MAJOR HOUSTON MALLS & SHOPPING CENTERS

1. PALMS CENTER -1955 / open-air / PALMS CENTER BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY CENTER -1989 / PALM CENTER -1993 / Houston

2. GULFGATE SHOPPING CITY -1956 / open-air, enclosed 1967 / GULFGATE MALL 1967-1999 / GULFGATE CENTER -2002 / open-air / Houston

3. MEYERLAND PLAZA -1957 / open-air / Houston

4. SHARPSTOWN CENTER -1961 / Houston's first enclosed mall / SHARPSTOWN MALL -1981 / SHARPSTOWN CENTER -1993 / PLAZAMERICAS -2009 / Houston

5. PASADENA PLAZA -1962-1997 / enclosed / Houston

 

6. NORTHLINE SHOPPING CITY -1963 / enclosed / NORTHLINE MALL -1972-2005 (demolished in 2006 & 2007) / NORTHLINE COMMONS -2007 / open-air / Houston

7. MEMORIAL SHOPPING CITY -1966 / MEMORIAL CITY MALL -1972 / enclosed / Houston

8. ALMEDA MALL - 1968 / enclosed / Houston
 
9. NORTHWEST MALL -1968 / enclosed / Houston

10. GALVEZ MALL 1968-1996 (demolished in 2000) / enclosed / Galveston

11. PORT HOLIDAY MALL 1969-1993 / enclosed center city complex / UTMB PRIMARY CARE PAVILION -1996 / medical office complex / Galveston

12. TOWN & COUNTRY VILLAGE -1969 / open-air strip comple / TOWN & COUNTRY MALL 1983-2004 (demolished in 2004 & 2006) / enclosed / CITYCENTRE -2010 / open-air, mixed-use complex / Houston

13. GALLERIA POST OAK -1970 / enclosed / THE GALLERIA -1976 / Houston

14. WESTWOOD MALL 1975-1998 / enclosed / SOUTHWEST CORPORATE CENTER -1998 / retail & office complex / Harris County (Houston)

15. GREENSPOINT MALL -1976 / enclosed / Houston

16. BAYBROOK MALL -1978 / enclosed / Houston

17. WILLOWBROOK MALL -1981 / enclosed / Houston

18. SAN JACINTO ["Juh-SIN-tuh"] MALL -1981 / enclosed / Baytown

19. PASADENA TOWN SQUARE -1982 / enclosed / PLAZA PASEO MALL -2016 / MACROPLAZA MALL -2018 / Pasadena

20. WEST OAKS MALL -1984 / enclosed / Harris County

21. DEAUVILLE FASHION MALL -1984 / enclosed community-class complex / Sugar Land

22. DEERBROOK MALL -1984 / enclosed / Humble

23. MALL OF THE MAINLAND -1991 / enclosed / Texas City

24. THE WOODLANDS MALL -1994 / enclosed / Montgomery County

25. FIRST COLONY MALL -1996 / enclosed & open-air / Sugar Land

26. FOUNTAINS ON THE LAKE -1997 / open-air / Stafford

27. UPTOWN PARK -1999 / open-air / Houston

28. MARQ'E ENTERTAINMENT CENTER -1999 / open-air entertainment & retail center / Houston

29. KATY MILLS -1999 / enclosed / Katy

30. HOUSTON PREMIUM OUTLETS -2008 / center city open-air / Harris County

31. VICTORY LAKES TOWN CENTER -2008 / open-air / League City

32. PEARLAND TOWN CENTER -2008 / open-air / Pearland


[Structures indicated in bold italic have been completely demolished. Those in green have full articles on the MALL HALL OF FAME site]

Houston's Gulfgate Shopping City

Greater Houston's first major shopping mall was designed by John Graham, Junior, of Seattle, with additional work by the Bayou City's Irving R. Klein Associates. In its original state, GULFGATE spanned approximately 802,800 leasable square feet.

Graphic from Theodore W. Berenson Associates

Technically, PALMS CENTER was Houston's first shopping mall. It opened in September 1955, one year before business began at GULFGATE CENTER. PALMS CENTER encompassed 268,000 square feet and forty-one tenant spaces. Size-wise, the entire shopping plaza could have nearly fit into one of the GULFGATE anchor stores.   
Photo from https://arch-ive.org / "Houston Arch-ive"

An aerial view of GULFGATE SHOPPING CITY. The sprawling open-air facility was anchored by San Antonio-based Joske's and Houston-based Sakowitz. It also housed a Weingarten's supermarket.
Photo from Colourpicture Publishers, Incorporated

The ginormous Joske's at GULFGATE featured three shopping levels and 208,000 square feet of selling space.

Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1956 

In this vintage South Wing view, a J.J. Newberry 5 & dime is on the left, with a W.T. Grant ("Grants") variety store on the right.
Photo from Colourpicture Publishers, Incorporated

In 1957, the SHOPPING CITY contained sixty-two stores and services, with free parking for 5,400 autos. The complex, which was Greater Houston's first "freeway friendly" mall, had been officially dedicated in September 1956.

GULFGATE SHOPPING CITY TENANTS 1957:

MALL LEVEL:
JOSKE'S (with Bamboo Room Restaurant) / SAKOWITZ BROTHERS / WEINGARTEN'S supermarket / W.T. GRANT / J.J. NEWBERRY (with Gulfgate Room Restaurant, Luncheonette and Snack Bar) / ABC Liquors / Adrien's Clothing / Alamo Carpet / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Bond Clothes / Carrol Camera Company / Carroll Florists / Chandler's Shoes / Craig's Clothing / David's Hardware / E.S. Levy & Company Dry Goods / European Import Company / Flagg Brothers Shoes / G.R. Kinney Shoes / Gordon's Jewelers / Gulfgate State Bank / H & H Music / Houston Shoe Hospital / Jean's Hosiery / John's Cards & Gifts / L.B. White Paint & Draperies / Lerner Shops / Lydia's Dress Shop / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Millinery Stores / Mode O'Day Frock Shop / National Shirt Shops / Phoenix Furniture / Piccadilly Cafeteria / Playhouse Toys / Polly Parrot Shoes / Reineker & Schubeck Restaurant / Russell Stover Candies / Singer Sewing Center / Slenderella Figure Salon / Texas State Optical / Thom McAn Shoes/ US Post Office / Vogue Shoes / Walgreen Drug (with luncheonette) / Western Auto / Wonder Fabrics

LOWER LEVEL:
Cellar Club Lounge / Gulfgate Barber Shop / Gulfgate Beauty Salon / Gulfgate Bookkeeping & Accounting / Gulfgate Bowling Lanes / Public Auditorium

A footbridge extended from the mall's South Wing and connected with the Gulfgate Cinema I & II. This venue opened in April 1965, in conjunction with identical twin theaters at the MEYERLAND PLAZA and NORTHLINE SHOPPING CITY malls.
Photo from http://www.houstonarchitecture.com / "Nena E"

In 1966 and '67, the mall was enclosed and climate-controlled. Signage was updated to reflect this change, with a small umbrella added to the logo.

Graphic from Theodore W. Berenson Associates

Here, we see the new air-conditioned concourse at GULFGATE. The enclosure of the SHOPPING CITY was done as a reaction to the up-and-coming ALMEDA MALL, which was being developed on a site 6 miles southeast.
Photo from http://www4.uwm.edu / University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries Digital Collections

The mid-'60s roofing renovation was the only major reconstruction ever done. Following the enclosure, the official moniker would morph into GULFGATE MALL. This stage of the complex is depicted in this circa-1981 site plan. 

The GULFGATE MALL Center Court, as it appeared in the 1980s.

Photo from https://westfallgroup.com / Westfall Constructors, Limited

GULFGATE MALL began to decline in the mid-1980s. By the late '90s, it was virtually vacant. The complex was given a wrecking ball renovation in mid-2001 and was replaced with an open-air power plaza. Known as GULFGATE CENTER, its first stores opened in the spring of  2002.
Graphic from http://www.wulfe.com / Wulfe & Company

An H-E-B supermarket was one of the charter tenants at the new & improved GULFGATE. The store encompasses 81,300 square feet.
Photo from http://www.wulfe.com / Wulfe & Company

Mass-based Marshalls operates a 30,700 square foot store at GULFGATE CENTER.
Photo from http://www.wulfe.com / Wulfe & Company

GULFGATE SHOPPING CITY
Gulf Freeway and Woodridge Street
Houston, Texas

What was first shopping mall in the Lone Star State? Some may cite Houston's GULFGATE SHOPPING CITY, which was dedicated in late 1956. However, there is another -slightly older- contender. PALMS CENTER, on the southeast side of the Bayou City, opened for business in late 1955...a full year before the official dedication of the GULFGATE mall.

