Facts and Figures About America's Mid-20th Century Shopping Malls.
THE LARGEST:
*In 2024, the largest shopping mall in the United States is the 2,942,000 leasable square foot MALL OF AMERICA, in Bloomington, MN. In total floor area, the complex encompasses 5,400,000 square feet.
*The largest suburban shopping mall anchor store ever built was the J.L. Hudson at Greater Detroit's NORTHLAND CENTER. The original 4-level store, which opened in March 1954, encompassed 486,200 square feet. It was enlarged to 5-levels (and 536,000 square feet) in 1960. Hudson's was rebranded by Marshall Field's in August 2001 and Macy's in September 2006. Macy's shuttered the location in 2015.
LARGEST MALLS LISTS:
The first two lists were compiled using Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965 (Richard Longstreth) as a source. The information included therein was culled from local newspapers, Womens Wear Daily and The Directory of Shopping Centers in the United States and Canada, 5th Edition (1962). The last three lists were put together myself, using info provided by various shopping mall real estate investment trusts and other sources.
IN 1956:
1. OLD ORCHARD CENTER [1,079,000 leasable square feet], Skokie, IL
2. NORTHLAND CENTER [1,040,200 leasable square feet], Oakland County, MI
3. ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER [902,900 leasable square feet], Nassua County, NY
4. SOUTHDALE CENTER [810,000 leasable square feet], Edina, MN
5. GULFGATE SHOPPING CITY [800,000 leasable square feet], Houston, TX
MID-ISLAND PLAZA [800,000 leasable square feet], Nassau County, NY
IN 1960:
1. GARDEN STATE PLAZA [1,340,000 leasable square feet], Paramus, NJ
2. LLOYD CENTER [1,200,000 leasable square feet], Portland, OR
3. NORTHLAND CENTER [1,158,500 leasable square feet], Southfield, MI
LARGEST MALLS LISTS:
The first two lists were compiled using Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965 (Richard Longstreth) as a source. The information included therein was culled from local newspapers, Womens Wear Daily and The Directory of Shopping Centers in the United States and Canada, 5th Edition (1962). The last three lists were put together myself, using info provided by various shopping mall real estate investment trusts and other sources.
IN 1956:
1. OLD ORCHARD CENTER [1,079,000 leasable square feet], Skokie, IL
2. NORTHLAND CENTER [1,040,200 leasable square feet], Oakland County, MI
3. ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER [902,900 leasable square feet], Nassua County, NY
4. SOUTHDALE CENTER [810,000 leasable square feet], Edina, MN
5. GULFGATE SHOPPING CITY [800,000 leasable square feet], Houston, TX
MID-ISLAND PLAZA [800,000 leasable square feet], Nassau County, NY
IN 1960:
1. GARDEN STATE PLAZA [1,340,000 leasable square feet], Paramus, NJ
2. LLOYD CENTER [1,200,000 leasable square feet], Portland, OR
3. NORTHLAND CENTER [1,158,500 leasable square feet], Southfield, MI
4. OLD ORCHARD CENTER [1,142,000 leasable square feet], Skokie, IL
5. NORTHSHORE CENTER [1,100,000 leasable square feet], Peabody, MA
6. WHEATON PLAZA [1,099,000 leasable square feet], Montgomery County, MD
IN 1968:
1. ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL [1,485,000 leasable square feet], Nassau County, NY
2. NORTHWEST PLAZA [1,474,500 leasable square feet], St. Ann and Bridgeton, MO
3. CINDERELLA CITY MALL [1,350,000 leasable square feet], Englewood, CO
4. GARDEN STATE PLAZA [1,340,000 leasable square feet], Paramus, NJ
*America's first shopping mall with 2 levels of retail was Framingham, Massachusetts' SHOPPERS' WORLD (1951-1994).
*The first regional-class, fully-enclosed, 2-level shopping mall was Edina, Minnesota's SOUTHDALE CENTER. Its grand opening was held in October 1956.
