A branch of Jackson's hometown department store anchored the south end of the mammoth mall. Dedicated in March 1978, McRae's Metrocenter covered 228,100 square feet, making it Mississippi's largest suburban department store. Some of its amenities were a Beauty Salon, Bridal Registry and Widow Watson's restaurant.
Drawing from McRae's, Incorporated


Gayfers, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, presided over the east side of METROCENTER. This store, which encompassed 177,000 square feet, was also inaugurated in March 1978. Its amenities included a Beauty Salon, Bridal Registry and Shop-At-Home Service. 


Over 100 stores debuted at the March 1978 METROCENTER grand opening. The 1,250,000 square foot venue was promoted as the largest shopping mall between Atlanta and Dallas. The parking area at "Mississippi's premier shopping facility" accommodated over 7,200 autos.


We've included a detail view, which depicts the METROCENTER mall of 1987. This drawing shows the locations of ten 1st Level stores and services. The Courtyard, a 2nd Level fast food facility, was dedicated in December 1984. At the time of this plan, it had 10 vendors. 

New Orleans-based D.H. Holmes was the last of four METROCENTER anchor stores to be completed. The mall's only 3-level structure, it welcomed its first patrons in October 1978.
Photo from www.loopnet.com


An aerial photo shows the mall and its location at the intersection of the US 80 highway and Interstate 220 spur route. 
Photo from www.loopnet.com 

Gayfers operated a METROCENTER store until early 1999. In this image, we see the 1st Level entrance as it appeared between the store's closing and 2007.
Photo from www.loopnet.com


In August 2007, the first floor of the store re-opened  as a Burlington Coat Factory.
Photo from www.loopnet.com


In 2009, the second floor of Gayfers was renovated into Metro Marketplace, a mall within a mall. This concept failed to catch on. In 2012, La Plaza de MetroCenter, a Latin-themed mercado, opened in the space.
Photos from www.loopnet.com 


METROCENTER began to decline in the 1990s. In early 2009, the complex had just one vacant anchor space (Dillard's had gone south in late 2004). However, Belk (a rebranded McRae's) would soon  be pulling the plug on their store. This would leave the struggling shopping hub with eighty-four stores (out of a total of 150 spaces).  

METROCENTER MALL TENANTS 2009:

BELK / BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY / SEARS (with Coffee House and attached Auto Center) / 4-Ever Young / 88 Keys Catering / Ashley Stewart / Bath & Body Works / Beeper’s Incorporated, Cingular Wireless / Boots, Jeans & More / Catherine’s / Champs Sports / City Gear / Coast Ink / Community Resource Center / Diva / Dr. Kemily Alexander Rankin, Optometrist / Enzo / Eve’s Shoes / Exclusive / EyeMasters / Foot Locker (Lower Level) / Foot Locker (Upper Level) / FootAction USA / Footworks / Foto Engraving / Fun Station / Gem World / GNC / Gold & Diamonds / Happy Shoe Repair / Hat World / Hibbett Sports / Hip Hot / Holliday’s / Italian Jewelry / Jewelry World / Jewels & More / Job Corps Office / Joy Collection / KB Wireless / Kid Games / Kid’s Avenue / Kid’s Foot Locker / Kris Jewelers / Lady Foot Locker / Man of Fashion / Mississippi Highway Patrol Office / Nails Elite / Napoly / Perfume ‘N Fashion / Payless Shoesource / Pepsi One Stop Vending / Radio Shack / Rainbow / Rave / Rose’s Nails / Shoe Show / Signatures / Snap Man Designs / Sno Biz Treat Center / Style Setter / The Barber Shop / The Cookie Store / The Finish Line / The Shoe Department / The Source / The Sunglass Shop / Time Square / Top Model Hair Salon / T-Shirt City / Tuxedo Junction by Gingiss / US Air Force Recruiting / US Army Recruiting / US Marine Corp Recruiting  / US Navy Recruiting / Underground Station  / Victoria’s Secret / Video Visions / Zales Jewelers 

