Georgia's capital has had twenty-six mall-type shopping centers developed in its environs since the first one opened for business, back in 1959. In the 21st century, five of these complexes have been demolished. Two others are still in operation, but in pronounced states of decline. Six failed shopping hubs will be covered in our Lost Malls of Atlanta section. All seven are listed henceforth, with original names used. 

*STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER [1959]
*COBB COUNTY CENTER [1963-1998]

*NORTH DEKALB CENTER [1965-2020]
*COLUMBIA MALL [1967-2007]
*PARKAIRE MALL & PLAZA [1974-1986]

*ROSWELL MALL [1974-1994]

*THE MALL WEST END [1972-2025] (no article)

An eighth Lost Mall, not included in this write-up, does have an article on our SHOPPING MALL MUSEUM SITE. RIO SHOPPING CENTER ("RIO MALL") was officially dedicated in April 1989. This unorthodox (for Atlanta) mini-mall lasted only 11 years and was bulldozed in the year 2000. 

http://shoppingmallmuseum.blogspot.com/search/label/Atlanta%27s%20Rio%20Mall

A ninth Lost Mall also does not fit within our 1946-1979 timeline focus. In order to be inducted into the Mall Hall of Fame, a retail complex must have opened for business between 1946 and 1979. SHANNON MALL was in operation between 1980 and 2010. The complex went through various renovations and name changes before being entirely demolished in 2014. 

 

In the mid-2020s, two Greater Atlanta malls were technically still in operation, but teetering toward Lost Mall status;

*NORTHLAKE MALL [1971]

*GWINNETT PLACE MALL [1984]

 

 

A map showing malls that have operated in -or around- Georgia's capital over the years. Failed shopping centers are indicated with gray squares, with other malls indicated with black squares.

Click on image for a larger view

Atlanta's current freeway system opened in segments. The Northwest Expressway, a portion of today's Interstate 75 and 85 Downtown Connector, was dedicated in 1951. Another section of "I-75," going through Marietta, was the final interstate segment built. This stretch of highway was completed in 1974. A tollway section of the Georgia 400 -or Alpharetta Autobahn- opened to traffic in 1993. GREENBRIAR CENTER, the first freeway-friendly mall in the metro area, had opened for business in September 1965.

Heavy rail transit made its Atlanta debut in June 1979. The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority dedicated a 6.7-route-mile, Georgia State-to-Avondale, starter line. New segments of the MARTA rail system were inaugurated in 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 2000. Today's system extends for 47.6 route miles and serves thirty-eight stations.

 

In the here and now, there are two MARTA-adjacent malls;  LENOX SQUARE and PERIMETER MALL. THE MALL WEST END was also adjacent to the MARTA rail system. This complex was shuttered in January 2025 and eventually demolished.

Atlanta's Stewart-Lakewood Center

Sources cite LENOX SQUARE as being Atlanta's -and  Georgia's- first mall-type shopping center. However, checking contemporary newspapers reveals that the the first stores in STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER were dedicated in February 1959. LENOX SQUARE would not open for business until August 1959.

Graphic from Tri-City, Incorporated

While STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER opened first, the "Dynamic new concept in shopping" was a small -230,000 square foot- community class complex. It was dwarfed by the regional-class LENOX SQUARE, with 800,000 square feet.

A vintage view of the "super-convenient on-the-mall" shopping concourse, which is decorated for the yuletide season. Standing in Center Court is a statue of jolly St. Nick. During the early years of the mall, it was promoted as The World's Tallest Santa Claus.
Photo from www.ajc.com

STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER was an expansion of a circa-1952 strip plaza (in black). An open-air mall was added in two phases. The first, depicted here in medium gray, opened in 1959. At this time, the 5 million dollar shopping complex spanned 230,000 leasable square feet. Free parking was provided for 2,000 autos.

STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER STORES 1959:

J.C. PENNEY / COLONIAL STORES supermarket / KROGER supermarket / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / JACOBS DRUG (with luncheonette) / W.T. GRANT (with luncheonette and Drive-In Patio Garden Shop) / Adolph's Beauty Salon / Bell Brothers Shoes / Boston Factory Shoe Repair / Butler's Shoes / Camera & Record Center / Chick-N-Treat Grill / Claude D. Duncan, Doctor of Dental Science / Cut-Rate Laundry & Cleaners / Economy Auto Stores / Federal Bake Shop / First National Bank / Freidman's Jewelers / G & M Cafeteria / J & J Polly Parrot Shoes / King Hardware / Lee's Men's Shop / Lerner Shops / Lester Wilson, Optometrist / Mindy's Dress Shop / National Shirt Shops / Olan Mills Photography / Paul H. Clower, Doctor of Dental Science / Phillips 66 service station (outparcel) / Phylant's Gift Shop / Rhodes Furniture / Stewart Avenue Automatic Laundry & Dry Cleaners / Stewart-Lakewood Barber Shop / The Candy Pan / The Fabric Center / Walter R. Thomas / Western Auto  

The mall's second construction phase is indicated in medium gray on this circa-'68 layout. STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER now features a single-screen cinema and Woolco discount mart and encompasses around 410,000 leasable square feet.

The opening of GREENBRIAR CENTER -in 1965- contributed to the decline of STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER during the late '60s and early '70s. A remodeling was conducted between February and August 1983, with the name of the mall changed to CROSSROADS AT STEWART LAKEWOOD. 

The 1980s revitalization was unsuccessful. By the turn of the 21st century, the CROSSROADS complex was partially vacant. Store blocks on its northwest corner were demolished in 2006. An abandoned northeast block, which had housed a cinema, fell to the wrecking ball in 2022. By this time, cleared space on the west end of the site had been utilized for the new Hartland Station Apartments. Leasing began in late 2021.

We end our LAKEWOOD-CROSSROADS section with a snapshot of the south entry of the shopping concourse.
Photo from Ackerman & Company Retail

STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER

Stewart Avenue / US 19 and 41 and Lakewood Avenue

Atlanta, Georgia

A virtually forgotten structure on Atlanta's South Side holds the distinction of being the city -and state's- first mall-type shopping complex. Georgia's first mall started out as STEWART & LAKEWOOD CENTER, a small strip plaza developed by the Atlanta-based Adams-Cates Company. 

Situated on 26 acres, the shopping hub was located 4 miles south of downtown Atlanta's Five Points, in the Sylvan Hills section of the city. The site was one block west of an interchange on the city's South Expressway. This 3.5 mile section, which extended between Dixie Highway-US 41 in Hapeville and Lakewood Avenue, opened to traffic in December 1951. 

This first operational STEWART-LAKEWOOD stores opened their doors in February 1952. A Colonial Stores grocery began business on June 25th. Charter tenants included Jacobs Drug, King Hardware and an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. 

In the late 1950s, the strip center was enlarged into a mall-type complex. The addition was designed by the Atlanta-based American Building & Engineering Corporation. It was developed by Tri-City Incorporated, a joint venture of Mark and Herbert Taylor (of the American Building & Engineering Corporation) and John O. Chiles and Alvin B. Cates, Junior (of the Adams-Cates Company).

A newly-built, (22,600 square foot) Colonial Stores grocery became the first operational tenant, on December 17, 1958. A mall-wide dedication was held on February 5, 1959. New stores included an (18,300 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10, (25,000 square foot) W.T. Grant and (19,400 square foot) J.C. Penney. 

Georgia's first shopping mall was heralded as "a dynamic new concept in shopping." The "mammoth and modern" facility encompassed around 230,000 leasable square feet and housed thirty-seven stores and services. Tenants included Western Auto, Rhodes Furniture, Lee's Men's Shop, Freidman's Jewelers, Economy Auto, Camera & Record Center and National Shirt Shops. Rounding out the tenant mix was an (11,500 square foot) Kroger.  At the time of the mall's grand opening, there was talk of Atlanta-based Rich's building a store at STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. This never happened. 

