Milwaukee's Southgate Center

Milwaukee's SOUTHGATE, the city's first suburban-style shopping hub, is promoted as a "parking paradise" in this September 1951 advertisement. This was in an era when all commerce was concentrated in the center city, where parking was limited and had to be paid for. At SOUTHGATE, parking was ample and for free.
Advert from Froedtert Enterprises, Incorporated

As a grand opening attraction, Dayton, Ohio's Richard "Dixie" Blandy attempted a world's record pole sitting. He was perched 50 feet above the parking lot for 18 days. Spectacles such as this were a common feature of mid-20th century shopping center dedications.
Graphic from Froedtert Enterprises, Incorporated

A circa-1951 site plan depicts the original SOUTHGATE CENTER before anything was added. The strip complex encompassed around 104,500 leasable square feet and housed twenty stores and services. There was free parking for 1,500 autos.

SOUTHGATE CENTER TENANTS 1951:

KRAMBO FOODS / S.S. KRESGE 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / W.T. GRANT / WALGREEN DRUG (with luncheonette) / Badger Paint & Hardware / Bitker Gerner ladies' wear / Friedman's men's wear / G.R. Kinney Shoes / H.T. Grossman Carpeting / Joseph, Your Hair Stylist / Luber's Super Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market / Mrs. Steven's Candies / Nu-Way Shoe Service / Ritz Hat Shop / Roderick's Card & Gift Shop / Royal Bakery / Samsons Home Appliances / Singer Sewing Center / Spic & Span Dry Cleaners / Three Sisters ladies' wear 

A circa-'52 view of SOUTHGATE CENTER. Looking southward, we see Samsons Home Appliances and the original Krambo Foods supermarket. In the background is a pylon promoting the W. T. Grant ("Grants") variety store. 

Photo https://collections.lib.uwm.edu / University of Wisconsin Milwaukee / Harold Mayer

Grants opened their SOUTHGATE store in September 1951. It was among the first Grants built as part of a suburban shopping center.

Drawing from W. T. Grant Company Annual Report 1951

SOUTHGATE CENTER was 3 years old before it had a bona fide anchor. A 3-level Gimbels-Milwaukee was added to the north end of the complex. The store, which opened its doors in October 1954, was  Gimbels' first suburban branch. 

Drawing from Gimbels Brothers, Incorporated

As Gimbels was being added to SOUTHGATE, the original -circa-1951- Krambo supermarket was being replaced, A new -40,000 square foot- grocery held its grand opening in November 1954.
Advert from Krambo Food Stores, Incorporated

By the mid-1950s, expansions had been built on the north and south ends of the center. As mentioned, Gimbels and Krambo Foods opened new stores in 1954 (in medium gray). In 1964, Gimbels was operating as a Gimbels-Schusters, Krambo has been rebranded by Kroger. The Southgate Theatre (light gray) has just opened its doors. The parking area has also been enlarged and now accommodates 3,000 autos at one time.

By the early '70s, SOUTHGATE was in need of a major renovation in order to remain competitive with newer -and larger- shopping options in its trade area. A 2 million dollar enclosing renovation was undertaken. Its grand opening, heralded in this August 1971 advert, added twenty stores to the retail roster.

Advert from Froedtert Enterprises, Incorporated

The new & improved SOUTHGATE -now officially a MALL- encompassed around 400,000 leasable square feet. A thin store strip and enclosed mallway had been tacked onto the east-facing front of the complex. Among new mall stores was F.W. Woolworth, apparently operating in an old S.S. Kresge store space.

SOUTHGATE MALL TENANTS 1971:

EXISTING STORES

GIMBELS (with Tasty Town Restaurant and attached Auto Center) / Brills Colony men's wear / Evans Singers ladies' wear / Fair Lady Figure Salon & Spa / Hi-Way Shoes / Howard Johnson's restaurant (outparcel) / Kiddie Kolor Portrait Studio / Kinney Shoes / Maling Shoes / Mid-West Tire / Mike Crivella's Camera Center / Mutual Savings & Loan Association / Rudy's Home-Made Sausage Shop / Southgate National Bank / Southgate Theatre (outparcel) / The Captain's Steak Joynt 

NEW STORES

F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Bresler's 33 Flavors ice cream / Carousel Snack Bar / Coast To Coast Automotive & Hardware / Daisy Jewel / Fanny Farmer Candies / Hallmark Card Shop / Hot Sam Pretzels / Lost Art / Moon Fun Shop Gifts & Novelties / Purt -n- Pretty ladies' wear / Record Shop / Town Electronics

In this vintage photo, we see the enclosed and carpeted mallway at SOUTHGATE. Its "very '70s" decor would be updated during a 1991 renovation.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / John Gallo

The sole anchor at SOUTHGATE would sport the Gimbels nameplate seen here between October 1954 and August 1986. Milwaukee's Boston Store would operate in the building between August 1987 and January 1994.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / John Gallo

The circa-1989 SOUTHGATE MALL logo.
Graphic from Sarakreek Holdings

In April 1993, the mall's 29-year old, single-screen theater was replaced by the Cinemark Movies 10. This megaplex was rebranded by Marcus Theaters in 1998. It was shuttered in December 2023.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / John Gallo

After several years of decline, SOUTHGATE MALL was demolished in the summer of 1999. The aforementioned cinema and south store block (seen here) were left standing and were worked into a new SOUTHGATE MARKETPLACE. WalMart opened in 2001 and was enlarged in 2009.
Photo from www.loopnet.com

SOUTHGATE CENTER
South 27th Street / US 41 and West Morgan Avenue
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Brewtown's first suburban-style shopping plaza was envisaged by malting maven Curtis R. Froedtert and was built under the auspices of Froedtert Enterprises, Incorporated. SOUTHGATE CENTER was developed on a 32-acre plot, located 4 miles southwest of the center city, at -what was- the southern boundary of the Milwaukee city limits.

