Chattanooga's Eastgate Center

 

One of the first shopping malls in the Volunteer State, EASTGATE CENTER was built in the southeastern environs of Chattanooga. The open-air complex was officially dedicated in September 1962.
Drawing from Independent Enterprises

Miller Brothers anchored the north end of EASTGATE CENTER with a store dedicated in August 1962. It bears mention that -back in the day- there were two similarly-named department store chains in Tennessee. These were separately owned and operated. Miller Brothers was based in Chattanooga, while Miller's, Incorporated was headquartered in Knoxville. The two chains merged in 1973.  
Drawing and graphic from the Miller Brothers Company

A 1962 view of the 7 million dollar retail hub. The Phase 1 structure was bisected by the "Miracle Mall" shopping concourse, which featured a fountain pool and four live swans. There were twenty-eight stores and services.
Photo from http://deepzoomchattanooga.com / Roy Tulley

One of these was Morrison's Cafeteria, a branch of the Mobile, Alabama-based chain of smorgasbord-type restaurants. Store number 38, which encompassed 12,000 square feet, featured three themed seating areas; the Railroad Room, Steamboat Room and Farm Room. There was seating for over 400 diners.

Advert from http://www.chattanoogan.com / Harmon Jolley

Another original EASTGATE tenant was G.C. Murphy. Store number 509 was the first Murphy's unit in Tennessee. It encompassed 2 levels and 45,500 square feet. The Murphy's luncheonette had seating for forty-eight.  
Advert from http://www.chattanoogan.com / Harmon Jolley

The original six-building complex covered approximately 245,000 leasable square feet. There was free parking for 2,200 autos.

EASTGATE CENTER TENANTS 1962:

MILLER BROTHERS / G.C. MURPHY 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / WINN-DIXIE supermarket / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Bond Clothes / Bell Brothers Shoes / Carole Ann Millinery / Clothes Tree ladies' wear / Cole Rexall Drug (with luncheonette) / Dateline young ladies' wear / Eastgate Barber Shop / Eastgate Fabrics / Eastgate Toyland / Farrar's Hosiery / Firestone Tire & Appliance / Gateway Book & Card Shop / Hamilton National Bank (outparcel) / La Marick Beauty Salon / Lerner Shops / Mary Ann Bake Shop / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Morrison's Cafeteria / Mothers Beautiful Maternity / One-Hour Valet of Chattanooga / Ted's Heel Bar shoe repair / The Lamp Mart / United Finance & Thrift Corporation / Zale's Jewelers  

 

In a 1966 plan, the original mall section appears in black. A Phase 2 expansion, anchored by J.C. Penney and Loveman's (Chattanooga), was completed in 1965. This area appears in gray. With this addition, the CENTER encompassed approximately 550,000 leasable square feet and contained nearly seventy stores and services.

The southwest corner of EASTGATE CENTER, following the mall's mid-'60s expansion. The Loveman's depicted here originally encompassed 41,000 square feet. Like Miller's and Miller Brothers, there were different Loveman's chains; Loveman's (Chattanooga), Loveman's (Nashville) and Loveman's of Alabama.

The cinematic venue at EASTGATE was also added in the mid-1960s. I saw the first runs of several films here. There was "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii" (in 1973), "Star Wars" (in 1977) and "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (in 1979).

By the mid-1970s, the complex has been fully enclosed and renamed EASTGATE MALL. The Miller Brothers store is sporting a Knoxville-based Miller's, Incorporated nameplate and the original single-screen cinema is now a twinplex. 

A vintage view of the air-conditioned EASTGATE shopping concourse. Ormond Shops, seen on the right, was a mall-based women's apparel chain. Its last stores closed in 1994.

Photo from https://www.eastgatecenter.net

In this full-color view, we see nameplates for Jarman Shoes, Casual Corner and The Bottom Half.  

Photo from https://www.eastgatecenter.net

EASTGATE coexisted with NORTHGATE MALL, its commercial counterpart, after that complex opened in 1972. It was a different story when HAMILTON PLACE was dedicated in 1987. This megamall snatched three EASTGATE anchor stores, leaving the complex in a downward spiral. In 1998, the virtually vacant mall was repurposed as EASTGATE TOWN CENTER, a retail and office facility.

Photo from www.doverkohl.com / Dover, Kohl & Partners

EASTGATE TOWN CENTER, circa-2006. Most of the mall's retail area has been converted to office spaces, with a new Food Court -and smattering of inline stores- in the marketing mix. 

