Shreveport's Mall St. Vincent

The Port City's 17 million dollar shopping complex, which was constructed between November 1975 and February 1977. It was the 19th mall-type facility developed by Des Moines' General Growth Management, the mother company of General Growth Properties.
Drawing from General Growth Management

The namesake of the mall, the St. Vincent's Academy and College, was a parochial girl's school established in 1868. The building seen here was completed in 1906. It was replaced by a newly-built facility in September 1962 and was torn down, in the mid-1970s, as construction of the mall got underway.
Photo from Curteichcolor

PIERREMONT MALL, which was Louisiana's first fully-enclosed shopping center. The 69,000 square foot mini-mall was developed by the Selber Brothers department store chain. It opened for business in 1964.
Drawing from http://www.somdal.com / Somdal Associates

MALL ST. VINCENT originated with this Sears, which opened in 1961. The shopping center was added to the north side of the building in the mid-1970s. Sears would anchor the complex for over 41 years.
Photo from Sears, Roebuck & Company Annual Report 1961

Built in the South Highlands section of Shreveport, the mall was anchored by the aforementioned Sears and Shreveport-based Palais Royal. It encompassed approximately 440,000 leasable square feet and housed fifty-five stores and services. Parking facilities could accommodate 2,500 autos at one time.

MALL ST. VINCENT TENANTS 1978:

SEARS (with Coffee House and freestanding Auto Center) / PALAIS ROYAL / BEALLS / B. Dalton Bookseller / Breslers 33 Flavors ice cream / Butler's Shoes / Cabin Fever Room public auditorium / Corn Dog On A Stick / County Seat men's wear / Court Collections Tennis Shop / Ear Cetera / Gallenkamp Shoes / Hickory Farms of Ohio / Holly's Cards & Gifts / Jackson's Jewelers / K & B Drug / Karmelkorn / Kinney Shoes / Lee Martin men's wear / Piccadilly Cafeteria / Rider's Jewelry / Land of Oz video arcade / Orange Julius / Radio Shack / St. Vincent 6 Theatres / Stan's Record Shop / Stuarts Ready-To-Wear For Ladies / The Athlete's Foot / The Snack Bar / The Male Shop men's wear / Texas State Optical / Zales Jewelers 

By the late 1980s, MALL ST. VINCENT was in a downward spiral. This was brought on by road construction in the vicinity of the shopping complex and competition from the new PIERRE BOSSIER ("bow-jur") MALL. A major renovation was done at MALL ST. VINCENT, which replaced a vacant north anchor store with a brand new Dillard's.

The early '90s remodeling also refurbished interior common area and rebuilt mall entrances. In this snapshot, we see how MALL ST. VINCENT appeared after the construction dust settled, in September 1991.

Photo from http://www.southernretail.blogspot.com

By the 2010s, MALL ST. VINCENT was due for another makeover. A 17 million dollar remodeling, completed in November 2014, was financed by a 1% sales tax. This was attached to all purchases made in the inline store portion of the complex (but not in its two anchor stores).
Drawing from http://rouseproperties.com / Rouse Properties

A large pond was installed in the center's Center Court.
Photo from http://kennethpark.com / Kenneth Park Architects

The mall was built on a sloping site, with its north end being highest. Inside, there are two level changes, with stair and ramp connections. Here we see the level change area in the South (Sears) Wing. Great American Cookies is seen on the left. Across the mallway are Charlotte Russe and Footaction USA stores.
Photo from http://kennethpark.com / Kenneth Park Architects

A circa-2015 layout shows existing stores (Hibbett Sports and Hollister Company), as well as those that were new to the complex (Grimaldi's Brick Oven Pizza, P.F. Chang's and H & M). A layout from 10 years later would be quite different. All stores indicated here would either be shuttered or relocated to different tenant spaces.

