South Dixie Highway / US 1 and Caribbean Boulevard
Dade County (Cutler Bay), Florida
Greater Miami's eighth regional-class shopping mall had humble beginnings as an open-air strip plaza of thirty-two stores and services. Built by Miami's Joshua J. Segal and David Blumberg, under the auspices of Cutler Ridge Regional Shopping Center, Incorporated, the complex was designed by the Gamble, Pownall & Gilroy firm of Fort Lauderdale.
Named for the Cutler Bay limestone ridge it sat upon, the original 230,000 square foot retail facility was a single-level structure. It occupied the western edge of an 80-acre parcel, located 17 miles southwest of Miami's Central Business District. The site was in an unincorporated section of Dade County known as Cutler Ridge.
The first stores opened their doors in December 1959, with the official dedication being held on February 3, 1960. The grand opening was typical of those held in America's mid-century years. It was a festive, 4-day-long event, complete with glamour girl models, pony rides, band music, parading elephants and shows featuring the wild animals of Borneo.
Charter stores included Western Auto, Liggett Rexall, Weinkles Liquors, Cutler Ridge Bowling Lanes, a Food Fair supermarket, W.T. Grant variety store and Neisner's 5 & 10. Anchoring the complex was a 2-level (60,000 square foot), Miami-based Richards, that was dedicated October 13, 1960. The Richards chain was a division of Philadelphia-based City Stores. With the completion of the CUTLER RIDGE REGIONAL CENTER store, there were four Dade County locations; Downtown Miami, 163rd STREET CENTER, LINCOLN ROAD MALL {Miami Beach} and CUTLER RIDGE.
The General Cinema Corporation Cutler Ridge Cinema showed its first feature April 4, 1963. The single-screen venue was twinned in 1975, quaded in 1983 and shuttered in 1991.
The primary rivals of CUTLER RIDGE REGIONAL CENTER were DADELAND CENTER (1962) {8.3 miles northeast, in Dade County} and THE FALLS (1979) {4.9 miles northeast, also in Dade County}.
CUTLER RIDGE REGIONAL CENTER was expanded with a 2-level (180,000 square foot) Sears. This store, built as a freestanding structure on a pad southwest of the shopping hub, held its grand opening on April 11, 1972. By this time, the Food Fair, at the north end of the center, had been rebranded as a Pantry Pride.
In 1977, the shopping center's original developer entered into a joint venture with Youngstown, Ohio's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. A two-phase redevelopment was envisaged. Phase I entailed the construction of a 191,400 square foot fully-enclosed mall. Built in space between the existing Richards and Sears stores, it was officially dedicated on July 20, 1978. A ceremonial ribbon was cut with a pair of diamond-studded, gold scissors.
Charter enclosed mall tenants included Morrison's Cafeteria, Casual Corner, Gordon's Jewelers, Spencer Gifts, The Athlete's Foot, Golden Greek Restaurant and an Orange Bowl snack bar. With completion of this project, the official name of the complex was changed to CUTLER RIDGE MALL.
Phase II added a Southeast Wing. This structure, officially dedicated on August 8, 1981, was eventually anchored by three department stores; a 2-level (146,000 square foot), Miami-based Jordan Marsh of Florida, 1-level (93,000 square foot) Lord & Taylor and 2-level (133,500 square foot) J.C. Penney.
Jordan Marsh became the first new anchor to open, on August 8, 1981. Lord & Taylor debuted on February 1, 1982, with J.C. Penney's dedication taking place on November 2, 1983. During the reconfiguration of the shopping center, its first anchor rebranding had transpired.
Phase II added a Southeast Wing. This structure, officially dedicated on August 8, 1981, was eventually anchored by three department stores; a 2-level (146,000 square foot), Miami-based Jordan Marsh of Florida, 1-level (93,000 square foot) Lord & Taylor and 2-level (133,500 square foot) J.C. Penney.
Jordan Marsh became the first new anchor to open, on August 8, 1981. Lord & Taylor debuted on February 1, 1982, with J.C. Penney's dedication taking place on November 2, 1983. During the reconfiguration of the shopping center, its first anchor rebranding had transpired.
Richards closed, along with the entire chain, January 11, 1980. Miami-based Burdines set up shop in the vacant CUTLER RIDGE store on October 8, 1980. Pantry Pride closed in August 1984 and was replaced by PharMor Drug. Miami Lakes-based L. Luria & Son (a Service Merchandise-like catalog showroom) opened at CUTLER RIDGE MALL in mid-1986.
A second phase of anchor rebrandings commenced with the closing of Lord & Taylor, in December 1990. The store re-opened, as a Hayward, California-based Mervyn's, on July 11, 1991. Jordan Marsh, an operative of Allied Stores, was merged with Cincinnati-based Federated Stores in 1988. Miami-based Burdines was also a division of Federated Stores. It assumed operation of the Jordan Marsh Florida division. The CUTLER RIDGE Jordan Marsh was shuttered on September 30, 1991. Burdines moved from its original spot (in the old Richards) into the vacant Jordan Marsh.