FOOD COURT:
4 Real Grill / American Deli / Appetizer’s / Mandarin Café / Steak Escape / The Ice Cream Shoppe
Buffalo's Thruway Plaza


Western New York's first major post-war shopping complex opened for business in October 1952. The 8 million dollar facility originally spanned 300,000 leasable square feet and contained thirty-two stores and services. Free parking was provided for 3,000 autos.
Graphic from the Sommers Brothers Construction Company 


An early '50s view of THRUWAY PLAZA. Tenants in the open-air strip center included W.T. Grant, J.C. Penney, Woolworth's and Neisner's 5 & 10s and A & P and NuWay supermarkets.
Photo from http://wnyheritagepress.org / Buffalo Courier-Express


A THRUWAY PLAZA grand opening celebration was hosted by Duncan Renaldo, star of "The Cisco Kid" western TV series.
Photo from Wikipedia / B & I Circus Store


J.C. Penney's THRUWAY PLAZA location was comprised of 3 levels, although only one -the 25,000 square foot main sales floor- was used for retail. A basement and small third floor housed offices, storage and an employee break room. The store would be expanded in 1957.
Drawing from the J.C. Penney Company


Lerner Shops at THRUWAY PLAZA originally encompassed 10,800 square feet, all on one floor. This store would also be enlarged in 1957.
Drawing from the McCrory Company

Above and below are two views of the mall's massive interior space. In the fall of 2012, METROCENTER management attempted to relocate all remaining First Floor stores to the Second Floor, with the goal being to completely close off the entire lower mall level.
Photo from www.overby.net / Overby Commercial


Many tenants demanded monetary compensation, which was refused. In retaliation, they closed their stores.
Photo from www.overby.net / Overby Commercial


The Burlington Coat Factory mallway entrance was accessed from the First Floor. The entryway was sealed off during the store shift of 2012.
Photo from www.overby.net / Overby Commercial


Champs Sports, a Second Floor METROCENTER store.
Photo from www.overby.net / Overby Commercial


The Cookie Store, which also operated on the Second Floor of METROCENTER.
Photo from www.overby.net / Overby Commercial

As the year 2018 began, the outlook for METROCENTER was bleak. All primary anchors had bolted. Gayfers became the first (in 1999), followed by Dillard's (2004), Belk (2009) and Sears (2012). Burlington (Coat Factory), which occupied half of the old Gayfers space, remained. The City of Jackson moved offices into a portion of the Belk building in 2012, joined by a satellite facility of Hinds Community College.


The mall proper (but not the anchors) was sold in December 2019. Plans were announced to re-open the Food Court and eventually repurpose some of the vacant mall space with residential units. A soft-re-opening was planned for April 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Graphic from www.shopmetrocentermall.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)


METROCENTER 
US Highway 80 West and Robinson Road
Jackson, Mississippi
 
The largest shopping mall in the Magnolia State was built by a joint venture of Chicago's Homart Development and Montgomery, Alabama's Jim Wilson & Associates. The structure was designed by Birmingham's Evan Terry Architects.

METROCENTER occupied a 125-acre tract, located 4 miles west of the Mississippi State House. The super-sized shopping center was officially dedicated on March 1, 1978. The event was attended by Cliff Finch (Governor of Mississippi) (D), Dale Danks (Mayor of Jackson) and several local dignitaries and department store officials.

The dual-level, fully-enclosed shopping hub encompassed approximately 1,250,000 leasable square feet and initially contained 101 stores and services. When fully-leased, the mall housed 149. There were four department stores. On the south was a 2-level (288,100 square foot), Jackson-based McRae's. On the east, a 2-level (176,800 square foot), Mobile-based Gayfers. A 2-level (224,100 square foot) Sears was situated on the mall's north side.

These stores opened as part of the mall-wide grand opening. A 2-level (178,000 square foot), New Orleans-based D.H. Holmes filled the west anchor spot and welcomed its first patrons on October 13, 1978.