The completion of GREENBRIAR CENTER {4.6 miles east, in Atlanta}, in August 1965, was the first blow to STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. GREENBRIAR was much larger and fully-enclosed. The "dry goods only" Penney's at STEWART-LAKEWOOD relocated to a full-line store at GREENBRIAR. The STEWART-LAKEWOOD location operated as a J.C. Penney Outlet Store until 1969.

Meanwhile, a second expansion of STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER had been built on the north end. The Storey Theatres Lakewood Theatre showed a first feature on October 12, 1966. A 1-level (118,000 square foot) Woolco discount mart was dedicated on August 14, 1968. With its northern expansion completed, STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER spanned approximately 410,000 leasable square feet and housed fifty-six stores and services.

The Lakewood Freeway, a segment of the prospective Interstate 420 project, had opened to traffic in 1966. This provided improved access to the shopping facility. Unfortunately, competition from GREENBRIAR CENTER was more than the older mall could withstand. By the mid-1970s, it was in a downward spiral.

As an attempt to revive the struggling shopping hub, a face lift renovation commenced in March 1982. The exterior was redone with Spanish-style facades. An official re-dedication was held on August 26, 1983. The complex would be known, henceforth, as CROSSROADS AT STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. This remodeling failed to halt the decline of the historic shopping center. 

 

In the 21st century, the complex persevered. Some abandoned store space was demolished in 2006 and 2022. Cleared area on the west end of the site was utilized for the new Hartland Station Apartments, a 131-unit complex that opened in September 2021. 

Sources:

The Atlanta Constitution

The Atlanta Journal

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Southern Israelite (Atlanta, Georgia)

http://www.southsideatlantamemories.typepad.com

http://harriettgillham.blogspot.com

http://skycity2.blogspot.com / "JT" webmaster

https://fultonassessor.org / Fulton County Georgia 

https://www.cinematreasures.org

http://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest

https://whatnow.com

Greater Atlanta's Cobb County Center

The original logo of Cobb County's first shopping mall, circa 1963.
Graphic from Food Fair Properties, Incorporated

COBB COUNTY CENTER was the third shopping mall in Greater Atlanta. It was located in Cobb County, which lies northwest of the city center. The complex was anchored by the fourth branch of Atlanta-based Rich's. 

The original COBB COUNTY CENTER encompassed approximately 363,500 leasable square feet, with free parking provisions for 6,000 autos. The open-air mall was developed by a joint venture of Philadelphia's Food Fair Properties and Atlanta-based Rich's, although it did not feature a Food Fair grocery (its supermarket was a Colonial Store).

COBB COUNTY CENTER STORES 1964:

RICH'S (with Beauty Salon, Magnolia Buffet restaurant and freestanding Auto Center) / SAUL'S department store / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / COLONIAL STORES supermarket / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Bell Brothers Shoes / Casual Town / Cobb Center Barber Shop / Cobb Center Theatre (single screen outparcel) / Davis House cafeteria / Dunaway Drugs (with luncheonette) / Friedman's Jewelers / Haverty Furniture Company / Hirsch's men's wear / Holloway Card Shop / Johnny Walker, Incoporated / Lerner Shops-National Shirt Shops / Milton Bradley / National Shirt Shops / Pearle Optical / Southern Discount Company / Thom McAn Shoes / Thompson, Boland & Lee Shoes / Young Fahy department store

A freestanding movie house opened at COBB COUNTY CENTER in July 1964. The Cobb Center Theatre began as a single-screen venue. It was expanded into a tri-plex in 1974, reconfigured as a 4-plex in 1978 and a 6-plex in 1986. The cinema was given a thorough renovation in 1995, but was permanently shuttered in the year 2000.

Graphic from the Georgia Theatre Company 

Rich's Cobb County was enlarged in 1968. The store would be in operation for over 40 years. It was demoted to a Clearance Center before being shuttered in early 2004.

Photo from Rich's Annual Report 1968

Meanwhile, by 1970, the official name of the shopping hub had morphed to simply COBB CENTER. The complex was soon to loose its exclusive status as only shopping mall in Cobb County.

