A circa-1970 rendering of the prospective Swan City retail facility. It would span from Winn-Dixie, on the left, all the way over to a right-side Woolco.
Drawing from Bob Howard & Associates
Showing posts with label Orlando-Lakeland Malls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orlando-Lakeland Malls. Show all posts
A mid-1970s view of the mall's newly-carpeted concourse. A large Jean Nicole store is seen on the right. Off in the distance is an S.H. Kress 5 & 10. Even farther in the background, we can discern a Woolco nameplate.
Photo from www.floridamemory.com / State Library & Archives of Florida / Karl E. Holland
LAKE PARKER MALL TENANTS 1973:
WOOLCO (with Red Grille) / MONTGOMERY WARD (with Buffeteria snack bar and freestanding Auto Center) / WINN-DIXIE supermarket (outparcel) / S.H. KRESS 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Allied Radio Shack / American Bank of Lakeland (outparcel) / B. Dalton Bookseller / Bambi, Incorporated children's wear / Bernard Wigs / Bresler's 33 Flavors Ice Cream / Candle Cottage / Captain Orange / Carousel Records / First Edition / Fremacs For Men / Gallenkamp Shoes / GNC / Gift Port / Hallmark Cards / Hi-Tide Fish & Chips / Hanover Shoes / Jean Nicole ladies' wear / Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema / Jo-Ann Fabrics / Josie's ladies' wear / Kimbal & Lowery Piano & Organ Center / Mr. Beau Jangles / Mother-To-Be Shop / PROfessional Uniform Shops / Regis Hairstylists / Royce Shoes / Snak Shack / SupeRx Drugs / The Country Store / The Mall Pet Center / The Plum Tree Gifts / U.S. Army and U.S. Marines Recruiting Offices / Zales Jewelers
A Michigan-based company bought LAKE PARKER MALL in January 1974. The official name of the retail hub was changed to (THE) LAKELAND MALL in July, with an indoor-outdoor renovation being completed in October.
Graphic from the Continental Real Estate Equity Corporation
East Memorial Boulevard / US 92 and 98 and North Lake Parker Avenue
Lakeland, Florida
Planning for Lakeland, Florida's first shopping mall commenced in 1963. The fully-enclosed shopping complex was built on a 14.5-acre site. This was located .8 mile northwest of center city Lakeland, on the southern shore of Lake Parker.
LAKE PARKER MALL was developed by Miami-based Bob Howard & Associates and designed by the Aken, Logan & Shafer firm, of Jacksonville. The shopping hub was implemented in stages. The first consisted of 2-level (105,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward, which was dedicated on April 22, 1964. This was joined by a 1-level (88,500 square foot) Woolco discount mart, which opened its doors on April 22, 1971.
A grand opening was held for the adjoining mall on May 31, 1971. The 7 million dollar complex encompassed approximately 390,100 leasable square feet. Among its forty stores and services were SupeRx Drugs, Hi-Tide Fish & Chips, Gallenkamp Shoes, Jean Nicole ladies' wear and (35,000 square foot) S.H. Kress 5 & 10.
An (11,900 square foot) Montgomery Ward Auto Center and (18,900 square foot) Winn-Dixie supermarket were western outparcels of the mall proper. The in-mall Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema showed first features in December 1972. The venue was renamed Lakeland Mall Twin Cinema in 1975 and was shuttered in 1992.
Meanwhile, the Michigan-based Continental Real Estate Equity Corporation had acquired LAKE PARKER MALL in January 1974. The complex had experienced an identity crisis during its early years because its name did not reflect its location in the city Lakeland.
The official name of the complex was changed to LAKELAND MALL, which became official on July 17, 1974. An indoor-outdoor renovation accompanied the name change, with mallways fitted with new wall-to-wall carpeting, seating areas and landscaping. The exterior was given a paint job, with new parking area lighting and landscaping installed.
A second mall renovation, costing 5 million dollars, commenced in November 1983. Winn-Dixie, vacated in 1979, was divided into three store spaces. One of these was leased as a ShowBiz Pizza Place. In the mall proper, a north-south shopping concourse was created out of a vacant S.H. Kress dime store. A new Center Court and fountain were built. In addition, Morrison's Cafeteria joined the tenant list.
Following the shuttering of Woolco, in January 1983, its store space sat vacant for over 4 years. Bentonville, Arkansas' Sam's Club eventually leased the building and opened, on June 1, 1987, as the fifty-third store in the chain.
