A logo montage for THE MALL is comprised of trademarks of stores that were operating in -and around- the shopping complex between 1956 and 2023.
A contemporary aerial view of stores, restaurants and office suites that occupy 11 acres north of WYOMING MALL.
As an interesting turn of events, a section of Wyoming Boulevard running along the west side of WYOMING MALL was renamed "Woolco" in early 2024. This was a homage to the Woolco discount mart that anchored the shopping hub between 1969 and 1983.
Northeastern Boulevard, NE and Wyoming Boulevard, NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Duke City's first enclosed shopping center evolved from a small strip plaza built by developer Edward H. Snow, under the auspices of the Edward H. Snow Construction Company. This concern, formed in 1948, developed 1,100 acres in northeast Albuquerque.
One of many Snow Homes plats, the Snow Heights addition debuted in December 1952. In January 1956, plans for a SNOW HEIGHTS SHOPPING CENTER were formally announced. This complex would be built on a 30.1 acre parcel located 2 miles northeast of downtown Albuquerque.
When complete, SNOW HEIGHTS CENTER would encompass approximately 162,100 leasable square feet. Construction was underway by April 1956. A (24,500 square foot) Furr's supermarket became the first operational store on September 26, 1956. Next came a freestanding Creamland Dairy Store & Snack Bar, which welcomed first customers in November 1956. A Bank of New Mexico branch and Joe Behl Liquor store debuted in 1957. A (22,500 square foot) McLellan's 5 & 10 opened on December 4, 1958.
Albuquerque-based Hubbard's dedicated their 1-level (15,000 square foot) department store on July 27, 1959. White's (37,500 square foot) unit began business on June 2, 1960. Two freestanding buildings completed the original shopping complex. A (10,200 square foot) Furr's Cafeteria welcomed first diners on October 1, 1963. Home Savings & Loan opened a Snow Heights branch in January 1965.
As these businesses were opening, the Hubbard's chain was going bankrupt. The Snow Heights store went dark on August 6, 1963. The closing of Hubbard's was indicative of problems at SNOW HEIGHTS CENTER. The complex had not lived up to expectations. By April 1965, it was in foreclosure. The owners -the Edward H. Snow Company, Casa de Nieve, Incorporated and Bradbury & Stamm Construction Company- sold the center to its lienholder.
The First General Real Estate Trust of New York became the new properietor. They announced plans for a major renovation in October 1966. An enclosed shopping concourse would connect major structures, with new retail space added. The cost of said renovation was estimated to be in the neighborhood of $500,000.
The complex was renamed THE MALL in November 1966. The prospective shopping center was designed by the Flatow, Moore, Bryan & Fairburn firm, of Albuquerque. Construction of a first phase commenced in February 1967. Stores in the Furr's-McLellan's building were linked by a 418 foot, east-west shopping concourse. A (14,800 square foot) structure was built along the north side of the mallway.
Meanwhile, the Hubbard's building, which had been vacant for nearly 4 years, was renovated. Yonemoto's, an Oriental nursery & gift shop, opened in April 1967. The White's appliance & automotive store went dark on January 19, 1966. Its vacant space was shared by Tom Young's Health Spa (dedicated on June 3, 1967) and Antonio's Elegante' Hair Styling & Boutique (which debuted on August 13, 1967).
THE MALL was the first enclosed shopping center in -or around- Albuquerque. A preview opening was held on August 15th, 1967. Patrons now shopped at a newly-renovated Furr's supermarket. The adjacent McLellan's was also remodeled. The store re-opened, with a McCrory's nameplate, on October 5, 1967.
Major shopping centers in THE MALL trade area included WINROCK CENTER (1961) {.8 mile southwest, in Albuquerque}, CORONADO CENTER (1965) {1 mile west, in Albuquerque} and -eventually- COTTONWOOD MALL {1996) {8.7 miles northwest, also in "ABQ"}.
A second phase renovation of THE MALL was underway by late 1968. A 594 foot north-south concourse was being built. This would be anchored by a (104,000 square foot) Woolco Discount mart and single-screen movie theater.
