In a circa-2018 plan, we see that the west ('Ewa) end of the mall has been rebuilt with two new anchors and approximately seventy-five inline tenants. Likewise, a vacant Nordstrom has been repurposed as a vertically-stacked Saks Off Fifth and Target. ALA MOANA CENTER now encompasses around 2,581,100 leasable square feet, with a retail roster of 381 stores and services.

ALA MOANA CENTER
Ala Moana Boulevard and Piikoi Street
Honolulu City & County, Hawai'i

The first mall-type shopping hub in Hawai'i was a small (68,000 square foot), open-air complex. MOANALUA CENTER, in the northwestern environs of Honolulu, opened for business in August 1954. WAI'ALAE ["wiy-uh-liy"] CENTER, in the city's southeastern stretches, was dedicated in November 1954.

The Aloha State's third mall-type shopping hub was also built on the island of O'ahu ("The Gathering Place") and was situated on a 44-acre tract, midway between Waikiki Beach and downtown Honolulu. The land parcel was entirely within the City and County of Honolulu. Construction commenced on March 18, 1958.

The open-air complex was erected upon reclaimed swampland and developed by the Dillingham Land Company, who commissioned Seattle's John Graham, Junior to design the 2-level structure. It cost 28 million dollars, encompassed 680,000 leasable square feet and was anchored by a 2-level (250,000 square foot) Sears.

A "soft opening" took place August 13, 1959. In attendance were Walter F. and Lowell Dillingham (the mall's developers), Morley Theaker (manager of Sears), Governor William F. Quinn (R) and Neal S. Blaisdell (Mayor of Honolulu). The opening festivities included an invocation, military color guard flag raising, choral and musical presentations and a hula performance. Fourteen stores opened their doors.

The center's official grand opening was held October 25, 1959. By 1961, there were ninety tenants. These included McInerny's Men's, Longs Drugs, Philippine Arts & Crafts, Ala Moana Coffee Shop & Down Under Bar, Coral Reef restaurant, a Foodland supermarket, Japan-based Shirokiya ["shuh-doh-ki-yuh"] department store and 2-level F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. The retail core of the mall was surrounded by a bi-level parking deck that accommodated over 5,000 cars.

The first expansion of ALA MOANA CENTER got underway in January 1965 and was completed in mid-1966. This tri-level addition, referred to as the Diamond Head Wing, included a 3-level (245,000 square foot), Honolulu-based Liberty House (the new flagship of the chain), which opened for business on April 6, 1966.

Liberty House was accompanied by a 3-level (180,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, dedicated June 1, 1966. Shirokiya relocated into a (53,000 square foot) store in the new wing. In addition, the existing Sears was expanded with a full third level. Sears now encompassed 341,100 square feet and was one the largest suburban stores in the chain.

WAI'ALAE CENTER {4.7 miles southeast of ALA MOANA CENTER} was renovated and re-opened -as KAHALA MALL- in October 1969. The complex was the first enclosed shopping center in the state. PEARLRIDGE CENTER {8.6 miles northwest} began opening in October 1971, with ROYAL HAWAIIAN CENTER {1.2 miles southeast} being dedicated in September 1979.

Liberty House at ALA MOANA CENTER was enlarged, with a fourth level, in 1980. The store now encompassed 326,600 square feet. The next renovation of the shopping venue took place in 1986-1987. The 19-bay Makai Market Food Court was installed in gutted store space on the Street Level. Moreover, Woolworth was downsized and relocated into a single-level store.

In 1990, a Third Level was built atop the 'Ewa Wing, the original section of the mall. The fourth expansion of ALA MOANA CENTER added a 3-level (161,000 square foot) Neiman Marcus to the south side of the complex and new retail space to the Third Level. Neiman Marcus was dedicated on September 18, 1998. In May of the same year, the center had been purchased by Chicago-based General Growth Properties.

The new century brought more changes. Liberty House was "Macy-ated" November 22, 2001. J.C. Penney closed January 10, 2003, with its area being sectioned into thirty new stores and restaurants. Moreover, a fourth mall level, the Ho'okipa Terrace, was completed in 2005.

In 2006, work began on the Mauka Wing, a sixth addition to ALA MOANA CENTER. This brought a 3-level (220,000 square foot) Nordstrom and 80,000 square feet of new stores. The expansion was dedicated March 7, 2008. It increased the gross leasable area of the mall to approximately 2,100,000 leasable square feet, confirming its position as the largest open-air mall in the world.

ALA MOANA CENTER celebrated its 50th year in business on August 13, 2009. The birthday bash included a traditional Hawai'ian blessing, multicultural entertainment and a ceremony recognizing the eleven charter tenants still in business. These were Crack Seed Center, Dairy Queen, Foodland, Longs Drugs, Reyn's men's wear, Sears, Shirokiya, Slipper House, Territory Savings Bank, Watumull's and the US post Office.

Sears was shuttered on June 2, 2013. The store was sold to General Growth Properties, who demolished the building and replaced it with over 650,000 square feet of retail area. Built as an extension of the 'Ewa Wing, the addition included a 3-level (159,900 square foot) Bloomingdale's (the first -and only- location on the islands) and 3-level (179,400 square foot) Nordstrom (a relocation of the circa-2008 store).

Bloomingdale's held its grand opening on November 12, 2015, with the new Nordstrom making its debut on March 11, 2016. An existing parking structure was extended upward. New inline stores included Kohl's, H & M and Whole Foods Market. As the expansion was built, the existing mall was given a face lift. The 573 million dollar project was complete by late 2016. ALA MOANA CENTER now encompassed approximately 2,581,100 leasable square feet.

The mall's original Nordstrom, vacated in early 2016, would not be idle for long. In November 2016, remodeling work commenced on the structure. It was reconfigured with two stores. A 1-level (41,000 square foot) Saks Off Fifth, occupying the ground floor, opened May 11,  2017. Target, with 2-levels and 140,000 square feet, held its official grand opening October 22 of the same year.

Brookfield Property Partners, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, acquired a share of General Growth Properties in 2016. In August 2018, Brookfield established 100 percent ownership of the corporation. Hence, ALA MOANA CENTER became part of the Brookfield retail center portfolio.

Sources:

The Honolulu Advertiser

The Honolulu Star Bulletin

"Ala Moana History Boards" / Mason Architects / 2014

"Ala Moana Center Architectural Report" / Mason Architects / April 16, 2014
http://www.historylink.org / Essay # 140 / "Graham, John Junior (1908-1991)" / Article by Heather MacIntosh
http://www.thetikiroom.com
www.midweek.com

http://www.alamoanacenter.com
http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties
www.newsnet5.com
www.shoppingcenterbusiness.com
www.trulia.com
http://www.bizjournals.com

Comment post by "Go Nordrike!"

"Ala Moana Center" article on Wikipedia

"Liberty House" article on Wikipedia

"Hawaii" article on Wikipedia
"Shirokiya" article on Wikipedia