LAKELAND MALL enjoyed its enviable position, as the only mall in -or around- the city, for 17 years. This came to an end on March 10, 1988, with the grand opening of the 850,000 square foot LAKELAND SQUARE {2.9 miles northwest, in Lakeland}. This mega mall originally housed eighty-eight inline stores, with three anchors (and a fourth being under construction).
Within a year, the older (and substantially smaller) LAKELAND MALL was fifty-percent vacant. Montgomery Ward pulled the proverbial plug on their store in early 1991. Jean Nicole, the mall's final operational inline store, was shuttered on June 13, 1993. Sam's Club defected, to a newly-built store north of town, in December 1994.
Following this, the mall sat vacant and boarded up for over 4 years. On February 21, 1999, The First Baptist Church At The Mall held its first services in a renovated Woolco-Sam's Club structure. Since this time, 2.3 million dollars have been spent reconfiguring the mall as a non-secular center for worship and devotion.
Sources:
The Lakeland Ledger
The Tampa Tribune
https://www.cinematreasures.com
https://www.polkpa.org / Polk County, Florida
The Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company ("A & P") established a store in COLONIAL PLAZA. It was one of the two supermarkets operating in the original complex; the second being a Publix.
Drawing from Michael R. Sudakow Associates
McCrory's was the shopping hub's original 5 & 10. It opened, along with twenty-three charter stores and services, in January 1956.
Drawing from Michael R. Sudakow Associates
Anchoring the PLAZA was a 2-level Belk-Lindsey...a.k.a. Belk's. The freestanding store opened for business in March 1956. Note how it possessed the only escalator in Orlando!
Drawing from Michael R. Sudakow Associates
Ronnie's Restaurant & Bake Shop stood at the east end of COLONIAL PLAZA.
Photo from Curtiechcolor
COLONIAL PLAZA TENANTS 1956:
BELK'S (with Montmartre Beauty Salon, gourmet sandwich bar, garden center & pet shop) / J.G. McCRORY 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / W.T GRANT / A & P supermarket / Admiral Photo / Beauteria Beauty Shop / Colonial Plaza Shoe Repair / Darby's 1 Hour Cleaners & Laundry / Diana Shop / Duval Jewelry / Figure Fair foundations / Howard Clothes / Kinney Shoes / Mangel's ladies' wear / McVicar's, Incorporated Fashion Accessories / Publix supermarket / Ronnie's Restaurant & Bake Shop / Susan Scott ladies' wear / Thom McAn Shoes / Perdue Radio, TV & Appliance / Pix Shoes / Plaza Garden & Patio Shop / Toytown / Walgreen Drug (with luncheonette) / Woodrow's For Men
Photo from the Allied Stores Corporation
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1962
In this aerial view, the COLONIAL PLAZA strip center can be identified by its dark roofs. The light-roofed section, extending toward the top of the photo, encompasses an enclosed mall concourse. This addition was dedicated in October 1962.
Photo from www.floridamemory.com / State Library & Archives of Florida
Mid-century shoppers stroll the enclosed and air-conditioned concourse at a newly-expanded COLONIAL PLAZA.
Photo from Central Florida Distributors, Incorporated / Jack McCullom
The roofed expansion of COLONIAL PLAZA created Florida's second enclosed shopping center. It followed Fort Lauderdale's CORAL RIDGE SHOPPING PLAZA, which had been dedicated a week earlier.
Photo from Curteichcolor
The second enlargement of COLONIAL PLAZA was performed between June 1972 and October 1973. This project added a South Mall and new Belk-Lindsey anchor store, which replaced the 1956 original. In this 1973 photo, the newly-built mall section extends toward the left.
Photo from www.floridamemory.com / State Library & Archives of Florida
Original drawing from www.weingarten.com / Weingarten Realty Investors
COLONIAL PLAZA
East Colonial Drive and Bumby Avenue
Orlando, Florida
One of the first regional shopping hubs in Central Florida was built on a 45-acre tract, located 1.7 miles northwest of downtown Orlando. The T.G. Lee Dairy had occupied the site previously. Ground was broken on May 24, 1955 for the COLONIAL PLAZA project.
An open-air, strip-type center was developed by a joint venture headed by Miami and New York City's Michael R. Sudakow. Morris Lapidus, premier Miami architect, designed the complex. It incorporated approximately 236,400 leasable square feet. A formal opening was held on January 31, 1956.
The major stores were a 2-level (31,000 square foot) W.T. Grant, (22,000 square foot) Publix and (13,000 square foot) A & P. An (80,000 square foot) Belk-Lindsey, or Belk's, debuted on March 7, 1956. Original inline stores included Beauteria Beauty Shop, Howard Clothes, Perdue Radio, TV & Appliance and Pix Shoes.
