Georgia's Columbus Square

As incredible as it may seem, Georgia's first enclosed malls were not built in -or near- Atlanta. The first opened just outside of Macon in September 1961. The second, COLUMBUS SQUARE, was dedicated in March 1965 and is seen above. As a matter of note, NORTH DEKALB CENTER, Greater Atlanta's first interior mall, opened for business in July 1965.
Photo from Tichnor Bothers, Incorporated

The dumbell plan COLUMBUS SQUARE opened, in March 1965, anchored by J.C. Penney. A full-size Sears (in medium gray) was added in September 1966.  

COLUMBUS SQUARE prospered, as the only mall in town, for 10 years. PEACHTREE MALL, dedicated in the summer of 1975, would prove to be too close for comfort.

Graphic from Colonial Properties, Incorporated 

As a keeping up with PEACHTREE MALL measure, COLUMBUS SQUARE was renovated and expanded in 1974-'75. Columbus-based Kirven's opened a branch location.
Graphic from the J.A. Kirven Company

From our Back In the Day department...a view of the COLUMBUS SQUARE Kirven's mall entrance.
Photo from "Columbus Square Mall" / Markeon Davis‎ 

After dominating the Greater Columbus retail scene for a decade, COLUMBUS SQUARE faced a formidable retail rival. A keeping-up-type renovation concluded in July 1976. The project built an East Wing, which included twenty-one new stores. One of these was a Columbus-based Kirven's.  

COLUMBUS SQUARE TENANTS 1976:

J.C. PENNEY (with Coffee Shop, Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / KIRVEN'S / SEARS (with Coffee House, Garden Center and freestanding Auto Center) / BIG STAR supermarket / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with Harvest House Coffee Shop) / American Seam / B. Dalton Bookseller / B. Young's / Bakers Shoes / Bell Brothers Shoes / Camelot Music / Card & Book Shop / Casual Corner ladies' wear / Collector's Cove / Columbus Photo / Columbus Square Barber Shop / Columbus Square Card & Book Shop / Columbus Square Shoe Repair / Dipper Dan's ice cream / Ed Jenkins / Fashions By Janice / Father & Son Shoes / First National Bank / FunTown Junction video arcade / GNC / Georgia Power / Hallmark Cards / Household Finance Corporation / Huddle Shop / Jewelry Jungle / Karmelkorn / Katz Home Fashions / Ken & Company / Kiralfy's ladies' wear / LaMarick / Ledger-Enquirer office / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Lowry Organ Center / Martin Theatres Columbus Square Twin / Matthews of Columbus Square / Merit TV / Miller-Taylor Shoes / Max Sellers / Neil's Sport Shop / Newsome's / Ollie's Trolley / Pearle Vision Center / Randy's Hot Stuff / Sam Neels Shoes / Schomburg's / Schwobilt Clothes / The Traffic Light / Tillman's Men's Wear / Toy City / Walgreen Drug (with Walgreen's Grill) / Warren's / Zales Jewelers    

In the year 1990,  several changes (in medium gray) have been made at  COLUMBUS SQUARE MALL. Larger store spaces -for a motion picture theater, drug store and supermarket- have been carved up. The Woolworth has also been substantially downsized. There were now ninety-three stores and services in the mall.

Although COLUMBUS SQUARE and PEACHTREE MALL coexisted peaceably for several years, COLUMBUS SQUARE was in a downward spiral by the early 1990s. An indoor-outdoor face lift was performed, which added several Post Modern details. Here we see a renovated Southwest Entrance, with the Kirven's store on the right side of the image.
Photo from www.angelfire.com / "Going, Going, Gone-Columbus" / Mike Dudley

The mall's Main Entrance received a Post Modern makeover.
Photo from www.angelfire.com / "Going, Going, Gone-Columbus" / Mike Dudley

The interior of the shopping hub was also brought up-to-date.
Photo from www.angelfire.com / "Going, Going, Gone-Columbus" / Mike Dudley

The Fountain City's COLUMBUS PARK CROSSING opened in April 2003. The new power center snatched the COLUMBUS SQUARE Sears, which had been left standing when the rest of the moribund mall was demolished in early 2002.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Self"

The 100,000 square foot Columbus Public Library, which opened, at the old COLUMBUS SQUARE site, in January 2005.

