North Monroe Street / US 27 and West Tharpe Street
Tallahassee, Florida
The first shopping mall in Florida's Panhandle region was developed by Lakeland-based Publix Supermarkets, Incorporated and built on a 34.1-acre plot, that was once a Native American burial ground. The site was located 1.8 miles northwest of the Florida State House and was entirely within the city limits of Tallahassee.
Publix had purchased the site in 1967, with the intention of building a supermarket-anchored strip center. Plans were already underway for the regional-class TALLAHASSEE MALL, which was to be primarily leased to major, national chain stores.
Tallahassee merchants, concerned that such big name tenants could put them out of business, came up with a preemptive plan. They went to Publix officials and implored them to develop the Publix strip center as an enclosed mall; this to be leased to local stores. Publix accepted this idea and altered the design of their prospective shopping center.
Ground was broken for the LEON MALL project in August 1968. Concerned about the possible confusion stemming from, yet, another Leon-named facility in the area, the developers changed the name of the complex to NORTHWOOD MALL in February 1969.
A (45,000 square foot) Publix "Showcase Store" opened for business, at the mall site, on May 27, 1969. The shopping complex was officially dedicated, with thirty-four stores and services, on September 30, 1969. There were spaces for forty-nine tenants.
NORTHWOOD MALL spanned approximately 544,200 square feet on 2 levels. The shopping venue was predominantly an enclosed structure, with stores in a South Wing having only exterior entrances. The mall was anchored by a 1-level (67,500 square foot), Miami-based J. Byron, on its north end, and aforementioned Publix grocery, on the south.
Charter inline stores included Gilberg's Fabrics, Little Folks Store toys, Turner's apparel, Mendelson's junior department store, Eckerd Drugs and an Ocala-based Rheinauers specialty store.
The Kent Theatres Mall Theatre was located on the lower level of the mall. The first feature at the single-screen venue was shown on November 26, 1969. Between the years 1974 and 1984, the mall housed the renowned Silver Slipper Steakhouse, a popular hangout for Sunshine State lobbyists and politicians.
Publix Supermarkets was, first and foremost, an operator of grocery stores. The company had no expertise in the management of shopping malls. As a result, NORTHWOOD MALL suffered. There was no established criteria for tenants. Stores had varying hours of operation, with some closing as early as 5 pm and others not being open on Sundays. There was also no set standard for store graphics and signage.
The glory days for NORTHWOOD MALL were short. TALLAHASSEE MALL {.4 miles northwest, in Tallahassee} opened in August 1971. The impact of TALLAHASSEE MALL was magnified by an even larger shopping center. GOVERNOR'S SQUARE {2.5 miles southeast of NORTHWOOD, also in Tallahassee} was dedicated in August 1979.
Soon, the NORTHWOOD and TALLAHASSEE malls were both in decline. TALLAHASSEE MALL lingered on as a retail center and was redeveloped, as CENTRE OF TALLAHASSEE, in the 2010s. NORTHWOOD followed a different trajectory.
By the early 1980s, a wave of store closings had crippled the mall. Charter tenants, such as Miller's, Turner's and Mendelson's had pulled up stakes. The Miller's and Mendelson's spaces were joined and reconfigured as a (27,000 square foot), Brandenton-based Beall's. The store welcomed its first shoppers on November 18, 1982. Rheinauer's expanded into the vacant Turner's space, enlarging their store to 25,000 square feet.
Still, NORTHWOOD MALL was foundering. The property went through a succession of owners. The first sale, conducted in October 1983, was to a joint venture of Harold S. Wenal, of Fort Lauderdale, and the Zaremba Company, of Lakewood, Ohio. An interior and exterior renovation was proposed, but never carried out.
In less than 2 years, NORTHWOOD MALL changed hands again. Mark Development, of Kingston, Pennsylvania, took possession in July 1985. Within 3 years, major mall stores had been shuttered. The complex was renovated and remarketed as an office, data and storage facility, with a new name also bestowed; NORTHWOOD CENTRE. A formal dedication was held on May 23, 1989.
Mall space previously devoted entirely to retail was leased by several government agencies, including the Department of Business & Professional Regulation, Department of Children & Families, Department of Education and Department of Revenue. Publix, a tenant since the mall's inception, moved out in 2002.
By the 21st century, NORTHWOOD MALL / CENTRE had changed hands four times. The complex was sold for a fifth time in 2007. The new proprietor was a joint venture of New York City-based Ajax Partners and JRK Birchmont, of Los Angeles.
They reconfigured office space, repaired the air conditioning system and refurbished the central lobby area. Issues with mold and bat infestation caused state offices to relocate from NORTHWOOD CENTER in March 2016. Several years of lawsuits and litigation followed. The City of Tallahassee bought the ailing shopping mall-office complex in 2019 and started demolition of the structure on August 10, 2021. The site was cleared, with a new station for the Tallahassee Police Department constructed.
Sources:
The Tallahassee Democrat
http://www.floridamemory.com / State Library & Archives of Florida
Leon County, Florida property tax assessor website
http://www.northwoodcentre.com
https://news.wfsu.org
