FOR THE RECORD BOOKS:

Facts and Figures About America's Mid-20th Century Shopping Malls

THE LARGEST:

*In 2009, the largest mid-20th century shopping mall is the 2.4 million square foot GALLERIA in Houston Texas. Its first phase was completed in November 1970. The complex was expanded in 1971, 1976-1977, 1986 and 2003.

*The largest shopping mall anchor store ever built is the 511,500 square foot J.L. Hudson location in Southfield, Michigan's NORTHLAND CENTER. The 4-level store opened in March 1954. It was rebranded by Marshall Field's in 2001 and Macy's in 2006.

*Macy's, at Long Island, New York's ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER, would be the next contender. This store, opened in August 1956, originally encompassed 3 levels and 343,000 square feet. In 1963, a 4th level was added. The square footage of the structure was increased to 428,000.

The Largest US Shopping malls in...

1956:
(all open-air)
1. NORTHLAND CENTER, Southfield, MI
2. ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER, Town of Hempstead, NY
3. OLD ORCHARD CENTER, Skokie, IL
4. LAKEWOOD CENTER, Lakewood, CA
4. CROSS COUNTY CENTER, Yonkers, NY

1960:
(all open-air)
1. GARDEN STATE PLAZA, Paramus, NJ
2. NORTHLAND CENTER, Southfield, MI
3. LLOYD CENTER, Portland, OR
4. ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER, Town of Hempstead, NY
5. BERGEN MALL, Paramus & Maywood, NJ

1968:
(all fully-enclosed)
1. CINDERELLA CITY, Englewood, CO
AND
1. YORKTOWN CENTER, Lombard, IL
2. SUNVALLEY MALL, Concord & Pleasant Hill, CA
3. RANDHURST CENTER, Mount Prospect, IL
AND
3. TYSONS CORNER CENTER, McLean, VA
4. ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER, Town of Hempstead, NY

1973:
(all fully-enclosed)
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

2009:
(all fully-enclosed)
1. MALL OF AMERICA, Bloomington MN
2. AVENTURA MALL, Dade County, FL
3. THE GALLERIA, Houston, TX
4. SAWGRASS MILLS, Sunrise, FL
5. ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL, Town of Hempstead, NY

FIRST AND FOREMOST:

-Malls In General-

*Seattle's NORTHGATE CENTER is considered to be the first (quote / unquote) "shopping mall" in the nation. At the time of its opening in April 1950, the open-air complex consisted of a single retail level and service basement.

*The first shopping complex in the nation to be officially named a "mall" was BERGEN MALL, which opened, in Paramus, New Jersey, November 14, 1957. By the late 1960s, retail hubs were becoming generally referred to as "shopping malls". Before this, they were usually called a "Center".

*America's first shopping mall with two levels of retail was Framingham, Massachusetts' SHOPPERS' WORLD. The open-air complex came inline in October 1951.

*The first regional-class, fully-enclosed, 2-level shopping mall was Edina, Minnesota's SOUTHDALE CENTER. Its grand opening was held in October 1956.

*The earliest 2-anchor shopping malls in the nation were WESTGATE CENTER, Fairview Park, Ohio (bi-anchored in February 1954); PARK FOREST PLAZA, Park Forest, Illinois (bi-anchored in March 1955) and CROSS COUNTY CENTER, Yonkers, New York (bi-anchored in September 1955).

*The earliest 3-anchor shopping mall was Mount Prospect, Illinois' RANDHURST CENTER, dedicated in August 1962.

*With the completion of its first expansion in 1967, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota's BROOKDALE CENTER became the nation's first 4-anchor shopping mall.

*Phoenix, Arizona's METROCENTER was the earliest 5-anchor shopping mall in the United States. The complex opened in October 1973.

-Shopping Center Cinemas-

*America's first shopping mall movie house was dedicated in September 1951, at Seattle, Washington's NORTHGATE CENTER.

*The first twin cinema in a shopping mall was dedicated at Kansas City, Missouri's WARD PARKWAY CENTER, in July 1963.

*The nation's earliest shopping mall four-plex came inline at La Habra, California's FASHION SQUARE in August 1969.

MISCELLANEOUS MALL FACTS:

*The earliest shopping mall parking garage was dedicated at THE CENTER, in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1955.

*The first shopping mall food court opened in 1971 at Philadelphia's PLYMOUTH MEETING MALL. This venture, a rather unsuccessful enterprise, was repeated -with greater success- at New Jersey's PARAMUS PARK MALL in 1974.