MALL ST. VINCENT
Southern and St. Vincent Avenues
Shreveport, Louisiana

Plans for a major Port City shopping center were announced in August 1975. Tentatively known as the ST. VINCENT FASHION MALL, the complex was envisaged by a joint venture of Des Moines-based General Growth Management and D & W Properties, of Shreveport.

The mall was developed on a 37-acre parcel, located 1.9 miles south of downtown Shreveport. St. Vincent's Academy, a parochial girl's school, had been built on the property in 1906. The Academy was replaced by a new facility in September 1962 and was eventually demolished.

Derwood J. Quade and Arthur Hammond, of Des Moines, designed the prospective retail complex. Its name had been changed to MALL ST. VINCENT by the time ground was broken. The fully-enclosed facility was added to a 3-level (200,000 square foot) Sears, a freestanding store that been in operation since September 1961.

MALL ST. VINCENT encompassed a single retail level and, with Sears, spanned approximately 440,000 leasable square feet. The mall was also anchored by a 1-level (40,000 square foot), Shreveport-based Palais Royal. 

An official dedication was held on February 2, 1977. Sister Marietta Welsh, Mother Superior of the adjacent St. Vincent's Convent, cut a ceremonial ribbon. The grand opening was also attended by Matthew and Martin Bucksbaum (of General Growth Management), V.H. Delaney (of D & W Development), James Hutchinson (of Sears & Roebuck), Harry Flyer (of Palais Royal) and Calhoun Allen (Mayor of Shreveport).

Charter stores included Piccadilly Cafeteria, B. Dalton Bookseller, Bresler's 33 Flavors ice cream, Butler's Shoes, Corn Dog On A Stick, County Seat and Karmelkorn. These were joined by Radio Shack, Stuarts Ready-To-Wear For Ladies, Rider's Jewelers and The Snack Bar. The American Multi-Cinema St. Vincent 6 Theatres opened for business on May 20, 1977. MALL ST. VINCENT now housed fifty-five stores and services.

Shopping options in the MALL ST. VINCENT trade area included PIERREMONT MALL (1964) {1.3 miles southeast, in Shreveport}, SOUTHPARK MALL (1974) {4.9 miles southwest, also in Shreveport} and PIERRE BOSSIER ["bow-jur"] MALL (1982) {4 miles northeast, in Bossier City}.

Shreveport's Palais Royal chain was acquired by Wellan's, of Alexandria, in 1985. Stores were rebranded by Wellan's on October 29, 1986. The MALL ST. VINCENT store was short-lived. It closed for good in March 1987. By this time, MALL ST. VINCENT was in a downward spiral, with only fifteen operational stores. Area road construction had left the complex difficult to access. Eventually, the facility was usurped by the newer and larger PIERRE BOSSIER MALL.

A major renovation of MALL ST. VINCENT got underway in March 1991. The vacant Palais Royal / Wellan's store was demolished and replaced by a 2-level (148,000 square foot) Dillard's. The existing mall was given an indoor-outdoor face lift. Common area was refurbished with new fountains, flooring, lighting and landscaping. The west facade was rebuilt with new 3-story-high entrances. The parking area was also enlarged.

MALL ST. VINCENT was officially re-dedicated on September 4, 1991. Ten upscale stores joined the tenant roster. These included Dillard's, Arielle ladies' wear, Mecheall's Children's Clothing, Concord Bakery, Ann Taylor, Express, Talbots and The Bombay Company.

The revitalized complex now encompassed approximately 548,000 leasable square feet and contained forty-one tenant spaces. Business picked up considerably after a 7.5 mile stretch of Interstate 49, which passed along the west side of the mall, opened to traffic. This thoroughfare was dedicated on December 19, 1995.

General Growth had sold its majority interest in MALL ST. VINCENT in April 1980. Aetna Life & Casualty was the proprietor until the shopping hub was sold to Mall St. Vincent, Limited Liability Company, a joint venture of Shreveport, Atlanta and Philadelphia investors, in December 1994. In October 1998, General Growth Properties re-purchased the complex.