Charter inline stores included Gryder Shoes, Zales Jewelers, Size 5-7-9 Shops, Morrow's Nut House, Kay Jewelers, Jeans West, Logos Bookstore, Card America and Danny's men's wear. The Metro Convenience Center, in the southwest section of the mall site, housed Service Merchandise and the United Artists MetroCenter Cinemas IV. This movie multiplex showed its first features on December 15, 1978.

Access to METROCENTER was provided by the Interstate 220 spur expressway, which opened to traffic between 1979 and 1981. The mall was touted as the largest shopping complex between Atlanta and Dallas for many years. However, this distinction was relinquished to Birmingham's RIVERCHASE GALLERIA, when its Macy's anchor store was dedicated in March 1987. 

METROCENTER had quickly outpositioned its nearest competitor, JACKSON MALL (1970) {3.7 miles northeast, in Jackson}. That shopping center languished until it re-opened, as the JACKSON MEDICAL MALL. A second METROCENTER rival was NORTHPARK MALL (1984) {10 miles northeast, in Ridgeland}. Encompassing 958,000 leasable square feet, it would eventually outposition METROCENTER. As a competitive measure, METROCENTER was renovated, with a food court installed in 2nd Level space. The Courtyard opened, with four vendors, on December 12, 1984. 

By the early 1990s, METROCENTER had become notorious for thefts and burglaries, with a resulting loss of sales. Business was impeded further by two new lifestyle centers. DOGWOOD FESTIVAL MARKETPLACE & PROMENADE {11 miles northeast, in Flowood} opened in 2002, with RENAISSANCE AT COLONY PARK {10.9 miles northeast, in Ridgeland} following in 2008.

Anchor rebrandings at METROCENTER had commenced in May 1989, when the Holmes store received a Dillard's nameplate. Mercantile Stores, the parent company of Gayfers, was bought by Dillard's in August 1998. Instead of setting up a "double-header" (separate men's and women's stores) operation, Dillard's closed the METROCENTER Gayfers in April 1999.

Dillard's then consolidated its Jackson locations into two stores at NORTHPARK MALL, with the METROCENTER unit being shuttered in November 2004. Burlington Coat Factory opened, in the first floor of the vacant Gayfer's, on August 31, 2007. An attempt, in 2009, to lease the second floor of the Gayfers building as Metro Marketplace (a mall within a mall) was unsuccessful. McRae's was rebranded by Charlotte-based Belk in March 2006.

METROCENTER had been given a face lift renovation in 1993. The center became a holding of Addison, Texas-based Coyote Management in August 1997. They sold the complex to a joint venture of Los Angeles-based Jackson MetroCenter Mall and MetroCenter Mall-Atlanta in 2003. The complex continued its downward spiral. Los Angeles-based Cannon Commercial, Incorporated acquired the mall proper (sans anchors) in March 2005. Belk downsized into the first level of its store space in March 2008 and closed for good on June 6, 2009.

The City of Jackson purchased the vacant Holmes-Dillard's in December 2009, with the hope of reselling the property to a redevelopment entity. By November 2010, the shopping center was ready to be foreclosed on. However, its owners avoided this action by catching up on delinquent mortgage payments. Soon after, management was entrusted to the Jackson-based Overby Company.

In April 2010, construction commenced on the initial stage of the so-called "Retro Metro" project. Spearheaded by Jackson's David Watkins, it entailed the renovation of the vacant Belk into a (60,000 square foot) Metro Office Park. This would be leased by the City of Jackson. Municipal offices moved in between February and November of 2012.

The mega mall was to become the epicenter of a 213 million dollar redevelopment enterprise. This was to include condominiums, four parking garages, a multiplex cinema, 250-room hotel and indoor water park. The existing shopping concourse was also to be rebuilt into a Bourbon Street-style shopping promenade ala Canada's WEST EDMONTON MALL.

