AZALEA MALL began a slow decline in 1983, when its Woolco anchor store shut down. The mall's demise was hastened by the opening of VIRGINIA CENTER COMMONS, in October 1991.

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and Faison Associates

The shopping concourse at AZALEA closed in early 1996, with the moribund mall being bulldozed in late 1999. Over the years, redevelopment scenarios have come and gone. One for an AZALEA SQUARE never got off the ground. Another proposal for an AZALEA COMMONS was also abandoned.
Drawing from http://www.dewberrycapital.com / Dewberry Capital

AZALEA MALL
Westbrook Avenue and Brook Road
Richmond (City) and Henrico County, Virginia

The first fully-enclosed shopping complex in the "Old Dominion," Greater Roanoke's CROSSROADS MALL, was dedicated in July 1961. One month later, construction commenced on Richmond's AZALEA MALL. The complex was being built on a 48-acre parcel, located 4.1 miles northwest of the Virginia State House. The mall site straddled the corporation line of the independent city of Richmond and Henrico ["hen-riy-ko"] County.

AZALEA MALL was designed by Richmond's Carneal & Johnson firm and developed by Harrison & Bates, of Richmond. The venue encompassed approximately 295,000 leasable square feet. An initial grand opening was held on November 14, 1962. Stores dedicated on this day included LaVier Hardware, Azalea Bowl, Singer Sewing Center, a (15,000 square foot) Peoples Drug and 1-level (110,000 square foot) Woolco discount mart.

A (25,000 square foot) Food Fair supermarket opened its doors on December 18, 1962. This dedication was followed by one for a (27,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10, which was held on January 31, 1963. Richmond-based Thalhimers inaugurated their 1-level (30,000 square foot) department store on May 3rd. 

 

A second mall dedication got underway on May 9, 1963. Over $4,500 in cash was awarded. Prizes included a 14 cubic foot Westinghouse refrigerator, 21 inch General Electric color television and 1963 Chevrolet station wagon. Now fully-realized, AZALEA MALL housed thirty stores and services.

Shopping venues in Greater Richmond included WILLOW LAWN CENTER (1956) {2.3 miles southwest, in Henrico County}, which was renovated into an enclosed mall in 1986. There were also REGENCY SQUARE MALL (1975) {5.8 miles west, in Henrico County} and VIRGINIA CENTER COMMONS (1991) {4.9 miles north, also in Henrico County}. 

AZALEA MALL was expanded on one occasion. A 21,000 square foot addition, built onto the west side of Thalhimers, was officially dedicated on September 16, 1966. The mall now encompassed 316,000 leasable square feet. The complex was sold in February 1980; the buyer being a joint venture of the Rental Property Service Corporation, of Beverly Hills, California, and Rental Property Service International, of Amsterdam, Holland. The new proprietors completed a $250,000 face lift in May 1982. The mall's exterior was painted and new planters and banners installed in the interior. 

Store rebrandings got underway with Food Fair's conversion to a Pantry Pride, on May 22, 1979. Woolco was shuttered in January 1983. It re-opened, as a Rocky Hill, Connecticut-based Ames, on October 18, 1984 and was shuttered in March 1994. Thalhimers was in business until May 1991. Its building was never retenanted. The AZALEA MALL Woolworth went dark in January 1994.

The mall had entered a downward spiral after Woolco's departure. It was owned by the Aetna Insurance Company, of Hartford, Connecticut, for several years. They were an insurance provider, not a real estate developer. Maintenance was deferred, with the mall gradually falling apart. Aetna sold the property to Holland's DBA Associates, who defaulted on their mall loan in 1995. 

Aetna reluctantly re-assumed ownership. The mall, with two vacant anchors, was shuttered on January 2, 1996. Four tenants remained in business. Richmond Coin Laundry was inside the mall, with an exterior entry. Azalea Garden Center, Jiffy Lube and Signet Bank were in freestanding structures.   

 

The complex was auctioned off in 1998 to Atlanta-based Dewberry Capital. Demolition got underway in November 1999. The plan was to redevelop the site into a 460,000 square foot power center to be known as AZALEA SQUARE. This never came to fruition.

News concerning the abandoned mall site surfaced in February 2014. Dewberry Capital released tentative details about AZALEA SQUARE, now envisaged as a mixed-use complex. The "upscale open-air" development was to include a Martin's Food Market, an additional 316,000 square feet of retail, and up to 1,000 residential units. These plans eventually fell through. 

 

In October 2016, Arizona's Bromont Developments, Limited Liability Company submitted a bid to purchase the vacant mall site. They proposed AZALEA COMMONS, an open-air, mixed-use project that would be anchored by a (90,000 square foot) supermarket. This never came to pass. In September 2018, Westminster Canterbury Richmond, a retirement community adjacent to the vacant mall site, purchased a 10.6-acre section. They built 118 residential units, a fitness & wellness center and clubhouse.

Sources:

The Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Richmond News Leader
"B1Bob" / Nat Atkins' Azalea Mall memories
http://vintagerva.blogspot.com / Vintage Richmond
http://www.roadstothefuture.com
Henrico County, Virginia tax assessor website
Ames Fan Club website
http://www.dewberrycapital.com / Dewberry Capital
http://www.virginiabusiness.com

https://blog.wcrichmond.org