Graphic from Food Fair Properties, Incorporated  

In 1973, the new shopping center on the block was CUMBERLAND MALL. This superregional complex, which extended for a whopping 1,135,000 square feet, dwarfed COBB CENTER. Cobb County's first mall did a quick "keeping up with CUMBERLAND" renovation and was renamed COBB CENTER MALL.

Graphic from Amterre Management 

As part of the early '70s makeover, open shopping concourses at COBB CENTER MALL were roofed and climate-controlled. The remodeling was completed in November 1973. In this circa-'74 site plan, the Rich's expansion of 1968, and an enlargement of the Colonial Stores market, are indicated in gray. The shopping hub now covered approximately 409,600 leasable square feet.

Competition from CUMBERLAND MALL -and then TOWN CENTER AT COBB- prompted a second renovation of COBB CENTER MALL. It morphed into FOUR SEASONS AT COBB CENTER in 1987. This revitalization was not successful, leading to demolition of most of the complex in early 1998. A small strip plaza, known as COBB CENTER, was built on the site.
Graphic from Four Seasons at Cobb Center

COBB COUNTY CENTER
South Cobb Drive SE and Pat Mell Road
Cobb County, Georgia

Greater Atlanta's third shopping mall was developed by a joint venture of Atlanta's M. Rich & Company and New York City's Food Fair Properties, Incorporated. The open-air complex was designed by Robert W. Kahn Associates. COBB COUNTY CENTER was built on a 42-acre plot. This was located 13.5 miles northwest of Atlanta's Five Points, in a section of unincorporated Cobb County. 

Fifteen stores commenced operation on August 15, 1963. These included  Hirsch's men's, Friedman's Jewelers, a 2-level (120,000 square foot), Atlanta-based Rich's, (20,800 square foot) Colonial Stores supermarket, (45,200 square foot) Saul's Department Store and (24,800 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. 

An official grand opening was held on October 10, 1963. New stores included Dunaway Drugs, Thom McAn Shoes, Southern Discount Company, a Davis House Cafeteria and combination Lerner Shops-National Shirt Shops unit. COBB COUNTY CENTER now covered approximately 363,500 leasable square feet and housed twenty-seven stores and services.

The original COBB complex included a Japanese Contemplation Garden (in Center Court) and 250-seat Community Auditorium. The Georgia Theatre Company Cobb Center Theatre showed a first feature on July 24, 1964. 

Saul's department store was short-lived. It was replaced by W.T. Grant on November 12, 1964. Four years later, Rich's was enlarged with a 1-level (45,000 square foot) addition, which housed a new Budget Shop and cafeteria. The store, re-dedicated on September 16, 1968, now comprised 165,000 square feet. 

By this time, the official name of the mall was morphing into COBB CENTER. The facility enjoyed its status, as the county's only shopping mall, for 10 years. In August 1973, CUMBERLAND MALL {4 miles southeast, in Cobb County} was completed. This new competitor, which was a fully-enclosed, superregional shopping complex, immediately put the hurt on COBB CENTER.

As a competitive measure, the open-air concourses at COBB CENTER were enclosed. The "new & improved" COBB CENTER MALL was formally dedicated on November 14, 1973. It now incorporated approximately 409,600 leasable square feet. In October 1976, an Atlanta-based Kessler's opened in a vacant Grants space. 

 

COBB CENTER faced a second competitor in the mid-1980s. TOWN CENTER AT COBB {7.5 miles north, in Kennesaw}was dedicated in February 1986. In order to compete with the two superregional shopping malls in its trade area, COBB CENTER was given a face lift in 1987. Along with the renovation came a name change. Henceforth, the mall would be promoted as FOUR SEASONS AT COBB CENTER. Unfortunately, this mall reboot was not entirely successful. 

By the mid-'90s, Rich's at FOUR SEASONS AT COBB had been demoted to a Clearance Center. The supermarket, which had been rebranded as a Big Star in 1984, had been shuttered. The closings of Kessler's and Woolworth's followed. The mall went dark in late 1997. It was demolished in early 1998, leaving Rich's, its Auto Center and the cinema standing.