PALMS CENTER encompassed a modest 268,000 leasable square feet and had a dry-goods-only J.C. Penney as its anchor. On the other hand, GULFGATE spanned a whopping 802,800 leasable square feet and contained full-line Joske's and Sakowitz department stores.

The gargantuan GULFGATE was built on a 70-acre parcel, located 5 miles southeast of downtown Houston. The site was adjacent to the Gulf Freeway; Greater Houston's first motor expressway. Its first segment opened to traffic in September 1948. 

Originally open-air, the 20 million dollar GULFGATE was designed by Seattle's John Graham, Junior and Houston's Irving R. Klein. The complex was developed by Boston-based Theodore W. Berenson & Associates. It consisted of a main Mall Level and service basement, which was accessed by three tunnels. 

There were initially sixty-two stores. A 3-level (208,000 square foot), San Antonio-based Joske's opened during the September 20, 1956 grand opening. Junior anchors were a 3-level (69,400 square foot) J.J. Newberry 5 & 10, 2-level W.T Grant variety store and single-level Weingarten's supermarket. Charter inline stores included Flagg Brothers Qualicraft Shoes, Chandler's Shoes, Baker's Shoes, Lerner Shops, Gordon's Jewelers and a Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio. Houston-based Sakowitz Brothers' dedicated their 3-level (92,500 square foot) store on October 21, 1956.

Actor Jack Carson was Master of Ceremonies at the September mall dedication. Texan Governor Allan Shivers (D) made an appearance. Music was provided by Shep Fields & His Rippling Rhythm, the University of Houston Band and the Milby High School band. $25,000 in prizes were awarded, including three 1957 Cadillacs.

In its original state, GULFGATE featured Texas' largest Walgreen Drug and the first shopping center-format Piccadilly Cafeteria. At the southern end of the main shopping concourse was a pedestrian bridge, which eventually connected to the General Cinema Corporation Gulfgate Cinema I & II. This venue showed first features on April 14, 1965.

By the mid-1960s, ALMEDA MALL {6.2 miles southeast, in Houston} was under construction. To remain competitive with its up-and-coming competitor, GULFGATE was enclosed and climate-controlled and renamed GULFGATE MALL. In 1970, a section of the Interstate 610-South Loop expressway was completed. It passed beneath the pedestrian bridge and provided additional access to the shopping center.

GULFGATE was now facing increased commercial competition. BAYBROOK MALL {13.5 miles southeast, in Houston} opened in July 1978. PASADENA TOWN SQUARE {5.6 miles east, in Pasadena} welcomed first shoppers in August 1982. By the late 1980s, GULFGATE was in decline. Sakowitz had shuttered their store in November 1985. The store space was never retenanted. Joske's was converted to a Dillard's Clearance Center in July 1987 and closed for good in January 1997.

J.J. Newberry morphed into a Baton Rouge-based H.J. Wilson Catalog Showroom which was rebranded by Nashville-based Service Merchandise in 1985. This store was shuttered in the spring of 1997. The Weingarten's grocery became a Pic-N-Save closeout store, which was converted to a MacFrugals in 1991.

Houston's E.D. ("Ed") Wulfe purchased the past-its-prime property in early 1998 as part of a joint venture with the City of Houston. A redevelopment got underway in May 2001, with the entirety of the mall being demolished. Its replacement was GULFGATE CENTER, a  450,000 square foot power plaza. A first phase was dedicated on May 24, 2002.

Sources:

The Houston Chronicle
https://www.texasfreeways.com
https://houstonhistorymagazine.org
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
https://www.cinematour.com
https://www.houstonarchitectureinfo.com / Houston Architectural Info Forum  
Houston Business Journal / May 17, 2002 / Nancy Sarnoff
https://www.wulfe.com / Wulfe & Company
"Sakowitz"and "Joske's" articles on Wikipedia  

Houston's Meyerland Plaza

The Bayou City's third shopping mall was dedicated with a "gala, colorful international-style festival" in late 1957. The Around the Shopping World in 80 Acres celebration was a homage to the Todd-AO spectacular "Around the World In 80 Days," which was the Academy Award-winning Best Picture of 1956.
Graphic from The Meyerland Company

At its October 1957 dedication, the shopping hub encompassed around 476,000 leasable square feet, housed twenty-seven stores and services and had free parking for 3,600 autos. It featured a unique rooftop truck service area and was one of the first American shopping centers so equipped.