COLONIAL PLAZA was expanded in the early 1960s. At the time, the Sunshine State's first and second enclosed shopping malls were nearing completion. These were CORAL RIDGE SHOPPING PLAZA {in Fort Lauderdale} and an expansion of Orlando's COLONIAL PLAZA. The Fort Lauderdale facility would open for business first.
In Orlando, a fully-enclosed shopping concourse was developed by Plaza Realty Associates. It was added through the center of an existing strip center and extended southward to a 4-level (215,700 square foot) Jordan Marsh of Florida. This operation, the third in the Miami-based division of Allied Stores, was dedicated on October 22, 1962.
The 2.9 million dollar shoppers mall also held its grand opening on October 22nd. Retailers in the new, climate-controlled COLONIAL PLAZA included Edna's ladies' wear, Lane Bryant, Mode O'Day Frock Shop, Rutland's men's wear and Plaza News.
The ABC Florida State Theatres Plaza Theatre, a western outparcel, showed a first feature on November 23, 1963. The original movie house was a 900-seat, single-screen operation. Eventually made into a multiplex, it was converted into a live performance venue in 1993.
Meanwhile, the second enclosed shopping center in Central Florida, WINTER PARK MALL {3.3 miles northwest, in Winter Park}, had been dedicated in 1964. This was followed by ORLANDO FASHION SQUARE {.3 miles southwest of COLONIAL PLAZA, in Orlando}, which opened in 1973.
As a competitive measure against the up-and-coming FASHION SQUARE, the mall at COLONIAL PLAZA was extended southward. Construction commenced in June 1972, with the expanded shopping hub holding its grand opening on October 27, 1973.
As part of the South Mall addition, the existing Belk-Lindsey moved into a newly-built, 2-level (153,000 square foot) store. New South Mall tenants included Regal Shoes, Colony Shops and Spencer Gifts. The original Belk was divided into smaller store spaces, with the largest being occupied by a Miami-based J. Byron.
A second COLONIAL PLAZA expansion was built in the north parking lot, facing East Colonial Drive. A 2-level (79,400 square foot), Charlotte-based Ivey's -and east-west shopping concourse- joined the existing mall. Barnes Coffee & Tea Company, The Gap and Ups 'N Downs were added to the tenant list.
The new section was officially dedicated on August 3, 1983. With this 11 million dollar renovation, the PLAZA mall encompassed approximately 967,000 leasable square feet and contained over 100 stores under its roof.
Shopping centers began to be developed in the outer ring suburbs of Orlando. THE FLORIDA MALL {7.5 miles southwest, in Orlando} was completed in 1986. Within a few years, COLONIAL PLAZA was in a downward spiral. Meanwhile, Ivey's was rebranded as a Dillard's, on June 4, 1990.
The decline of Orlando's "first and foremost" mall continued unabated. Jordan Marsh closed for good on October 1, 1991, with Dillard's shuttering their store in January 1995. Belk-Lindsey, the final operational anchor, went dark on March 15, 1995.
As the anchor exodus was playing out, Atlanta-based Cousins Properties purchased the complex. The last remaining inline stores closed, with a power center-type redevelopment getting underway in mid-1995. Four structures were retained and renovated, with the remainder of the mall being bulldozed.
Part of the original (circa-1956) Belk-Lindsey became Shoe Carnival. The former Publix was retenanted by Barnes & Noble. Walgreen Drug moved into a new store in the front parking area, with its former location being occupied by Petco. The circa-1973 Belk-Lindsey was divided into a Marshalls and Rhodes Furniture.
COLONIAL PLAZA MARKETPLACE was dedicated in November 1996. Encompassing 487,700 leasable square feet, it included big box stores such as a (44,000 square foot) Circuit City, (28,000 square foot) Ross Dress For Less and (36,000 square foot) Stein Mart.
The power center soon encountered several competitors. WEST OAKS MALL {9.8 miles west, in Ocoee}, was completed in 1996. OVIEDO MARKETPLACE {10 miles northeast, in Oviedo} was dedicated in 1998. WATERFORD LAKES TOWN CENTER {8.5 miles east, in Orlando} made its debut in 1999. THE MALL AT MILLENIA {6.5 miles southwest, also in Orlando} opened in 2002.
Nonetheless, COLONIAL PLAZA MARKETPLACE persevered. It was sold in April 2001; the buyer being Houston-based Weingarten Realty Investors. They soon rechristened the shopping venue with its original moniker. It would be known, henceforth, as COLONIAL PLAZA.