These were joined by a newly-built Publix supermarket on the south, and small strip center on the north. Chuck Camp Park, a complex of softball fields, was built in the rear parking area. The new 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. The official name of the institution was later changed to International Academy Smyrna.

Sources:

The Atlanta Constitution

The Atlanta Journal

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Marietta Daily Journal
https://gis.cobbcounty.org / Cobb County, Georgia
https://www.cinematreasures.org

"Cobb Center" article on Wikipedia

Atlanta's Columbia Mall

Decatur's NORTH DEKALB CENTER opened -in July 1965- as Greater Atlanta's first fully-enclosed shopping mall. GREENBRIAR CENTER, in Atlanta, was completed in September. The third enclosed complex in -or around- Atlanta was originally known as COLUMBIA MALL. Its anchor department stores were completed in 1964. 

In this photo from August 1964, we see that individual Sears and Davison's department stores are in operation. A connecting mall is yet to be built.
Photo from Sears, Roebuck & Company Annual Report 1964

The inline store section of COLUMBIA MALL was over 3 years in the making. The dumbell plan shopping hub, and its initial twenty stores and services, were officially dedicated in November 1967. At this time, the complex encompassed approximately 350,000 leasable square feet, with free parking for 2,000 autos.

COLUMBIA MALL STORES 1967:

SEARS (with Coffee House, Garden Center and freestanding Auto Center) / DAVISON'S (with Coiffures Americana Beauty Salon and Peppermint Snack Bar) / Barricini Candies / Bond Clothes / Castro Convertibles / Davison's Budget Shop / French Cafe / Golden Key Shop / Hahn Shoes / Holiday Shoes / Jarman Shoes / John's Coiffures / Joiner's Barber Shop / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Parklane Hosiery / Pearle Optical / Yankee Trader Gifts / Thom McAn Shoes / Walter R. Thomas Jewelers / Whitney 

The COLUMBIA complex was an early casualty of the over-malling of Greater Atlanta. By the mid-1980s, the shopping center was in decline. It was renovated, retenanted and re-named AVONDALE MALL. A re-grand opening was held in October 1985, with the shopping venue encompassing approximately 360,900 leasable square feet and thirty-nine stores and services.

AVONDALE MALL TENANTS 1985:

DAVISON'S-MACY'S / SEARS SURPLUS STORE / Davison's-Macy's Clearance Center / Barrett Shoes / Cherries ladies' wear / Easy TV & Appliance / Eckerd Drugs / ETC Gifts / Fresh Fruits & Naturals / Frontier Fruit & Nut / Great Expectations / Gussini Shoes / H & R Block / Hahn Shoes / Hats & Handbags / International News Rack / Jewelles / National Automobile Service Association (outparcel) / Kay Jewelers / Lee's Children Shop / Louise Falker Custom Jewelry / M. Larry Gifts / Market Research / Neal's Cookies / Oriental Toys & Gifts / Rainbow Records / Real Jewelry / Sav-on-Pots-n-Plants / Sears Dry Cleaners / Shalimar Jewelry / Six Star variety store / Step Ahead, Incorporated /  Stuarts ladies ready-to-wear / Sunshades 

FOOD COURT

Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream / Eat & Run Sandwich Shoppe / Joe Field's Delicatessen / Marcille's Hot Dogs / Piece of the Pie Pizza 

The mid-1980s reinvention of COLUMBIA-AVONDALE MALL was not successful. The facility continued to founder. It closed for good in December 2001. In the photo above, we see the past its prime property as it awaited a wrecking ball renovation.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Etittle78"

AVONDALE MALL bit the dust in 2006. A bitter battle had been fought to keep that well-known Bentonville-based retailer from building a SuperCenter. Eventually, they prevailed. Above, we see the SuperCenter that opened on the old mall site in March 2008.
Photo from www.bing.com

COLUMBIA MALL
Memorial and South Columbia Drives
Dekalb County, Georgia

On April 10, 1963, ground was broken at an 8.6-acre site, located 6.8 miles east of Atlanta's Five Points. The land parcel was situated in a section of unincorporated Dekalb County known as Belvedere Park. A fully-enclosed "shopper mall" was planned for the parcel. COLUMBIA MALL, designed by Atlanta's Toombs, Amisano & Wells firm, would be built by a joint venture of Homart Development (a Sears subsidiary) and D & D Properties (an R. H. Macy & Company subsidiary).