*The earliest 2-anchor shopping malls in the nation were WESTGATE CENTER, Fairview Park, Ohio (bi-anchored in April 1954); PARK FOREST COMMERCIAL CENTER-PARK FOREST PLAZA, Park Forest, Illinois (bi-anchored in March 1955) and CROSS COUNTY CENTER, Yonkers, New York (bi-anchored in September 1955).
*The earliest 3-anchor shopping mall was Mount Prospect, Illinois' RANDHURST CENTER, which was dedicated in August 1962.
*With the completion of its J.C. Penney department store in August 1966, St. Ann and Bridgeton, Missouri's NORTHWEST PLAZA became the nation's first 4-anchor shopping mall.
*Phoenix, Arizona's METROCENTER was the first 5-anchor shopping mall in the United States. The complex opened for business in October 1973.
SHOPPING CENTER CINEMAS:
*The Northgate Theatre, America's first shopping mall movie house, was dedicated on September 28, 1951, at Greater Seattle's NORTHGATE CENTER.
*Cinema I & II, at Peabody, Massachusetts' NORTHSHORE CENTER, was America's first mall multiplex. It was built as an outparcel of the existing shopping center and showed first features on May 29, 1963.
IN 1968:
1. ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL [1,485,000 leasable square feet], Nassau County, NY
2. NORTHWEST PLAZA [1,474,500 leasable square feet], St. Ann and Bridgeton, MO
3. CINDERELLA CITY MALL [1,350,000 leasable square feet], Englewood, CO
4. GARDEN STATE PLAZA [1,340,000 leasable square feet], Paramus, NJ
5. SOUTHCENTER [1,339,200 leasable square feet], Tukwila, WA
IN 1973:
1. ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL [2,000,000 leasable square feet], Nassau County, NY
2. WOODFIELD MALL [1,787,700 leasable square feet], Schaumburg, IL
3. NORTHWEST PLAZA [1,474,500 leasable square feet], St. Ann and Bridgeton, MO
4. METROCENTER MALL [1,391,000 leasable square feet], Phoenix, AZ
5. CINDERELLA CITY MALL [1,350,000 leasable square feet], Englewood, CO
IN 2024:
1. MALL OF AMERICA [2,942,000 leasable square feet / 5,400,000 square feet of floor area], Bloomington, MN
2. AMERICAN DREAM [2,900,00 leasable square feet / 4,800,000 square feet of floor area], Bergen County, NJ
IN 1973:
1. ROOSEVELT FIELD MALL [2,000,000 leasable square feet], Nassau County, NY
2. WOODFIELD MALL [1,787,700 leasable square feet], Schaumburg, IL
3. NORTHWEST PLAZA [1,474,500 leasable square feet], St. Ann and Bridgeton, MO
4. METROCENTER MALL [1,391,000 leasable square feet], Phoenix, AZ
5. CINDERELLA CITY MALL [1,350,000 leasable square feet], Englewood, CO
IN 2024:
1. MALL OF AMERICA [2,942,000 leasable square feet / 5,400,000 square feet of floor area], Bloomington, MN
2. AMERICAN DREAM [2,900,00 leasable square feet / 4,800,000 square feet of floor area], Bergen County, NJ
3. KING OF PRUSSIA [2,902,000 leasable square feet], Montgomery County, PA
4. AVENTURA MALL [2,723,000 leasable square feet], Aventura, FL
5. DEL AMO FASHION CENTER [2,608,000 leasable square feet], Torrance, CA
First & Foremost
MALLS IN GENERAL:
*Seattle's NORTHGATE CENTER (1950-2019) is widely considered to be the first suburban-style shopping mall in the nation. It was the first with a pedestrian concourse flanked by stores and the first to be anchored by a large department store branch (Seattle's The Bon Marche).
*In the 1950s, and '60s, it was typical for a mall-type shopping hub to be promoted as a "Center," "Square," "Plaza," "Shopping City" or "Shopping Park". The first shopping complex in the United States to be officially promoted as a mall was Los Angeles County's WHITTIER DOWNS MALL, which opened in August 1955. The nation's first major retail hub to be officially promoted as a mall was Paramus, New Jersey's BERGEN MALL. This facility opened in November 1957.
