WALNUT MALL
South Crater Road / US 301 and Walnut BoulevardPetersburg, Virginia
News of a prospective Southside Virginia shopper mall had been announced by late 1963. WALNUT SQUARE would be an open-air facility, with its first phase covering approximately 160,000 leasable square feet. The mall was being developed by Norfolk's Phil S. Hamovit and Gerald L. Lavenstein, under the auspices of Alsage Properties. Norfolk's Brundage, Cohen and Holton firm designed the center.
The prospective retail hub would occupy a 16.9-acre tract, located 1.7 miles south of downtown Petersburg. Ground was broken on December 13, 1965. The original plan for an open-air complex had been altered, with a fully-enclosed shopping center now being built. With this change of plans, the name of the facility was changed to WALNUT MALL.
Its first operational tenant, a (14,800 square foot) Colonial Stores supermarket, was dedicated on July 21, 1966. Richmond-based Thalhimers inaugurated their 1-level (50,000 square foot) department store on August 23rd. At the mall's official grand opening, which began on November 11, 1966, sixteen stores and services were up and running.
WALNUT MALL was based on a 330' x 40' shopping concourse, which was lit by a series of clerestory windows. When fully-realized in late 1967, the complex encompassed approximately 300,000 leasable square feet and featured twenty-six in-mall and outparcel stores.
Charter tenants included Galeski Photo Center, Morton's Jewelers, Sandler's College Shop, a (12,000 square foot) Rucker-Rosenstock ladies' wear and (15,000 square foot) Peoples Drug. The Neighborhood Theatres Walnut Mall Theatre opened for business on February 9, 1967. The single-screen venue re-opened, as the Walnut Mall I & II, on November 14, 1974.
Meanwhile, the mall's second anchor department store, a 2-level (115,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, had welcomed first customers on October 5, 1967. Billed as "The Shopping Showplace of Southside Virginia," WALNUT MALL prospered until the completion of SOUTHPARK MALL {3.5 miles north, in Colonial Heights} in March 1989.
The shiny new SOUTHPARK immediately snatched the WALNUT MALL J.C. Penney. The older center was given a 1980s-style, Post-Modern makeover. This included the installation of new flooring and reconstruction of the Main Entrance.
After SOUTHPARK MALL opened, the WALNUT MALL Thalhimers briefly remained in business; competing with a new SOUTHPARK store. The older location was permanently shuttered in May 1991. By this time, WALNUT MALL was virtually vacant. It was closed, boarded-up and would sit, derelict and decaying, for 15 years.
The first redevelopment scenario, from 1995, advocated that the moribund mall be replaced by a new Home Depot and Kroger supermarket. This plan fell through. A second scheme proposed a new public library for the site. This never saw fruition, either.
Demolition of the mall finally commenced in August 2006. A group of buildings in the front parking area was left standing. These were incorporated into WALNUT CENTRE, an open-air strip complex that featured a (35,000 square foot) Food Lion supermarket and eleven inline stores. The new shopping venue was dedicated on May 23, 2007.
Sources:
The Progress-Index (Petersburg, Virginia)
The Richmond Times-Dispatch
http://www.labelscar.com / "Caldor"
Michael Lisicky
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.labelscar.com / "Caldor"
Michael Lisicky
http://www.cinematreasures.org
