the electronics/tv marketplace, and made such a retail section in a mid-tier department store obsolete.
The mall's three corridors converged upon a 2-story Atrium, in front of Rike's. Upon my first visit to "The Mall", workmen were doing a final polish to its the new terrazzo floors. The huge ceiling fixture had been completely installed, however. It was a wavy treatment that extended the length and breadth of the area. Actually, it was made of strips of PAPER (I don't know if many people, later frequenting DAYTON MALL, were aware of this).
In fact, the mall, as it was originally grand-opened in 1970, was built in a very spartan fashion. There were no skylights anywhere. There were two rather basic, no frills, fountains at the midpoint of the East and West Wings, with no such embellishment in the Atrium.
It was as if the builders of the original mall wanted it to be BIG....really BIG (for that time frame and locale). In order to do this, corners were cut, in regard to architectural embellishment of the interior spaces.
In 1970, the major feature of the brand-new DAYTON MALL was its physical SIZE. With one hundred and twenty stores, and nearly 1 million leasable square feet, it was larger than any of the malls that existed in Cincinnati or Dayton at the time.
Although its interiors were rather sterile and plain, the Main Entrance was built on a grand scale. It was an imposing, 2-story ediface, something like a post-populuxe southern mansion. There was a sheet of glass across the entire front of the 2-level entry corridor, behind a stand of pillars. Upon entering through the main doors, one came into a 2-story concourse area. There was a hallway going off to the right, with a Liberal supermarket at its end.
Looking ahead, down the length of the entry corridor, there were two, sweeping, semi-circular stairways.....one on either side of the mallway. Stores on this first level included Cassano's Pizza King, Doktor's Pets, and the obligatory Chess King (what major shopping mall in 1970 didn't have one?).
At the end of the entry corridor was the 2-level Atrium and an imposing -brick and stone- Rike's storefront. On the Upper Level / Mezzanine were lots of stores, but I can only recall a coin shop. The area in front of Rike's was a dark, dead zone. There was floor space enough for all sorts of kiosk-type retailers.......but, in 1970, such a "specialty leasing" concept was not being utilized in the Dayton area.
Going off to the right of the Atrium, on the Lower Level, was the West Wing, which included the Dayton Mall Cinema (in keeping with the times, having only a single-screen). Farther on was a large Metropolitan apparel store, with a Spencer Gifts across the mall. At the end of the West Wing was a 2-level J.C. Penney.
The East Wing extended from the other end of the Atrium. Along its length was a Donenfield's apparel store, McCrory 5 & 10, Hickory Farms of Ohio and -my favorite store out of the other one hundred and nineteen- Camelot Music.
Walking into this store in 1970, one would find no compact discs and no home video. The first major home video format, VHS (video home system), was not to come on the market until six years later. Compact discs were not to be seen for another six. So, everything was analogue.
There were lots of LP record albums (selling for around 5 to 6 dollars each). 45 rpm singles were going for 79 cents (which -to me- was very expensive.....when the same single could have been bought at a G.C. Murphy or W.T. Grant for 66 cents). One would also have seen several cases filled with either 8-track cartridge tapes or cassettes.
Walking out of Camelot, and heading farther east in the mall, one would eventually come to Sears, which sat at the end of the East Wing. At this time, the retail area of this store had only 1 level. There was a basement (which had frontage on a lower level parking lot), but this was used as office space until the mid-'90s.
DAYTON MALL 2000 +
As one might expect, a trip to the DAYTON MALL in the new millennium will reveal quite a different shopping center. The blandly-built interior spaces were spruced up in the mid-1980s and (again) in 1994-1995, with a glass elevator installed in the Atrium area.
A 13-bay Food Court was built in the empty Upper Level / Mezzanine "dead zone". Of course, the Rike's store no longer goes by that name. After going through two nameplate changes, it was "Macy-ated" on March 6, 2005.
The J.C. Penney, once at the end of the West Wing, moved into a brand new store, that was built in front of the original Main Entrance in 1995-1996. The previous Penney's became a McAlpin's; eventually morphing into an Elder-Beerman in 1998. The original cinema folded in 1999.
Also gone are the McCrory, Liberal supermarket, Metropolitan -and, well- just about every store that operated in the circa-1970 shopping mall. I believe that the Sears is the -one-and-only- original store left.
Oddly enough, I see on the present-day, Dayton Mall/Glimcher website, that a "new" Hickory Farms Of Ohio is opening at the mall. I suppose that the old (circa-1969) store must have closed some years back.Things are apparently coming full-circle.
The Curator
Miamisburg-Centerville Road and Dayton-Springboro Pike
Miami Township (Montgomery County), Ohio
DAYTON MALL is located 8 miles south of downtown Dayton, in unincorporated Miami Township / Montgomery County, between the suburbs of Centerville and Miamisburg. It is situated on 51.4 acres, at the intersection of State Routes 725 and 741. Additional access is provided by Interstate 75, 1 mile west, and Interstate 675, 1 mile east.
The mall was built by Edward J. DeBartolo / DeBartolo Development. Planning for the center began in the mid-1960s and construction was underway by 1968. A grand opening was held in 1970, with some stores having been in operation since the previous year.