Photo from www.ramsa.com / Robert A.M. Stern Architects

COLUMBUS SQUARE
Macon and Rigdon Roads
Columbus, Georgia

The Peach State's second fully-enclosed shopping center was developed by West Point, Georgia-based Batson-Cook. The single-level complex was built on a 42-acre site, located 2 miles northeast of the center city. 

Thirty-seven stores and services were officially dedicated on March 25, 1965. In its original configuration, COLUMBUS SQUARE covered approximately 440,000 leasable square feet. There was free parking for 3,000 autos. Two department stores anchored the mall. A 1-level (100,000 square foot) J.C. Penney opened as part of the March 1965 grand opening. A 2-level (189,000 square foot) Sears welcomed its first shoppers on September 28, 1966.

Charter inline stores included Walgreen Drug, Matthews of Columbus Square, Katz Home Fashions, Thom McAn Shoes, Schwobilt Clothes, Kiralfy's ladies' wear, Record City, a Colonial Stores supermarket and F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 (with Harvest House Coffee Shop). The single-screen Martin Theatres Beverly Theater was located inside the mall and was also dedicated in March 1965.

By 1975, PEACHTREE MALL was under construction on a site 2 miles north of COLUMBUS SQUARE. As a competitive measure, the older mall was given its only physical expansion, which added a 1-level (73,000 square foot) Columbus-based Kirven's and twenty inline stores.

Included in the new East Wing were Schonburg's, Ed Jenkins, Merit TV, Hallmark Cards, GNC and the Funtown Junction video arcade. A grand opening for the addition was held on July 17, 1976. COLUMBUS SQUARE now spanned approximately 560,000 leasable square feet, with ninety-nine tenant spaces.

The in-mall Beverly Theater was replaced with a freestanding cinematic venue. Built as a southeastern outparcel, the Martin Theatres Columbus Square Twin showed its first features on July 10, 1975. It was expanded into the Columbus Square 4 in the late '70s and Columbus Square 8 in 1982. The theater was shuttered in August 2005.

Anchor store rebranding cycles, seen in most malls of the mid-20th century, never happened at COLUMBUS SQUARE. Its department stores simply closed, one by one, and never re-opened. Kirven's became the first anchor to pull up stakes, in early 1993. Penney's moved to a new store, in an expanded PEACHTREE MALL, in November 1994. COLUMBUS SQUARE languished for over 12 years. The complex was shuttered in May 2001 and demolished, save for Sears, in January 2002.

Columbus / Muscogee County had purchased the faltering shopping mall in May 2000. After demolishing the structure, a new Public Library was built on the site, which was formally dedicated January 3, 2005.

Sears, the only remnant of the mall left standing, remained in business until the store relocated to the new COLUMBUS PARK CROSSING power center {4.6 miles north}, in April 2003. The vacant Sears and abandoned cinema were demolished in January 2008.

Sources:

The Columbus Ledger

The Ledger-Enquirer (Columbus, Georgia)

https://www.city-data.com / "Columbus Square Memories" / January 2015

http://www.angelfire.com / "Going, Going, Gone-Columbus" / Mike Dudley

http://www.georgiaretailmemories.blogspot.com / "J.T" webmaster

http://movie-theatre.org

https://publicaccess.columbusga.gov / Muscogee County, Georgia 

"Columbus Square" article on Wikipedia

Georgia's Augusta Mall

Developed by Maryland's Rouse Company, AUGUSTA MALL was located 6 miles west of the Garden City's downtown area. 

Graphic from http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

A map from the mall's vintage website gives the general location of the complex among the major highways of Greater Augusta. 