Most of these features were to be situated along a boulevard, which would have been cut through the southeast end of the mall, just north of the Belk-Metro Office Park structure. Unfortunately, hopes for this reinvention of the shopping hub were derailed when Sears shuttered its METROCENTER store on May 7, 2012.

In 2013, the unsuccessful Metro Marketplace was reconfigured as La Plaza de MetroCenter, a Latin-themed mall within a mall. This opened on the heels of the shopping facility being placed on the open market, which took place in October 2013.

METROCENTER was sold in November 2014; the buyer being a joint venture of Jackson's Overby Company, Colby Capital (of Overland Park, Kansas) and the Walter Morris Companies (of Wichita, Kansas). An exterior renovation was proposed, but never came to fruition. 

In the meantime, new stores and restaurants opened in early 2017. These included Stamps, Big Apple Inn and Griffin's Fish House. Hinds Community College established an employment training center in the remainder of the McRae's / Belk building. The 2-level (160,000 square foot) educational facility opened in September 2018, soon after all inline mall tenants had been evicted.

Interior shopping concourses were shuttered in August 2018. The mall proper -sans anchor stores- was sold in December 2019, with the buyer being Jackson's Emily Sanders & the Seiferth Holdings, Limited Liability Company. Plans to re-open sections of the mall, such as the Food Court, were announced. 
 
An April 2020 soft opening date was postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic. A rescheduled November 2020 soft opening never materialized. The Burlington store went dark on February 18, 2022, leaving the moribund mall with no operational stores. Film maker and visual artist Curtis Nichouls bought the vacant Dillard's building in April 2024. He planned to reconfigure the structure as a film studio, visual arts school and police precinct. 

Sources:

The Jackson Free Press
The Clarion Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi)
www.shopmetrocentermall.com
www.cannonmgt.com
www.metro-marketplace.com
Hinds County, Mississippi property tax assessor website
www.jacksonmedicalmall.org
https://www.mississippifreepress.org
"Metrocenter Mall" article on Wikipedia

Sears was the mall's first operational store. The 170,000 square foot Spanish Colonial-style unit opened for business in September 1964.
Drawing from Sears, Roebuck & Company


A vintage view of Sears, with PayLess Drug on the left. The CORONADO CENTER mall, which was added to the freestanding Sears, was officially dedicated in March 1965.
Photo from Petley Studios, Incorporated


Rhodes, which was the original mall's second anchor. This store was dedicated 7 months after the official CORONADO CENTER grand opening. The interior of Rhodes' CORONADO unit was appointed with the very latest Mediterranean decor.
Photo from Western Department Stores, Incorporated 


Another vintage image shows the mall's Center Court area. Its focal point was the "Coronado's March" statue, which commemorated the Spanish conquistador's 1540-1542 expedition through -what would become- the Southwestern United States.
Photo from Petley Studios, Incorporated

The footprint of the original single-level shopping center. In March, 1965, it encompassed around 407,000 leasable square feet, housed twenty-nine stores and services, and maintained free parking for 2,000 autos. The open-air mall would eventually house thirty-two tenant spaces.

CORONADO CENTER TENANTS 1965:

SEARS (with Coffee Shop, Garden Center and freestanding Auto Center) / RHODES (with Beauty Salon) / PAYLESS DRUG (with luncheonette) / Accents By Ann / Alcon Barbers / Bank of New Mexico / Berland's Shoes / Car-lin Casuals ladies' wear / Dan's Boots & Saddles / Dan Judd's Jewelry / Dorothy Gray's for Ladies / Fashion Fabric Center / Fremont's Fine Foods / Given Brothers Shoes / Weleck's Hallmark / Hardy Shoes / Henry's Fine Men's Wear / Kurt's Camera Corral / Lynn's Apparel for Ladies / Mandell's Sportswear for Men & Women / Margo's La Mode ladies' wear / Plaza Books / Red Carpet Gifts / Richman Brothers men's wear / Sewing Nook / Sweetbriar Shops ladies' wear / The Swiss Colony / Unique Boutique for Ladies / Vip's Big Boy restaurant / Wyatt's Cafeteria / Zen's Gifts     


The mall grew exponentially during a 1975-'76 expansion. It was extended westward, with a double-decked -and fully-enclosed- wing (in light gray). New The Broadway and Goldwaters anchors joined the directory. When all construction dust settled, CORONADO CENTER spanned approximately 970,800 leasable square feet and contained 139 tenant spaces.


