Little Rock's McCain Mall
Photo from www.loopnet.com
MAJOR DALLAS-FORT WORTH MALLS & SHOPPING CENTERS
1. A. HARRIS OAK CLIFF CENTER 1956-1976 / (repurposed as Dallas Independent School District facility) NOLAN ESTES PLAZA-BARBARA M. MANNS EDUCATION CENTER -1976 / open-air / Dallas
2. LOCHWOOD CENTER -1957 / open-air / Dallas
3. BIG TOWN MALL 1959-2006 / Texas' first enclosed mall / Mesquite
4. SEMINARY SOUTH CENTER -1962 / open-air / FORT WORTH TOWN CENTER -1987 / enclosed / LA GRAN PLAZA -2005 / Fort Worth
5. RICHLAND PLAZA -1962 / open-air / North Richland Hills
6. NORTHPARK CENTER -1965 / enclosed / Dallas
7. NORTHTOWN MALL 1966-1999 (repurposed as office complex) / enclosed / Dallas
8. WESTCLIFF MALL 1966-1995 / ROSA PARKS MALL -1995-1997 / enclosed / WEST CLIFF PLAZA -2001 / open-air strip center / Dallas
9. SIX FLAGS MALL -1970 / enclosed / Arlington
10. NORTH EAST MALL -1971 / enclosed / Hurst
11. TOWN EAST MALL -1971 / enclosed / Mesquite
12. IRVING MALL -1971 / enclosed / Irving
13. FORUM 303 MALL -1971 / enclosed / FORUM VALUE MALL -1995 / FESTIVAL MARKETPLACE -1998 / FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL BAZAAR - 2002-2005 (demolished 2007) / Arlington
14. VALLEY VIEW CENTER -1973 / enclosed / Dallas
15. RED BIRD MALL -1975 / enclosed / SOUTHWEST CENTER MALL -1997 / Dallas
16. RIDGEMAR MALL -1976 / enclosed / Fort Worth
17. HULEN MALL -1977 / enclosed / Fort Worth
18. RICHARDSON SQUARE MALL 1977-2005 (demolished in 2007) / enclosed / Richardson
19. TANDY CENTER -1977-2001 / enclosed center city shopping complex / CITY PLACE -2001 / Fort Worth
20. NORTH HILLS MALL -1979-2004 (demolished in 2007) / enclosed / North Richland Hills
21. PRESTONWOOD TOWN CENTER -1979-2004 / enclosed / PRESTONWOOD TOWN CENTER -2006 / open-air / Dallas
22. GOLDEN TRIANGLE MALL -1980 / enclosed / Denton
23. COLLIN CREEK MALL -1981 / enclosed / Plano
24. GALLERIA DALLAS -1982 / enclosed / Dallas
25. THE PARKS AT ARLINGTON -1988 / enclosed / Arlington
26. VISTA RIDGE MALL -1989 / enclosed / Lewisville
27. GRAPEVINE MILLS -1997 / enclosed / Grapevine
28. SOUTHLAKE TOWN SQUARE -1999 / open-air / Southlake
29. STONEBRIAR CENTRE -2000 / enclosed / Frisco
30. SHOPS AT WILLOW BEND -2001 / enclosed / Plano
31. FIREWHEEL TOWN CENTER -2005 / open-air / Garland
32. UPTOWN VILLAGE AT CEDAR HILL -2008 / open-air / HILLSIDE VILLAGE -2015 / Cedar Hill
[Structures indicated in bold italic have been completely demolished. Those in green have full articles on the MALL HALL OF FAME site]
We advance in time 40 years, to the year 2013. By this time, the complex has been expanded twice. An addition was built onto J.C. Penney in the early 1990s. In 2012, a shuttered M.M. Cohn store was razed and replaced by a Regal 12-plex. With these modifications, McCAIN MALL encompasses approximately 793,700 leasable square feet.