Graphic from http://www.augustamall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

The original AUGUSTA MALL featured two Atlanta-based department stores. The Davison's unit, on the north end of the complex, is depicted here.
Drawing from R.H. Macy & Company

August 1978. The shiny new AUGUSTA MALL covers approximately 500,000 leasable square feet and features over 100 stores and services. An Atlanta-based Rich's presides over the south end of the shopping hub. 

May 1987. The first of many AUGUSTA MALL expansions is complete. With its new J.C. Penney, the 2-level complex encompasses approximately 632,000 leasable square feet; which still makes the complex 168,000 square feet smaller than REGENCY MALL, its DeBartolo-developed rival, 2.9 miles distant.

AUGUSTA MALL was modeled on earlier Rouse Company developments, such as Maryland's MALL IN COLUMBIA (1971) and New Jersey's PARAMUS PARK (1974). Interiors in these centers were bathed in sunlight by large skylights and clerestory windows.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Josh.evan"  

March 1990. AUGUSTA MALL grows again. This time around, 434,000 square feet of retail area (in medium gray) has been built onto the existing complex. The gross leasable area of the center now stands at 1,036,000 square feet, with 150 stores and 4,700 parking spaces. The center's size has now surpassed that of REGENCY MALL.

March 1998. A contemporary site plan includes a newly-built J.B. White department store. It increases the size of the five-anchor buying behemoth to approximately 1,215,800 leasable square feet.

J.B. White, Augusta's hometown department store, was added to the south end of AUGUSTA MALL. The store was rebranded as a result of Dillard's 1998 acquisition of Ohio's Mercantile Stores. A Dillard's nameplate replaced the White's brand in February 1999.

Photo from Wikipedia / "020808"

A rendering of The Promenade, a lifestyle-format expansion that would take the place of an abandoned Davison's-Macy's anchor store.

Drawing from http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

A mall entrance and fountain at The Promenade. The new mall section was dedicated in late 2007.

Photo from "Seekayofrome"

November 2007. The open-air Promenade addition (in medium gray) opens to much fanfare and confirms the center's position as preeminent shopping facility in east Georgia. With all of the expansions over the years, AUGUSTA MALL has been nearly tripled in size. It now covers approximately 1,388,800 leasable square feet.

A 2010s interior view shows the iconic street clock that has been an AUGUSTA MALL fixture since its grand opening in 1978.

Photo from https://www.brookfieldproperties.com / Brookfield Properties

In 2022, the Garden City's preeminent shopping mall housed 101 stores and services, with thirteen kiosk retailers. 

Graphic from https://www.augustamall.com

AUGUSTA MALL TENANTS 2022:

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS / DILLARD'S (with Hair Salon) / J.C. PENNEY (with Styling  Salon, Portrait Studio, Optical Department and Sephora Store) / MACY'S / MACY'S FURNITURE STORE / Action Range / Acupressure (kiosk) / Adventure Rides electronics & entertainment / Aerie accessories / Aeropostale apparel / American Eagle Outfitters / Apple Store / Avis Budget  Car Rental / Barnes & Noble Bookseller (with Barnes & Noble Café) / Bath & Body Works cosmetics / Boxlunch apparel, cards & gifts / Brow Bar / Build-A-Bear Workshop / CBD Station cosmetics & nutrition (kiosk) / Cellaxs Phone Repair (kiosk) / Champs Sports / Charlotte Russe ladies' wear / Claire's accessories / Creation Jewelry / Custom It T-Shirts (kiosk) / Custom Station (kiosk) / Designer's Closet ladies' wear / Diamond Nails & Spa / DTLR shoes, apparel & accessories / Earthbound Trading Company housewares cards & gifts  / Edge ladies' wear / Express Factory ladies' wear / Finish Line / Footaction USA / Forever 21 young ladies' wear / GameStop / Garra Fish Spa / Glam Glitz Grace Boutique / Glitterz / GNC / H & M apparel / Hakky Instant Shoe Repair / Helzberg Diamonds / Hollister Company apparel / Hot Topic apparel / House Of Hoops By Foot Locker / Inspiration Company / Irepair Xpert / JD Sports / Jewel Box Monogram / Jewelry Galore I (kiosk) / Jewelry Galore II (kiosk) / Jimmy Jazz apparel / Journeys shoes / Journeys Kidz shoes / Jurassic Park Simulator / Kay Jewelers / Kids Foot Locker / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / LensCrafters / Lids hats / Locker Room By Lids / M.A.C. Cosmetics / Manhattan men's wear / Manifest Yourself by LW / Michael Kors ladies' wear / Mobile Care / Nail Trix & Spa / New Dragon Reflexology / New Square apparel / NYS Collection Eyewear (kiosk) / PacSun apparel / Pandora accessories / Pearl De Flore cosmetics / Piercing Pagoda (kiosk) / Plush Toys / Refreshed Shoe Cleaner / Rue21 ladies' wear / SB Jewelers & Custom Design / SB Perfume & Sunglasses / Sephora cosmetics / Shaan's Jewelers / Shoe Department Encore / Shree Jewelers (kiosk) / Simply Southern apparel & accessories / Soleil Hair Tools (kiosk) / Soma / Spa 2 Go / Spencer Gifts / Status Jewels / Suit Factory men's wear / Sunglass Hut I / Sunglass Hut II / Sweet Teens / T-Mobile / The Buckle shoes / The Children's Place children's wear / The Shoe Station / Torrid apparel / Toy Kingdom / Toy Kingdom (kiosk) / Trinity Beauty / Twisted Clippers / Underground by Journeys / Unique Approach (kiosk) / Vans skates & accessories / Verizon Wireless / Victoria's Secret lingerie / Watches Unlimited / White Barn Candle Company / Windsor ladies' wear / Z Perfume / Zales Jewelers / Zumiez apparel 

THE PROMENADE:

Apple Store / Bleu de Paris Nail Salon / Chico's ladies' wear / J. Jill ladies' wear / Jared The Galleria of Jewelry (outparcel) / Kendra Scott ladies' wear / Loft ladies' wear / My Story ladies' wear / Palmetto Moon apparel & gifts / Personality Portraits (outparcel) / P.F. Chang's China Bistro (outparcel) / Recouncut / Soma Intimates / The Chop House restaurant / White House Black Market ladies' wear 

FOOD COURT:

A & D Buffalo's restaurant  / Auntie Anne's-Cinnabon-Planet Smoothie / Charleys Philly Steaks / Chick-fil-A / Don Pepe's Mexican Grill / Farmer's Basket / Great American Cookies / Mandarin Express / Sarku Japan / Sbarro the Italian Eatery 

In the early 2020s, the Food Court at AUGUSTA MALL featured twelve vendors.

Photo from https://www.brookfieldproperties.com / Brookfield Properties

AUGUSTA MALL
Bobby Jones Expressway / Interstate 520 and Wrightsboro Road
Augusta, Georgia

Maryland's James Rouse Company built PERIMETER MALL, their first Georgia shopping hub, in the northern suburbs of Atlanta. Their second Peach State project was developed in the western environs of the Garden City.  

AUGUSTA MALL was developed on an 80-acre tract, located 5.9 miles west of downtown Augusta. The site was accessed by State Route 232 (a.k.a. the Bobby Jones Expressway), with the segment running along the west side of the mall having opened to traffic in 1974. SR 232 was redesignated as Interstate 520 in 1977.

Planning for the mall had been underway as far back as 1972, but construction was delayed by the economic recession of the mid-1970s. By 1976, work had started on the complex, which was designed by Cope, Linder & Walmsley Architects, of Philadelphia. An official grand opening was held on August 3, 1978. In its original state, the 25 million dollar facility spanned approximately 500,000 leasable square feet and housed 107 tenant spaces. 

There were originally two anchor department stores; a 2-level (152,500 square foot), Atlanta-based Rich's and 2-level (156,000 square foot), Atlanta-based Davison's. Charter inline stores included Citizen's Jewelry Company, Mori Luggage & Gifts, Cheese Villa, Gentry men's wear, Pearle Vision Center, Bailey Banks & Biddle jewelers and Stride Rite Shoes. 

