Arlington's Crystal City Shops


The towering Crystal City district started, in the early 1960s, as a gathering of office towers, hotels, apartments and condominiums. 
Photo from Wikipedia / Aaron Kuhn

The Upper Level of APACHE PLAZA is depicted in this circa-1963 plan. There were forty-two store spaces and several kiosks. The complex also had a large Lower Level, which housed a state-of-the-art bowling alley, 150-seat Community Room, kiddie ride amusement area, leased offices and a smattering of retail stores. Outside the mall, there was free parking for 2,700 autos.

APACHE PLAZA TENANTS 1963:

J.C. PENNEY / MONTGOMERY WARD (with freestanding Auto Center and snack bar) / F.W. WOOLWORTH (with luncheonette) / G.C. MURPHY (with luncheonette) / NATIONAL FOOD STORE (with delicatessen)  / Apache Barber Shop / Apache Beauty Shop / Apache Color Center / Apache Jewelers / Apache Medical Center (outparcel) / Apache Mobil Service (outparcel) / Apache Sports & Health Club (outparcel) / Apache Studio Of Loughridge Bengtson, Incorporated / Ben Franklin Federal Savings & Loan Association / Benson Opticians / Bishop's Apache Ranch / Bonne's Shoes / Bowl-O-Mat of Minneapolis (lower level) / Braun Photo / Buttrey's ladies' wear / Captain's Cove Cafeteria / Caresse Hosiery / Carolyn's Fashions / Cobbler's Nook Shoe Repair (lower level) / Community Center auditorium (lower level) / Dotty Dunn Hats / Fanny Farmer Candies / Farmer's Mutual Insurance Company (lower level) / Farnham's Stationery / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Flowers By Louiselle / Gambles / Harold, Incorporated / Insurance Mart (lower level) / Jack & Jill Shops children's wear / Jerry's Bake Shop / Jolly's Toy & Hobby / Katherine's, Incorporated Costume Jewelry / Key Rexall / Kiddyland (lower level) / Kinney Shoes / Lancer Stores / Minnesota Piano & Organ (lower level) / Plaza Cocktail Lounge / Plaza Liquor Store / Plaza Soda Bar / Record Lane / US Post Office & Information Center / Shirley's Maternity Fashions / Singer Sewing Center / Taft Marine / The Gift Gallery / Three Sisters ladies' wear / Waldorf Cleaners & Shirt Launderers / Willie's Wash Coin Laundry / Young-Quinlan Rothschild
Juneau's Nugget Mall


The capital city's first mall-type shopping center opened its doors in late 1974. It was expanded during the late 1980s and renovated, as seen here, in 1997-1998.
Photo from https://www.nuggetmalljuneau.com


Our first NUGGET MALL site plan dates to 1975. At this time, the complex spanned approximately 128,500 leasable square feet, with free parking for 700 autos.

A vintage view of the Center Court Fountain at APACHE PLAZA. The Googie-style, hyperbolic paraboloid roof sections may be seen, along with the original, Mondrian-inspired colored glass windows.
Photo from http://www.apacheplaza.com
Greater Milwaukee's Mayfair Center


The original logo for Brewtown's second mall-type shopping center. The complex celebrated its 60th anniversary in October 2018.
Graphic from Froedtert Mayfair, Incorporated


A vintage aerial view shows the original shopping venue. It operated as an open-air mall for 15 years.  
Photo from the L.L. Cook Company

The APACHE PLAZA J.C. Penney, following a 1980s face lift. The store has been rebranded with the Helvetica font "JCPenney" trademark.
Photo from http://www.apacheplaza.com

By 1976, the North Fulton shopping hub was being promoted as ROSWELL MALL. A 4-plex theatrical venue, the Roswell Mall Cinema Centre, made its debut in December 1979. The theater, the first of several to operate in the mall, was located on its upper level.
Graphic from the Interstate Theatres Corporation 


A new owner renovated the facility in the late '70s. An unfinished lower level was completed and the aforementioned 4-plex movie house installed. A second anchor -Kmart- was dedicated in November 1979. With its completion, ROSWELL MALL covered around 400,000 leasable square feet. There was free parking for 2,600 autos. Note: the exact location of the Cinema Centre, on the mall's Upper Level, may (or may not) be accurate.