5. DEL AMO FASHION CENTER [2,608,000 leasable square feet], Torrance, CA
First & Foremost
MALLS IN GENERAL:
*Seattle's NORTHGATE CENTER (1950-2019) is widely considered to be the first suburban-style shopping mall in the nation. It was the first with a pedestrian concourse flanked by stores and the first to be anchored by a large department store branch (Seattle's The Bon Marche).
*In the 1950s, and '60s, it was typical for a mall-type shopping hub to be promoted as a "Center," "Square," "Plaza," "Shopping City" or "Shopping Park". The first shopping complex in the United States to be officially promoted as a mall was Los Angeles County's WHITTIER DOWNS MALL, which opened in August 1955. The nation's first major retail hub to be officially promoted as a mall was Paramus, New Jersey's BERGEN MALL. This facility opened in November 1957.
*America's first shopping mall with 2 levels of retail was Framingham, Massachusetts' SHOPPERS' WORLD (1951-1994).
*The first regional-class, fully-enclosed, 2-level shopping mall was Edina, Minnesota's SOUTHDALE CENTER. Its grand opening was held in October 1956.
*The earliest 2-anchor shopping malls in the nation were WESTGATE CENTER, Fairview Park, Ohio (bi-anchored in April 1954); PARK FOREST COMMERCIAL CENTER-PARK FOREST PLAZA, Park Forest, Illinois (bi-anchored in March 1955) and CROSS COUNTY CENTER, Yonkers, New York (bi-anchored in September 1955).
*The earliest 3-anchor shopping mall was Mount Prospect, Illinois' RANDHURST CENTER, which was dedicated in August 1962.
*With the completion of its J.C. Penney department store in August 1966, St. Ann and Bridgeton, Missouri's NORTHWEST PLAZA became the nation's first 4-anchor shopping mall.
*Phoenix, Arizona's METROCENTER was the first 5-anchor shopping mall in the United States. The complex opened for business in October 1973.
SHOPPING CENTER CINEMAS:
*The Northgate Theatre, America's first shopping mall movie house, was dedicated on September 28, 1951, at Greater Seattle's NORTHGATE CENTER.
*Cinema I & II, at Peabody, Massachusetts' NORTHSHORE CENTER, was America's first mall multiplex. It was built as an outparcel of the existing shopping center and showed first features on May 29, 1963.
*The Parkway 1 & 2, the first dual cinema physically inside a shopping mall, was dedicated -at Kansas City, Missouri's WARD PARKWAY CENTER- on July 12, 1963.
*The AMC SixWest, the nation's first shopping mall six-plex, opened for business on January 22, 1969. The venue was located in Omaha's WESTROADS MALL.
MISCELLANEOUS MALL FACTS:
*The earliest shopping center parking garage in the USA was dedicated at Kansas City, Missouri's COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA in April 1923. PARKINGTON CENTER, in Arlington, Virginia, was the first retail complex in the nation to be built around a parking garage. Its original stores opened between November 1951 and August 1952.
*The shopping mall food court -as we came to know it- was developed over several years. Early prototypes existed as far back as the mid-1960s, at California's SUNVALLEY CENTER and Greater Philadelphia's PLYMOUTH MEETING MALL. The culinary complex that defined the term "food court" was Pic-Nic In The Park. It opened, in New Jersey's PARAMUS PARK, in March 1974.
*The AMC SixWest, the nation's first shopping mall six-plex, opened for business on January 22, 1969. The venue was located in Omaha's WESTROADS MALL.
MISCELLANEOUS MALL FACTS:
*The earliest shopping center parking garage in the USA was dedicated at Kansas City, Missouri's COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA in April 1923. PARKINGTON CENTER, in Arlington, Virginia, was the first retail complex in the nation to be built around a parking garage. Its original stores opened between November 1951 and August 1952.
*The shopping mall food court -as we came to know it- was developed over several years. Early prototypes existed as far back as the mid-1960s, at California's SUNVALLEY CENTER and Greater Philadelphia's PLYMOUTH MEETING MALL. The culinary complex that defined the term "food court" was Pic-Nic In The Park. It opened, in New Jersey's PARAMUS PARK, in March 1974.