Developer Edward J. DeBartolo had opened REGENCY MALL just a week before business began at AUGUSTA MALL. The REGENCY property {2.9 miles southeast, in Augusta} was over 300,000 square feet larger than the original AUGUSTA MALL. For a time, REGENCY had a competitive edge.

Anchor store rebrandings commenced at AUGUSTA MALL in February 1985, when Davison's was rebranded as a Davison's-Macy's. Said store was rebranded by Macy's on November 17, 1985. The first of many AUGUSTA MALL expansions was officially dedicated on May 6, 1987, when a 2-level (139,000 square foot) J.C. Penney opened its doors. This project was followed by a more ambitious enlargement 3 years later. 

This 32 million dollar expansion added a 2-level (157,000 square foot) Sears, thirty-nine inline stores and the 14-bay The Park Food Court. The interior of the existing mall was also given a face lift. A grand opening celebration commenced on March 6, 1990. With this addition, AUGUSTA MALL encompassed around 1,036,000 leasable square feet and housed 150 stores and services.

Augusta's sibling centers had coexisted peaceably for some years, but, by the early 1990s, AUGUSTA MALL had gained prominence, leaving REGENCY MALL in decline. AUGUSTA MALL continued to renovate and expand while REGENCY MALL stayed the same, becoming more and more dated and obsolete.

A third enlargement of AUGUSTA MALL added a 2-level (160,800 square foot), Augusta-based J.B. White. The 14 million dollar store opened on March 11, 1998. It was to sport the White's nameplate for less than one year. On February 19, 1999, it re-opened as a Dillard's. Other anchor nameplate changes followed. Macy's closed their AUGUSTA MALL store in March 2002. The lower level of the building was reconfigured as a Rich's-Macy's Furniture Showroom, which welcomed shoppers in the fall of 2003. The upper level of the store remained vacant. 

Rich's morphed into a Rich's-Macy's on February 2, 2003. The AUGUSTA MALL Rich's-Macy's and Rich's-Macy's Furniture Showroom stores were rebranded as bona fide Macy's stores on March 6, 2005. The Macy's Furniture Showroom was shuttered in 2006, in anticipation of a fourth renovation and expansion of the shopping hub.

The upper level of the vacant Davison's-Macy's was demolished in late 2006, with the existing lower level being renovated into a (60,000 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods. A 180,000 square foot "lifestyle component" was built on top of the Dick's store. 

 

Promoted as The Promenade, it was dedicated on November 8, 2007. Tenants included Williams-Sonoma, Sephora, The Buckle and P.F. Chang's China Bistro. AUGUSTA MALL now spanned approximately 1,388,800 leasable square feet and contained 162 stores and services.

Chicago-based General Growth Properties acquired the assets of The Rouse Company in November 2004. With this transaction, AUGUSTA MALL became a GGP holding. In turn, Brookfield Property Partners, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, acquired a share of General Growth Properties in 2016.  In August 2018, Brookfield established 100 percent ownership of the corporation with AUGUSTA MALL becoming part of the Brookfield portfolio. 

 

Sears shuttered their 30-year-old AUGUSTA MALL store in April 2020. A section of the vacant building is being renovated, with Irish "fast fashion" retailer Primark set to open sometime in 2026.

Sources:

The Augusta Chronicle
The Augusta Focus
https://augustarichmondtaxassessor.com / Augusta-Richmond County, Georgia
http://www.therousecompany.com / The Rouse Company -1998 (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.mallfinder.com/Rouse.html / The Rouse Company -2002 (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties -2002 (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.augustamall.com 
https://www.brookfieldproperties.com / Brookfield Properties
https://www.wjbf.com / WJBF-TV
"Augusta Mall" and "Regency Mall" articles on Wikipedia

Macon's Westgate Center

Georgia's first enclosed and climate-controlled shopping center was built using the very latest space-age design. This is evident in a depiction of the mall's Main Entrance. 