Designed by Milwaukee's Grasshold & Johnson firm, the original SOUTHGATE consisted of two oblong store blocks. These encompassed approximately 104,500 leasable square feet and housed twenty inline stores. Thirteen of these opened for business on September 20, 1951.

Open-air in format, the 3 million dollar SOUTHGATE consisted of a single retail level with a 9,000 square foot upper level of office suites. Inline stores also had basements. Among the shopping center's charter tenants were Krambo Foods, Walgreen Drug, a W.T. Grant variety store and S.S. Kresge 5 & 10.

An expansion of store space was announced in February 1953. Gimbels-Milwaukee would build its first suburban store at SOUTHGATE, which would be the first branch in the entire 4-division Gimbels chain. The store would be constructed on the north end of the shopping hub and consist of 3 levels and approximately 206,000 square feet.

At the same time, a southward SOUTHGATE expansion was in the works. Krambo Foods planned a 2-level (40,000 square foot) grocery to replace their existing (18,000 square foot) store. The new Krambo, which was part of a 53,000 square foot addition, was reputedly the largest supermarket in the Midwest.

Gimbels' grand opening was held on October 1, 1954; Krambo's on November 9th. With the completion of the north and south expansions, SOUTHGATE CENTER encompassed approximately 363,500 leasable square feet and housed twenty-five stores and services.

The Krambo chain was acquired by the Cincinnati-based Kroger Company in June 1955. Twenty-five Krambo stores retained their original nameplate until 1962, when a Kroger-Krambo brand appeared. This was phased out in 1964, with all former Krambo stores, including the SOUTHGATE location, being rebranded by Kroger.

Gimbels-Milwaukee acquired the Milwaukee-based Ed Schuster & Company in  April 1962. Stores operated under the official heading of Gimbels-Schusters until July 1969, when the Schusters co-branding was abandoned. Meanwhile, the third addition to SOUTHGATE CENTER was built in its rear parking area. The United Artists Southgate Theatre opened for business on July 3, 1964. 

The first taste of commercial competition for SOUTHGATE came in 1960, with the completion of POINT LOOMIS CENTER, a 272,000 square foot, open-air mall. This was located on a parcel directly south of SOUTHGATE. BROOKFIELD SQUARE {8.5 miles northwest, in Brookfield} opened in 1967. The most formidable rival, SOUTHRIDGE MALL {3.5 miles southwest, in Greendale and Greenfield}, was dedicated in 1970.

A 1.8 million dollar renovation of SOUTHGATE was underway by the end of the year. Approximately 30,000 square feet were added, with most of this in a thin strip of selling space added to the east-facing front of the complex. Twenty new stores debuted at the grand re-opening of SOUTHGATE MALL, which was held on August 4, 1971. 

The shopping venue now encompassed approximately 400,000 leasable square feet and housed fifty-four stores and services. In June 1978, Froedtern Enterprises sold the center to Holland's Sarakreek Holdings. 

Gimbels was shuttered in August 1986. A Milwaukee-based Boston Store opened, in the vacant Gimbels building, on August 1, 1987. Unfortunately, SOUTHGATE MALL had been in a downward spiral since the mid-1970s. Sarakreek Holdings struggled to keep tenant spaces occupied. In October 1990, a face lift renovation and "strategic repositioning" were announced. A 70,000 square foot, junior anchor space was to be leased by Youngstown, Ohio's Phar-Mor Drug chain.

Walgreen Drug, a 1951 charter tenant, filed a lawsuit in February 1991, citing an exclusivity clause in the lease it had signed in 1971. This forbade the owner of the mall from leasing space to any other pharmacy or store including one. In September 1991, a decision was handed down in Walgreen's favor.

The renovation of SOUTHGATE had proceeded as the lawsuit was being decided. In September 1991, the mall was rededicated. It had a rebuilt facade and Main Entrance, as well as updated lighting, restrooms and landscaping. The dark 1970s interior decor had been brightened with a brilliant blue, sandstone and burgundy color palette.

A new megaplex, the Cinemark Movies 10, was constructed in the northwest corner of the mall site, replacing the old single-screen venue. The first features were shown on April 16, 1993. In spite of recent improvements, SOUTHGATE MALL was still in a downward spiral. The Boston Store shut down on January 24, 1994. 

In mid-1995, two potential tenants were being courted to fill the vacant Gimbels-Boston Store. Minnesota's Media Play would lease 50,300 square feet, with Maryland's Trak Auto setting up shop in 21,700. These deals had fallen through by December 1995. The vacant anchor space would never be retenanted. To add insult to injury, Woolworth's closed their store in January 1994. A prospective tenant was courted for a section of the vacant area. This deal fell through, as well.

The shopping center was sold for a second time in October 1998. Atlanta-based JDN Realty acquired the seventy-percent-vacant structure and immediately announced a demalling renovation. Wal-Mart would build a 1-level (140,000 square foot) store and Walgreen Drug would relocate into a freestanding unit on the north end of the site.

Demolition commenced in June 1999. Only the south store block, megaplex cinema and a small southeast outparcel were left standing. The south store block, originally housing the second Krambo location, was given a new facade. Wal-Mart held its grand opening -at the new SOUTHGATE MARKETPLACE- on January 24, 2001. The store was expanded and re-opened -as a SuperCenter- in June 2009.

Sources:

The Milwaukee Journal
"In 1951, Southgate Changed Shopping" / John Gurda / Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel / December 5, 1999
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
http://www.retrocom.com (Retro Milwaukee)
http://www.businessjournals.com
https://www.cinematreasures.org