The first COLUMBIA MALL structure was a 2-level (124,000 square foot), Atlanta-based Davison's. This freestanding store opened for business May 14, 1964. It was followed by a 2-level (116,600 square foot) Sears. Also built as a freestanding structure, Sears was officially dedicated on August 5, 1964.

It would take over 3 years for the mall section in the middle to be completed. When dedicated, on November 9, 1967, the fully-enclosed COLUMBIA MALL covered approximately 350,000 leasable square feet and housed twenty stores and services. Among these were Barricini Candies, Parklane Hosiery, Bond Clothes and Thom McAn Shoes. When fully-leased, COLUMBIA MALL housed twenty-seven tenant spaces. A Walgreen Drug was dedicated on April 10, 1969.

Shopping hubs in the COLUMBIA MALL trade area included NORTH DEKALB CENTER (1965) {3.4 miles north} and SOUTH DEKALB MALL (1970) {3.1 miles south, also in Dekalb County}.

By the early 1980s, COLUMBIA MALL had been outpositioned by the proliferation of shopping malls in Greater Atlanta. The complex was in a downward spiral that was exacerbated by the closing of its Sears, on January 28, 1984. In February, the struggling shopping venue was acquired by a joint venture of Cadillac-Fairview Shopping Centers (US), Limited and Atlanta's D. Scott Hudgens. They initiated a 4.5 million dollar, post-modern face lift. 

As part of the indoor-outdoor renovation, the first level of the vacant Sears was divided into inline retail spaces, including a (30,000 square foot) Sears Surplus Store. The upper floor included a 5-bay Food Court. The opposite end of the shopping hub was anchored by its original tenant, by this time operating as a Davison's-Macy's.

A formal dedication was held on October 10, 1985. The complex would be known, henceforth, as AVONDALE MALL. The retail hub housed thirty-seven stores and services. These included Rainbow Records, Eckerd Drugs, ETC Gifts, Easy TV & Appliance, Stuarts ladies ready-to-wear and Kay Jewelers. 

Davison's-Macy's morphed into a standard Macy's on November 17, 1985. This store would be shuttered in August 1992. Its upper floor was, then, reconfigured as the O'Neill Theatres Avondale Mall Cinema 16, which opened for business on July 15. 1994.

Alas, the mid-'80s reinvention of the mall was not entirely successful. By the mid-1990s,  the complex was in another downward spiral. Its shopping concourse was populated by mom & pop-type stores such as Direct Imports, Gold Plus and Bernard's Records.

AVONDALE MALL was sold to Newnan, Georgia's Thomas Enterprises in December 1999. Under its new proprietor, the shopping center continued to decline. On December 31, 2001, its remaining merchants closed for good. The abandoned facility languished for several years, while a protracted battle was fought between Wal-Mart and Stop Wal-Mart, a consortium of local citizens opposed to plans to raze the mall and replace it with a SuperCenter.

By late 2006, the war had been won by the Bentonville retailer. A wrecking ball was brought in and the mall had been reduced to rubble by early 2007. A 1-level (182,000 square foot) Wal-Mart SuperCenter welcomed its first shoppers on March 7, 2008.

Sources:

The New York Times

The Atlanta Constitution

The Atlanta Journal

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

http://www.dekalbhistory.org / "Columbia Mall - Avondale Mall Time Capsule"
https://www.dekalbcountyga.gov / Dekalb County, Georgia
https://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
"Avondale Mall" article on Wikipedia

Atlanta's Parkaire Mall & Plaza

This "blink twice and miss it" mall was only in existence for 12 years. There are (apparently) no photos of it...at least on the internet. In spite of this setback, we were fortunate enough to locate a few graphics. Above, we see the original PARKAIRE MALL logo from 1974.    