On August 24, 1992, South Florida was decimated by Hurricane Andrew. CUTLER RIDGE MALL, situated only 7 miles north of the storm's epicenter, was battered by 150 mph winds and torrential rain. When the weather cleared, three feet of water stood in Center Court, the roof was smashed and J.C. Penney had been reduced to rubble.
The DeBartolo Corporation made it clear that the hurricane-ravaged retail center would be rebuilt. A 50 million dollar rehabilitation began with the demolition of what remained of J.C. Penney. The original strip center, on the north end of the mall, was also demolished.
Reconstructed shopping concourses were landscaped with towering palms, the 10-bay Treats Food Court installed and the 1981 section of the mall -which had incurred the most damage- was totally rebuilt. CUTLER RIDGE MALL was re-dedicated on March 24, 1994. Seventy-eight stores -out of an eventual total of 120- opened their doors.
On August 24, 1992, South Florida was decimated by Hurricane Andrew. CUTLER RIDGE MALL, situated only 7 miles north of the storm's epicenter, was battered by 150 mph winds and torrential rain. When the weather cleared, three feet of water stood in Center Court, the roof was smashed and J.C. Penney had been reduced to rubble.
The DeBartolo Corporation made it clear that the hurricane-ravaged retail center would be rebuilt. A 50 million dollar rehabilitation began with the demolition of what remained of J.C. Penney. The original strip center, on the north end of the mall, was also demolished.
Reconstructed shopping concourses were landscaped with towering palms, the 10-bay Treats Food Court installed and the 1981 section of the mall -which had incurred the most damage- was totally rebuilt. CUTLER RIDGE MALL was re-dedicated on March 24, 1994. Seventy-eight stores -out of an eventual total of 120- opened their doors.
A 1-level (81,200 square foot) J.C. Penney opened on July 2, 1994. This store was joined by a freestanding (120,300 square foot) Big Kmart, which welcomed its first shoppers on November 17 of the same year A third wave of anchor rebrandings transpired in early 1997, following the closing of Mervyn's. Dillard's opened a store in the vacant space on October 14, 1997. It was shuttered in February 2002.
CUTLER RIDGE MALL never truly recovered from its hurricane hit. With the Simon Property Group-DeBartolo Corporation merger of 1996, it became a Simon DeBartolo holding. Simon eventually defaulted on their mall loan. The lender, the West Palm Beach-based Ocwen Federal Bank, assumed ownership of the property.
In an attempt to reposition the struggling shopping center, a name change -to SOUTHLAND MALL- was instituted in November 2003. This was accompanied by a 3 million dollar interior face lift. The refurbishment added new stone columns and graceful archways. Courts and concourses were redecorated in a tropical island motif, with new lighting, a children's play area and water feature installed. With this renovation, SOUTHLAND MALL enveloped approximately 986,800 leasable square feet and contained over 100 stores and services.
Talisman Companies, of Coral Ridge, Florida, acquired the complex in 2004. It was sold, again, in January 2007; the buyer being New York City-based Investcorp. Fort Lauderdale-based Grumberg Asset Management was enlisted to lease and operate the shopping center.
Burdines was rebranded as Burdines-Macy's on January 30, 2004 and as a full-fledged Macy's on March 6, 2005. SOUTHLAND MALL, originally within unincorporated Dade County, was enveloped by the newly-created city of Cutler Bay in November 2005. An abandoned Lord & Talor-Mervyn's-Dillard's store was knocked down in February 2005. The Regal Southland Mall Stadium 16 was built in its place. This megaplex debuted on March 30, 2007.
Meanwhile, new T.J. Maxx, Old Navy and DSW stores had opened in the fall of 2006. Bally's Total Fitness began business in the summer of 2008 and morphed into an LA Fitness in December 2011. The freestanding Big Kmart was shuttered on October 1, 2017. Sears, a mall anchor for over 47 years, went dark on February 14, 2020.
News of a mall redevelopment surfaced in September 2022. A joint venture of South Florida's Electra America, American Landmark and BH Group had acquired SOUTHLAND MALL in May 2022. They advocated the creation of a transit-friendly, mixed-use complex known as SOUTHPLACE CITY CENTER.
This facility would incorporate 500,000 square feet of retail, 60,000 square feet of medical office space, 4,400 upscale apartment units and various culinary, entertainment and leisure-type amenities. The estimated cost of mall refurbishment and new construction was estimated at 1 billion dollars. Groundbreaking on the first residential building is planned to take place in mid-2023, with project completion scheduled for 2030.
Sources:
The Miami News
The Miami Herald
The Miami News
The Miami Herald
City Stores Annual Reports 1959 and 1960
preservenet.cornell.edu/publications/Longstreth Branch Store.doc
www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.filmjournal.com
www.mysouthlandmall.com
preservenet.cornell.edu/publications/Longstreth Branch Store.doc
www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.filmjournal.com
www.mysouthlandmall.com
https://communitynewspapers.com
https://www.cutlerbay-fl.gov
https://www.thenextmiami.com
