Photo from Ackerman & Company Retail
STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER
Stewart Avenue / US 19 and 41 and Lakewood Avenue
Atlanta, Georgia
A virtually forgotten structure on Atlanta's South Side holds the distinction of being the city -and state's- first mall-type shopping complex. Georgia's first mall started out as STEWART & LAKEWOOD CENTER, a small strip plaza developed by the Atlanta-based Adams-Cates Company.
Situated on 26 acres, the shopping hub was located 4 miles south of downtown Atlanta's Five Points, in the Sylvan Hills section of the city. The site was one block west of an interchange on the city's South Expressway. This 3.5 mile section, which extended between Dixie Highway-US 41 in Hapeville and Lakewood Avenue, opened to traffic in December 1951.
This first operational STEWART-LAKEWOOD stores opened their doors in February 1952. A Colonial Stores grocery began business on June 25th. Charter tenants included Jacobs Drug, King Hardware and an F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.
In the late 1950s, the strip center was enlarged into a mall-type complex. The addition was designed by the Atlanta-based American Building & Engineering Corporation. It was developed by Tri-City Incorporated, a joint venture of Mark and Herbert Taylor (of the American Building & Engineering Corporation) and John O. Chiles and Alvin B. Cates, Junior (of the Adams-Cates Company).
A newly-built, (22,600 square foot) Colonial Stores grocery became the first operational tenant, on December 17, 1958. A mall-wide dedication was held on February 5, 1959. New stores included an (18,300 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10, (25,000 square foot) W.T. Grant and (19,400 square foot) J.C. Penney.
Georgia's first shopping mall was heralded as "a dynamic new concept in shopping." The "mammoth and modern" facility encompassed around 230,000 leasable square feet and housed thirty-seven stores and services. Tenants included Western Auto, Rhodes Furniture, Lee's Men's Shop, Freidman's Jewelers, Economy Auto, Camera & Record Center and National Shirt Shops. Rounding out the tenant mix was an (11,500 square foot) Kroger. At the time of the mall's grand opening, there was talk of Atlanta-based Rich's building a store at STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. This never happened.
The completion of GREENBRIAR CENTER {4.6 miles east, in Atlanta}, in August 1965, was the first blow to STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. GREENBRIAR was much larger and fully-enclosed. The "dry goods only" Penney's at STEWART-LAKEWOOD relocated to a full-line store at GREENBRIAR. The STEWART-LAKEWOOD location operated as a J.C. Penney Outlet Store until 1969.
Meanwhile, a second expansion of STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER had been built on the north end. The Storey Theatres Lakewood Theatre showed a first feature on October 12, 1966. A 1-level (118,000 square foot) Woolco discount mart was dedicated on August 14, 1968. With its northern expansion completed, STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER spanned approximately 410,000 leasable square feet and housed fifty-six stores and services.
The Lakewood Freeway, a segment of the prospective Interstate 420 project, had opened to traffic in 1966. This provided improved access to the shopping facility. Unfortunately, competition from GREENBRIAR CENTER was more than the older mall could withstand. By the mid-1970s, it was in a downward spiral.
As an attempt to revive the struggling shopping hub, a face lift renovation commenced in March 1982. The exterior was redone with Spanish-style facades. An official re-dedication was held on August 26, 1983. The complex would be known, henceforth, as CROSSROADS AT STEWART-LAKEWOOD CENTER. This remodeling failed to halt the decline of the historic shopping center.
In the 21st century, the complex persevered. Some abandoned store space was demolished in 2006 and 2022. Cleared area on the west end of the site was utilized for the new Hartland Station Apartments, a 131-unit complex that opened in September 2021. With its completion, CROSSROADS CENTER became a mixed-use facility.
Sources:
The Atlanta Constitution
The Atlanta Journal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Southern Israelite (Atlanta, Georgia)
http://www.southsideatlantamemories.typepad.com
http://harriettgillham.blogspot.com
http://skycity2.blogspot.com / "JT" webmaster
https://fultonassessor.org / Fulton County Georgia
https://www.cinematreasures.org
http://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
https://whatnow.com