McCAIN MALL TENANTS 2013:
DILLARD'S / J.C. PENNEY (with Styling Salon, Optical Department, Portrait Studio and Sephora store) / SEARS (with Optical Department, Portrait Studio, Hearing Center and freestanding Auto Center) / Aerie accessories / Aeropostale apparel / All Piercings (kiosk) / America 153 accessories / American Eagle Outfitters / Anna's Threading & Beauty Salon / Bath & Body Works cosmetics / Best Buy Mobility / Best Nails / Body Central ladies' wear / Carino's Italian Grill (outparcel) / Champs Sports / Charlotte Russe ladies' wear / Christopher & Banks bladies' wear / City Gear accessories / Claire's Boutique accessories / Crazy 8 children's wear / Dial-N-Style 2 accessories / Dippin' Dots / Earthbound Trading Company arts & crafts / Finish Line / Firestone Tire & Auto (outparcel) / Foot Locker / Francesca's Collections accessories / GameStop / GNC / Go Calendars (kiosk) / Gordon's Jewelers / Gymboree children's wear / Hickory Farms of Ohio / Hot Topic apparel / I Covers Plus accessories / IHOP - International House of Pancakes (outparcel) / Journey's shoes / Kay Jewelers / Kays Hallmark / Kids Footlocker / Lady Foot Locker / LensCrafters / Lids hats / Maurices ladies' wear / Merle Norman cosmetics & Vera Bradley / Metropolitan National Bank (outparcel) / Motherhood Maternity / Old Navy apparel / Ozark Candy & Nuts (kiosk) / Paul's Shoes / PayLess ShoeSource / Perfume Boutique (kiosk) / Picture This Portrait Studio / Pretzelmaker / Proactiv Zoom Shops / Quality Bags & More / Rainbow ladies' wear / Regal McCain Mall 12 / Rogers Jewelers / Rue 21 ladies' wear / Shoe Department Encore / Sleep Number by Select Comfort bedding / Spencer Gifts / Sportula cards & gifts / Sunglass Hut / The Buckle shoes / The Limited ladies' wear / Things Remembered (kiosk) / Time Zone (kiosk) / Underground By Journeys / Unique Brow Art / University Gifts & Apparel / Victoria's Secret lingerie / Willk's Dugout sporting goods / Zales Jewelers
FOOD COURT:
Charley's Grilled Subs / Chick-fil-A / First Wok / Great American Cookie Company / Mr. Dunderbak's Bavarian Pantry / Sbarro the Italian Eatery
Entrances at McCAIN MALL were rebuilt as part of a 2010s face lift and expansion.
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
Photo from www.showcase.com
McCAIN MALL
McCain Boulevard and Warden Road
North Little Rock, Arkansas
McCain Boulevard and Warden Road
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Greater Little Rock's third major shopping complex was built on a 56.6-acre parcel. This was located 4.7 miles northeast of the Arkansas State House, in suburban North Little Rock. McCAIN MALL was developed by Indianapolis' Melvin Simon & Associates, the precursor of today's Simon Property Group.
The fully-enclosed complex was named in honor of Edward A. McCain, a former manager of the Park-Hill-Sylvan Water Company. This concern had been a division of the Justin Matthews Company, of Sherwood, Arkansas, who owned the land that the mall was built on.
A 2-level (225,000 square foot), Little Rock-based Pfiefer-Blass opened, as the mall's first operational store, on September 14, 1972. A 2-level (148,300 square foot) J.C. Penney was dedicated on March 14, 1973. A mall-wide grand opening was held in April of the same year. The original mall's third and fourth anchors were a 2-level (110,000 square foot) Sears and 1-level (40,200 square foot), Little Rock-based M.M. Cohn.
Charter inline stores included The Bamboo Tree, Musicland, Castle Shop, Brittany's Restaurant, Foxmoor Casuals, Chess King, John's Jeans, Orange Julius, Osco Drug, Baker's Shoes, Thom McAn Shoes, Moses Music, J. Riggings, Tiffany's Bakery, Franke's Cafeteria, Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour, Mr. Dunderbak's Bavarian Pantry and a J.G. McCrory 5 & 10.
The General Cinema Corporation McCain Mall Cinema I & II showed first features on August 1, 1973. McCAIN MALL now encompassed approximately 752,000 leasable square feet and contained over eighty stores and services. The only anchor rebranding in the history of the mall was done in 1974, when a Dillard's nameplate was installed on the Pfiefer-Blass store.
