West Flagler Street and Northwest 79th Avenue
Dade County, Florida
Greater Miami's first purpose-built enclosed shopping complex was the brainchild of Herbert Sadkin and Edward M. Strawgate. Their 7 million dollar MIDWAY MALL was designed by Donald Reiff and Mort Feldman. The complex, named for its central location in Miami's western environs, was built on a 55-acre site. This was located 7.7 miles west of the Central Business District.
The first operational store, a 1-level (105,100 square foot) Woolco discount mart, opened its doors on September 16, 1970. On October 14, a 2-level (146,700 square foot) J.B. Hunter and 2-level (136,000 square foot), Miami-based Richards commenced operation. A mall-wide dedication was held on February 3, 1971.
Among sixty-eight original stores were Pinky's Place, Universal Records, GNC, The Plum Tree gifts, Miles Shoes, Foxmoor Casuals, Docktor Pet Center, Bertram's Restaurant, National Shirt Shops, an Orange Bowl snack bar, F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and freestanding Winn-Dixie supermarket. The Holiday Theatres Midway Mall Theatre had opened for business on October 21, 1970.
The mall's primary competitors were DADELAND CENTER / MALL (1962) {5.6 miles south, in Dade County}, WESTLAND MALL (1971) {6.4 miles north, in Hialeah}, MIAMI INTERNATIONAL MALL (1982) {2.7 miles northwest, in Doral} and DOLPHIN MALL (2001) {3.4 miles northwest, in Dade County}.
MIDWAY MALL was only 4 years old when its first anchor rebranding took place. The J.B. Hunter chain was acquired by Miami-based Jefferson Stores. The MIDWAY MALL J.B. Hunter re-opened, as a Jefferson Store, in October 1974. It received a Jefferson Ward nameplate in January1980. Promoted as an "upscale discount store," the Jefferson Ward chain was to operate twenty-two locations in the Sunshine State before its demise in the mid-1980s. The shuttered MIDWAY MALL store re-opened, as a short-lived Montgomery Ward Clearance Outlet, on November 29, 1985.
By this time, Richards stores were history, all having been shuttered on January 11, 1980. Woolco closed (along with the 336-store chain) in January 1983. Its spot, on the north end of the mall, was retenanted by a Winston's Discount Fashions, which utilized two thirds of the existing floor space and opened for business in October 1983.
MIDWAY MALL had been struggling for some time. A marketing shift toward "offprice retailing" was underway by July 1983. A 4 million dollar face lift, announced in August 1983, brought landscaping, benches and terra-cotta floors. Stores new to the mall included The Home Depot and Tico Creations; both dedicated on July 18, 1985.
In December 1986, the past-its-prime property was sold to a joint venture of Miami's Sid Levy and James Schlesinger and Skokie, Illinois-based Balcor Development. The new owners announced a major renovation in early 1987, which included a second interior face lift. This added pink and mirrored surfaces, fountains and waterfalls. The first floor of the vacant Richards was divided, with a (27,000 square foot) Marshalls created. In other areas of the mall were Linens 'n Things, Oshman's Super Sport USA, Santa Cruz Furniture, Kay-Bee Toys, La Fogata Latin Grill and a (22,000 square foot) T.J. Maxx.
As a facet of the 25 million dollar renovation, the name of the complex was changed to MALL OF THE AMERICAS on June 11, 1987. Miami-Lakes-based L. Luria & Sons dedicated a new large-format superstore on October 16. The American Multi-Cinema Mall of The Americas 8 made its debut November 25, 1988.
By January 1990, it was clear that the mall's redevelopment had paid off. It was fully-leased for the first time in years. The existing 8-plex movie house was expanded in 1992. Six auditoria were added, with the complex renamed AMC Mall Of The Americas 14.
San Francisco-based RREEF Funds bought the shopping hub in October 1994. In July 2004, they sold the property to the Palm Beach-based Sterling Organization. The Winn-Dixie building, in the northwest corner of the mall site, was demolished in May 2002. A 1-level (115,300 square foot) Home Depot was built, which replaced the old Woolco building store. The new location was open for business by December 2002. The vacant Woolco was then demolished, with a new Mall Entrance built in its place.
Further demolition was done at the mall in 2015. The 14-plex cinema showed its final features December 25, 2015. Soon after, the entire north end of the mall was bulldozed. A 1-level (151,100 square foot) Costco was built, which made its debut on April 6, 2017. With its dedication, the mall proper spanned 672,500 leasable square feet and housed sixty-one store spaces.
The 35-year-old MALL OF THE AMERICAS name was retired in May 2022. From that point on, the shopping hub has been promoted as MIDWAY CROSSINGS. A cross-section of contemporary stores would include The Home Depot, Burlington, Costco, Dollar Star, Midway Mall Barber Shop and an Aldi supermarket.
Sources:
The Miami News
The Miami Herald
www.sterlingorganization.com
http://therealdeal.com
http://malloftheamericas.com
Sources:
The Miami News
The Miami Herald
www.sterlingorganization.com
http://therealdeal.com
http://malloftheamericas.com
https://midwaycrossings.com
