SOUTHGLENN MALL
South University and East Arapahoe Boulevards
Arapahoe County (Centennial), Colorado
The thirteenth shopping mall in Greater Denver was developed by Jordan Perlmutter, under the auspices of the Perl-Mack Companies. After getting the gargantuan Northglenn housing plat, in Adams County, underway, Perl-Mack set their sights on Denver's southeastern hinterlands in 1961. A 1,600-home plat was begun, which was promoted as Southglenn.
In September 1972, plans for SOUTHGLENN MALL were made public. The fully-enclosed facility would serve as the de facto downtown of the 650-acre subdivision. By April 1973, construction was underway at a 77-acre plot. This was located 18.8 miles southeast of the Colorado State House, in unincorporated Arapahoe County. The mall-to-be was designed by Denver's Warren A. Flickinger & Associates and the Ladd-Lelsey firm, of Los Angeles..
One of the first operational stores, a 1-level (150,000 square foot) Sears, began business on August 2, 1974. The 40 million dollar SOUTHGLENN was officially dedicated on August 15, 1974. Two anchor stores opened their doors; a 2-level (123,000 square foot) Denver Dry Goods ("The Denver") and 1-level (160,000 square foot), Denver-based May D & F.
Grand opening festivities commenced with a performance by the Blue
Knights Drum & Bugle Corps. Speeches were given by C. Dale Flowers
(mall manager) and Jordan Perlmutter (mall developer). There was an
invocation by Rabbi Manual Laderman and then a double ribbon cutting. Attending
the mall dedication were Mrs. Marie Salman (manager of the Southglenn
Denver Dry Goods), Don E. Jansen (manager of Sears' Denver district) and
Ronald Ruskin (chief executive officer of May D & F).
At the center of the Southglenn May D & F was a 20-foot-high rotunda with an antique stained glass dome. Floors were covered in ceramic tile, parquet and carpet. The Forecast Shop and designer collections areas were done in shades of silver, gray and pewter. The men's department featured leather & suede wall paneling.
In its original state, the 700,000 square foot complex housed eighty-nine store spaces. The mall consisted of a 2-level middle section, with single-level wings extending toward the north and south. Charter tenants included Fashion Bar, Tie Bar, Dave Cook Sporting Goods, Walgreen Drug, Perkins-Shearer apparel, Edison Brothers and Neusteters II. The General Cinema Corporation Southglenn Cinema I-II-III was built as a northwestern outparcel of the mall. The theater opened for business on December 18, 1974.
For its first 9 years, SOUTHGLENN was the only major retail facility in its trade area. SOUTHWEST PLAZA {6.9 miles northwest, in Jefferson County} was completed in February 1983. This complex was also developed by Perl-Mack.
The first anchor rebranding at SOUTHGLENN transpired after "The Denver" was shuttered, on April 30, 1987. The store re-opened as a J.C. Penney. A mall-wide interior face lift was done in 1987-1988. During this project, the Colorado Health Department found asbestos in the ceiling of the South Wing. The mall was closed as an abatement was completed.
A local referendum was held in September of the year 2000. Area citizens voted to form a city, which would be known as Centennial. The name was a homage to Colorado, the "Centennial State," which had been admitted into the Union in 1876, the centennial year of the Declaration of Independence. The new City of Centennial took in SOUTHGLENN MALL and its environs.
A small-scale renovation was done in 2001. Unfortunately, the SOUTHGLENN property was in a downward spiral. Penney's closed its Home Store in June 2002. In September 2005, a redevelopment scenario was announced by a joint venture of Greenwood Village, Colorado-based Alberta Development Partners and Chicago-based Walton Street Capital.
The mall was to be torn down. Its Foley's and Sears would be spared and worked into a mixed-use lifestyle center known as THE STREETS AT SOUTHGLENN. A commemoration of SOUTHGLENN MALL, and its service to the community, was held on February 28, 2006. The mall and its Dillard's then closed for good.
Bulldozing began in June 2006. Foley's remained in business and was rebranded as a Macy's on September 9th. Sears also kept its doors open through the massive redevelopment that was to take place over the next 3 years.
The first new store, a (31,000 square foot) Best Buy, held its grand opening on July 17, 2008. A (58,000 square foot) Whole Foods Market began business om June 15, 2009. THE STREETS AT SOUTHGLENN was officially dedicated on August 28, 2009. Stores and services opening for business on this day included Dick's Sporting Goods, Staples, Macy's Furniture Gallery, Chrysalis Eco Boutique, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Mattress King and Fire Bowl Cafe.
One of the final tenants to commence operation was the Hollywood Cinemas SouthGlenn Stadium 14, which showed first features on November 20, 2009. The remainder of the complex was completed during 2011. It now housed 916,600 leasable square square feet of retail, 140,000 square feet of office space and 202 "luxury apartment homes."
Sources:
The Denver Post
http://www.shopsouthglenn.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
"Southglenn Mall" and "Centennial, Colorado" articles on Wikipedia