Originally, there were three anchors; a 2-level (230,000 square foot) Rike's -a Dayton-based retailer that had been acquired by Federated Stores in 1959- 2-level (212,000 square foot) J.C. Penney and single-level (with basement) Sears.
There was also a Liberal supermarket, J.G. McCrory 5 & 10, Hickory Farms of Ohio, Chess King, Thal's apparel, Donenfield's apparel, Mayors Jewelers, Docktor's Pets, Cassano's Pizza King, Camelot Music and a single-screen cinema.
The Southland 75 Drive-in, located directly west of the mall on Dayton-Springboro Pike, had opened July 13, 1964. At the time, the theater had the largest outdoor screen in the Buckeye State. The venue, twin-screened in the early 1980s, closed July 13, 1986. It was replaced by the fifteen-store, SOUTHLAND 75 SHOPPING CENTER, which was completed in the spring of 1987.
At its grand opening in 1970, DAYTON MALL featured one hundred and twenty stores and was one of the largest shopping centers in the state. It was substantially larger than its only Dayton area competitor, SALEM MALL [June 2009 archive], and also dwarfed all malls that existed in Cincinnati's suburbs at the time.
It remained the largest shopping complex in southwestern Ohio until FOREST FAIR MALL opened in Fairfield (a northern Cincinnati suburb) in 1989.
The first renovation of DAYTON MALL had been completed in 1984, when new terra cotta tile floors were placed over the original terrazzo surfaces. A Food Court was also installed on the Mezzanine Level.
A second renovation (to keep the center competitive with the new MALL AT FAIRFIELD COMMONS in Beavercreek) got underway in February 1994. This 20 million dollar project included face-lifts of the east and west wings and bi-level main concourse.
A 2-level (179,000 square foot) J.C. Penney was built in front of what had been the main entrance. The store was completed in March 1996. Moreover, two cinemas on the Mezzanine were replaced by new stores and the basement of Sears became an additional sales floor. The original Penney's, at the end of the West Wing, reopened as a Cincinnati-based McAlpin's in October 1996.
With its remodeling now complete, the mall encompassed 1,300,300 leasable square feet and had one hundred and sixty retailers under one roof.
Changes in the retail industry over the past twenty years made an impression at DAYTON MALL. The Rike's anchor was placed under the Shillito-Rike's nameplate in 1982, changing to Lazarus in 1986. This store is now a Macy's.
The former Penney's, briefly a McAlpin's, was rebranded a Dayton-based Elder-Beerman in July 1998. The mall itself had been acquired by the Columbus-based Glimcher Realty Trust in 1997.
With enclosed shopping malls starting to become passe' in the late 1990s, and malls in the region such as Dayton's SALEM MALL (1966), Middletown's CITY CENTRE MART (1975) [March 2009 archive] and TOWNE MALL (1977) losing tenants and being torn down or demalled, DAYTON MALL had to strive to keep a competitive edge.
The latest thing in retail is trendy, upscale and open-air. Enter THE GREENE, in Beavercreek, an 800,000 square foot lifestyle center, which opened in August 2006. News of this new retail complex initiated plans for a "lifestyle component" to be added to the DAYTON MALL.
In July 2005, Glimcher announced plans for the 20 million dollar (90,000 square foot) VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL. This was built in the northwest parking lot, along Ohio Route 725. It added twenty-five tenants to the mall and included upscale shoppes, a Barnes and Noble bookstore and three full-service restaurants. The project was completed in early 2007.
The mall and its peripheral open-air VILLAGE now encompass 1,390,300 leasable square feet and one hundred and eighty-five stores and services.
Sources:
Personal recollection of the author
http://www.daytonmall.org/
Cinema Tour website / "Dayton Mall Cinemas" article / Contributed by David Sparks
http://www.glimcher.com/
http://www.whio.com/
www.fds.com (Federated Stores)
http://www.answers.com/
http://www.thegreene.com/
http://www.daytonhistorybooks.citymax.com/
DAYTON MALL MUSINGS:
My fascination with shopping malls began in the late "classic mall era", when I was still living in my native southwestern Ohio (between Dayton and Cincinnati).
Until 1969, I had never heard of (much less actually visited) a quote/unquote "shopping mall". By 1968, there were five regional shopping centers in Cincinnati-Dayton, that could be classed as "malls" [CINCINNATI: 1. Swifton Center (1956), 2. Tri-County Shopping Center (1960) 3. Western Woods Mall (1963), 4. Kenwood Mall (1966) / DAYTON: 1. Salem Mall (1966)].
At this time, I was a wide-eyed kid, infatuated with drawing house plans, building plans and structural renderings. I didn't have a clue about the aforementioned shopping meccas in the nearby "big city".
This all changed in 1969, when my stepfather took me on an insider tour of the site where he had been doing electrical wiring over the past year.
When I first visited DAYTON MALL, construction was about three quarters complete. The Rike's department store was ready to open. As I recall, it was a stipulation of Federated Stores, that their Rike's was to be the first store opened in the mall. This came to pass.
