EDGEWATER PLAZA SHOPPING CITY
Beach Boulevard / US 90 and Edgewater Drive
Harrison County (Biloxi), Mississippi
Ground was broken for Mississippi's first mall-type shopping center on December 28, 1962. The complex, situated directly on the Gulf Of Mexico, was built on a 41-acre parcel. This was located 6 miles west of downtown Biloxi, in an unincorporated section of Harrison County.
EDGEWATER PLAZA SHOPPING CITY was designed by August Perez & Associates, of New Orleans. The facility was being developed by Jackson's R.E. Dumas Milner, when it was sold in January 1963. W.L. Holcomb & Associates, of Gulfport, acquired the property and completed its construction.
The single-level complex opened for business, with twelve stores and services, on September 26, 1963. Encompassing approximately 395,400 leasable square feet, the mall was the largest enclosed shopping center in the Southeast. It was anchored by a 1-level (81,400 square foot), Mobile-based Gayfer's and 1-level (31,200 square foot), New Orleans-based Godchaux's ["Gawd-showz"].
Charter inline stores included Walgreen Drug, Hobbyville, Gordon's Jewelers, Lerner Shops, Baker's Qualicraft Shoes, Kinney Shoes, a (21,600 square foot) Jitney Jungle supermarket and 2-level (74,700 square foot) J.J. Newberry 5 & 10.
EDGEWATER PLAZA was formally annexed into the City of Biloxi in September 1964. During its early years, the mall was not successful. It was sold for back taxes in September 1965, when an entity known as Anglo-American Properties became the proprietor. The complex was also sold for delinquent taxes in February 1967, when the League, Texas-based American National Insurance Company established ownership. By the late 1960s, things at the mall had turned around.
The adjacent Edgewater Gulf Hotel was razed in May 1971. Its area provided space for an eastward expansion of the mall. Construction commenced on the 200,000 square foot East Mall on October 1, 1971. A 1-level (72,800 square foot) Sears held its grand opening on August 9, 1972. Nine inline stores opened their doors on October 19, 1972.
Covering three days, the October '72 grand opening was attended by several Gulf Coast Mayors and mall officials. A ceremonial ribbon was cut. Music was provided by Mation Carpenter & His Dixieland Band, Leo Renaud & His Dixieland Band and the Keesler AFB Soul Choir. Subsequent store dedications were held on October 26th and November 1st.
East Mall stores included Thom McAn Shoes, The Ranch, Mississippi Music Incorporated, Neil's Foot Gear, Mr. Franks, Tie Bar, Mitchell Curry's Magnavox Home Entertainment Center and Jackson-based Waldoff's apparel. As part of the mall expansion, Gayfer's added a second level, with its store being enlarged to 167,000 square feet. It re-opened on July 29, 1974. Post-renovation, EDGEWATER PLAZA spanned approximately 530,000 leasable square feet and housed 100 stores and services.
A freestanding movie house, the Odgen-Perry Theatres Edgewater Plaza Cinema I & II, was built in the mall's northwest parking area. This venue showed its first features on June 7, 1973. An in-mall twin opened in the mid-1970s, which was known as the Edgewater Plaza Cinema III & IV. These theaters were in business until September 1995.
Meanwhile, J.J. Newberry had closed its doors in 1978. The store was replaced by J.C. Penney, which opened for business on January 24, 1979. By this time, the mid-century-vintage EDGEWATER PLAZA SHOPPING CITY moniker had morphed into the more up-to-date EDGEWATER MALL.
During a late 1980s renovation, the mall's interior was modernized, with its original decor being replaced with Post Modern fixtures. Gayfer's expanded (to 224,300 square feet) with a southeast addition. A subsequent mall remodeling, in 1993, replaced a shuttered Godchaux's with a 13-bay Food Court. The mall's exterior was also remodeled.
The mall proper was expanded, for a second time, later in the 1990s. A 2-level (160,000 square foot), Jackson-based McRae's was added, which opened for business on August 6, 1997. Eight inline stores, and a dual-level parking garage, were also built. Likewise, Sears had a second level constructed, for a total of 120,000 square feet.
J.C. Penney also enlarged their store into adjacent space. Originally a supermarket, the area had also housed a J.G. McCrory 5 & 10, which closed in 1996. With the store enlargement, Penney's encompassed 100,600 square feet. EDGEWATER MALL now spanned approximately 815,000 leasable square feet and housed 110 stores and services.
Gayfer's had been rebranded by Little Rock-based Dillard's in November 1998. In September 1999, Montgomery, Alabama-based Jim Wilson & Associates assumed management and leasing duties for the mall's proprietor, the American National Insurance Company.
EDGEWATER MALL took a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. In the aftermath, the entire mall was out of business. Sears became the first store to re-open, on September 28, 2005. It would be 4 months before most retailers were back in business.
Stores along the beach-facing front of the mall had been the hardest hit. What remained of the outparcel Sears Auto Center and O'Charley's restaurant were knocked down. Dillard's shut down just before the storm and was out of business indefinitely.
After 2 years spent haggling over their insurance claim, the Little Rock retailer gutted their building, demolished the front section that had been added in 1988, and built a small western expansion. The 2-level (187,000 square foot) store was re-dedicated on March 5, 2008. Meanwhile, the EDGEWATER MALL McRae's had been rebranded, as a Charlotte-based Belk, in March 2006.
Sears pulled up stakes in August 2017. The vacant building was bulldozed, with a (32,800 square foot) movie megaplex taking its place. The mall's Food Court and entrances were refurbished at the same time that the Biloxi Premiere Lux Cine & Pizza Pub was being built. The state-of-the-art 8-plex was dedicated on November 28, 2018.
Sources:
The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Mississippi)
The Biloxi Daily Herald
The Hattiesburg American (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)
https://jwacompanies.com / Jim Wilson & Associates
http://www.nreionline.com / National Real Estate Investor
http://www.movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
www.edgewatermall.com
http://www.pccmovies.com / Premiere Cinemas
"Edgewater Mall" article on Wikipedia