Graphic from Corporate Holdings, Incorporated

The PARKAIRE mini-mall was built as part of a retail and residential development which eventually included several condominium structures. The first of these, known as The Meadows, became available for leasing in May 1973. 

Drawing from Post Properties of Atlanta

Stores in the 1.8 million dollar PARKAIRE MALL surrounded an enclosed ice rink. There was a Kroger at one end and twin cinema on the other. A Balcony Level, overlooking the skating rink, extended along the south side of the structure.

PARKAIRE MALL TENANTS 1974-1986:

KROGER supermarket / Andre ladies' wear / Angelo's Caberet / Beef & Burgundy Restaurant / Bell Variety Store / Bob Williams Shoes / Dog Patch / Foxy Fashions / Fulton Federal Savings / Gallery I & II art & framing / Hallmark Cards / Hairport, Limited unisex hairstyling / Georgetown Optical / Harriett Coen, Incorporated Furs / J. Nursery / Josef's Hair Salon /  Loews Twin At Parkaire Mall / Mademoiselle ladies' wear / Matchpoint / Maxwell's Restaurant Francais / Mr. Sweeper / Nina Forrest, Limited Fabrics / Parkaire Mall Community Room / Parkaire Olympic Rink / Parkaire Wallcovering / Parkaire Wine & Cheese Shop / Pappagallo Shoes / Radio Shack / Someplace Else By Beef & Burgandy restaurant / Something Special ladies' wear / Spratlin Associates Realtors / Stone Mountain Billard's / The Colony Shoppe custom-made furniture / US Post Office / Wender & Roberts Drugs / Yankee Peddler Jeans

Maxwell's Restaurant Francais, in business by June 1974, was one of the mall's first operational tenants. The Balcony Level bistro overlooked the Parkaire Olympic Ice skating rink.

Advert from Parkaire Mall & Plaza

The Loews Twin At Parkaire Mall also opened for business in June 1974. 
Graphic from www.cinematreasures.org / Mike Rivest

Our PARKAIRE MALL & PLAZA logo montage includes trademarks of twelve stores and services. These were in operation between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s.

A physical layout of the new & improved PARKAIRE property. The original enclosed mall was bulldozed in early 1986. It was replaced by this open-air strip complex, which opened in the summer of 1987.

Today, PARKAIRE LANDING encompasses approximately 132,600 leasable square feet and houses thirty-seven tenant spaces.
Photo from  http://retailplanningcorp.com / Retail Planning Corporation

In early 2017, tenants included Parkaire Fitness, LaVida Massage,  Tuesday Morning and Dollar Tree.
Photo from  http://retailplanningcorp.com / Retail Planning Corporation

PARKAIRE MALL
Lower Roswell and Johnson Ferry Roads
Cobb County, Georgia

This nearly forgotten Greater Atlanta shopping center was in existence for only 12 years. PARKAIRE MALL was built on a 22-acre site, formerly the Parkaire Field airport. The parcel was located 15 miles north of Atlanta's Five Points, in a section of unincorporated Cobb County known as East Cobb.

The mini-mall was developed by Tri-kell / Post Properties and designed by Sidney R. Barrett & Associates, of Atlanta. Ground was broken on June 15, 1973, with the mall opening for business on June 28, 1974. The complex was situated around the Parkaire Olympic Ice indoor skating rink. There was a ground level of retail, with a balcony along the south side of the structure. This upper level housed leased office spaces and a restaurant, which overlooked the ice rink.

PARKAIRE MALL housed approximately 170,000 leasable square feet and contained twenty-two tenant spaces. There were no anchor department stores, just a 1-level (33,700 square foot) Kroger and 1,000-seat Loews Twin at Parkaire Mall theater. The movie house was attached to the mall but did not have a connection with the interior. Inline stores included Wender & Roberts Drugs, Foxy Fashions, Parkaire Wine & Cheese Shop, Harriet Coen, Incorporated, Yankee Peddlar Gifts and a Bell's variety store.