ROSWELL MALL TENANTS 1980:

RICHWAY (with snack bar and attached Auto Center) / RICHWAY FOODS supermarket / KMART (with snack bar and Garden Center) / Aileen's Wigs / Bakers Shoes / Cardin Classics / Carver Cutlery / Cheese Crate / Dan's Tan / Eileen's Hair Wear / Fashion Bug ladies' wear / Four Seasons restaurant / Friedman's Jewelry / Go Together Home Furnishings / Hair, Etcetera / Home Drapery / J & F Tobacco / Jeans West / Mabie Hudson / Mama's Pizza / Manor / Michael Romeo / Morrison's Cafeteria / Olympic Karate / Peter Morris Spectacles / Radio Shack / Reed Drugs / Roswell Mall Cinema Centre (four screens) / Roswell Pet Shop / Small World / Sport About / Stuarts Ladies Ready-to-Wear / T-Shirts / The Happy Wok restaurant / Twilight Game Room / Violet Showcase / Waldenbooks


The 1979 remodeling brought modest success, but the upturn in commerce didn't last. By the early 1990s, the complex was on life support. It was sold to a Miami-Dade developer, who initiated a massive overhaul in early 1995. The project reconfigured mall space into an exterior-entranced power center format. New stores opened in the fall of 1997. As part of the demalling, the complex was renamed ROSWELL TOWN CENTER.

Following the 1993 demise of the APACHE PLAZA Penney's, the northern section of the mall was ripped down. The outparcel health club building was also bulldozed. A freestanding Cub Foods was built as a "shadow anchor."

The shiny new Cub Foods was unable to reverse the decline of APACHE PLAZA. The store was left standing when the mall was demolished in 2004.
Photo from www.dorancompanies.com / Doran Companies

Wal-Mart anchored a new SILVER LAKE VILLAGE. The store opened in March 2005 as a replacement for the "aging" APACHE PLAZA. WalMart bolted from SILVER LAKE VILLAGE in April 2014 and moved to a new location in nearby Roseville.
Photo from http://inlandrealestate.propertycapsule.com

APACHE PLAZA
37th Avenue Northeast and Silver Lake Road
St. Anthony (Village), Minnesota

The nation's first regional-class, fully-enclosed shopping complex was SOUTHDALE CENTER (1956), which was developed in the southwestern environs of Minneapolis. The second enclosed center in the North Star State was built in the "North Twin Cities" area of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Ground was broken for APACHE PLAZA on April 18, 1960. A traditional (with-shovel) ceremony was eschewed in favor of one more dynamic. Three local beauty queens detonated an explosion, which leveled a small hill. 

The "eleven million dollar compact city" was built on a 42-acre plot; previously a pig farm. The site was located 5 miles north of the Minneapolis Central Business District, in St. Anthony Village. APACHE PLAZA was developed by the Minneapolis-based Apache Corporation and designed by Willard L. Thorsen, of  Thorsen & Thorshov, Incorporated. 

A formal dedication was held on October 19, 1961, with Elmer L. Andersen (R) (Governor of Minnesota) arriving via helicopter. Also attending the grand opening celebration were the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, officials of Apache Realty and several store managers. The festivities continued for three days and included prize giveaways, remote radio broadcasts, exciting special events and marching band concerts. 

APACHE PLAZA originally housed sixty stores and services, with four freestanding structures eventually built in its periphery. The complex was centered on a 3-story-high court area, which was 350 feet long and 150 feet wide. It was lit by multicolored clerestory windows beneath a ceiling of ten poured-concrete, hyperbolic paraboloid shells.