The mall's cinema 6-plex was shuttered in July of the year 2000. Soon after, two open-air retail venues opened for business in Greater Shreveport. UNIVERSITY PLACE {2.8 miles southeast, in Shreveport} was dedicated in August 2001. LOUISIANA BOARDWALK OUTLETS {2.5 miles northeast, in Bossier City} welcomed its first shoppers in May 2005.

General Growth created a spin-off entity, known as Rouse Properties, in January 2012. This company would own and manage several of GGP's B-class shopping malls, including MALL ST. VINCENT. A 17 million dollar renovation was announced in August 2013.

The entire west facade was rebuilt as an exterior-entranced Streetscape. On the interior, new floors and lighting were installed, along with an indoor pond. Existing store space was also reconfigured. Hibbett Sports moved to a new location. Five spaces were merged into a (22,000 square foot) H & M. Other new tenants were signed, such as Cafe du Monde, Grimaldi's Brick Oven Pizza, J. Crew and P.F. Chang's China Bistro.

The remodeling was complete by November 2014. MALL ST. VINCENT now housed sixty stores and services. Rouse properties, and its portfolio of thirty-five shopping malls, was sold in July 2016. The buyer was Toronto's Brookfield Asset Management.

By 2017, it was clear that the much-touted renovation of MALL ST. VINCENT had not been entirely successful. The plan to reposition the complex as the premier shopping venue in Northwest Louisiana had fallen short of its goal. Major inline tenants, such as Grimaldi's Brick Oven Pizza and Gymboree, closed up shop. Sears pulled the proverbial plug on their MALL ST. VINCENT store in September 2018.
 

In June 2021, Great Neck, New York's Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired the inline store section of the struggling shopping complex. At this time, thirty-four store spaces were leased, with twenty-two vacancies. Operational tenants included American Eagle Outfitters, Hibbett Sports, Elite Jewelers and City Gear. 

 

Apparently, MALL ST. VINCENT -excluding its anchor stores- was sold to Summit Properties USA. This entity is a subsidiary of Summit Properties, Limited, whose corporate headquarters is located on Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of Normandy, France. Although a "British Crown dependency," Guernsey is not part of the United Kingdom. Details are sketchy, but it appears that the mall was acquired sometime in 2023.

 

Sources:

The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana)
http://www.southernretail.blogspot.com
http://www.realtytimes.com
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://rouseproperties.com / Rouse Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.mallstvincent.com
http://www.bizjournals.com
http://kennethpark.com / Kenneth Park Architects

Comment post by Scott Greer

https://www.accesswire.com

https://www.kohanretail.com / Kohan Retail Investment Group

https://www.summit-properties.com / Summit Properties

"Mall St. Vincent" and "Guernsey" articles on Wikipedia

New Orleans' Lakeside Center



The Crescent City's first shopping mall opened for business in March 1960. It was anchored by Big Easy-based D.H. Holmes and Godchaux's ["Gawd-showz"], along with the J.C. Penney depicted here.

In this circa-1957 rendering, the prospective LAKESIDE CENTER mall includes a 5-story office tower.
Drawing from Charles R. Colbert, Architect / Tulane School of Architecture

In the final plan, the office building was omitted.
Drawing from Charles R. Colbert, Architect / Tulane School of Architecture

D.H. Holmes, known locally as "Holmesez," opened their third branch at LAKESIDE CENTER. Officially dedicated in March 1960, the Holmes Lakeside store encompassed 115,000 square feet on 2 levels.

Graphic from the D.H. Holmes Company, Limited

There were two 5 & 10-type stores in the original LAKESIDE CENTER. An S.S. Kresge was along the mall's north concourse. TG&Y opened onto the south concourse.

