Photo from https://atlanta.citybizlist.com
THE MALL
North Memorial Parkway / US 72 and University Drive Northwest / US 72
Huntsville, Alabama
The first stores in the Rocket City's third mall-type shopping center opened on March 2, 1966. Originally conceived as the MADISON MALL SHOPPING CENTER, the name of the complex was shortened to simply THE MALL before the facility was completed.
THE MALL was built by the Levine-Huntsville Development Corporation. It sat on a 44-acre parcel, located 1 mile northwest of the city center. The original 425,000 square foot, single-level complex was anchored by 1-level (81,000 square foot), Birmingham-based Loveman's Of Alabama (the chain's third branch) and 2-level (126,700 square foot) Penneys.
There were forty-four charter tenants. These included Piccadilly Cafeteria, Hickory Farms of Ohio, Jarman Shoes, Kinney Shoes, Lerner Shops, Warden's Barber Shop, Gateway Book Shop, National Shirt Shops, Casual Corner and National Food Stores supermarket.
The Martin Theatres Alabama Theatre had opened on January 21, 1966. It was originally a single-screen venue, built as a northern outparcel of the mall. The cinema was twinned in March 1981 and shuttered in July 1985. It had a brief stint as a dinner cinema between 1986 and 1988.
By the mid-1970s, THE MALL had three competing shopping centers within close proximity; HEART OF HUNTSVILLE MALL (1961) {1 mile southeast}, DUNNAVANT'S MALL (1963) {1.4 miles southeast} and PARKWAY CITY MALL (1976) {2.2 miles southeast}. However, these retail rivals coexisted peacefully through the 1960s and '70s.
THE MALL began to decline in May 1980, when its Loveman's was shuttered. Damaging competition came from MADISON SQUARE {3.4 miles west}, a superregional complex dedicated in October 1984. THE MALL was on life support by 1988, when J.C. Penney closed its doors.
Huntsville's D. Scott McLain purchased the struggling shopping facility in 1997. By this time, the Loveman's space had been divided and leased as Toys "R" Us and Books-A-Million stores. The eventual plan was to raze THE MALL entirely and build a high-end, lifestyle center. However, Toys "R" Us and Books-A-Million (two middle market merchandisers) were unwilling to vacate. The original plan was amended, with a standard power center being built.
The majority of THE MALL was razed in April 1998. The Loveman's building was left standing. It was joined by a 1-level (107,500 square foot) Home Depot, 1-level (162,600 square foot) Costco, (24,000 square foot) Staples, and freestanding Bennigan's and Zaxby's restaurants. These were incorporated into THE FOUNTAIN power center, whose stores opened between the spring of 1999 and summer of 2002.
Sources:
Huntsville Revisited
http://www.hsvity.com (Huntsville City website)
Madison County, Alabama Tax Assessor website
http://www.hsvmovies.com (Evans Criswell)
www.cinematreasures.com
"Huntsville, Alabama" article on Wikipedia
FAIR USE OF THE MALL PHOTO:
The photograph from The Huntsville-Madison County Public Library illustrates a key moment in the history of THE MALL that is described in the article. The image is not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the image does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the image in any way. The image is being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and its use is not believed to detract from the original image in any way.