A CORONADO CENTER logo montage is composed of trademarks of stores that were in operation at the mall in 1977.

Our third CORONADO complex plan dates to 1997. The mall's first Macy's assumed the old The Broadway (Broadway Southwest) space in May 1996. In addition to Sears, CORONADO CENTER now features Foley's, Mervyn's and J.C. Penney. There are around 1,153,800 leasable square feet and 150 stores and services. Free parking is now provided for 5,600 autos.


Above and below are early 2000s views of the CORONADO mall's shopping concourse. Brookstone operated brick & mortar stores between 1973 and 2018. They sold an interesting array of electronic gadgets and other paraphernalia.
Photo from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties


Industrial Rideshop locations, such as the one situated on the mall's Lower Level, carry skateboarding attire and accessories.
Photo from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties


New Mexico's largest shopping mall, as it was configured in 2016. The early 2000s brought the conversion of Foley's into a new Macy's and the shuttering of Mervyn's. It re-opened as a Kohl's. Macy's in the west anchor space closed, with the building sitting vacant for 7 years. Dick's Sporting Goods and Gordmans set up shop in late 2013. 

The Cheesecake Factory opened for business in February 2016. The store increased the mall's gross leasable area to approximately 1,162,200 square feet.
Photo from https://www.brookfieldpropertiesretail.com / Brookfield Properties


Fuddruckers World's Greatest Hamburgers, on the right, welcomed first diners in July 2002. Bonefish Grill, on the left, was launched in July 2014. These restaurants were installed in the mall's old Wyatt's (later Furrs) Cafeteria space.
Photo from https://www.brookfieldpropertiesretail.com / Brookfield Properties


The Macy's mall entry has sported several department store nameplates since a Phoenix-based Goldwaters opened, in February 1976.
Photo from https://www.brookfieldpropertiesretail.com / Brookfield Properties


Likewise, the J.C. Penney at CORONADO CENTER has functioned as several different department stores since a Dallas-based Sanger-Harris set up shop, in August 1984.
Photo from https://www.brookfieldpropertiesretail.com / Brookfield Properties


We wrap up our CORONADO CENTER section with a diagram to help clarify the CORONADO mall's anchor store merchandising musical chairs. With Macy's switching places and Foley's coming, going -and then coming back again- it could get confusing!

CORONADO CENTER
Menual and Louisiana Boulevards, Northeast
Albuquerque, New Mexico

New Mexico's second mall-type shopping center was built by the Chicago-based Homart Development Company. Plans for a 7 million dollar retail complex were revealed in January 1962. Going under the provisional name of HOMART CENTER, the open-air mall was being built on 40 acres of the 160-acre Jeannedale Tract. The site was situated 4 miles northeast of Albuquerque's  Central Business District and was one half mile northwest of the WINROCK CENTER mall.

By July 1963, CORONADO CENTER had been established as the official name of the mall-to-be. Ground was broken on November 18, 1963. The complex was designed by Chicago's Loeble, Schlossman & Bennet firm and the George L. Dahl firm, of Dallas, Texas. When completed, the mall would encompass approximately 407,000 leasable square feet and eventually house thirty-two stores and services.

A 1-level (170,000 square foot) Sears became the first operational store, on September 23, 1964. A mall-wide dedication was held on March 17, 1965. The grand opening was attended by Archie Westfall (Albuquerque City Commission Chairman), Jack Hieronymus (Coronado  Center General Manager) and Miss Sharon Birkenbuel ("Miss Coronado"). Entertainment was provided by the Albuquerque Indian School Band and the Caballeros de Vargas.

