Westheimer Road and South Post Oak Boulevard
Houston, Texas
Noteworthy as the nation's first major mixed-use retail-office-hotel development, Houston's GALLERIA POST OAK was a modern day reinvention of Milan, Italy's GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II (1865-1877). The fully-enclosed Texan complex was developed on a 41-acre plot, located 5.3 miles southwest of center city Houston. The site was adjacent to a section of the West Loop / Interstate 610 Expressway, which had opened to traffic in June 1964.
GALLERIA POST OAK was envisaged by Houston's Gerald D. Hines and was designed by the St. Louis-based HOK (Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum) firm. The 30 million dollar project was announced in May 1967. Construction commenced in June of the same year.
The first operational store, a 4-level (224,000 square foot) Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, opened for business on January 28, 1969. The adjoining 4-level shopping mall was officially dedicated on November 15, 1970. It enveloped approximately 600,000 leasable square feet and housed sixty stores and services beneath its vaulted ceiling. There were three floors in the original complex; Rink Level, Street Level and Level II. The Ice Capades Chalet, an 84' by 100' skating rink, was located on the Rink Level. A multilevel parking garage was attached to the south end of the mall.
Charter GALLERIA stores and services included Tiffany & Company, Florsheim Shoes, Tinder Box Tobacconist, W & J Sloan Furniture, Mark Cross leather goods, Isabell Gerhart, Oshman's Sporting Goods, the Interface Counseling Center and Sotheby-Park Bernet art dealers. Among the center's fifteen restaurants were El Fenix, The Best of the Wurst, The Doggone Burger and The Coquetry.
The General Cinema Corporation Cinema I & II, was situated on the Rink Level. First features were shown on November 17, 1970. The University Club housed ten indoor tennis courts, two squash courts, two handball courts, a clubhouse and heated pool. The fitness facility opened in June 1971. The 400-room Houston Oaks Hotel was dedicated in September of the same year.
The first operational store, a 4-level (224,000 square foot) Dallas-based Neiman Marcus, opened for business on January 28, 1969. The adjoining 4-level shopping mall was officially dedicated on November 15, 1970. It enveloped approximately 600,000 leasable square feet and housed sixty stores and services beneath its vaulted ceiling. There were three floors in the original complex; Rink Level, Street Level and Level II. The Ice Capades Chalet, an 84' by 100' skating rink, was located on the Rink Level. A multilevel parking garage was attached to the south end of the mall.
Charter GALLERIA stores and services included Tiffany & Company, Florsheim Shoes, Tinder Box Tobacconist, W & J Sloan Furniture, Mark Cross leather goods, Isabell Gerhart, Oshman's Sporting Goods, the Interface Counseling Center and Sotheby-Park Bernet art dealers. Among the center's fifteen restaurants were El Fenix, The Best of the Wurst, The Doggone Burger and The Coquetry.
The General Cinema Corporation Cinema I & II, was situated on the Rink Level. First features were shown on November 17, 1970. The University Club housed ten indoor tennis courts, two squash courts, two handball courts, a clubhouse and heated pool. The fitness facility opened in June 1971. The 400-room Houston Oaks Hotel was dedicated in September of the same year.
GALLERIA POST OAK had several malls in its vicinity. These included MEYERLAND PLAZA (1957) {3.3 miles south, in Houston}, SHARPSTOWN CENTER (1961) {3.7 miles southwest, in Houston}, MEMORIAL CITY MALL (1966) {5.3 miles northwest, in Houston} and NORTHWEST MALL (1968) {4 miles north, in Houston}. However, within a few years of its opening, GALLERIA POST OAK was firmly established as the preeminent shopping mall in Houston. Other retail centers provided no competition.
A second development phase, referred to as GALLERIA II, was formally announced in November 1972. Construction commenced in 1975. This 3-level segment, built over a parking garage, added 449,700 leasable square feet to the west end of the shopping center. GALLERIA II, dedicated on June 17, 1977, featured a 2-level (67,500 square foot) Lord & Taylor.
New inline stores included Ted Lapidus, the Carrano and Caruggi boutiques, Casual Corner, J. Harris, the Galleria Financial Center offices, (500 room) Galleria Plaza Hotel, a second parking garage and the General Cinema Corporation Cinemas III & IV. A 2-level (30,000 square foot) San Antonio-based Frost Brothers was dedicated in the fall of 1978.
By the time GALLERIA II was completed, the complex was being referred to as simply THE GALLERIA; the "Post Oak" designation having fallen out of use. A 3-level (185,000 square foot) Marshall Field & Company was dedicated on November 9, 1979. This was the Chicago-based chain's first "Southland" store.
A third construction phase, known as GALLERIA III, was dedicated on September 24, 1986. This 2-level addition, also built atop a parking deck, encompassed 328,000 leasable square feet and included a 2-level (232,000 square foot) Macy's. Frost Brothers was shuttered in 1986, with the store being sectioned into smaller retail spaces. In 1996, Marshall Field's closed their GALLERIA store, which re-opened, as a Saks Fifth Avenue, on September 11, 1997.