The new, 230,000 square store had 2 levels. It was much larger than its "sister" shopping mall store, that had opened three years earlier at Dayton's SALEM MALL. I also recall venturing to the sears store sight at this time. It was sealed off from the rest of the mall by a plastic barrier. It had no walls....yet.
What I recall the most about the circa-1969 DAYTON MALL Rike's was the optical illusion-design carpeting in the men's clothing section, that made you kind of dizzy if you stared at its patterns while walking through the department.
Of course, in keeping with the times, the DAYTON MALL Rike's was a full-service department store. There was a gourmet food counter on the first level, and an electronic/tv department on the second. This was back in "the days", before big box stores cornered the electronics/tv marketplace, and made such a retail section in a mid-tier department store obsolete.
The mall's three corridors converged upon a 2-story Atrium, in front of Rike's. Upon my first visit to "The Mall", workmen were doing a final polish to its the new terrazzo floors. The huge ceiling fixture had been completely installed, however. It was a wavy treatment that extended the length and breadth of the area. Actually, it was made of strips of PAPER (I don't know if many people, later frequenting DAYTON MALL, were aware of this).
In fact, the mall, as it was originally grand-opened in 1970, was built in a very spartan fashion. There were no skylights anywhere. There were two rather basic, no frills, fountains at the midpoint of the East and West Wings, with no such embellishment in the Atrium.
It was as if the builders of the original mall wanted it to be BIG....really BIG (for that time frame and locale). In order to do this, corners were cut, in regard to architectural embellishment of the interior spaces.
In 1970, the major feature of the brand-new DAYTON MALL was its physical SIZE. With one hundred and twenty stores, and nearly 1 million leasable square feet, it was larger than any of the malls that existed in Cincinnati or Dayton at the time.
Although its interiors were rather sterile and plain, the Main Entrance was built on a grand scale. It was an imposing, 2-story ediface, something like a post-populuxe southern mansion. There was a sheet of glass across the entire front of the 2-level entry corridor, behind a stand of pillars. Upon entering through the main doors, one came into a 2-story concourse area. There was a hallway going off to the right, with a Liberal supermarket at its end.
Looking ahead, down the length of the entry corridor, there were two, sweeping, semi-circular stairways.....one on either side of the mallway. Stores on this first level included Cassano's Pizza King, Doktor's Pets, and the obligatory Chess King (what major shopping mall in 1970 didn't have one?).
At the end of the entry corridor was the 2-level Atrium and an imposing -brick and stone- Rike's storefront. On the Upper Level / Mezzanine were lots of stores, but I can only recall a coin shop. The area in front of Rike's was a dark, dead zone. There was floor space enough for all sorts of kiosk-type retailers.......but, in 1970, such a "specialty leasing" concept was not being utilized in the Dayton area.
Going off to the right of the Atrium, on the Lower Level, was the West Wing, which included the Dayton Mall Cinema (in keeping with the times, having only a single-screen). Farther on was a large Metropolitan apparel store, with a Spencer Gifts across the mall. At the end of the West Wing was a 2-level J.C. Penney.
The East Wing extended from the other end of the Atrium. Along its length was a Donenfield's apparel store, McCrory 5 & 10, Hickory Farms of Ohio and -my favorite store out of the other one hundred and nineteen- Camelot Music.
Walking into this store in 1970, one would find no compact discs and no home video. The first major home video format, VHS (video home system), was not to come on the market until six years later. Compact discs were not to be seen for another six. So, everything was analogue.
There were lots of LP record albums (selling for around 5 to 6 dollars each). 45 rpm singles were going for 79 cents (which -to me- was very expensive.....when the same single could have been bought at a G.C. Murphy or W.T. Grant for 66 cents). One would also have seen several cases filled with either 8-track cartridge tapes or cassettes.
Walking out of Camelot, and heading farther east in the mall, one would eventually come to Sears, which sat at the end of the East Wing. At this time, the retail area of this store had only 1 level. There was a basement (which had frontage on a lower level parking lot), but this was used as office space until the mid-'90s.
DAYTON MALL 2000 +
As one might expect, a trip to the DAYTON MALL in the new millennium will reveal quite a different shopping center. The blandly-built interior spaces were spruced up in the mid-1980s and (again) in 1994-1995, with a glass elevator installed in the Atrium area.
A 13-bay Food Court was built in the empty Upper Level / Mezzanine "dead zone". Of course, the Rike's store no longer goes by that name. After going through two nameplate changes, it was "Macy-ated" on March 6, 2005.
The J.C. Penney, once at the end of the West Wing, moved into a brand new store, that was built in front of the original Main Entrance in 1995-1996. The previous Penney's became a McAlpin's; eventually morphing into an Elder-Beerman in 1998. The original cinema folded in 1999.
Also gone are the McCrory, Liberal supermarket, Metropolitan -and, well- just about every store that operated in the circa-1970 shopping mall. I believe that the Sears is the -one-and-only- original store left.
Oddly enough, I see on the present-day, Dayton Mall/Glimcher website, that a "new" Hickory Farms Of Ohio is opening at the mall. I suppose that the old (circa-1969) store must have closed some years back.Things are apparently coming full-circle.
The Curator
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