MEYERLAND PLAZA TENANTS 1957:

J.C. PENNEY / MEYER BROTHERS (with Beauty Salon) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / HENKE & PILLOT supermarket (with parking lot grocery pick-up area) / Adrien's ladies' wear / Allen Shoes / Betty's of Houston ladies' wear / Custom Shoe Repair / Gibraltar Savings & Loan Association / Ginger's Interiors / Hertel's Barber Shop / Home Beautiful / Lew's Record Shop / Lord's Fashions / Mading Drugs (with luncheonette) / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Palais Royal / Playhouse Toys / Rex The Tailor / Schiff's Shoes / Seline's On The Mall ladies' wear / Texas State Optical / Thom McAn Shoes / Thornhill's Cafeteria / Trimline's / W.T. Grant / White's Stores  

The east facade of the original open-air mall. From this vantage point, we see White Stores (a.k.a. White's), Woolworth's, Mading Drugs and Meyer Brothers. The MEYERLAND PLAZA store was the tenth location of the Houston-based chain.

The first motion picture venue at the complex, the Meyerland Cinema I & II, opened for business in April 1965. 

By 1976, there have been several mall modifications. The Henke & Pilot grocery was rebannered, as a Kroger, in 1966. In 1971, J.C. Penney relocated into a larger, full-line store. Moreover, the mall was now adjacent to the "West Loop" of the Interstate 610 freeway, which had opened to traffic in mid-1964.

MEYERLAND PLAZA TENANTS 1976:

[Charter tenants in bold italic]

J.C. PENNEY (with Coffee Shop, Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / MEYER BROTHERS / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / KROGER supermarket / A. Action Safe & Lock / ABC Baby Furniture / B. Dalton Bookseller / Browz a Bit / Cobbler's Workshop / Coiffures Unlimited / Cole's Barber Shop / Corrigan Jewelers / Diamond Realty / Eight Js Company / Gibraltar Savings & Loan Assocation / Gluckman & Associates / Graham's Shoes & Apparel / Hancock Fabrics / Hickory Farms of Ohio / Houston Trunk Factory / J. Kornblith, Incorporated / J. Ross Bole Company / Jaclans Fashions / J.J. Pappas,  Attorney / Jimi's / Kits Incorporated Hobby / Margo's La Mode ladies' wear / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Meyerland Cinema I & II (outparcel) / Motherhood Maternity / Oshman's Sporting Goods / Palais Royal / Parmer Real Estate / Playhouse Toys / Prices's Furniture / Seline's ladies wear / Singer Sewing Center / Texas State Optical / The Man's Shop (Herman Melcher) / The Woman's Shop ladies' wear / Thom McAn Shoes / Tiny Togs / Turrentine's / Vogue Shoes / Walter Pye's / White's Stores / Wicks-'n-Sticks / Williamson Fashions ladies' wear / Windmill Gift Shop / World Wide Health / Wyatt's Cafeteria

A major renovation commenced in February 1994. The complex was, basically, turned inside out, with its mall concourse becoming a truck court. Stores were reoriented with exterior entries. A new Venture discount store was built and a strip plaza (in gray) added to the south parking area. The reconfigured MEYERLAND PLAZA was officially dedicated in the spring of 1995.

A roadside MEYERLAND PLAZA sign invites shoppers from the Interstate 610-West Loop freeway.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Whisper To Me"

Palais Royal was a PLAZA tenant between 1957 and 2020. Over the years, the store operated in two locations in the mall. The most recent -seen above- encompassed 102,600 square feet.
Photo from http://fidelisrealtypartners.com / Fidelis Realty Partners

Stein Mart was one of eight stores housed in the first phase of the south parking area strip center. Stein Mart pulled up stakes in the fall of 2020.
Photo from http://fidelisrealtypartners.com / Fidelis Realty Partners

Circuit City opened as part of the second phase of south strip center stores. It morphed into a Best Buy in the spring of 2010, which was shuttered in the fall of 2020. The space was assumed by Nordstrom Rack in the fall of 2024.
Photo from http://fidelisrealtypartners.com / Fidelis Realty Partners

Texan grocer H-E-B added a store to MYERLAND PLAZA. The 2-level structure was comprised of a 96,000 square foot supermarket and bi-level parking deck. These were completed in the fall of 2019.
Drawing from http://fidelisrealtypartners.com / Fidelis Realty Partners

Our final PLAZA plan dates to 2020. The original cinema was replaced with the Meyerland Cinema 8 multiplex, which was in business between 1995 and 2000. After this second cinema was bulldozed, in 2004, the south side strip plaza was expanded in two phases (medium gray). The H-E-B store now occupies the northwest corner of the mall site.

