Black Lake Boulevard, Southwest and Capitol Mall Drive, Southwest
Olympia, Washington
The first mall-type shopping hub in -or around- Olympia was dedicated on October 12, 1966. SOUTH SOUND CENTER was built on a plot located 3.3 miles southwest of Washington's capitol. At the time, the shopping complex was in a section of unincorporated Thurston County. It was eventually annexed into the City of Lacey.
Plans for a second Greater Olympia shopping mall were envisaged by noted mall architect John Graham, Junior in the early 1970s. He acquired a 130-acre plot, lying 1.3 miles northwest of the State Capitol. Problems arose when Graham was unable to secure department stores to anchor a future OLYMPIA HIGHLANDS MALL. Further delays were caused by litigation with the developer of another prospective shopping hub.
Eventually, Graham threw in the towel and sold 65 acres of his mall site to El Segundo, California's Ernest W. Hahn. He established a joint venture with New York City's JCP (J.C. Penney) Realty and Sacramento's James J. Cordano Associates. In May 1977, the name of the prospective West Side retail complex was changed to CAPITAL MALL. Construction commenced in August.
Mall ownership changed in 1980, when Toronto's Trizec Corporation acquired the real estate holdings of the Hahn company. The merged entities were known, henceforth, as the TrizecHahn Corporation. Frederick & Nelson was shuttered on September 22, 1991. Hayward, California's Mervyn's chain opened in the store space on July 19, 1992. The next anchor store rebranding followed the closing of Lamonts, in June 2000. This store was renovated by Richfield, Minnesota-based Best Buy, who opened for business on August 22, 2003.
THE PROMENADE was followed by an expansion of the mall proper, that was built on its north side. This was anchored by the Century Olympia 14 multiplex and included 10,000 square feet of new retail space. The new cinema showed its first features on May 25, 2007, replacing the mall's original 4-plex (which had closed in August 2005). With all renovations completed, WESTFIELD CAPITAL -not including THE PROMENADE- housed approximately 748,200 leasable square feet and contained ninety-nine stores and services.
Mervyn's had shuttered their WESTFIELD CAPITAL store on December 31, 2006. The space was leased to temporary tenants, such as Spirit Halloween and a mini-golf course. On August 13, 2010, a 1-level (16,000 square foot) Forever 21 opened in a portion of the store. This was followed by a 2-level (25,000 square foot) REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated), which opened for business May 31, 2011. The remaining first floor space was leased as a 1-level (21,300 square foot) Total Wine & More. This store began business July 18, 2013.
Westfield had sold the CAPITAL complex in June 2013. The new owner was Starwood Retail Partners, an affiliate of Greenwich, Connecticut's Starwood Capital Group. The official name of the shopping center reverted back to CAPITAL MALL soon after the transaction closed. A new anchor store was added later in the decade. A 1-level (51,100 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods opened on October 28, 2016. CAPITAL MALL now enveloped approximately 799,300 leasable square feet, with a retail roster of over 100 stores and services.
In September 2020, Starwood Retail Partners defaulted on loans for seven retail complexes, with one of these being CAPITAL MALL. A bidding war ensued, with six entities vying for control of the Starwood mall portfolio. A joint venture of El Segundo, California's Pacific Retail Capital Partners and New York City's Golden East Investors submitted the winning bid. They assumed control of the properties in October 2020.
Sources:
The Olympian (Olympia, Washington)
The Daily Olympian (Olympia, Washington)
http://www.westfield.com
West Olympia Access Study Background Report
Thurston County, Washington property tax assessor website
https://www.cinematreasures.org
A 1-level (81,000 square foot), Seattle-based The Bon Marche became the first operational store on July 29, 1978. A mall-wide dedication was held on October 5th. Forty-five stores (out of an eventual ninety-six) commenced operation. Opening day stores included Maurices, Hickory Farms of Ohio, The Great Hot Dog, Regis Hair Stylists, The Snooty Cow and in-mall, Moyer Theaters Capital Mall Cinemas.
Dedication festivities for the 46 million dollar mall included a skydiving exhibition and cutting of a 38-foot ribbon of 5 dollar bills. In attendance were Ernest W. Hahn, James J. Cordano, a J.C. Penney representative and several local officials.
Dedication festivities for the 46 million dollar mall included a skydiving exhibition and cutting of a 38-foot ribbon of 5 dollar bills. In attendance were Ernest W. Hahn, James J. Cordano, a J.C. Penney representative and several local officials.