Drawing from the Kresge Company Annual Report 1960

The original open-air complex incorporated around 415,000 leasable square feet and contained thirty-two stores and services. Its parking area could accommodate 5,000 autos at one time. The mall's exterior was illuminated at night by four powerful fluorescent light towers. Each stood 156 feet high.

LAKESIDE CENTER TENANTS 1961:

D.H. HOLMES (with The Potpourri restaurant, Coiffures American Beauty Salon and Holloway House Cafeteria) / J.C. PENNEY / GODCHAUX'S / T G & Y 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / S.S. KRESGE 5 & 10 (with The Dinette luncheonette) / WINN-DIXIE supermarket / Arnold's / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Butler's Shoes / DeLis Young Fashions / Dino Studio / Du Say's For Pets / First National Bank of Jefferson Parish / Fun Arcade / Gordon's Jewelers / Halpern's / Hausmann's Jewelers / Home Services / Household Finance Corporation / Jean's Hosiery / Jefferson Savings & Loan Association / Jim's Lounge / Kreeger's / Lakeside Barber Shop / Lakeside Beauty Salon / Lakeside Toys / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Little House / Maternity Fashions / Paris Hats / Pittsburgh Paints / Schiff's Shoes / Singer Sewing Center / Steven's / The Coachman / The Magi Gift Shop / Turntable Records / Thom McAn Shoes / Vision Plaza / Walgreen Drug (with Walgreen Grill) / Western Auto (with freestanding Auto Center) / Werlein's For Music / Wright's 

The Pontchartrain Causeway opened -as a 2-lane structure- in 1956. Causeway Boulevard, leading to the 23.7 mile bridge, passes directly in front of the mall. The Causeway was 4-laned in 1969.

Photo from Wikipedia / US Army Corps of Engineers / Arthur Belala 

This rendering, titled "Bird Cage Mall," shows the concourse of the prospective shopping complex. Apparently, the mild climate of New Orleans made it possible to maintain bird aviaries (such as the tall structure seen in the background) as part of the open-air mall.
Drawing from Charles R. Colbert, Architect / Tulane School of Architecture

One of the original center's three anchors, Big Easy-based Godchaux's. This chain should not be confused with Goudchaux's ["Gawd-shawz"], of Baton Rouge, which was an entirely different company.
Drawing from Charles R. Colbert, Architect / Tulane School of Architecture

Various additions and modifications are shown in a circa-1977 layout. The mall was enclosed in 1967-'68. The Lakeside Cinema I & II opened at this time. D.H. Holmes and Godchaux's were expanded in the early '70s, with Holmes' also building a freestanding Car Care Center. J.C. Penney built a full-line store, which opened in 1975. The previous Penney's, on the mall's southwest corner, has just been repurposed as the Promenade Mall. 

Zooming through time, we come to the LAKESIDE CENTER of 2009. The mall underwent major changes in the 1980s and '90s. An East Mall was built in 1981. After Godchaux's closed in 1987, its area was reconfigured as Lakeside Market Fair (a.k.a. the Fashion Wing). A Food Court was installed as part of a 1989-1990 face lift. Lastly, Macy's was added -as a third anchor- in 2008.

The new Macy's encompassed 3-levels and came with an adjacent parking garage. The LAKESIDE mall now covered around 1,295,000 leasable square feet. It had been the fourth-largest shopping center in the state. Now it was third-largest. Btw, the largest was the 1,600,000 square foot CORTANA MALL, in Baton Rouge, which closed in 2019.