Here, we see the east-facing facade of the complex. Foot Locker closed their EASTGATE TOWN CENTER store soon after this photo was taken.
Photo from http://www.robbinsproperties.com / Robbins Properties

Knoxville-based Goody's Family Clothing built a new store on the northwest corner of the TOWN CENTER in the year 2000. The store, which occupied the ground level of the addition, was shuttered -along with the entire chain- in early 2009. The space was divided between Office Depot and Citi Trends stores.
Photo from http://www.robbinsproperties.com / Robbins Properties

A parting view of the main concourse in today's reconfigured -and repurposed- shopping center.
Photo from http://www.robbinsproperties.com / Robbins Properties

EASTGATE CENTER
Brainerd Road East / US 11 and 64 and Eastgate Loop
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga-based Independent Enterprises built their first shopping center on a 65-acre parcel, located 5 miles southeast of the Scenic City's downtown area. The site, which had contained the Skyway Drive-In Theatre between 1941 and 1959, was adjacent to a completed section of the Interstate 24 expressway. 

EASTGATE CENTER was designed by Atlanta's Toombs, Amisano & Wells firm. Ground was broken on September 29, 1961. The first operational tenant, a 2-level (60,000 square foot), Chattanooga-based Miller Brothers, opened its doors on August 13, 1962.

Twenty-one inline stores were inaugurated on September 20th, as part of a mall-wide grand opening. These included a (12,500 square foot) Cole Rexall Drug, (12,000 square foot) Morrison's Cafeteria, (17,500 square foot) Winn-Dixie supermarket and (45,500 square foot) G.C. Murphy 5 & 10. 

The dedication celebration was attended by Peter R. Olgiati (Mayor of Chattanooga), various city and county officials, and Independent Enterprises executives. Joel Solomon, son of Jay Solomon (vice president of Independent Enterprises) cut a ceremonial ribbon; this done with a 4-foot-long pair of gilded scissors.

In 1964-1965, the existing Miller Brothers was expanded into a 100,000 square foot store as part of a second mall construction phase. A 1-level (41,000 square foot) Loveman's (Chattanooga) was built, along with the single-screen Wilby-Kincey Eastgate Theatre. A 2-level (180,400 square foot) J.C. Penney opened for business on August 19, 1965. A dedication of the expanded mall was held on August 21st. EASTGATE CENTER now encompassed approximately 550,000 leasable square feet.

Independent Enterprises merged with New York City's Arlen Realty & Development Corporation in 1970. Their first fully-enclosed complex, Mississippi's TUPELO MALL opened in the same year. Their second roofed retail center was completed 2 years later. NORTHGATE MALL {7.1 miles northwest of EASTGATE, in Chattanooga} held its official grand opening in March 1972.

Meanwhile, on January 1 1972, a fire swept through EASTGATE CENTER, leaving the facility severely damaged. It was decided to renovate it as a fully-enclosed structure. As part of the restoration, Loveman's was enlarged into a 67,000 square foot store. The project was completed in late 1972. The shopping center was known, henceforth, as EASTGATE MALL.

In the following year, the Miller Brothers store was rebranded by Knoxville-based Miller's, Incorporated. The cinema became a twin-screen venue in the mid-1970s and eventually incorporated three auditoria. It was shuttered in 1993.

HAMILTON PLACE {4 miles northeast, in Chattanooga} was built  by CBL & Associates Properties, a descendant of Independent Enterprises-Arlen Realty & Development. This superregional center opened in August 1987. The older and substantially smaller EASTGATE could not compete and quickly declined into a dead mall. This process was exacerbated by an anchor exodus, which transpired in the following manner...

Proffitt's, of Alcoa, Tennessee, bought the EASTGATE Loveman's in May 1988. The store was rebranded as a Proffitt's, but closed in 1990. The Miller's chain was acquired by Allentown, Pennsylvania-based Hess's in June 1987. The EASTGATE Miller's was rebranded as a Hess's in 1988, but closed in 1992.  J.C. Penney relocated into a new HAMILTON PLACE store on February 28, 1992.

   
By the mid-1990s, EASTGATE MALL was in a downward spiral. Its three department stores were sitting idle and the occupancy rate hovered at around 27 percent. A bold plan was put forth in 1997. The virtually vacant "greyfield" complex would be repurposed as a mixed-use town center. 30 million dollars were invested in a renovation. Retail space was reconfigured as office suites and the exteriors of the J.C. Penney and Miller Brothers stores were refaced with brick and mortar "old timey Main Street" facades. The vacant cinema became a YMCA. A small Food Court was also created.