The WESTGATE mall encompassed a modest 175,000 leasable square feet and contained thirty-one stores and services beneath its roof.

Drawing from Fickling & Walker, Incorporated

In lieu of a major department store, WESTGATE CENTER was anchored by a 51,500 square foot J.J. Newberry 5 & 10. Newberrys operated in the shopping complex for over 16 years. 

Drawing from the J.J. Newberry Company

The original WESTGATE stretched between two grocery stores. On the north end was an 18,000 square foot Big Apple Super Market. Based in Atlanta, the store awarded King Korn trading stamps with every purchase. 

Graphic from Big Apple Food Stores  

Our first WESTGATE CENTER layout depicts the mall of late 1961. In addition to the aforementioned supermarkets, the complex housed two 5 & 10 stores, two shoe stores, two financial institutions, three dress shops, a cafeteria, pharmacy, home appliance center, beauty salon and barber shop. There was free parking for 2,100 autos. 

WESTGATE CENTER TENANTS 1961:

J.J. NEWBERRY 5 & 10 (with Sidewalk Cafe, Pet Shop and Garden Shop) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / COLONIAL STORES supermarket / BIG APPLE supermarket / Baron's, Incorporated Appliances / Betty Ann's Candies / Butler's Shoes / Burton's Shoes / Citizens & Southern National Bank / Deal's Luggage & Gifts / Diana Shops ladies' wear / Economy Auto Stores / Friedman's Jewelers / G & M Cafeteria / Hefner's Bakery / Household Finance Corporation / Ligget-Lane Rexall Drug (with luncheonette) / Moffet's Stationery & Books / Record Room / Rick's Barber Shop / Ruth's -For- Beauty hair styling salon / Sherwin-Williams Paints / Gents, Incorporated men's wear / Stephens-Westgate, Incorporated ladies' wear / Toys 'n Things / Westgate 1-Hour Cleaners / Wonderland Shop ladies' wear 

WESTGATE prospered, as the only mall in -or around- Macon, for over 13 years. The shopping hub took a direct hit from the shiny new MACON MALL, when it was officially dedicated in July 1975. This buying behemoth covered a whopping 1,108,000 leasable square feet and featured 109 stores and services.

Graphic from Colonial Properties. Incorporated 

In a downward spiral, WESTGATE MALL was repositioned and renamed. The new & improved WESTGATE OUTLET WORLD was conceived as a Mecca for bargain-hunting  shoppers. The first four outlet stores were up and running by August 1978, with an additional four opening soon after. By September 1979, eleven were in business. 

The outlet mall conversion was modestly successful, but eventually ran its course. By the late 1980s, the complex was -once again- being promoted as WESTGATE MALL. It was expanded, with the existing structure given a face lift. Scotty's, a home improvement center, replaced the north end supermarket and was inaugurated in June 1987.

Drawing from the Humphrey Company, Incorporated  

Scotty's was followed by a Region One-format Wal-Mart, which was completed in November 1987. A vacant Key Catalog Showroom became a Burlington Coat Factory in November 1988. With these  modifications, WESTGATE MALL encompassed around 332,500 leasable square feet and housed thirty-one stores. Two department stores were planned for the area indicated as "Future Development." These were never built.

Alas, the late '80s expansion failed to revitalize the shopping hub. It was knocked down in 1994, leaving Wal-Mart standing. A WESTGATE CENTER power plaza was built, with new Burlington Coat Factory, Media Play and Home Depot stores. Its success was short-lived. A more trendy competitor, EISENHOWER CROSSING, came along in 2001 and snatched various WESTGATE stores. By 2007, the complex was virtually vacant. 

Original drawing from www.safewaygrp.com / Safeway Group, Incorporated

A WESTGATE logo collection covers the years 1961 to 1995. One might note that the newest entry, for the WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER, is not a professionally-designed graphic arts trademark. It is just words typed out. This lack of detail became commonplace among developer-owners of power centers. Apparently, everything is thrown together on the cheap, with little -or no- thought or creativity.