Shopping hubs in the McCAIN MALL trade area included PARK PLAZA (1960) and THE MALL / UNIVERSITY MALL (1967) {both 6.9 miles southwest, in Little Rock}. Upon its 1973 dedication, McCAIN MALL was the state's largest shopping center. This distinction was held until 1986, when an expansion was completed at Fort Smith's CENTRAL MALL.
A face lift renovation was done at McCAIN MALL in the early 1990s. The 3 million dollar project included the installation of new flooring, lighting, interior landscaping, banisters, handrails and seating areas.
Mall entrances were rebuilt, with the building's exterior given a paint job. J.C. Penney was also enlarged to 170,000 square feet. The shopping complex was re-dedicated on November 20, 1992. Festivities included a performance by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and appearance by Shannon Boy, "Miss Arkansas 1993."
M.M. Cohn shut down on September 16, 2007. The anchor space would sit vacant for over 4 years. In April 2011, the Simon Property Group announced an "Old To Bold" renovation. This was to include reconfiguring the vacant M.M. Cohn as a 12-screen multiplex.
The first stage of the 5.5 million dollar mall refurbishment was inaugurated on January 9, 2012. On the interior, new escalators and a Center Court elevator had been installed. On the exterior, two front-facing mall entrances had been remodeled. The final stage of the renovation, the dedication of the state-of-the-art Regal McCain Mall 12 & RPX, took place on September 17, 2012.
In the 2020s, McCAIN MALL spanned approximately 793,700 leasable square feet and contained ninety-three stores and services. An original anchor store went dark on February 2, 2020. Sears closed for good after operating in McCAIN MALL for over 46 years.
Sources:
The North Little Rock History Commission
http://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.thebackwash.com / "Ode To McCain Mall" / Mark Hodges
https://www.arcountydata.com / Pulaski County, Arkansas
http:findarticles.com / Arkansas Business, October 26, 1992
http://www.thebackwash.com / "Ode To McCain Mall" / Mark Hodges
https://www.arcountydata.com / Pulaski County, Arkansas
http:findarticles.com / Arkansas Business, October 26, 1992
https://www.simon.com/mall/mccain-mall
Although it is not a mall, per se, we are including a write-up about the TOWN & COUNTRY DRIVE-IN SHOPPING CENTER, which was the Discovery City's first post-war shopping plaza. Strip centers such as this played a pivotal role in the malling of America that took place in the 1950s and '60s.
Don Monroe Casto, Senior (1898-1963) developed the TOWN & COUNTRY DRIVE-IN SHOPPING CENTER. His first mercantile mecca, Columbus' GRANDVIEW AVENUE SHOPPING CENTER, had opened in 1928.
Photo from the Columbus Metropolitan Library
A Kroger supermarket was one of eleven tenants in the so-called "First Section" of TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER. This store opened its doors in March 1949.
Graphic from the Kroger Company
The first operational tenant in the "First Section" was a Moore's of Ohio Hardware store. It is seen on the left side of Kroger in this circa-1950 snapshot.
Photo from the Whitehall Historical Society
The TOWN & COUNTRY J.C. Penney was one of the first shopping center-format stores in the chain. The 2-level Penney's, which encompassed approximately 22,600 square feet, opened its doors in 1950.
Graphic from the J.C. Penney Company
The Union Company was a Columbus-based division of Marshall Fields. The TOWN & COUNTRY store, depicted here, welcomed first shoppers in October 1951.
Drawing from the Columbus Metropolitan Library
Our first TOWN & COUNTRY layout dates to 1952, when the East, North, Central and West sections had been completed. The strip center now encompasses approximately 265,000 leasable square feet. Free parking was provided for 1,500 autos.
TOWN & COUNTRY DRIVE-IN CENTER TENANTS 1952:
J.C. PENNEY / KROGER supermarket / ALBERS supermarket / BIG BEAR supermarket / UNION COMPANY / S.S. KRESGE 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Carroll's Furniture / City Loan & Savings Company / Club Carry-out / Cooke Appliance Company / Gray Drug (with luncheonette) / Howard Furniture Company / Inez of Town & Country ladies' wear / Jay's Jewelry / Maternity Modes / Miracle Automatic Laundry / Moore's of Ohio Hardware / Monaco's Restaurant & Cocktail Bar / Neuron Photo / Public Library of Columbus / Sali-Wer Millinery / Schiff Shoes / Shirley's Shoe Repairs / Swan Cleaners / The Boston Store / Town & Country Bank / Town & Country Barber Shop / Town & Country Texaco (outparcel) / Zane's Restaurant / Zettler Hardware
A Columbus-based Big Bear was one of three supermarkets operating in the original TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER. Big Bear was a tenant between January 1952 and January 2004. The original location is depicted here. A larger store would be completed in October 1987.