Two major tenants were lost due, in part, to The Great Recession. Linens 'n Things went dark in December 2008 and re-opened, as a Big Lots, on October 1, 2009. Circuit City was shuttered in March 2009, with Hobby Lobby opening on September 13, 2010. The Babies "R" Us chain did not go out of business, but its COLONIAL PLAZA location closed in October 2011. A large section of its store space opened, as a (29,600 square foot) Bealls, on September 28, 2013.
Sources:
The Orlando Sentinel
https://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.cousins.com / Cousins Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.weingarten.com / Weingarten Realty Investors
Comment posts by James & Randy
"Colonial Plaza" article on Wikipedia
Photo from www.floridamemory.com / State Library & Archives of Florida
Photo from http://www.floridamemory.com / State Library & Archives of Florida
In this snapshot, we have a full-color view of the mall's massive interior and Spilling Chalice Fountain.
Photo from Central Florida Distributors
Retail history was made at WINTER PARK MALL, when the first "New Generation" J.C. Penney opened for business, in August 1964. The store, which covered 133,200 square feet, featured departments new to a Penney store, such as large home appliances, TV & electronics, sporting goods, lawn & garden and paint & hardware. There was also a coffee shop, portrait studio and beauty salon.
Drawing from the J.C. Penney Company
The WINTER PARK Penneys was branded with the company's new signature logotype. This symbol had been introduced in November 1962.
Graphic from the J.C. Penney Company
Along with the expanded lines of merchandise, the WINTER PARK store included a freestanding Penneys Auto Center. The first had opened, at Melbourne, Florida's BREVARD MALL, in August 1963.
Graphic from the J.C. Penney Company
WINTER PARK MALL TENANTS 1965:
IVEY'S (with Beauty Salon and Ivey Room auditorium) / J.C. PENNEY (with beauty salon, coffee shop, fur salon, bridal registry, photo studio and freestanding Auto Center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with French Cafe restaurant) / Adrienne's ladies' wear / Augie's / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Bari Shoes / Barton's Candies & Hall of Cards / Bill Baer of Winter Park TV, Stereo & Records / Cheese Cottage / Claude Wolfe Home Appliances / Corene's lingerie / Creighton's Restaurant / Deluxe Liquors / Doctor C.S. Campbell, Optometrist / Elizabeth's House of Fashion / Flambeau Studio Interior Decorators / Florida's Taylor Carlisle Book Store / Gibson Ties / Goody's Bakery & Coffee Shop / Harper's ladies' wear / Hoffman's Boys' Shop / Imperial Tall Fashions / Keller Music / Kinney Shoes / Lawton's Jewelwers / Lillie Rubin ladies' wear / Matthew's ladies' wear / Robinson's Coin Laundry / Rutland's / Schwobilt Clothes / Shoe Re-Nu Shop / The Town Squire young men's shop / The Vogue Shops ladies' wear / Tom's Pizza / Tower Cleaners / Toy & Hobby Chest / Walgreen Drug (with Grill Room luncheonette) / Winn-Dixie supermarket (outparcel) / Winter Park News
MALL KIOSKS:
All State Travel Agency / Carol's Shop / Cole National Corporation / Schick Services
Unfortunately, the over-malling of Orlando was beginning to take its toll on the city's older shopping hubs. Between 1990 and 1994, WINTER PARK MALL lost twenty-five stores, including J.C. Penney. A second major renovation and repositioning was briefly considered, but eventually abandoned.
Graphic from Orlando Regional Center Associates
WINTER PARK MALL was bulldozed in 1998, leaving two structures standing. P.F. Chang's China Bistro was the first newly-built restaurant to open in a new WINTER PARK VILLAGE lifestyle center. The restaurant welcomed first diners in March 1999.
Photo from http://www.castoinfo.com / Casto Lifestyle Properties
Brio Tuscan Grill was also one of the new WINTER PARK VILLAGE tenants. It was in business by the time of the shopping hub's official dedication, which was held in November 1999.
Photo from http://www.castoinfo.com / Casto Lifestyle Properties
An Ivey's-Dillard's store was one of two structures spared when the rest of the mall was razed. The building was renovated. Its first level was divided into seven store spaces; one being The Cheesecake Factory seen here. The upper floor was reconfigured as fifty-eight loft apartments.
Photo from http://www.castoinfo.com / Casto Lifestyle Properties
Photo from Wikipedia / "Jchigh31"
Albertsons Village Market comprised 52,900 square feet. The store, another WINTER PARK VILLAGE charter tenant, was rebranded by Publix in late 2008.
Photo from http://www.winterparkvillage.com
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