Salem Avenue and Shiloh Springs Road
Montgomery County (Trotwood), Ohio
Greater Dayton's first mall-type shopping complexes were open-air in format. HILLS & DALES CENTER {in Kettering} and FOREST PARK PLAZA {in unincorporated Montgomery County} both opened for business in 1960.
SALEM MALL was the area's first fully-enclosed shopping center. It was situated on a 51-acre parcel, located 6 miles northwest of downtown Dayton. The complex, designed by Lorenz & Williams, was built by Maryland's James W. Rouse Company under the auspices of the Community Research & Development Corporation.
The mall was added to a freestanding, Dayton-based Rike's, which had opened for business on August 22, 1963. The original store encompassed 1 level and approximately 115,000 square feet. Later, a sixty-store mall was completed, which was anchored by Rike's and a 2-level (121,700 square foot) Sears.
A formal grand opening commenced on October 26, 1966, when fifty stores opened their doors. Major inline tenants were a (12,000 square foot) Donenfeld's, (12,000 square foot) Liberal supermarket and (43,000 square foot) Metropolitan. Charter inline stores included A Shop Called East, Spencer Gifts, Mayor's Jewelers, a Hot Shoppes Cafeteria and Cassano Pizza King. The Mid-States Theaters Salem Mall Cinema showed its first feature on November 23, 1966.
The mall was basically a cross shape, with four arcades converging on a tropical Center Court and water feature. In its original state, Southwestern Ohio's "complete shopping city" spanned approximately 520,000 leasable square feet.
SALEM MALL was located in an unincorporated section of Montgomery County known as Madison Township. In May 1969, the Village of Trotwood annexed it. Over the ensuing years, the City of Dayton made several unsuccessful attempts to annex the shopping center, which, at the time, was the second-largest in the region. A second Greater Dayton shopping mall was developed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. DAYTON MALL {19.5 miles south, in unincorporated Montgomery County} was officially dedicated in 1970.
A 15 million dollar renovation of SALEM MALL commenced in April 1980 and was finished in August 1981. The project added a 2-level North Wing concourse that extended from the center of the existing complex to a 2-level (167,200 square foot) J.C Penney.
This store was dedicated on August 12, 1981. Fifty-eight new inline stores opened and Rike's had been expanded to 196,500 square feet. A 9-bay Upper Gallery Food Court enticed shoppers. 3 years later, The Metropolitan was shuttered. The space was refashioned into Picnic, a 20-bay food court. Its vendors opened on February 28, 1985.
Following this 4 million dollar renovation, SALEM MALL encompassed approximately 858,000 leasable square feet and contained 124 stores and services. The mall thrived for several years after the remodeling. However, by 1994, its image was being tarnished by reports of alleged kidnappings, shootings and gangland brawls. The completion of a new competitor only exacerbated the situation. MALL AT FAIRFIELD COMMONS {12.2 miles southeast, in Beavercreek} was dedicated in October 1993.
The Rouse Company announced plans for a fourth anchor store in June 1994, but this new McAlpin's would never be built. In the meantime, Sears performed a 4 million dollar store renovation and expansion. When rededicated on November 5, 1994, the SALEM MALL Sears encompassed 139,700 square feet.
By 1997, SALEM MALL was on life support. There were twenty-one vacant tenant spaces. To add insult to injury, J.C. Penney closed for good on December 27, 1997. Lazarus went dark in January 1998. The Rouse Company defaulted on their mall loan in May. The lender, the Philadelphia-based CIGNA Corporation, assumed ownership of the struggling shopping center under the auspices of CIGNA Investments, a retail-based subsidiary. Iowa's General Growth Management, Incorporated was hired to manage the property.
The mall's decline gained momentum. By late 2000, the lower level of the north concourse -and the west concourse- had been closed off. This left fifty stores in the upper level of the north concourse -and stores in the east concourse- still in business. A California-based consulting firm recommended that the moribund mall be redeveloped as an open-air power center. The vacant Lazarus was sold to Atlanta's Home Depot chain in September 2000. The abandoned Lazarus was demolished. A 1-level (134,000 square foot) Home Depot, built as a "shadow anchor," opened on April 28, 2001.
Meanwhile, the New York City-based R.E. Management Company acquired the mall in December 2000. A name change, rebranding SALEM MALL as RENAISSANCE PLAZA, was proposed in March 2001, but never carried out. A face lift refurbishment was also proposed. This project was eventually abandoned. By April 2002, the complex contained just twenty-two operational stores.
SALEM MALL changed hands in October 2004, when the City of Trotwood purchased the property. Another name change -to NEW TOWN CENTER- was proposed and eventually abandoned. The past-its-prime property was shuttered in November 2004, with demolition commencing in May 2005.
Sears was all that remained. It, and Home Depot, were to be incorporated into THE LANDMARK, an open-air, lifestyle center. This would include shoppes, a 14-screen multiplex, offices, housing units, a public library, higher education branch campus and new city hall for Trotwood. THE LANDMARK was originally scheduled for completion in 2008. However, budget problems with the City of Trotwood, and The Great Recession, delayed the start of construction.
A financial scandal related to the LANDMARK deal caused the resignation of Mayor Darreyl Davis (of Trotwood) in February 2010. By 2011, a new prospectus for a TECH CONNECTION BUSINESS PARK had been drawn up. Unfortunately, this plan would also be abandoned. In January 2014, Sears shuttered their 47-year-old store.
Sources:
The Dayton Daily News
The Journal Herald (Dayton, Ohio)
http://departmentstoremuseum.blogspot.com
http://www.therousecompany.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.trotwood.org
http://www.urbanohio.com
www.cinematreasures.org
www.cinematour.com
The Dayton Daily News
The Journal Herald (Dayton, Ohio)
http://departmentstoremuseum.blogspot.com
http://www.therousecompany.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.trotwood.org
http://www.urbanohio.com
www.cinematreasures.org
www.cinematour.com