A more radical plan to cut a street though the center of the mall was not carried out. The new and improved EASTGATE TOWN CENTER was dedicated in 1998. The old Loveman's store had become an A T & T (Convergys) Call Center, the old Penney's was now offices for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Tennessee. The Miller Brothers building housed a Knoxille-based Goody's Family Clothing.

The reconfigured complex encompassed approximately 780,000  leasable square feet. It featured a senior citizen recreation center and various retail stores. These included Waldenbooks, GNC, Foot Locker, Afterthoughts and Metabolife.

As a result of the renovation and repositioning, the high vacancy rate of the moribund mall had been reversed. The project received accolades and lots of press coverage. However, the impetus to do further changes, and make EASTGATE more of a suburban-type downtown, eventually subsided. Goody's Family Clothing moved into a new 1-level (35,000 square foot) store in the year 2000. This had been added to the northwest corner of the TOWN CENTER. 

 

In June 2005, California-based Cal X Properties purchased the complex, which now encompassed 850,000 leasable square feet. A satellite campus for Chattanooga State Technical Community College opened in July 2008. A new name had also been bestowed; EASTGATE COMPLEX. However, the "mixed use district" continued to be referred to as EASTGATE TOWN CENTER.  Eventually, the new mall moniker was abandoned.

Large vacancies were created in early 2009, when the offices of Blue Cross & Blue Shield moved from the mall and Goody's Family Clothing was shuttered. The 1st floor of the vacant Goody's was retenanted by a (17,500 square foot) Office Depot and (17,500 square foot) Citi Trends. In the 2010s, EASTGATE TOWN CENTER housed tenants such as Tuesday Morning, Chattanooga Charter School of Excellence, State of Tennessee Career Center, Convergys Call Center and China Moon restaurant.

Sources:

The Chattanooga Daily Times
The News-Free Press (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
http://www.eastgatecomplex.com
http://www.chattanooga.com / "Remembering G.C. Murphy Stores" / Harmon Jolley
https://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.transwestern.net / Transwestern Commercial Real Estate Company
http://www.robbins-properties.com / Robbins Properties

https://www.midtown-center.com
"Eastgate," "Loveman's (Chattanooga)" and "Proffitt's" articles on Wikipedia

Chattanooga's Northgate Mall

A new world of shopping pleasure! NORTHGATE was the scenic city's second mall-type shopping center. Here, we see its original -circa-1972- trademark.
Graphic from http://www.chattanoogan.com / Harmon Jolley

 

In its original state, the complex was anchored by Miller Brothers and J.C. Penney. Sears (medium gray) joined the store directory in February 1974. A contemporary site plan includes this new Sears, as well as a recently-rebranded Miller's, Incorporated. 

NORTHGATE MALL TENANTS 1974:

MILLER'S (with freestanding Auto Center) / J.C. PENNEY (with Coffee Shop, Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / SEARS (with Coffee House and freestanding Auto Center) / G.C. MURPHY 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Ace Uniforms / American Wig Center / Anderson-Little / Arts & Craft Center / Baker's Shoes / Baskin Robbins Ice Cream / Butler's Shoes / Cardan’s Jewelry / Carousel Snack Bar / Casual Corner / Cheese Villa / Chess King / Cosmopolitan Health Spa / Craig’s Shoes / Der Stein Restaurant & Bar / Eckerd Drugs (with luncheonette) / Fifth Avenue Cards / Frederick’s of Hollywood / Gateway Card Shop / General Shale Products / GNC / Hamilton National Bank / Hardy Shoes / Helen Gallagher ladies' wear / Hour Glass Gifts / Ira Trivers Apparel for Gentlemen / J. Riggings / Jarman Shoes / Kinney Shoes / Kroger supermarket (outparcel) / Lerner Shops / Lillie Rubin ladies' wear / Mary Lester Fabrics / Men’s Den Barber Shop / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Mrs. Stover’s Candies / Modern Bridal / Motherhood Maternity / Northgate Cinema (single screen) / Northgate Shoe Repair / Once Upon a Happy House / Optical Fashion Center / Paraphernalia ladies' wear / Parklane Hosiery / Pelican Pipe / Pet-A-Rama / Pier 1 Imports / Dr. C. Michael Phillips, DDS / Piccadilly Cafeteria / Record Bar / Romay / Singer Sewing Center / Size 5-7-9 Shops / State Farm Insurance / Susie’s Casuals ladies' wear / Swiss Colony / Thom McAn Shoes / The Bottom Half / Tie 'N Tac Shac / Vanita's Beauty Shop / Waldenbooks / Wicks ‘N Sticks / Young Age / Young Men’s Shops / Zales Jewelers