Drawing from www.feil.com / The Feil Organization

And now, we embark on a Google Maps Street View tour of LAKESIDE CENTER, circa-March 2011. Our excursion begins on the north side of the mall, at Dillard's.
Photo from Google Maps 

We swing around to the the back of the shopping center and J.C. Penney.
Photo from Google Maps 

A little further and we are at one of the mall's southwest entries. This one accesses the Food Court.
Photo from Google Maps

Lastly, we have the southwest corner of the complex. Since the late 1990s, several upscale restaurants have opened at the mall, including the P.F. Chang's China Bistro seen here. It welcomed first diners in April 1997.
Photo from Google Maps

As an unwritten law states, a shopping complex must be renovated every 10 years, else it will loose favor with the (fickle) buying public. In the late 2010s LAKESIDE was given a 10 million dollar makeover. 
Drawing from https://sizeler.com / Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects

The Food Court, a circa-1990 fixture, was given a 21st century-style upgrade.
Drawing from https://sizeler.com / Sizeler Thompson Brown Architects 

 

 

LAKESIDE CENTER, 2019. The Cheesecake Factory (in dark gray) was dedicated in June 2014. A vacant Linens 'n Things, in the mall's northern periphery, morphed into Dick's Sporting Goods. By this time, LAKESIDE CENTER has cemented its position as the preeminent New Orleans shopping mall. It eclipsed two former rivals. BELLE PROMENADE MALL closed in 2000 and was razed in 2002. LAKE FOREST PLAZA shut down in 2005 and was bulldozed in 2007.

LAKESIDE CENTER
Veterans Memorial and North Causeway Boulevards
Jefferson Parish (Metairie), Louisiana

The first shopping mall in the Bayou State was built on 52 acres, situated 6 miles northwest of the New Orleans Central Business District. The area, within unincorporated Jefferson Parish, is referred to as Metairie ["met-uh-ree"].

LAKESIDE CENTER was designed by Charles R. Colbert and developed by New Orleans real estate entrepreneur Paul Kapelow. Encompassing approximately 415,000 leasable square feet, the complex opened for business, with thirteen initial stores, on March 24, 1960. The open-air venue was anchored by a 2-level (110,000 square foot), New Orleans-based D.H. Holmes, 1-level (46,000 square foot), New Orleans-based Godchaux's and 1-level (43,200 square foot) J.C. Penney.

Among thirty-two charter inline stores were Paris Hats, Hausmann's Jewelers, Turntable Records, Jean's Hosiery, Werlein's For Music, Lakeside Toys, Walgreen Drug, S.S. Kresge and T G & Y 5 & 10's, a Winn-Dixie supermarket and Holloway House Cafeteria. 

The General Cinema Corporation Lakeside Cinema I & II was built in the mall's northwest parking area and showed first features on August 4, 1967. The venue was reconfigured as a 4-screen operation in 1974 and as a "5-screener" in 1978.

Several major shopping centers were built in the LAKESIDE CENTER trade area over the ensuing years. OAKWOOD CENTER {8.9 miles southeast, in Jefferson Parish-Terrytown} opened in August 1966. CLEARVIEW MALL {1.3 miles southwest, in Jefferson Parish-Metairie} was dedicated in August 1969.

There would soon be two fully-enclosed shopping centers in the LAKESIDE trade area. It was imperative that the complex be rebuilt into a fully-enclosed mall. A roofing renovation was done, with the newly-air-conditioned shopping hub dedicated on June 3, 1968. The New York City-based Feil Organization acquired the mall in 1970.

The first physical expansion had been done in the mid-1960s. Holmes Lakeside added a third floor, which was completed in April 1965. The store now encompassed 172,500 square feet. Godchaux's built a 9,000 square foot addition onto their store, with its re-dedication held on August 16, 1973. 

Holmes Lakeside was enlarged -for a second time- with a 3-level western addition. When re-dedicated, on April 2, 1974, the store encompassed 275,000 square feet. A West Mall concourse was created, that was anchored by a 2-level (154,700 square foot) J.C. Penney. This full-line store, which replaced the mall's dry-goods-only Penney's, welcomed first shoppers on November 5, 1975. 

The original J.C. Penney was reconfigured as the twenty-store Promenade Mall. This mall within a mall was inaugurated in June 1977. With its completion, LAKESIDE CENTER housed 100 stores and services.