Among twenty-nine charter tenants were Wyatt's Cafeteria, Hardy Shoes, PayLess Drug and an Albuquerque-based Fremont's Fine Foods. A 2-level (118,300 square foot) Tacoma-based Rhodes department store opened for business on October 1, 1965.

Shopping hubs in the vicinity of CORONADO CENTER included WINROCK CENTER (1961) {.5 mile southeast, in Albuquerque}, THE MALL (1967) {1 mile east, in Albuquerque} and -eventually- COTTONWOOD MALL (1999) {7.8 miles northwest, also in Albuquerque}.

Dale J. Bellamah, who sold Homart the land that CORONADO CENTER was built on, announced plans for a large scale development of the remaining 117-acre Jeannedale Tract in January 1971. The plot would be renamed Uptown Albuquerque. Office buildings, hotels, apartments, parking structures and a department store would be built.

By July 1973, the department store plan had been amended. A 2-anchor shopping center would be built adjacent to -and west of- the existing CORONADO CENTER. Soon after, this plan was altered again. The new shopping center would be added directly to the existing mall, in effect, doubling its square footage. As expansion plans were finalized, the ownership of CORONADO CENTER changed hands. A joint venture of the Dale Bellamah Corporation and California's Ernest W. Hahn, Incorporated became the new proprietors on December 28, 1973.

Meanwhile, environmental and neighborhood groups were opposing the CORONADO CENTER expansion. Lawsuits were filed, but had been dismissed by March 1974. By December, construction had begun. As part of the 40 million dollar addition, the existing open-air structure was fully-enclosed. A 2-level, ninety-four store, wing was attached to its west end. Thirteen new tenant spaces were created when the original section was enclosed. 

The new and improved CORONADO CENTER had been envisaged by Charles Kober Associates of Los Angeles. It was formally dedicated on February 16, 1976. Attending the grand opening were Pete V. Domenici (US Senator), Manuel Lujan (US Representative), Harry Kenney (Mayor of Albuquerque) and Ernest W. Hahn. Over seventy new stores opened for business. The expansion was anchored by a 2-level (106,000 square foot), Phoenix-based Goldwaters and 3-level (159,400 square foot), Los Angeles-based The Broadway. 

When fully leased, the mall spanned approximately 970,800 leasable square feet, housed 139 tenant spaces, and covered a total of 84 acres. Stores new to CORONADO CENTER included Hartfield's, Size 5-7-9 Shops, K-G Men's Store, Gallenkamp Shoes, Butler's Shoes, Richman Brothers, House of Fabrics, Burger King, Hot Dog on a Stick, Black Ram Leather Goods and Record Bar. 

Commonwealth Theatres built a freestanding multiplex in the mall's southern periphery. The Coronado 4 Theatres showed first features on June 15, 1977. The venue re-opened, as Coronado 6 Theatres, on December 13, 1985. It was shuttered in 2004.

Some years before, a second mall expansion had added a 2-level (135,000 square foot) Dallas-based Sanger-Harris. This store began business on August 2, 1984. CORONADO CENTER now encompassed around 1,105,800 leasable square feet, confirming its position as the largest shopping center in The Land of Enchantment.

Four of the five anchor stores at CORONADO CENTER would be rebranded, some on more than one occasion. Rhodes was promoted as a Liberty House-Rhodes in the mid 1970s and became a full-fledged Liberty House on August 8, 1977. The store morphed into a Hayward, California-based Mervyn's on October 8, 1978. The Broadway came under the Phoenix-based Broadway Southwest banner in 1980. Sanger-Harris operated as a Houston-based Foley's between April 1987 and January 1989. It became a J.C. Penney on January 31, 1990; a store snatched from WINROCK CENTER.