MEYERLAND PLAZA
Beechnut Street and Endicott Lane
Houston, Texas

The Bayou City's second major shopping mall was built as the centerpiece of the 2,700-unit Meyerland housing development. MEYERLAND PLAZA, developed by George Meyer, was built on an 80-acre plot, located 6.7 miles southwest of the center city. The original retail center encompassed approximately 476,000 leasable square feet. There were twenty-seven store spaces. 

While several contemporary shopping malls had a tunnel and basement for shipping and receiving, the service area of MEYERLAND was situated on its roof. This made it similar to Miami's NORTHSIDE CENTER (1960) or New York City's KINGS PLAZA (1970).

A 3-day grand opening gala commenced at MEYERLAND PLAZA on October 31, 1957. "Around the Shopping World in 80 Acres" was officiated by Oscar Fitzallen Holcombe (Mayor of Houston) and George Meyer. They cut a ceremonial ribbon, initiating the festivities.

Events included shows by flamenco dancers, can-can dancers, Bozo the Clown and Koko & His Performing Pets. There were free kiddie rides. The highlight of the grand opening was the ascension of "La Coquette," the hot air balloon used in the filming of Michael Todd's "Around The World In 80 Days." Over $15,000 worth of prizes were also awarded. These included two 33-day around-the-world trips and a new 1958 Rambler automobile.   

MEYERLAND PLAZA was anchored by a 2-level (105,000 square foot), Houston-based Meyer Brothers, 2-level (64,100 square foot) J.C. Penney and a Wichita Falls, Texas-based White Stores. White Stores was a Western Auto-type mercantile with lines of home appliances, furniture, automotive accessories, toys and sporting goods.

Inline stores included W.T. Grant, Mading's Drugs, Thom McAn Shoes, Palais Royal, a (32,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth and (27,300 square foot) Henke & Pillot supermarket. "Henke's," a subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger, was rebranded by Kroger in 1966.

The mall's first movie house, the General Cinema Corporation Meyerland Cinema I & II, opened on April 14, 1965. It was a freestanding structure, located in the southwest parking area, and was identical to GCC twin cinemas opened simultaneously at the GULFGATE and NORTHLINE malls. It was reconfigured as the Meyerland Cinema I-II-III in 1978.
 

J.C. Penney was replaced by a 2-level (194,100 square foot) store. This full-line unit was dedicated on January 14, 1971. The original space was taken by a relocated Palais Royal. With these modifications, the mall spanned around 663,000 leasable square feet, with a tenant list of fifty stores and services.

Shopping venues in the vicinity of MEYERLAND PLAZA included SHARPSTOWN CENTER (1961) {1.9 miles northwest, in Houston} and WESTWOOD MALL (1975-1998) {4.6 miles southwest, in Houston}. Although only 3.3 miles north, the GALLERIA complex (1970) was so upscale that it provided no commercial competition for MEYERLAND PLAZA.

All the rivalry eventually caught up with MEYERLAND PLAZA. By the late 1980s, it was in decline. The center had gone through five changes of ownership; four of these transactions being conducted between 1984 and 1989. A fifth sale closed in August 1993. The dilapidated and virtually vacant complex was acquired by a joint venture of Houston's E.D. ("Ed") Wulfe and Boston's Harvard University. A redevelopment got underway in February 1994.

Portions of the mall structure were demolished, with the remainder being renovated. Big box stores were installed in existing store space. These included a (60,200 square foot) Bed, Bath & Beyond, (29,900 square foot) Marshalls and (53,800 square foot) Service Merchandise.

New retail area was also built. A 1-level (107,000 square foot), Saint Louis-based Venture discount mart held its grand opening in November 1994. A south parking area strip plaza housed stores such as a (33,700 square foot) Stein Mart, (25,300 square foot) Office Max and (29,300 square foot) Lil' Things. These were open for business by mid-1995.