A fourth Greater New Orleans mall, LAKE FOREST PLAZA {10.7 miles northeast, in New Orleans}, held its grand opening in September 1974. The 1980s brought two more major shopping venues. BELLE PROMENADE MALL {9 miles southeast, in Jefferson Parish-Marrero}, was completed in October 1983. THE ESPLANADE {5.3 miles west, in Kenner} began business in October 1985.

The next LAKESIDE CENTER expansion brought the (51,000 square foot) East Mall. Built on the east facade of LAKESIDE CENTER, this twenty-store addition was dedicated on October 15, 1981. Godchaux's was shuttered in March 1987. Its space was divided into ten tenant spaces. A second mall within a mall, known as Lakeside Market Fair, opened in December 1987. 

D.H. Holmes was rebranded by Dillard's in May 1989. The store, which had expanded into adjacent inline space, now encompassed 297,900 square feet. The next major mall remodeling was in motion by August. The 20 million dollar project refurbished all common area, added a northeast parking garage and installed a 12-bay Food Court in existing space. 

LAKESIDE CENTER now encompassed approximately 742,700 leasable square feet, with a directory of 130 stores. The complex suffered exterior damage in August 2005, as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Fortunately, the mall's interior was left intact. Within 2 months, half of its stores had re-opened. 

Construction commenced on another mall expansion in 2006. A southwest parking garage was completed in October 2007. Work got underway on a 3-level (228,000 square foot) Macy's -and an adjacent southeast parking structure- in November 2007. The southeast garage was dedicated in September 2008, with Macy's holding its grand opening on October 25th.

In the 2010s, LAKESIDE CENTER was still owned and operated by the Feil Organization, The mall encompassed approximately 1,182,500 leasable square feet. There are 104 retail spaces and seventeen outparcel stores and services. The complex maintained its position as preeminent shopping mall in Greater New Orleans. 

To keep LAKESIDE CENTER in the top spot, a 10 million dollar renovation was done between 2017 and 2019. The project included a Food Court and common area face lift, as well as the installation of new skylights, lighting, decorative columns and soft seating. A freestanding Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar welcomed first diners on October 30, 2017. Spanish fashion retailer Zara dedicated their (34,700 square foot) mall store on October 18, 2018. 

Sources:

The New Orleans Advocate
The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana)
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
Tulane School of Architecture / Francine Stock
https://feil.com / The Feil Organization 
https://neworleanscitybusiness.com
http://www.roofline.com / Hayden Building Maintenance Corporation
https://www.labelscar.com
https://www.cinematreasures.org
http://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
"Lakeside Center" article on Wikipedia

New Orleans' Oakwood Center

The second major shopping hub in Greater New Orleans was also the region's first fully-enclosed retail complex. The first stores in OAKWOOD CENTER opened for business between April and October of 1966. This trademark was used to promote the original facility.
Graphic from the Interchange Realty Company

OAKWOOD CENTER was anchored by locally-owned D.H. Holmes. Holmes Oakwood, which was the fifth branch in the chain, originally encompassed 99,200 square feet. The 2-story store included two restaurants, a Public Auditorium and freestanding Car Care Center.
Drawing from the D.H. Holmes Company, Limited

At its official grand opening in October 1966, OAKWOOD CENTER housed twenty-four stores and services (out of an eventual fifty-four). The mall proper encompassed approximately 690,000 leasable square feet. 