Goldwaters was rebranded as a Denver-based May-Daniels & Fisher (May D & F) on May 7, 1989. A 10 million dollar store remodeling got underway in August 1990. The building was gutted, expanded and rebuilt into a 154,000 square foot structure. A grand re-opening was held October 3, 1991. In April 1993, this May D & F became the mall's second Foley's location.

The July 1996 completion of COTTONWOOD MALL did not effect CORONADO CENTER. With the decline of  WINROCK CENTER in the early 2000s, the CORONADO property was repositioned as the preeminent shopping venue in ABQ. Chicago's General Growth Properties acquired the mall in July 2003.

Macy's, which was operating in the old Broadway building, initiated a going out of business sale in January 2006. Operations were moved to the Foley's structure, which was rebranded as a Macy's on September 9, 2006. The vacant Broadway had been acquired by Minnesota's Target Corporation in July 2006. For years, it was postulated that Target would raze the structure and erect a new store. However, plans were eventually announced for a new Target; this to be built on a pad adjacent to WINROCK CENTER. This store welcomed its first shoppers in March 2013.

Meanwhile, anchor alterations continued at the "CORONADO MALL." Mervyn's was shuttered in December 2008. The building was thoroughly remodeled and re-opened, as a Wisconsin-based Kohl's, on September 26, 2010.

After sitting vacant for 7 years, the Broadway building was repurposed. Omaha's Gordmans home & apparel chain opened a (52,600 square foot) upper level store on September 19, 2013. This grand opening was followed by one for a (47,700 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods, which had been installed in the building's ground level. Dick's opened for business on October 11 of the same year.

A face lift mall remodeling, the first since 1995, was conducted between February and November of 2014. The project added new lighting, paint, signage and polished porcelain flooring. Moreover, mall entrances, restrooms and the Food Court were updated. The main mall entrance was shifted eastward, with space created for a (22,900 square foot) H & M. It welcomed first shoppers on November 13, 2014. 

The Cheesecake Factory was also added to the main entrance area. The restaurant was launched on February 23, 2016. With its completion, the mall encompassed approximately 1,111,700 leasable square feet and housed 138 stores and services.

In a state of retail retrenchment, Sears downsized its store into a (78,100 square foot) operation and shuttered its Auto Center. The remainder of the space was carved into fifteen inline stores, with the largest being an (18,000 square foot) The Container Store. Sears held a grand re-opening on December 11, 2016. The Container Store was dedicated on July 8, 2017. The Gordmans chain had gone belly-up in March 2017. A Round 1 Bowling & Amusement Center opened in the space in June 2018. In a surprise move, Sears shuttered their newly-downsized CORONADO CENTER store in December 2018.

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, CORONADO CENTER became part of the Brookfield retail center portfolio.

Sources:

The Albuquerque Journal
The Albuquerque Tribune
"Albuquerque's Environmental Story, Educating For a Sustainable Community, The Built Environment - A Sense of Place Mid-Heights" / by Phyllis Taylor
www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
www.fremontsfinefoods.com
Bernalillo County, New Mexico Tax assessor website
www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties
"Foley's" article on Wikipedia
"Macy's" article on Wikipedia
Santa Fe's Devargas Center (Mall)


Santa Fe's first shopping mall was also The City Different's first fully-enclosed -and regional-sized- retail complex. 
Graphic from Nash Hancock & Company


A pre-construction rendering shows the mall-to-be's Center Court and fountain. 
Graphic from Nash Hancock & Company


Boise-based Albertsons opened their first New Mexico store at DEVARGAS CENTER MALL. The (25,000 square foot) Albertsons Food Center opened its doors in June 1973. 
Graphic from Albertsons, Incorporated


The northside shopping hub was built in three stages. Montgomery Ward came first, in October 1970. A single-level mall was dedicated in November 1973. The final charter tenant, J.C. Penney, debuted in November 1975. Fully-realized, DEVARGAS CENTER MALL covered approximately 352,500 leasable square feet, with free parking for 1,500 autos.


