Hollywood Boulevard and North Park Road
Hollywood, Florida
The first enclosed shopping mall in Florida was built in the northern environs of Fort Lauderdale. CORAL RIDGE SHOPPING PLAZA held its grand opening in October 1962. Ground was broken for a second air-conditioned shopping center in June 1963.
HOLLYWOOD MALL was constructed on a 40-acre parcel, located 1.5 miles west of downtown Hollywood. The single-level shopping hub was developed by William D. Horvitz, under the auspices of Hollywood Mall, Incorporated, and designed by Herbert H. Johnson & Associates.
The first operational store, a (22,000 square foot) Publix supermarket, opened for business on October 6, 1964. Six more stores were dedicated on October 14th; Thom McAn Shoes, Barton's Candy, Cheryl's Gifts & Cards, a (12,000 square foot) Gray Drugs, (24,500 square foot) F.W. Woolworth and 1-level (140,000 square foot) Sears.
HOLLYWOOD MALL was formally dedicated on November 23, 1964, with thirty operational stores. When completed, the complex incorporated around 310,000 leasable square feet and housed fifty-four stores.
Charter tenants included Butter Kist Bake Shop, Grazia of Hollywood Sports Wear, Lerner Shops, Mayor's Jewelers, Lani Kai Hawaiian Shops, Mister Donut and the Orange Bowl snack bar. The Altair Beauty Salon was the place in town for the latest Fedora hairstyle. The ABC Florida State Theatre on Hollywood Mall showed first features on February 9, 1965. The original twin-screen venue was reconfigured as a 3-plex in 1984, quaded in 1986, and was shuttered in 1996.
Meanwhile, the malling of Broward County had continued unabated. LAUDERHILL MALL {9.1 miles northwest of HOLLYWOOD MALL, in Lauderhill}, opened in November 1966. HOLLYWOOD FASHION CENTER {1.8 miles west} made its debut in October 1971.
In 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh was abducted at HOLLYWOOD MALL. The negative publicity resulted in a loss of business for the shopping center. Some even say that it led to the eventual demise of the mall altogether. However, others contend that HOLLYWOOD MALL was done in by all of the glitzy, super-sized shopping centers that sprang up in the region during the 1980s and '90s.
These included GALLERIA FORT LAUDERDALE (1980) {9.3 miles northeast}, AVENTURA MALL (1983) {3.9 miles southeast, in northern Dade County}, SAWGRASS MILLS (1990) {12.9 miles northwest, in Sunrise} and PEMBROKE LAKES MALL (1992) {7.8 miles west, in Pembroke Pines}.
The HOLLYWOOD MALL Sears moved to new quarters in the PEMBROKE LAKES MALL in October 1992. Soon after, HOLLYWOOD MALL was in a downward spiral. The struggling center was bought by a concern known as STS Building, Limited. A renovation was soon underway.
Sears' vacant building was demolished and a 3.5 million dollar Target constructed in its space. The 1-level (119,400 square foot) store opened for business on October 10, 1993. At the same time, the 1964-vintage Publix was replaced with a new store.
By the late 1990s, HOLLYWOOD MALL was in a second downward spiral. It was acquired by the Coconut Grove, Florida-based Swerdlow Group, who invested 12 million dollars in another renovation. The southern quarter of the mall proper was knocked down, with the remaining tenant spaces reoriented toward the exterior. Rechristened HOLLYWOOD HILLS PLAZA, the new mixed-use power center and office venue encompassed 372,000 leasable square feet. It was completed in early 2000.
The Swerdlow Group moved their corporate offices into a 25,000 square foot suite in the complex. The property was sold to Davie, Florida's Ross Realty Investments in December 2002 and, then, to Houston-based Weingarten Realty Investors, in April 2003.
Sources:
The Fort Laudardale News
The Miami Herald
http://www.hollywood.org
http://www.swerdlowgroup.com
http://www.weingarten.com
http://www.bizjournals.com
Broward County Florida Tax Assessor website
The first operational store, a (22,000 square foot) Publix supermarket, opened for business on October 6, 1964. Six more stores were dedicated on October 14th; Thom McAn Shoes, Barton's Candy, Cheryl's Gifts & Cards, a (12,000 square foot) Gray Drugs, (24,500 square foot) F.W. Woolworth and 1-level (140,000 square foot) Sears.
HOLLYWOOD MALL was formally dedicated on November 23, 1964, with thirty operational stores. When completed, the complex incorporated around 310,000 leasable square feet and housed fifty-four stores.
Charter tenants included Butter Kist Bake Shop, Grazia of Hollywood Sports Wear, Lerner Shops, Mayor's Jewelers, Lani Kai Hawaiian Shops, Mister Donut and the Orange Bowl snack bar. The Altair Beauty Salon was the place in town for the latest Fedora hairstyle. The ABC Florida State Theatre on Hollywood Mall showed first features on February 9, 1965. The original twin-screen venue was reconfigured as a 3-plex in 1984, quaded in 1986, and was shuttered in 1996.
Meanwhile, the malling of Broward County had continued unabated. LAUDERHILL MALL {9.1 miles northwest of HOLLYWOOD MALL, in Lauderhill}, opened in November 1966. HOLLYWOOD FASHION CENTER {1.8 miles west} made its debut in October 1971.
In 1981, 6-year-old Adam Walsh was abducted at HOLLYWOOD MALL. The negative publicity resulted in a loss of business for the shopping center. Some even say that it led to the eventual demise of the mall altogether. However, others contend that HOLLYWOOD MALL was done in by all of the glitzy, super-sized shopping centers that sprang up in the region during the 1980s and '90s.
These included GALLERIA FORT LAUDERDALE (1980) {9.3 miles northeast}, AVENTURA MALL (1983) {3.9 miles southeast, in northern Dade County}, SAWGRASS MILLS (1990) {12.9 miles northwest, in Sunrise} and PEMBROKE LAKES MALL (1992) {7.8 miles west, in Pembroke Pines}.
The HOLLYWOOD MALL Sears moved to new quarters in the PEMBROKE LAKES MALL in October 1992. Soon after, HOLLYWOOD MALL was in a downward spiral. The struggling center was bought by a concern known as STS Building, Limited. A renovation was soon underway.
Sears' vacant building was demolished and a 3.5 million dollar Target constructed in its space. The 1-level (119,400 square foot) store opened for business on October 10, 1993. At the same time, the 1964-vintage Publix was replaced with a new store.
By the late 1990s, HOLLYWOOD MALL was in a second downward spiral. It was acquired by the Coconut Grove, Florida-based Swerdlow Group, who invested 12 million dollars in another renovation. The southern quarter of the mall proper was knocked down, with the remaining tenant spaces reoriented toward the exterior. Rechristened HOLLYWOOD HILLS PLAZA, the new mixed-use power center and office venue encompassed 372,000 leasable square feet. It was completed in early 2000.
The Swerdlow Group moved their corporate offices into a 25,000 square foot suite in the complex. The property was sold to Davie, Florida's Ross Realty Investments in December 2002 and, then, to Houston-based Weingarten Realty Investors, in April 2003.
Sources:
The Fort Laudardale News
The Miami Herald
http://www.hollywood.org
http://www.swerdlowgroup.com
http://www.weingarten.com
http://www.bizjournals.com
Broward County Florida Tax Assessor website
