Southeast Main Street and Southeast 96th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
The fourth shopping mall in -or around- PDX was built on a 41.5-acre plot. This was located 5.1 miles east of the center city, in Portland's Russellville community. A psychiatric facility, known as Morningside Hospital, had occupied the site between 1910 and 1968.
MALL 205 was named for the Interstate 205 expressway that now follows the western boundary of shopping center site. Plans for the roadway were announced in 1965, but it would not open to traffic until 1983. In the meantime, the mall was built. A groundbreaking was held on April 25, 1969.
MALL 205 was designed by Los Angeles-based Victor Gruen Associates and developed by New York City's Lenrich Associates. The single-level, fully-enclosed complex spanned approximately 430,000 leasable square feet. It was anchored by a 1-level (150,000 square foot), Los Angeles-based White Front discount mart, which opened for business on September 17, 1970. A 2-level (175,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward was dedicated on September 30 of the same year.
Original stores and services included B. Dalton Bookseller, Aladdin's Castle video arcade, Poe's Pastry Parade, Regis Hairstylists, Hi-Fashion Fabrics, Tinder Box Tobacconist, Action Alley, Kinney Shoes and the Benjamin Franklin Savings & Loan Association. An A & W Root Beer stand was an outparcel of the mall proper.
Major shopping venues in the MALL 205 trade area included LLOYD CENTER (1960) {4.3 miles northwest, in Portland), EASTPORT PLAZA (1960) {1.5 miles southwest, also in Portland} and VANCOUVER MALL (1977) {9.6 miles north, in Vancouver, Washington}.
The first anchor rebranding at MALL 205 transpired after the shuttering of White Front, in June 1974. The store space sat vacant for 3 years before it was divided into sections. New tenants included PayLess Drug and the Luxury Theaters Mall 205 Quad Cinemas. This venue showed its first features on April 15, 1977. A Eugene, Oregon-based Troutman's Emporium ("The Emporium") opened in February 1978.
A face lift remodeling was done at MALL 205 in the early 1990s. A subsequent renovation, proposed in 1996, was to add a food court and upper level multiplex cinema. This project never got past the planning stages. By the mid-1990s, the shopping hub was in a downward spiral. Torrance, California-based -based Center Oak Properties (now known as CenterCal Properties) acquired the complex in 1999 and started a renovation in May 2001.
The 32 million dollar project updated the mall's bland concrete block exterior with new entrances, glass store fronts and colorful awnings. The parking lot was resurfaced, with new sidewalks and landscaping installed. The interior concourses were also refurbished. New outparcel structures, built in the north parking area, included Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Olive Garden. Lastly, a strip center, housing Panda Express and Baja Fresh, was constructed.
All tenants in the old White Front structure had closed. The building was gutted and rebuilt as a 1-level (133,200 square foot) Home Depot. It began business in November 2001. Montgomery Ward, shuttered in March 2001, was also gutted and rebuilt. A 2-level (175,000 square foot) Target held its grand opening in July 2002.
New inline stores included Car Stereo City, Famous Footwear, Pizza Schmizza, Performance Bike a (36,900 square foot) 24 Hour Fitness and (20,300 square foot) Bed Bath & Beyond. In addition, a 9-bay Food Court was set up in the north mallway.
MALL 205 became rail-transit-accessible on September 12, 2009. The MAX (Metropolitan Area Express) inaugurated service on the 14.1 route mile, Portland State University South-to-Clackamas Town Center Green Line. Its SE Main Street station was adjacent to the shopping facility's southwest parking area.
Solana Beach, California's Gerrity Group acquired MALL 205 in August 2014. They renamed the complex MARKETPLACE 205. By late 2021, the Target store was being renovated, with its mall entrance closed off. Other stores, such as Famous Footwear and Home Depot, were now accessible only from outside. Apparently, the interior shopping concourse was being sealed off and reconfigured as inline store space.
Sources:
The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)
http://mall205.blogspot.com / "Old Mall 205 Facts & History Page"
http://www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
http://trimet.org
https://www.globest.com / Brian K. Miller
http://www.centercal.com
https://gerritygroup.com
Commercial Realty Advisors Northwest, Limited Liability Company
https://www.retailwatchers.com
"Mall 205" article on Wikipedia