A mid-1950s aerial photo of TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER, which was often referred to as "The Miracle Mile." In actuality, the facility extended for one half mile from end-to-end.
Photo from http://www.columbusceo.com
Casto and company went on to develop several sprawling retail hubs in the suburbs surrounding Ohio's capital. These included GREAT WESTERN SHOPPERS MART, GREAT EASTERN SHOPPERS MART and the GREAT SOUTHERN SHOPPERS CITY depicted here. It opened for business in 1957 and -in June of 1962- hosted the very first Woolco discount department Store.
Drawing from the Columbus Metropolitan Library
Back at TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER, it is 1968. The Union Company has just emerged from a renovation that has doubled the size of the store.
Photo from http://catalog.clcohio.org / Columbus Citizen Journal / Grandview Heights Public Library
TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER was given its first major renovation in 1976. New facades, canopies and signage were installed.
Photo from the Columbus Metropolitan Library
The Union Company was rebranded as a Halle's specialty store in 1980. It became the shopping center's second Lazarus Capri Shop location in 1982.
Photo from the Columbus Metropolitan Library
This snapshot was taken soon after the completion of the "Main Street USA" face lift of 1999. Big Bear (on the right) anchored the northwest end of TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER for over 16 years,
Photo from www.donmcasto.com / Casto Lifestyle Properties
The TOWN & COUNTRY Staples opened in the fall of 2004. It was a new store built on an old Drug Emporium spot.
Photo from www.doncasto.com / Casto Lifestyle Properties
The Bob Evans chain of restaurants, exemplified by the TOWN & COUNTRY store seen here, had humble beginnings in 1962. The first location, known as the Sausage Shop, opened in Rio Grande, Ohio. Today, there are over 600 stores in twenty-four states.
Photo from www.castoinfo.com / Casto Lifestyle Properties
A vacant A.J. Wright store was expanded into adjoining space and re-opened, as this Shoppers World discount outlet, in the fall of 2011.
Photo from http://www.castoinfo.com / Casto Lifestyle Properties
Graphic from the Kroger Company
TOWN & COUNTRY DRIVE-IN SHOPPING CENTER
East Broad Street and Robinwood Avenue
Whitehall, Ohio
The first post-war shopping plaza in the Buckeye State was the brainchild of Columbus' Don M. Casto, Senior. The open-air strip complex was built on a 12-acre plot, situated 5.3 miles northeast of the Ohio State House, in the newly-incorporated suburb of Whitehall.
At the time, the area was considered remote and off the beaten path...which resulted in the the project being derided as "Casto's Folly." Details of the prospective shopping center had been divulged to the local media on July 5, 1947. A groundbreaking was held November 11, 1948.
An initial four-section, twenty-store complex was designed by C. Melvin Frank. Its first operational store, a Moore's of Ohio Hardware, opened on March 1, 1949. Ten stores debuted as part of an official grand opening held on March 6th. These included Gray Drug, Carroll's Furniture and 1-level (10,000 square foot) Kroger supermarket. Attending the grand opening were Howard O. Barr (Whitehall Mayor) and James A. Rhodes (R) (Columbus Mayor and eventual Ohio Governor).
A Central Section, completed in 1950, featured an S.S. Kresge 5 & 10, Albers supermarket and 2-level (22,600 square foot) J.C. Penney. Stores in an East Section were dedicated between October 1951 and January 1952. These included a 1-level (20,000 square foot) Columbus-based Union Company and 1-level (22,200 square foot) Big Bear supermarket.
By the mid-1950s, the complex, now known as TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER, encompassed ten retail buildings and over 300,000 leasable square feet. The complex covered 25.6 acres and went by the alternate name of MIRACLE MILE.