As mentioned, the north anchor opened as a Chattanooga-based Miller Brothers. It was converted into a Knoxville-based Miller's, Incorporated within a year of its dedication.
Photo from Northgate Mall brochure, circa-1982

The east anchor at  NORTHGATE was among the first stores in the chain to sport the company's new Helvetica-font "JCPenney" logo. The store was dedicated in March 1972. It anchored the mall for over 42 years.
Photo from Northgate Mall brochure, circa-1982

The NORTHGATE MALL Sears with its original 1974 nameplate. This store would anchor the mall for 45 years.
Photo from Northgate Mall brochure, circa-1982

NORTHGATE MALL circa-1982. Mall stores are pretty much the same as in 1974, although the Murphy's 5 & dime is gone. Its space has been divided into inline store spaces, with the largest being leased by The Leader, a family apparel retailer. The in-mall cinema has also been twinned, with an associated 4-plex now operating in the northwest Convenience Center.

An early 2000s view of Center Court.
Photo from http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

Another interior view from the New Millennium shows the Sears mall entrance.
Photo from http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

The north anchor at NORTHGATE was Belk-branded in March 2006. This was the store's fifth name change.
Photo from http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

In 2008, three charter inline stores are still in their original locations; Zales Jewelers, GNC and Piccadilly Cafeteria. However, the in-mall and Convenience Center theaters have been shuttered and replaced by a newly-built venue, the Carmike Northgate 14. For the record, the shopping facility now spans approximately 816,000 leasable square feet and contains 120 stores.

The mall's Southeast Entrance, as it appeared in 2008. In the 1972 center, this area was occupied by a G.C. Murphy 5 & dime. A large portion of the space had stints as The Leader and a Proffitt's -then Belk- Home Store. More recently, the area was rebuilt as a Burlington Coat Factory. It opened for business in September 2014 and closed for good in October 2023.
Photo from "GA Catcher"

Today's American Eagle Outfitters was a Lillie Rubin in the 1972 NORTHGATE.
Photo from http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

The mall's high-end '70s mod Penney's, which went dark in May 2014, now sits forlorn, awaiting some type of repurpose.

Photo from https://www.loopnet.com 

 

 

Although several sources indicate that the NORTHGATE Sears was a mall anchor since 1972, our research shows that said store did not open for business until February 1974. Anyway, Sears closed for good in February 2019.

Photo from https://www.costar.com   

 

In 2025, the mall is in a state of transition. J.C. Penney and Sears went south in the 2010s. Sears was demolished in late 2024, with a new BJ's Wholesale Club taking its place. At this juncture, the mall proper houses twenty-six stores, with five outparcel stores and ten freestanding restaurants.

NORTHGATE MALL
Highway 153 and Hixson Pike
Chattanooga, Tennessee

NORTHGATE MALL, the Scenic City's first fully-enclosed shopping center, was designed by Jerry Cooper and Roger Dodson and developed by Arlen Shopping Centers (a precursor of today's CBL Properties). The complex was built on a 65.4-acre plot, located 9 miles north of center city Chattanooga.

The mall site was originally outside the city limits of Chattanooga, in an unincorporated section of Hamilton County known as Hixson. Before the shopping center was completed, it had been annexed into the city.

A 2-level (90,500 square foot), Chattanooga-based Miller Brothers became the first operational store on March 2, 1972. A mall-wide grand opening was held on March 15th, when a 2-level (158,700 square foot) J.C. Penney was dedicated. 

Charter inline stores included Lerner Shops, Eckerd Drugs, Piccadilly Cafeteria and a G.C. Murphy 5 & 10. The Martin Theatres Northgate Cinema, an in-mall venue, showed its first feature on March 23, 1972. Mall outparcels included a Penney's Auto Center, Sears Auto Center, Miller Brothers Auto Center and Convenience Center, which was anchored by a (21,800 square foot) Kroger supermarket.

The basic footprint of NORTHGATE MALL was completed with the dedication of its south anchor store. The 2-level (153,000 square foot) Sears began business on February 27, 1974. The shopping hub now encompassed approximately 800,000 leasable square feet and housed seventy stores and services.

A twin movie house, the Martin Theatres Northgate Cinemas 2 & 3, was added to the north end of the Convenience Center. In 1982, the original in-mall cinema was twinned and renamed Northgate Cinemas 1 & 2. The Convenience Center twin was expanded into the Northgate Cinemas 3, 4, 5 & 6.