As these were being completed, Tom Young's Health Spa was reconfigured as two individual facilities. There would now be a Roman Spa for men and Grecian Spa for ladies. The remodeled health club was dedicated on February 8, 1969. Woolco's official dedication was held on March 12, 1969. Hancock Fabrics opened, in existing mall space, on July 31, 1969. Loew's Theatre In The Mall showed a first feature on December 25th.
A preview opening of the newly-expanded shopping hub took place on November 1, 1969. THE MALL now encompassed approximately 266,000 leasable square feet and contained twenty-one stores and services, with four in freestanding structures. Additional stores had opened by mid-1970. These included Clark's Western Sporting Goods and Fiddler Green's Beef & Billiards.
A subsequent expansion had been on the drawing board since 1976. However, construction didn't get underway until late 1978. As part of this 2 million dollar project, the east-west concourse was shortened on the east and extended on the west. New store space filled in areas along the north-south concourse. Moreover, two freestanding restaurants were constructed; Stuart Anderson's Black Angus and Burger King. When all construction dust settled, the shopping hub, which had been promoted as the WYOMING MALL since the early 1970s, covered around 326,000 leasable square feet.
Woolco pulled the proverbial plug on January 15, 1983. The building was divided. A (50,100 square foot) Service Merchandise set up shop in the south section and held a grand opening on April 12, 1984. A (53,400 square foot) Safeway Plus supermarket opened, in the north section, on November 11th.
Theater In The Mall was sold to the General Cinema Corporation, with the name of the venue changed to The Mall Cinema in July 1972. The theater was reconfigured as a twin-plex in 1979 and closed for good on January 29, 1989. Meanwhile, in November 1987, the Furr's Corporation acquired New Mexico and West Texas Safeway Stores. The WYOMING MALL Safeway was rebranded by Furr's, who relocated to the Safeway space in May 1988.
Weingarten Realty Investors, of Houston, Texas, bought the property in April 1995. In February 1998, a 2 million dollar mall refurbishment got underway. The exterior was given a face lift, with new landscaping added. Moreover, a (36,600 square foot) Stein Mart was inserted along the north-south concourse. This store held its grand opening on September 12, 1998.
As Stein Mart was opening, the mall's Service Merchandise was going belly up. The Tennessee-based chain had struggled to compete with Wal-Mart and Circuit City during the 1990s. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy was filed in March 1999. By May 1999, the WYOMING MALL store had closed for good.
The Furr's Corporation did not fare any better. In dire straits since the late 1990s, the supermarket chain filed for bankruptcy protection in February 2001. Attempts to revive the failing enterprise were unsuccessful. The WYOMING MALL store went dark on August 29, 2001. The vacant building was leased by the Albuquerque-based John Brooks chain, who dedicated their new Supermart grocery in June 2002.
Although WYOMING MALL had been 96-percent leased in the mid-1990s, by the early 2000s, the complex was in a downward spiral. The loss of major tenants, such as Service Merchandise and Furr's supermarket, had been devastating. The shuttering of Stein Mart, in September 2003, was the final nail in the proverbial coffin.
Weingarten Realty decided to demolish WYOMING MALL and replace it with a Walmart Supercenter. This plan met a tidal wave of community opposition. Walmart prevailed in April 2005, after making several concessions. No Tire & Lube Center would be built. Furthermore, no changes could be made to the exterior of the prospective SuperCenter for 6 years.
Various tenants operated in -or around- the mall until its end. These included Sandra's School of Dance, Valley Furniture Warehouse, Southwest Hobbies, Antonio's Artistic Hair Center, The UPS Store and Blockbuster Video. Demolition commenced in mid-2006. Eventually, only the Black Angus Steakhouse and Bank of Albuquerque were left standing. The John Brooks Supermart was among the final operational stores. It closed for good in January 2007.
Five former mall tenants relocated to newly-built structures; The UPS Store, Dollar Tree, Wyoming Mall Hair Salon, Furr's Cafeteria and Radio Shack. The latter opened their new WYOMING MALL store on July 11, 2008. The (200,000 square foot) Walmart Supercenter welcomed first shoppers on July 15, 2009.
The new WYOMING MALL, including its "shadow anchor" Walmart, encompassed approximately 348,200 leasable square feet and housed twenty store spaces. The shopping venue was acquired by the Los Angeles-based Westwood Financial Corporation in 2013.
