Texas' SherDen Mall

Named after the adjacent cities of Sherman and Denison, SHERDEN MALL opened for business in November 1970.

Graphic from Enterprise Development Associates 

 

The fully-enclosed complex incorporated over 497,500 leasable square feet and housed fifty-four tenant spaces. There was free parking for over 2,700 autos. One of the unique features of the center was its electric power plant, which was fired by natural gas and-or fuel oil.

SHERDEN MALL TENANTS, 1971:

J.C. PENNEY (with beauty salon, coffee shop and freestanding Auto Center) / MONTGOMERY WARD (with Buffeteria Snack Bar and freestanding Auto Center) / S.H. KRESS 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / KROGER supermarket / Bell Brothers Shoes / Bolen's Card Shop / Bresler's 33 Flavors Ice Cream / Can-Do Shop / Cinema I & II / Consumer Value Store / Continental Barber Shop / David's Book Store / Ellen's Dress Shop / Embassy Fabrics / Father & Son Shoes / First Lady Beauty Salon / Gallenkamp Shoes / GNC / Ginger's Boutique / Jaco's Men's Shop / Jo's Boutique / Karmelkorn / Kinney Shoes / Leigh-Ann's ladies' wear / Lilley's Department Store / Longhorn Ranchwear / Mangel's / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Mode O' Day Frock Shop / Motherhood Maternity / Musicland / Orange Bowl / Orange Julius / Orleans Leather / Parklane Hosiery / Purse Strings / Rings & Things / Royce Shoes / Singer Sewing Center / Smartt's Levis / Stewman's Specialty Shop / SupeRx Drugs / Sweeney Jewelers / Tall Fashions / The Orange Bowl snack bar / The Plum Tree / The Uniform Shop / Tobaccoland / Topper's Men's Wear / Vaughan's Department Store / Wig Outlet / Wyatt's Cafeteria / Zales Jewelers

A vintage view of the fully-enclosed SHERDEN concourse.

Photo from The Denison Herald 

The mall included a twin cinema among its original tenants. This was expanded into a 4-screen venue in the late 1970s. A newspaper advert from 1982 shows four films currently being shown at the UA Cinema 4.

Advert from United Artists Theatres 

The porte cochere at SHERDEN MALL. It served as the main entrance of this Texomaland shopping hub for nearly 29 years.

Photo from https://photos.google.com / Jimmy Ramsey

SHERDEN enjoyed its "only mall in town" status for 16 years. It was bested by the newer and larger MIDWAY MALL in 1986. MIDWAY snatched the SHERDEN J.C. Penney store. In an attempt to keep up, SHERDEN was given an indoor rehab, which included a remodeled Center Court.

Photo from https://photos.google.com / Jimmy Ramsey

One of two skylights installed in Center Court as part of the 1980s redo.
Photo from https://photos.google.com / Jimmy Ramsey

Our second SHERDEN layout depicts the mall in its latter days. Areas in gray indicate newly-built -or reconfigured- tenant space. By this time, a store exodus was underway. 

SHERDEN MALL TENANTS 1989:

BEALLS / BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY / MONTGOMERY WARD (with Buffeteria snack bar, Garden Shop and freestanding Auto Center) / Allstate Insurance / B. Dalton Bookseller / Cinema 4 /  Foot Action / Foxmoor Casuals ladies' wear / GNC / Grandy's restaurant / Horizon Dental / Lilley's apparel / Orange Julius / Royal Optical / Sweeney's Jewelers / Swiss Pretzel / Texoma Savings / The Bicycle Shop / Van Mulder / Woodsong Studio 

As mentioned, SHERDEN was done in by MIDWAY MALL. This complex incorporated over 600,000 leasable square feet, with around seventy-five stores and services under its roof.
Graphic from TNP Sites, Limited Liability Company

In New Millennium retail, what comes around often goes around. MIDWAY MALL was outpositioned by the shiny new SHERMAN TOWN CENTER. This power plaza was dedicated in 2004.

Photo and graphic from https://www.lpcretail.com / Sherman Town Center Marketing Brochure  

A virtually vacant SHERDEN MALL was shuttered in 1999 and demolished between 2004 and 2005. A circa-2021 plan shows a proposed redevelopment of the site. The moribund mall would be replaced with thirty-three apartment buildings, with parking for 1,200 autos. The western rim of the property would be divided into retail pads. 

Drawing from https://edge-re.com / Edge Real Estate

SHERDEN MALL
Texoma Parkway / US 75 and Gallagher Drive
Grayson County (Sherman), Texas

One of the first major shopping centers in North Central Texas, SHERDEN MALL was conceived in 1968. The complex occupied a 42.2-acre plot, located 4 tenths of a mile northeast of downtown Sherman. The northern half of the site housed the Perrin Drive-In Theater between 1953 and 1969. 

Named for its proximity to the adjacent cities of Sherman and Denison, the mall was also 75 miles north of Dallas. It was built by Charles Parrish, under the auspices of Enterprise Development Associates. The fully-enclosed shopping venue encompassed approximately 497,400 leasable square feet and, when fully leased, housed fifty-three stores and services. 

The first operational tenant, a 1-level (82,600 square foot) Montgomery Ward, was dedicated on July 30, 1970. A freestanding Wards Auto Center had opened on July 20th. On the mall's south end was a 2-level (141,900 square foot) J.C. Penney. This full-line store was inaugurated on November 12, 1970.

SHERDEN MALL was officially dedicated, with forty-one operational stores, on November 12. Charter tenants included Embassy Fabrics, Longhorn Ranchwear, Mode O' Day Frock Shop, Musicland, Topper's Men's Wear, a (26,600 square foot) Lilley's department store, (16,200 square foot) Kroger supermarket and 1-level (23,300 square foot) S.H. Kress 5 & 10.

The Robb & Rowley Circuit Cinema 1 & 2 showed first features on November 25, 1970. It was expanded into a 4-screen venue -the United Artists Cinema 4- in 1979. By this time, the mall featured stores such as Docktor Pet Center, Chess King, Fashion Fair, Hickory Farms of Ohio, Pants America and Toys By Roy. Bealls ("belz") had taken space vacated by the S.H. Kress 5 & 10.

SHERDEN MALL had a short trajectory of success and decline. The complex began a downward spiral in 1986, with the completion of MIDWAY MALL {4 tenths of a mile north, in Sherman}. As a competitive measure, SHERDEN MALL was given an interior face lift, with its Center Court refurbished. Two entry corridors were also partially filled with new store space.

Unfortunately, the mall continued to falter. J.C. Penney moved to a new store at MIDWAY MALL with Burlington Coat Factory assuming the vacancy at SHERDEN. By the early 1990s, the complex was virtually vacant. In January 1999, Montgomery Ward -the final operational store- went dark. Demolition of the past-its-prime property got underway in May 2004 and concluded in January 2005.

Sources:

The Denison Herald (Denison, Texas)
The Howe Enterprise (Howe, Texas)

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Case Study of Total Energy System, Sher-Den Mall, Sherman, Texas" / George B. Myrtetus and Merton D. Levy / Argonne National Laboratory / December 1980
https://photos.google.com / Jimmy Ramsey
http://looplink.natl.cbre.us / Midway Mall Marketing Brochure
https://www.lpcretail.com / Sherman Town Center Marketing Brochure

https://cinematreasures.org