Beginning in 1999, controlling interest in the sprawling shopping complex changed four times. The Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group prevailed, with majority ownership, in early 2002. A fourth construction phase, known as GALLERIA IV, had been announced in May of the year 2000. It would be built on an adjacent 14-acre parcel and encompass 2 levels and 800,000 leasable square feet.
Connected via skybridge to the existing GALLERIA, the expansion would be anchored by a 2-level (250,000 square foot), Houston-based Foley's and 2-level (226,000 square foot), Seattle-based Nordstrom. The GALLERIA IV addition opened for business on March 28, 2003. The shopping hub now encompassed a whopping 2,399,000 leasable square feet, with over 375 stores and services.
In January 2005, Lord & Taylor was shuttered. The building was gutted and reconfigured as twelve inline stores, which opened for business in August 2006. Among these were Borders Books, Del Frisco Steak House, Oceanaire Seafood Room and Kona Grill. On September 9, 2006, Foley's was "Macy-ated." The mall's original -circa-1986- Macy's became "Macy's at Sage."
In September 2013, details about a major reconfiguration of THE GALLERIA were announced. Macy's At Sage closed its doors on May 4, 2014. The GALLERIA III section, and Macy's At Sage, were demolished.
Saks relocated into a new, 2-level (198,000 square foot) building. Its original space was gutted and sectioned into thirty-five inline stores and two casual dining restaurants. The new Saks welcomed first shoppers on April 28, 2016. Fig & Olive (a Mediterranean cuisine eatery) debuted on March 9, 2018. Bianco Taco's & Tequila opened late in the same year.
With the completion of these modifications, the physical size of THE GALLERIA had been slightly reduced. The complex now encompassed approximately 2,400,800 leasable square feet and contained over 400 stores and services.
By the time GALLERIA II was completed, the complex was being referred to as simply THE GALLERIA; the "Post Oak" designation having fallen out of use. A 3-level (185,000 square foot) Marshall Field & Company was dedicated on November 9, 1979. This was the Chicago-based chain's first "Southland" store.
A third construction phase, known as GALLERIA III, was dedicated on September 24, 1986. This 2-level addition, also built atop a parking deck, encompassed 328,000 leasable square feet and included a 2-level (232,000 square foot) Macy's. Frost Brothers was shuttered in 1986, with the store being sectioned into smaller retail spaces. In 1996, Marshall Field's closed their GALLERIA store, which re-opened, as a Saks Fifth Avenue, on September 11, 1997.
Beginning in 1999, controlling interest in the sprawling shopping complex changed four times. The Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group prevailed, with majority ownership, in early 2002. A fourth construction phase, known as GALLERIA IV, had been announced in May of the year 2000. It would be built on an adjacent 14-acre parcel and encompass 2 levels and 800,000 leasable square feet.
Connected via skybridge to the existing GALLERIA, the expansion would be anchored by a 2-level (250,000 square foot), Houston-based Foley's and 2-level (226,000 square foot), Seattle-based Nordstrom. The GALLERIA IV addition opened for business on March 28, 2003. The shopping hub now encompassed a whopping 2,399,000 leasable square feet, with over 375 stores and services.
In January 2005, Lord & Taylor was shuttered. The building was gutted and reconfigured as twelve inline stores, which opened for business in August 2006. Among these were Borders Books, Del Frisco Steak House, Oceanaire Seafood Room and Kona Grill. On September 9, 2006, Foley's was "Macy-ated." The mall's original -circa-1986- Macy's became "Macy's at Sage."
In September 2013, details about a major reconfiguration of THE GALLERIA were announced. Macy's At Sage closed its doors on May 4, 2014. The GALLERIA III section, and Macy's At Sage, were demolished.
Saks relocated into a new, 2-level (198,000 square foot) building. Its original space was gutted and sectioned into thirty-five inline stores and two casual dining restaurants. The new Saks welcomed first shoppers on April 28, 2016. Fig & Olive (a Mediterranean cuisine eatery) debuted on March 9, 2018. Bianco Taco's & Tequila opened late in the same year.
With the completion of these modifications, the physical size of THE GALLERIA had been slightly reduced. The complex now encompassed approximately 2,400,800 leasable square feet and contained over 400 stores and services.
Sources:
The Houston Chronicle
The Boca Raton News (Boca Raton, Florida)
The Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas)
Texas Monthly magazine
Harris County, Texas tax assessor website
Information and photos from "Jonah Norason"
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
The Houston Chronicle
The Boca Raton News (Boca Raton, Florida)
The Victoria Advocate (Victoria, Texas)
Texas Monthly magazine
Harris County, Texas tax assessor website
Information and photos from "Jonah Norason"
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
http://www.simon.com/mall/directory (Website on Internet Archive Wayback machine)
"Houston Galleria" article on Wikipedia
"Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II" article on Wikipedia
"Houston Galleria" article on Wikipedia
"Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II" article on Wikipedia