OAKWOOD CENTER TENANTS 1966:

D.H. HOLMES (with The Potpourri restaurant, Beauty Salon, freestanding Holloway House Cafeteria [opens May 1967] and freestanding Car Care Center) / SEARS (with French Quarter Coffee House, Pet Shop, Fine Fur Department, Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / S.H. KRESS 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / WINN-DIXIE supermarket / Allens Shoes / Bank of the South / Barricini Candy / Barnett's Furniture / Florsheim Shoes / Goldring's / Gus Mayer ladies' & childrens ready-to-wear / Hardy Shoes / Hausmann's Jewelers / K & B Drug (with luncheonette) / Kinney Shoes / Miller-Wohl ladies' wear / National Shirt Shops / Oakwood Barber Shop / Oakwood Cinema I & II (outparcel) [opens August 1967] / Paris Hats / Steins / Stevens Store for Men / The Magi Gift Shop / Werlein's For Music / Zale's Jewelers

The physical structure of the complex remained virtually unchanged until the mid-1980s. A renovation installed a Food Court and the name of the complex was changed to OAKWOOD MALL. Mervyn's joined the tenant list in November 1986. A new K & B Drug also replaced an existing store. With these modifications, the facility spanned approximately 793,000 leasable square feet and housed 100 stores and services.

A major expansion was done between August 1990 and March 1994. Dillard's built a new store, which replaced a rebranded D.H. Holmes. An extended South Wing was anchored by Maison Blanche. Now officially promoted with its original name, OAKWOOD CENTER encompasses approximately 1,087,800 leasable square feet and houses 106 stores and services. Free parking is provided for 4,500 autos.

In August 2005, the mall was severely damaged and vandalized as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The common area section was closed for nearly 2 years. This rendering depicts the interior of OAKWOOD CENTER as it would appear post-restoration.

Drawing from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

A circa-2009 site plan finds the mall in a transitional stage. The central section (in light gray) had been decimated. It was totally rebuilt and retenanted. A closed-off and abandoned West Wing and Mervyn's store would sit idle for over 8 years.

OAKWOOD CENTER TENANTS 2009:

SEARS (with Coffee House, Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / J.C. PENNEY / DILLARD'S / 1000 tc. / Accessories 2 Go / Aeropostale / Aldo / American Eagle Outfitters / AT&T Mobility / The Avenue / Bag It / Baker's Shoes / Bank of Louisiana / Bath & Body Works / Best Image / Bico Australia / Blush / Browz 'N Lashez / Cafe' du Monde / Candles Connection / Champs Sports / Charlotte Russe / Chick-fil-A / Claire's / Discount Connections / Ebony's Lace Wigs / Elite Too / Eyemasters / Fame / Famous Wok / Finish Line / Foot Action / Foot Locker / XXI Forever / Game Stop / GNC / Gold Factory / Good Deal Wireless / Gordon's Jewelers / Great American Cookie Company / iSupply / It's A Wrap / iWrapz / Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office / Journeys Shoes / Kay Jewelers / Kids Foot Locker / Lady Foot Locker / Lids / Luciano's Pizzeria / Men's Wearhouse & Tux / Motherhood Maternity / Mr. Goldman / New York & Company / New In Style / New Orleans Original Daiquiris / New Pro Cell / Nouveau / NYS / Oakwood Nails & Spa / Old Navy / Om Smoke / Payless ShoeSource / Perfume Outlet / Philly's Steakhouse / Popcorn Parlor / Premier Dead Sea / Radio Shack / Regis Salons / Shoe MGK / Silver Connection / Smoothie King / Solar Whitening / Sprint-Nextel / Strausie's CZ Jewelry / Subway / The 6 Scents / The Children's Place / The Ice Age / The Shoe Department / T-Mobile / Torrid / Treasures / Trendz (Coming Soon) / Underground Station / Verizon / Victoria's Secret / Wet Seal / Zales Jewelers

The Mervyn's chain was in a retail retreat from Louisiana when the hurricane hit. As a result, the store never re-opened. The original restoration plan for the west end of OAKWOOD CENTER proposed that all damaged structures be knocked down and replaced by an open-air Streetscape. This never happened.

Drawing from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

The damaged West Wing was eventually rebuilt in its original, enclosed mall configuration. Likewise, the moribund Mervyn's was thoroughly renovated. It re-opened, as a Dick's Sporting Goods, in October 2013.

Photo from Wikimedia / "Nfrogmation of New Orleans"