CUMBERLAND MALL
Cobb Parkway / US 41 and Akers Mill Road Southeast
Cobb County, Georgia
Ground was broken on May 20, 1972 for what would become Greater Atlanta's first 4-anchor shopping center. The complex was built on a 100-acre plot. This was located 11.6 miles northwest of Atlanta's Five Points, in a section of unincorporated Cobb County known as Cumberland. The site was adjacent to the northern rim of the Interstate 285 "Perimeter" ring road.
CUMBERLAND MALL was developed by Crow, Carter & Associates, a joint venture of Atlanta's Frank Carter and Ewell Pope, Dallas' Trammel Crow Company and New York City's Centennial Equities, Incorporated. The mall was designed by Atlanta's Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates, Chicago's Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Stevens & Wilkinson, of Marietta, Georgia.
The 36 million dollar complex, which was the largest enclosed shopping mall in the state, covered approximately 1,135,000 leasable square feet and housed 110 stores and services. It was a showplace in its day, featuring high-end '70s Mod decor and a stunning Center Court area. There were three fountains and a network of light-diffusing skylights. The double-decked shopping concourse was shaded by ficus and schefflera trees. Planters were filled with philodendron.
A 2-level (211,000 square foot) Sears was the first operational store. It began business on July 11, 1973, followed by a 2-level (200,000 square foot), Atlanta-based Rich's, which opened its doors on August 6th. A 2-level (160,000 square foot), Atlanta-based Davison's welcomed first shoppers on August 8th and was officially dedicated along with the mall. The final operational anchor store, a 2-level (161,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, debuted on October 31, 1973.
Charter tenants included Muse's, Baron's men's wear, Frederick's of Hollywood, B. Dalton Bookseller, Docktor Pet Center, Hess Red Barn Bootery, Allen & Bean Magnavox, Lerner Shops, Franklin Simon ladies' wear, The County Seat, a Piccadilly Cafeteria, Magic Pan Creperie and Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour & Restaurant.
One of the many interesting features at mall was Pace's Crossing. This 14-tenant mall-within-a-mall was decorated in a 19th century motif. Three boutiques were leased on a permanent basis, with the remainder being short-term in nature. Vendors included Decorator's Show House and Truffles Gourmet Cook Ware.
Major retail hubs in the CUMBERLAND MALL trade area included LENOX SQUARE (1959) {6.2 miles southeast, in Atlanta} and PERIMETER MALL (1971) {7.6 miles northeast, in Dekalb Couty}.
The CUMBERLAND MALL Davison's was rebranded as a Davison's-Macy's in February 1985 and became a full-fledged Macy's on November 17th. The shopping center was soon to experience major competition from a newer and more trendy rival. TOWN CENTER AT COBB {10.6 miles northwest, in Cobb County} was dedicated in February 1986.
As a keeping up measure, CUMBERLAND MALL was given a 4 million dollar face lift during 1989. As part of the "magic in the making" refurbishment, the quirky '70s Mod interior was redone in Post Modern decor, which included additional lighting, brass handrails and Victorian-style benches. Marble flooring covered the original brown tile and a glass-enclosed elevator and merry-go-round were installed in Center Court.
The downward spiral of CUMBERLAND MALL was exacerbated by the shuttering of its original Macy's (nee' Davison's), in April 2003. Rich's had been rebranded as a Rich's-Macy's on February 2, 2003. The store became a full-fledged Macy's on March 6, 2005. The Rich's name was retired at this time. J.C. Penney was shuttered on June 4, 2005, leaving the mall with two vacant anchor spaces.
A 65 million dollar "extreme mall makeover" was announced in April 2005. The old Davison's was demolished, with the empty Penney's building being bulldozed soon after. A portion of space previously occupied by Penney's was used for a 1-level (149,600 square foot) Costco. This store was built as a freestanding structure and was not physically connected into the mall. It opened for business on November 15, 2006.
The demolished Davison's was replaced by a (77,000 square foot) Lifestyle Plaza, similar to that that GGP had added to PERIMETER MALL in the year 2000. This new addition included P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Maggiano's Little Italy, Stoney River Legendary Steaks, The Cheesecake Factory, Ted's Montana Grill and Chico and Soma retail stores. An official grand opening was held on November 17, 2006. CUMBERLAND MALL now spanned approximately 1,106,000 leasable square feet and contained 150 stores and services under its roof.
Sources:
http://ww.ggp.com / General Growth Properties -2002 (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
"Cumberland Mall" article on Wikipedia