DEVARGAS CENTER MALL qualifies as the first regional-class, retail shopping center in Santa Fe. However, two smaller, community-class complexes opened for business in 1971. SANTA FE VILLAGE and EL CENTRO, both located in the downtown area, were -in essence- climate-controlled art galleries.
Graphic from https://www.elcentrosantafe.com


The DEVARGAS mall's Pueblo Revival and Territorial Revival architecture was reflected in its 1990s logo. Over its commercial life, the complex has operated under three names; DEVARGAS CENTER MALL, DEVARGAS MALL and DEVARGAS CENTER.
Graphic from Weingarten Realty / Mall Hall of Fame
Bismarck's Kirkwood Plaza


The first major shopping complex in North Dakota's capital city was promoted with this trademark. It reflected the unique "Y-shaped" design of the mall.
Graphic from the Wachter Corporation


A vintage aerial view of the original KIRKWOOD complex. It housed thirty-nine stores and services, with Woolworth's, Montgomery Ward and Herberger's as it anchors.
Photo from State Historical Society of North Dakota Archives

In an interior view from the early '70s, the mallway entrance of Osco Drug is on the left, with a Woolworth's nameplate visible far in the distance.
Photo from State Historical Society of North Dakota Archives


Stores in KIRKWOOD PLAZA opened for business between March 1970 and November 1971. The original mall spanned approximately 428,000 leasable square feet. Its parking area could accommodate 3,500 autos at one time.

KIRKWOOD PLAZA STORES 1971:

MONTGOMERY WARD (with Buffeteria Snack Bar and attached Auto Center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH DEPARTMENT STORE (with Harvest House Coffee Shop) / HERBERGER'S (with Budget Shops and Fabric Center) / SUPER VALU supermarket (outparcel) / 4-B's Cafeteria / ABC Kiddie Shop / Avco Finance / Bakers Shoes / Black's ladies' wear / Bresler's 33 Flavors Ice Cream / Candles & More / Carousel Snack Bar / Claire's Boutique / Cole's National Keys & Things / Corwin Churchill Appliance Center / First Federal Savings & Loan / Hatch's Cards & Gifts / Herbst ladies' wear / Jack's Boutique & Salon / Jean Nicole ladies' wear / K-G Bootery / K-G Men's Shop / Kinney Shoes / Kirkwood Barber Shop / Kirkwood Office Equipment / Kirkwood Standard Oil Service Station (outparcel) / Maurices ladies' wear / Morrey Allan's Fashion Center / Music City Records & Tapes / Osco Drug / Plaza Twin Theatres / Singer Sewing Center / So-Fro Fabrics / State Bank of Burleigh County / Vanity Shop men's wear / Vanity 4 apparel / ZipCo Postal Service / Zales Jewelers


A montage of KIRKWOOD PLAZA logos features charter stores and services. Each and every one of these stores is no longer in operation in the mall.

Herberger's expanded their KIRKWOOD store on two occasions. The original (1971) unit encompassed 50,000 square feet. In the late '70s, the store was moved westward, to allow for an extended north-south shopping concourse. The reconfigured store (seen above) was dedicated in November 1979. It now encompassed 65,000 square feet.
Drawing from G. R. Herberger's, Incorporated


A circa-1985 plan shows the reconfigured Herberger's. As this store was rebuilt, a southward mall expansion -KIRKWOOD II- was underway. The 15 million dollar project (in light gray) doubled the size of the mall, to 913,000 square feet. Thirty-two new stores opened in March 1980. Woolworth morphed into a Woolco in 1980, which closed in 1983. The space was assumed by a Dayton's department store in 1985.


Further mall modifications were done during 1993. Target was enlarged into a 95,000 square foot unit, with Herberger's being expanded to 92,600. The shopping complex, which had been renamed KIRKWOOD MALL in July 1987, now spanned approximately 958,000 leasable square feet. The parking area had spaces for 5,000 autos.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)