Center and Liberty Streets, Northeast
Salem, Oregon
The downtown mall in Oregon's capital evolved in phases, beginning with freestanding department stores built in the 1950s and '60s. Although not originally planned as anchors, they became components of the Cherry City's urban renewal development.
A 4-level (160,000 square foot), Portland-based Meier & Frank opened, as the first branch in the chain, on October 27, 1955. This store included an adjoining parking structure. J.C. Penney's 2-level (102,500 square foot) unit was dedicated on January 6, 1965.
Plans for a center city shopping complex had been formally announced in January 1964. The 1.3 million dollar facility would occupy the block bounded by Center, Liberty, Marion and High Streets. After some initial delays, a ground breaking was held on August 16, 1965.
SALEM PLAZA was designed by James L. Payne, of Salem, and San Francisco's Rockrise & Watson firm. The structure was developed by Salem-based Commonwealth, Incorporated and included a covered -but open-air- shopping concourse. The mall consisted of a ground floor of retail, partial basement, and rooftop parking deck that could accommodate nearly 200 autos.
When officially dedicated, on October 20, 1966, SALEM PLAZA encompassed 100,000 leasable square feet and housed seventeen stores and services. Some of these were Zale's Jewelers, Leeds Qualicraft Shoes, LaPointe's ladies', J.K. Gill Stationers, Blum's Restaurant and Bishop's men's wear.
In the late 1970s, the city of Salem purchased all parcels comprising the city block south of SALEM PLAZA. The property was cleared, leaving only a savings & loan office standing. Ground was broken on February 6, 1979. A 2-level, fully-enclosed structure was built. Designed by Charles Kober Associates, of Los Angeles, the 10 million dollar complex was developed by a joint venture of the City of Salem and Ellis-Dutcher Properties, of Santa Monica, California.
In the late 1970s, the city of Salem purchased all parcels comprising the city block south of SALEM PLAZA. The property was cleared, leaving only a savings & loan office standing. Ground was broken on February 6, 1979. A 2-level, fully-enclosed structure was built. Designed by Charles Kober Associates, of Los Angeles, the 10 million dollar complex was developed by a joint venture of the City of Salem and Ellis-Dutcher Properties, of Santa Monica, California.
NORDSTROM MALL was anchored by a 2-level (72,000 square foot) Nordstrom and covered approximately 185,000 leasable square feet. Charter tenants included Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream, Casual Corner, Marilyn's Hallmark, Peck & Peck, Nobby Shops, Waldenbooks and the Chalet Restaurant. An adjacent J.C. Penney store was connected with NORDSTROM MALL, via a second level Skybridge over Liberty Street, in November 1984.
By April 1986, all tenants in SALEM PLAZA had either closed outright or relocated into NORDSTROM MALL. A major renovation of SALEM PLAZA commenced. The 15 million dollar project, envisaged by the SRG Partnership of Portland, was developed by a joint venture of the City of Salem and Ellis-Dutcher Properties.
As part of the remodeling, a second level was added to SALEM PLAZA. A 2-level (80,000 square foot) Mervyn's and 4-level (720-space) Marion Parkade were built. Moreover, the 9-bay Food Centre Food Court was installed on the new upper level. When finished, the mall covered approximately 160,000 leasable square feet. An official dedication was held on July 17, 1987.
The new structure, and adjacent NORDSTROM MALL, were re-named SALEM CENTRE. The combined venue encompassed approximately 600,000 leasable square feet and contained eighty stores and services. During construction, three additional Skybridges had been built. These connected the new mall with Meier & Frank, the Marion Parkade and NORDSTROM MALL.
SALEM CENTRE had only one regional-class competitor in its trade area. The 571,300 square foot LANCASTER MALL {2.2 miles east, in Salem} had opened in 1971.
The Larry Moyer Salem Centre Movieland was built on the city block north of Meier & Frank. The 7-screen venue showed its first features on May 11, 1989. It completed the basic footprint of SALEM CENTRE, which now covered 15.7 acres.
Chicago-based General Growth Properties acquired SALEM CENTRE in December 1997. They altered the spelling of the shopping venue's name in 2004; SALEM CENTRE became SALEM CENTER.
Meier & Frank became the first rebranded anchor store at the complex. It was converted to a Macy's on September 9, 2006. Mervyn's shuttered their store in February 2007. Wisconsin-based Kohl's took over the space on October 3rd of the same year. In November 2009, the cinema, which had been operating as a Regal venue, re-opened at the Cinnebare Salem 7.
The shopping hub was sold in November 2012. Atlanta's Jones Lang LaSalle brokered the transaction and currently manages and leases the property for its present proprietor, the Obert Family Limited Partnership.
A face lift renovation of SALEM CENTER commenced in 2012. This project installed new flooring, interior decor, lighting and soft seating areas. Half of the First Level of the old SALEM CENTRE (the north mall block) was gutted and rebuilt into a 1-level (29,500 square foot) Ross Dress For Less. This store opened for business on July 20, 2013.
Sources:
The Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon)
http://www.myweb.msoe.edu / Robert West
http://shineonsalem.org / Comment posted by Peter Brady
"Salem Tomorrow Report" / Gertenrich, James, Silkey and Swaim / April 1984
http://www.cityofsalem.net (Salem Public Library Photographic Collections)
http://www.bizjournals.com
http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties
http://www.lancastermall.com
Marion County, Oregon Tax Assessor Website
FAIR USE OF NORDSTROM MALL / SALEM CENTER IMAGES:
The photographs from The Salem, Oregon Public Library Photographic Collection / Statesman Journal illustrate a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the images in any way. The images are being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original images in any way.