CAPITAL MALL stores continued to open over the next few years. A 1-level (96,800 square foot) J.C. Penney opened its doors on November 15, 1978. A 2-level (104,000 square foot), Seattle-based Frederick & Nelson welcomed its first shoppers on March 1, 1980. The final charter anchor, a 1-level (54,000 square foot), Bellevue-based Lamonts, commenced operation on April 17, 1980. CAPITAL MALL now encompassed approximately 703,000 leasable square feet.
Mall ownership changed in 1980, when Toronto's Trizec Corporation acquired the real estate holdings of the Hahn company. The merged entities were known, henceforth, as the TrizecHahn Corporation. Frederick & Nelson was shuttered on September 22, 1991. Hayward, California's Mervyn's chain opened in the store space on July 19, 1992. The next anchor store rebranding followed the closing of Lamonts, in June 2000. This store was renovated by Richfield, Minnesota-based Best Buy, who opened for business on August 22, 2003.
Meanwhile, in November 1998, ownership of CAPITAL MALL had changed. Sydney, Australia's Westfield acquired the center and renamed it WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN CAPITAL. In a few years, Westfield embarked on the mall's first renovation. The interior was given a 12 million dollar face lift. This included the installation of barrel-vaulted ceilings and an 8-bay Food Court. The new food facility included Subway, Teriyaki Japan, Thaiway Express, Villa Pizza and Panda Express. The mall was officially re-dedicated on October 24, 2003.
The most recent anchor rebranding involved The Bon March. As a result of Federated Stores' "Project Hyphen", all stores in The Bon Marche chain became Bon-Macy's on August 1, 2003. As a facet of "Project Star," Macy's nameplates were installed on March 6, 2005. The official name of the mall was truncated to WESTFIELD CAPITAL in June 2005.
The most recent anchor rebranding involved The Bon March. As a result of Federated Stores' "Project Hyphen", all stores in The Bon Marche chain became Bon-Macy's on August 1, 2003. As a facet of "Project Star," Macy's nameplates were installed on March 6, 2005. The official name of the mall was truncated to WESTFIELD CAPITAL in June 2005.
In July 2005, construction commenced on a 13.4 acre plot northeast of the existing mall. A (140,000 square foot) cluster complex was built. Known as PROMENADE AT WESTFIELD CAPITAL, it was dedicated on August 18, 2006. The primary tenants were a (33,500 square foot) Borders Books and (50,000 square foot) Bed, Bath & Beyond. The tenant list included J. Jill, Ann Taylor Loft, Chico's, Coldwater Creek, Eddie Bauer, Talbots, Message Envy and the Tuscan Aveda SalonSpa.
THE PROMENADE was followed by an expansion of the mall proper, that was built on its north side. This was anchored by the Century Olympia 14 multiplex and included 10,000 square feet of new retail space. The new cinema showed its first features on May 25, 2007, replacing the mall's original 4-plex (which had closed in August 2005). With all renovations completed, WESTFIELD CAPITAL -not including THE PROMENADE- housed approximately 748,200 leasable square feet and contained ninety-nine stores and services.
Mervyn's had shuttered their WESTFIELD CAPITAL store on December 31, 2006. The space was leased to temporary tenants, such as Spirit Halloween and a mini-golf course. On August 13, 2010, a 1-level (16,000 square foot) Forever 21 opened in a portion of the store. This was followed by a 2-level (25,000 square foot) REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated), which opened for business May 31, 2011. The remaining first floor space was leased as a 1-level (21,300 square foot) Total Wine & More. This store began business July 18, 2013.
Westfield had sold the CAPITAL complex in June 2013. The new owner was Starwood Retail Partners, an affiliate of Greenwich, Connecticut's Starwood Capital Group. The official name of the shopping center reverted back to CAPITAL MALL soon after the transaction closed. A new anchor store was added later in the decade. A 1-level (51,100 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods opened on October 28, 2016. CAPITAL MALL now enveloped approximately 799,300 leasable square feet, with a retail roster of over 100 stores and services.
In September 2020, Starwood Retail Partners defaulted on loans for seven retail complexes, with one of these being CAPITAL MALL. A bidding war ensued, with six entities vying for control of the Starwood mall portfolio. A joint venture of El Segundo, California's Pacific Retail Capital Partners and New York City's Golden East Investors submitted the winning bid. They assumed control of the properties in October 2020.
Sources:
The Olympian (Olympia, Washington)
The Daily Olympian (Olympia, Washington)
http://www.westfield.com
West Olympia Access Study Background Report
Thurston County, Washington property tax assessor website
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.bizjournals.com
https://capitalmallolympia.com
https://labusinessjournal.com
https://www.mallscenters.com
"Westfield Capital" article on Wikipedia
