As part of its third construction phase, an open-air mall (in gray) was added to UNIVERSITY HILLS CENTER. Stores were dedicated between September 1955 and February 1956. When fully-realized, the mall encompassed around 270,000 leasable square feet and housed thirty-four stores and services. Free parking was provided for over 2,000 autos.

UNIVERSITY HILLS CENTER TENANTS 1956:

MAY COMPANY (with Beauty Salon, Leadville Room restaurant and shoe repair shop) / HESTED'S 5 & 10 / KING SOOPERS supermaket / Allen's Barber Shop / Althea's ladies' wear / Archer's Photo Studio / Baker's Shoes / Beauty Spot Beauty Shop / Busley's supermarket / Buttons & Bows Children's Shop / Child's Pastry Shop / Colonial Dairy ice cream shop / Cottage Gift Shop / Dave Cook Sporting Goods / Fashion Bar / Gibson Fabric Center / Household Finance Corporation / Howard's Family Shoe Store / Iver's Chow Mein / Ivy Manor restaurant / Larsen's Texaco service station (outparcel) / Lou's Music Box / Manning Haberdashery / Maternity Modes / McKenzie-Thomas gift shop / Mickey's Delicatessen / Mrs. Hurd's Bakery / Mode O' Day Frock Shop / Pat's Popcorn Shop / Phelps Shoe Repair Shop / Russell Stover Candies / Sherwin-Williams Paints / The Boys' Store / Thom McAn Shoes / University Hills Bank / University Hills Cleaners / University Hills Florist / University Hills Hardware / University Hills Liquor Store / Yarbro Drug   

A UNIVERSITY HILLS logo montage is composed of trademarks of stores in business between 1951 and 1990.

 

The shopping complex was enclosed and air-conditioned in 1975 and renamed UNIVERSITY HILLS MALL. When all construction dust settled, the shopping hub housed forty-five stores and services under its new roof.

Meanwhile, a strip-type shopping complex had opened, on a site directly north of UNIVERSITY HILLS CENTER, in November 1954. UNIVERSITY HILLS PLAZA featured stores such as Gambles, Miller's Furniture, Luby's Cafeteria and Republic Drugs. The two similarly-named complexes were (and are) often confused with one another.

Photo from https://www.uhplaza.com / University Hills Plaza