Eventually, PARKAIRE MALL was usurped by larger and more trendy shopping centers in its trade area. By late 1985, the complex was 26-percent vacant. It was sold in September 1985 to a joint venture of Atlanta's Parkaire Development Associates, Sigma Development and Des Moines, Iowa's Petula, Limited. Demolition of the property commenced in February 1986. 

An all-new strip center was built. PARKAIRE LANDING covered approximately 132,600 leasable square feet and housed thirty-seven tenant spaces. The strip center was anchored by a (58,000 square foot) Kroger. There was also a freestanding skating complex, the Parkaire Olympic Ice Rink, on the premises. 

The 14 million dollar shopping hub was officially dedicated in August 1987. Its charter tenants included Wender & Roberts Drugs, Southern Linen, Glitzed, Basket Case, Withrow Jewelers, Franklin printing & office supplies, Little Caesar's Pizza and a Goodyear Auto Center.

Sources:

The Atlanta Constitution

The Atlanta Journal

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Southern Isrealite (Atlanta, Georgia)
https://www.groceteria.com / "Parkaire Kroger" article / Submitted by Matt Burwick
https://gis.cobbcounty.org / Cobb County, Georgia
"Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields" / Paul Freeman
https://www.cinematreasures.org
http://retailplanningcorp.com / Retail Planning Corporation

Atlanta's Roswell Crossing / Roswell Mall

North Fulton County's first enclosed shopping mall was built on a parcel which, at the time, was outside the city limits of Roswell. Originally promoted as ROSWELL CROSSING, its original stores opened between October 1974 and April 1976.

Graphic from ShopKo Corporation 

A southward aerial view from November 1974 includes the newly-opened ROSWELL CROSSING. The dark-roofed structure is the mall's Richway anchor store and its adjacent supermarket. Beneath the light roof, an enclosed mall occupies a second level. The first floor would remain unfinished -and open to the elements- for nearly 5 years.   

Photo from the Roswell Historical Society

Atlanta's Richway chain opened their ROSWELL CROSSING discount department store and supermarket in October 1974. An attached Auto Center was located in the south end of the store.

Graphics from Rich's Annual Report 1968

By 1976, the North Fulton shopping hub was being promoted as ROSWELL MALL. A 4-plex theatrical venue, the Roswell Mall Cinema Centre, made its debut in December 1979. The theater, the first of several to operate in the mall, was located on its upper level.

Graphic from the Interstate Theatres Corporation 

A new owner renovated the facility in the late '70s. An unfinished lower level was completed and the aforementioned 4-plex movie house installed. A second anchor -Kmart- was dedicated in November 1979. With its completion, ROSWELL MALL covered around 400,000 leasable square feet. There was free parking for 2,600 autos. Note: the exact location of the Cinema Centre, on the mall's Upper Level, may (or may not) be accurate.

ROSWELL MALL TENANTS 1980:

RICHWAY (with snack bar and attached Auto Center) / RICHWAY FOODS supermarket / KMART (with snack bar and Garden Center) / Aileen's Wigs / Bakers Shoes / Cardin Classics / Carver Cutlery / Cheese Crate / Dan's Tan / Eileen's Hair Wear / Fashion Bug ladies' wear / Four Seasons restaurant / Friedman's Jewelry / Go Together Home Furnishings / Hair, Etcetera / Home Drapery / J & F Tobacco / Jeans West / Mabie Hudson / Mama's Pizza / Manor / Michael Romeo / Morrison's Cafeteria / Olympic Karate / Peter Morris Spectacles / Radio Shack / Reed Drugs / Roswell Mall Cinema Centre (four screens) / Roswell Pet Shop / Small World / Sport About / Stuarts Ladies Ready-to-Wear / T-Shirts / The Happy Wok restaurant / Twilight Game Room / Violet Showcase / Waldenbooks

The 1979 remodeling brought modest success, but the upturn in commerce didn't last. By the early 1990s, the complex was on life support. It was sold to a Miami-Dade developer, who initiated a massive overhaul in early 1995. The project reconfigured mall space into an exterior-entranced power center format. New stores opened in the fall of 1997. As part of the demalling, the complex was renamed ROSWELL TOWN CENTER.