A vintage aerial view shows BEL AIR MALL in its original configuration. The "dumbell plan" complex, with a department store on each end, was officially dedicated in August 1967. It was Alabama's fifth fully-enclosed shopping hub. 

Photo from Mobile Press-Register Archives

In 1969, BEL AIR MALL spans approximately 514,600 leasable square feet and houses fifty stores and services...all on a single level. A freestanding Convenience Center adjacent to Sears features a Winn-Dixie supermarket. The single-screen Cinema, on the opposite end of the mall, has just opened for business.

BEL AIR MALL in 1974. A South Wing (in gray) has just been completed. It adds over thirty stores to the mall directory, including a third anchor (J.C. Penney). With this enlargement, the 923,800 square foot complex has become the largest mall in the state. It will hold this distinction until being trumped by Birmingham's RIVERCHASE GALLERIA, in 1986.