A new movie venue was built adjacent to the existing tri-plex. The General Cinema Corporation Meyerland Cinema 8 showed first features on March 17, 1995. After this dedication, the tri-plex was demolished. The Meyerland Cinema 8 went dark on September 29, 2000. Entertainment Film Works re-opened the complex on April 20, 2001. It shut down after one year. Nova Cinemas converted the theater into a second-run, discount venue. This operation closed down in 2003, with the abandoned movie house being bulldozed.

 

The Venture chain's expansion into the Texas market was short-lived. In July 1997, Lone Star State stores were acquired by Kmart, with the MEYERLAND PLAZA location re-opening, as a Big Kmart, on November 14, 1997. Big Kmart was shuttered in early 2003 and re-opened, as a Target, on July 24, 2005.

Meanwhile, after a successful and award-winning redevelopment of MEYERLAND PLAZA, Ed Wulfe and company embarked on a reinvention of Houston's first major shopping center, GULFGATE MALL. A revitalized MEYERLAND PLAZA was sold to Atlanta-based Ronus Properties in August 1998. The retail hub was sold again in September 2013, when it was acquired by a joint venture of Houston's Fidelis Realty Partners and New York City's BlackRock, Incorporated. At this time, the main shopping center structure encompassed approximately 546,500 leasable square feet and housed twenty retail spaces. 

 

One of these was occupied by Bed, Bath & Beyond, which closed in January 2020. Dick's Sporting Goods assumed the space and opened on May 13, 2022. Palais Royal went dark in September 2020. Stein Mart pulled the proverbial plug on their MEYERLAND store in October 2020, with Jo-Ann Fabrics leasing the space. Best Buy, occupying a (33,600 square foot) Circuit City, opened in May 2010 and closed for good on October 31, 2020. Nordstrom Rack set up shop and welcomed first patrons on September 26, 2024.
 

Sources:

The Houston Chronicle
The Bellaire Texan (Bellaire, Texas)
http://blogs.chron.com / Bayou City History / "Meyerland Plaza in Pictures" / J.R. Gonzales
Houston Architecture Info Forum
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
http://www.houstonfreeways.com
Project Reference File / Retail Meyerland Plaza, Houston Texas / July-September 1995
Harris County, Texas property tax assessor website

http://www.ronusproperties.com / Ronus Properties
http://fidelisrealtypartners.com / Fidelis Realty Partners (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://www.frpltd.com / Fidelis Realty Partners
https://tshaonline.org / Texas State Historical Association
http://realtynewsreport.com

https://houston.culturemap.com

https://communityimpact.com

Houston's Sharpstown Center



A panoramic view of the original SHARPSTOWN CENTER, the Bayou City's first fully-enclosed shopping complex.
Photo from www.flickr.com / "Telwink"

The initial forty-five stores at SHARPSTOWN CENTER opened in unison on September 14, 1961. Among these were Foley's first suburban branch and an early shopping mall-format Montgomery Ward.
Advert from Montgomery Ward & Company

A westward view of the 12 million dollar facility, with Foley's in the foreground. 
Photo from the University of Texas at Austin / Briscoe Center for American History

In an eastward view, Montgomery Ward and its Auto Center are in the foreground. Note that the Sharpstown State Bank Building (on the right) is still under construction. 

Photo from http://www.houstonarchitecture.com / "MaxConcrete"

A vintage view of Center Court. The famous Clock of Texas is seen in the foreground. It revolved, played music and presented three minute shows depicting the history of the Lone Star State.
Photo from http://www.flickriver.com / "Flickriver PhotoStream" / William Bird

The Sharpstown State Bank Building was completed in 1962, one year after the mall's official grand opening.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Judah Davis"

The original SHARPSTOWN CENTER encompassed approximately 760,000 leasable square feet. It was promoted as a new concept in merchandising and had several state-of-the-art features. These included automatic climate-control and lighting and a mall-wide public address and hi-fidelity music system.   

The first SHARPSTOWN motion picture venue, the freestanding Gaylynn Theatre, opened in May 1965. In June 1980, it would host the world premier of John Travolta's "Urban Cowboy."
Photo from www.topcities.com

The mall's first renovation was done between May 1975 and November 1976. During the refurbishment, Battelstein's was downsized into an expanded lower level. The store's upper floor became a prototype mall food court known as Good Time Charley's.
Graphic from Frank W. Sharp Enterprises