TOWN & COUNTRY was now co-anchored by a branch of The Boston Store (a Columbus-based chain operated as a division of Dearborn, Michigan-based Federal). Inline stores included Lil' Kiddy Shop, Stately's Apparel, Sarah's Yarn Shop, Edward's Rexall, Sam's Shoe Service, Eavy's Restaurant, and Harry's Beauty Salon. It was a requirement that all businesses be open six days a week until 9 pm. At the time, this was a radical concept, as downtown stores tended to close at 5 pm.
The General Cinema Corporation Town & Country Cinema opened, as a freestanding structure, on September 21, 1966. It was located across the street from the shopping strip and was shuttered September 25, 1986. The venue was converted into a cinema draft house in 1991.
Meanwhile, a renovation had been done to the shopping center in 1975, with new facades and canopies installed. The Union Company was doubled in size with the addition of a mezzanine level in 1967. It was rebranded as a Halle's ["Hal-eez"] boutique store in May 1980. A Lazarus Capri Shop had taken over the Boston Store building in 1973. It moved into the Halle's spot when that space was vacated in 1982. This store was shuttered on January 31, 1992.
A second major shopping center renovation had commenced in 1986. The western store block was demolished and replaced by a new structure. This housed a 1-level (53,000 square foot) Big Bear supermarket, which opened on October 31, 1987.
As the 50th anniversary of TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER approached in 1999, the Casto Company decided that a third renovation of the property was in order. A "Main Street USA" motif was used, with stores given new brick facades and awnings. The parking lot was also reconfigured.
The revitalized retail hub now encompassed approximately 489,600 leasable square feet and provided free parking for 2,083 autos. The Big Bear supermarket closed for good in January 2004. The vacant building was acquired by Kroger in March 2017. They demolished the structure, with plans to replace it with a (105,000 square foot) Kroger Marketplace. This plan was abandoned in November 2020.
Sources:
The Columbus Dispatch
Columbus News Index
https://www.the-review.com / The Alliance Review / Steve McLoughlin
https://www.doncasto.com / Casto Lifestyle Properties
Franklin County, Ohio Tax assessor website
The Columbus Metropolitan Library
http://www.bigbearstores.com
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.columbusmemory.org
http://www.columbusunderground.com
https://www.bobevans.com
https://www.thisweeknews.com
FAIR USE OF TOWN & COUNTRY SHOPPING CENTER PHOTOS:
The photographs from the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Whitehall Historical Society and Grandview Heights Public Library illustrate key moments in the shopping center's history that are described in the article. The images are not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the images in any way. The images are being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original images in any way.
Dallas' A. Harris-Oak Cliff Center
The OAK CLIFF Harris' had 3 levels, covering a total of 103,000 square feet. The store was rebranded -with the Sanger-Harris nameplate depicted above- in 1961.
This sign stood at the entrance into the east parking area of OAK CLIFF CENTER. The complex, which opened in February 1956, was Dallas' first mall-type shopping complex.
The mall was built by -and for- A. Harris & Company, of Dallas. With the completion of the OAK CLIFF CENTER store, the chain had two locations.
Graphic from A. Harris & Company
A Neisner's 5 & 10 was one of the mall's three junior anchors.
Photo from Neisner Brothers, Incorporated Annual Report 1955
Above, we see Neisner's housewares department. The typical 5 & 10 of the time had several check-out stations throughout the store, instead of a row of cash registers at the store entrance.
Photo from Neisner Brothers, Incorporated Annual Report 1955
The fabrics & notions department at the OAK CLIFF Neisner's.
Photo from Neisner Brothers, Incorporated Annual Report 1955
OAK CLIFF CENTER TENANTS 1956:
A. HARRIS & COMPANY (with beauty salon and community room) / NEISNER'S 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / TOM THUMB supermarket / W.T. GRANT / Andes Candies / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Bond Clothes / Center Barber Shop / Center Beauty Shop / Cobbler #2 shoe repair / Fashion Post ladies' wear / Gaston Cafeteria / Kinney Shoes / Reynold's Jewlers / Rhealee Hat Shop / Slenderella Figure Salon / Thom McAn Shoes / Thurman, Randall & Company Bait & Tackle / Toy Carnival / Virginia Dare ladies' wear / Walgreen Drug (with Walgreen Grill)
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