BREVARD MALL
South Babcock Street and West Hibiscus Boulevard
Melbourne, Florida
The story of the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation's first Florida mall begins in 1933, when the City of Melbourne acquired a 160-acre tract west of the Indian River. The land was developed into a small airfield, which morphed into Naval Air Station Melbourne in October 1942. This facility was in use until February 1946.
In 1947, the airfield was deeded back to the City of Melbourne. Soon after, it began operating as the Melbourne-Eau Gallie Airport. By the mid-1960s, the name had been changed to John F. Kennedy Memorial Airport. The facility would be known as the Melbourne Regional Airport by the 1970s. In 1993, it was upgraded to today's Melbourne International Airport.
Meanwhile, Youngstown, Ohio's DeBartolo Corporation, fresh from the development of its first mall in Mentor, Ohio, had set its sights on the Sunshine State. A 29.8-acre plot, part of the aforementioned airport, was purchased. Financed by the Cape Coral-based Florida Mortgage Funding Corporation, BREVARD MALL was under construction by April 1962.
Open-air in format, the 2.1 million dollar BREVARD MALL comprised a single retail level. The complex housed approximately 312,900 leasable square feet and was anchored by a 1-level (106,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward and 1-level (73,800 square foot) J.C. Penney. This store featured the very first "Penneys" Auto Center.
Charter BREVARD MALL tenants included Eckerd Drugs, Thom McAn Shoes, Kinney Shoes, Mac's Friendly Tavern, a (19,600 square foot) J.G. McCrory 5 & 10 and (23,000 square foot) Winn-Dixie supermarket.
Montgomery Ward, the chain's tenth Sunshine State store, opened March 17, 1963. An official mall grand opening was attended by Grady White, Mayor of Melbourne, and Florida State Representative James Pruitt (D). The dedication of J.C. Penney was held on August 29th. Miami-based Jordan Marsh Florida opened Sports Colony, a women's sportswear boutique, in October 1965.
Brevard County's first shopping mall had no sizable competition for its first seven years. MERRITT SQUARE {18.5 miles north, on Merritt Island} was completed in October 1970. As a keeping up measure, BREVARD MALL was rebuilt into a fully-enclosed structure in 1974. The mall was also enlarged by 10,000 square feet, this to accommodate a new Lerner Shops store.
More intense rivalry came from MELBOURNE SQUARE {1.4 miles southwest, also in Melbourne}, which was dedicated in October 1982. Also a DeBartolo development, MELBOURNE SQUARE snatched J.C. Penney from BREVARD MALL in August 1983.
Meanwhile, a joint venture headed by Jim Wilson & Associates, of Montgomery, Alabama, was devising a mall expansion. An adjacent Sears, on a pad north of BREVARD MALL, would be linked with the complex via a 315,000 square foot shopping concourse. This new connecting mall would include a newly-built Ivey's and house approximately 125 stores.
This plan was contingent upon J.C. Penney's participation. Unfortunately, they had announced plans to relocate to the up-and-coming MELBOURNE SQUARE. The BREVARD MALL-to-Sears expansion plan was abandoned in March 1981.
The mall's Montgomery Ward had been renovated and rebranded, as a Miami-based Jefferson Ward, in August 1980. This experiment in "upscale discount" was not successful and the chain folded in May 1986, leaving BREVARD MALL with a second vacant anchor space.
Pittsburgh's J.J. Gumberg acquired the past-its-prime property in July 1987. At the time, it contained just fifteen operational stores. A 1.3 million dollar renovation commenced. Quarry-tile floors were installed along with cloth "boat sail" ceilings, new landscaping and lighting. The exterior was also updated.
A vacant Winn-Dixie, and two adjoining store spaces, were reconfigured as a Massachusetts-based T.J. Maxx. The vacant Jefferson Ward became a Montgomery Ward Specialty Store, which sold only four product lines; apparel, home appliances and electronics, home furnishings and automotive. This store was dedicated in August 1987.
The mall remodeling was completed in November. Stores and services now included Regis Hairstylists, PayLess ShoeSource, Counterfitters, McCue's Unisex Barber Shop and a Rax roast beef restaurant. Unfortunately, the "new and improved" BREVARD MALL failed to catch on. The complex remained in a downward spiral.
By early 1997, there were just four operational stores; Eckerd Drugs, T.J. Maxx, Regis Hairstylists and the Montgomery Ward Specialty Store. This went dark in August 1997. At this time, the mall was being re-renovated by Melbourne's Airport Professional Centers. It was being transformed into a hybrid shopping and entertainment facility.
The vacant J.C. Penney was rebuilt into the
Florida Convention Center.
One Radio Center, a broadcasting complex, was also installed. This facility contained studios for five Southern Star Communications stations. Additional plans were made for a wedding center, mini-concert and festival area, cinema, hotel and amphitheater.
As part of the renovation and repositioning, the mall was renamed FLORIDA MARKETPLACE & CONVENTION CENTER in December 1997. The initial stage of the 2 million dollar remodeling was completed in April 1998. The interior now featured Spanish tile flooring, carpeting, new landscaping and lighting. The exterior had been refurbished in a Spanish Colonial-Post Modern motif.
The mall repositioning was modestly successful, at best. The
Florida Convention Center closed for good in late 2000. It was followed by a Percepta call center facility in November of the same year. The marketing focus of the FLORIDA MARKETPLACE mall was shifting from that of a failed retail and entertainment venue to more of an office-type complex.
Early in the 21st century, a 2.7 acre section on the east-facing side of the mall site was sectioned off and sold. The 133-room
Residence Inn by Marriott opened in January 2008 fulfilling plans originally made 10 years before.
Tenants leasing space in FLORIDA MARKETPLACE during this time frame included the Energy nightclub, Starlight Palace slot machine arcade, Pilot Training College, New Horizons Computer Learning Center and Grace Christian Church.
There were also Bennett Auto Supply, Medical Data Systems, Conexant (in the old Montgomery Ward) and P.D. Penguin's Ice Rink & Restaurant (in the Winn-Dixie-T.J. Maxx space). By the twenty-tens, the official name of the retail and office facility had been changed to the FLORIDA BUSINESS CENTRE.
Sources:
The Miami News
The Orlando Sentinel
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Florida Today (Cocoa, Florida)
J.C. Penney Company Annual Report 1963
http://www.mlbair.com / Melbourne International Airport
http://www.robertfinvarbcompanies.com / Robert Finvarb Companies (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