During its early years, the only retail rival of NORTHGATE was EASTGATE CENTER (1962) {7.1 miles southeast, in Chattanooga}. In 1987, Chattanooga's sibling shopping centers were joined by HAMILTON PLACE {7 miles southeast of NORTHGATE, also in Chattanooga}. HAMILTON PLACE put the hurt on EASTGATE in a big way. NORTHGATE was not as seriously effected.

Only one of the anchor stores at NORTHGATE has changed nameplates. Miller Brothers, bought by DC-based Garfinckel's, was merged with Knoxville-based Miller's, Incorporated in late 1973. In turn, this store was rebranded by Allentown, Pennsylvania-based Hess's, in 1988, Alcoa, Tennessee-based Proffitt's. in 1992 and Charlotte-based Belk, in 2006.

NORTHGATE has been physically expanded on one occasion. After the closing of its G.C. Murphy 5 & 10, in the early 1980s, an extended facade was built onto the vacant store. The adjacent southeast mall entrance was filled-in. A new southeast entry, and several retail spaces, were installed in the enlarged Murphy's area.

During 1992, changes were made to the shopping hub's two cinema complexes. The in-mall venue was shuttered. The Convenience Center house was enlarged with four auditoria and renamed the Carmike Northgate Cinemas 8. This venue was in operation for over 12 years. It was replaced by a new theater, built adjacent to the mall's east parking area. The Carmike Northgate 14 showed first features on October 7, 2004. It was rebranded as an American Multi-Cinema venue in 2016.

Meanwhile, the mall was given face lifts in 1991 and 1997. In May 1998, Chicago-based General Growth Properties entered into a joint venture with Montreal-based Ivanhoe Cambridge, which owned NORTHGATE MALL. A newly-formed venture was named GGP Ivanhoe III.

In June 2003, General Growth Properties bought out the minority interest of the Ivanhoe venture, establishing 100 percent ownership of NORTHGATE. The 816,000 square foot facility changed hands again in October 2011, when Chattanooga's CBL & Associates Properties acquired it.

A renovation of the mall got underway in early 2013. Its first phase redeveloped the northwest Convenience Center. T.J. Maxx had assumed the old Kroger space some years before. This store had been expanded (to 30,800 square feet) in the early 2000s. It was given a new facade, while the remainder of the strip was demolished.

Two big box stores were built as a replacement. A (22,000 square foot) Michaels opened for business on September 6, 2013. The new (25,600 square foot) Ross Dress For Less debuted on October 12th. As a facet of the remodeling, the strip was renamed SHOPS AT NORTHGATE.

A second phase of refurbishment consisted of an interior-exterior face lift of the mall proper. Its Main Entrance was rebuilt and new soft seating areas, ceilings, lighting and flooring installed. Belk also renovated their NORTHGATE location, consolidating a separate Home Store into their north anchor building. Work on the mall was completed in time for the 2013 Christmas shopping season.

The Belk Home Store, now vacant, was gutted along with a section of adjacent inline stores. A (63,000 square foot) Burlington (Coat Factory) was created, which opened on September 26, 2014. Bad news came on the heels of this dedication. J.C. Penney announced a slew of store shutterings in January 2014. Among the thirty-three on a list was the NORTHGATE MALL location. The store shut its doors on May 3, 2014. The vacant building was sold to two Chattanooga-based developers in November.

As this store was being liquidated, plans for a potential competitor for NORTHGATE MALL were announced. A prospectus for CHATTANOOGA VILLAGE -make that HILLOCKS FARM- was approved by the Chattanooga City Council in February 2014. 

The 100 million dollar, mixed-use  development would be built on 190 acres, located 2 miles north of NORTHGATE. A fully-realized HILLOCKS FARM would include 280 multi-family residential units, 250,000 square feet of office space and 500,000 square feet of retail. A first phase was completed in November 2017.

 

As part of Sears' retail retreat, the NORTHGATE store was shuttered in February 2019. The building was sold to Massachusetts-based BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings in November 2024. It was demolished in December. A 1-level (99,000 square foot) BJ's Wholesale Club was a freestanding "shadow anchor," not connecting with the enclosed shopping concourse. The store opened for business in 2025. 

Sources:

The News-Free Press (Chattanooga, Tennessee)

Milwaukee Business Journal

"Northgate Mall" brochure (1982)

http://www.chattanoogan.com / Harmon Jolley
"Memories Of Northgate Mall" / John Shearer
https://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties
https://www.nooga.com
https://www.movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
http://www.sceniclandcompany.com / Scenic Land Company

https://www.herechattanooga.com

https://newschannel9.com

"Northgate Mall" article on Wikipedia