Anchoring the mall were a 1-level (58,000 square foot) J.C. Penney and 1-level (32,600 square foot) Montgomery Ward. Charter tenants included a Young-Quinlan Rothschild junior department store, National Food Stores supermarket, F.W. Woolworth and (42,000 square foot) G.C. Murphy. The mall had a subterranean level which housed the Bowl-O-Mat, a Community Room, kiddie ride area, leased office spaces and retail stores.

Montgomery Ward enlarged their APACHE PLAZA store, with a partial second floor and eastern addition. A 4-bay Wards Auto Center, that had been contained within the store, was replaced by a larger, freestanding unit. The new (140,000 square foot) Wards was officially dedicated on August 1, 1963. 

The shopping center served as a catalyst for further development of the surrounding area. The (16,000 square foot) Apache Office Park opened for leasing in 1964. The 6-story (120,000 square foot) Apache Medical Center was completed in 1966. On January 31, 1969, the Herringer Company Chief Theatre showed its first feature.

Major shopping centers in the vicinity of APACHE PLAZA included HAR-MAR MALL (1961) {3.3 miles southeast, in Roseville}, BROOKDALE CENTER (1962) {4.6 miles northwest, in Brooklyn Center} and ROSEDALE CENTER (1969){2.7 miles southeast, also in Roseville}, which eventually became the primary rival of APACHE PLAZA.

The first anchor change at the mall occurred in the early '70s, when Young-Quinlan Rothschild vacated their space. The (34,000 square foot) store re-opened, under the Van Arsdell nameplate, on October 15, 1972. G.C. Murphy was shuttered in late 1978 and proceeded by True Value Hardware, which welcomed its first customers on November 3, 1979. Montgomery Ward, snatched by ROSEDALE CENTER, had closed in the previous July. The store was divided into smaller retail spaces, with the largest being occupied by Furniture Barn.

Van Arsdell's lasted for almost 9 years. Its morphed into Home Base Liquidators in 1981. In 1983, a face lift of the exterior of APACHE PLAZA commenced, which replaced much of its early '60s, "space age" architecture. The renovation was almost finished by April 26, 1984, when a tornado damaged the southern end of the mall. The exposed areas were further impaired by a severe snowstorm, which occurred soon after. The center was closed for 7 months, while 6 million dollars worth of repairs could be completed.

APACHE PLAZA re-opened on November 15, 1984. Stores and services operating in the refurbished complex included Apache Plaza Bake Shop, European Flower Markets, County Seat men's wear, Connco Bootery, Minnesota Fabrics, The Mannequin ladies' wear and Excalibur men's wear.

Unfortunately, the mall was not able to compete with newer and more trendy shopping centers. The dedication of a St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Herberger's, on July 30, 1987, helped keep it viable for a time. However, in the early 1990s, the owners defaulted on their mall loan.

The dire situation was exacerbated by the late 1993 shutterings of J.C. Penney and Woolworth's. With these store spaces empty, it was decided to tear down the northern fifth of the mall. A (76,000 square foot) Cub Foods was built as a "shadow anchor" and opened for business in April 1997. Unfortunately, the mall continued on a downward spiral.

A Bulldozer Bash, held in April 2004, commemorated the center's 43 years of service to the community. By May, the complex was a pile of rubble. Work soon commenced on an open-air power center, which was being developed by New Brighton, Minnesota-based Pratt-Ordway Properties and Bloomington, Minnesota-based Doran Companies. SILVER LAKE VILLAGE was anchored by the existing Cub Foods and a 1-level (144,000 square foot) Wal-Mart SuperCenter. This store welcomed first shoppers on March 23, 2005.

Sources:

The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
"A Look Back At Apache Plaza" / Star Tribune / Rick Nelson / May 13, 2004
http://www.apacheplaza.com (defunct website) / Jeff Anderson, webmaster
http://dorancompanies.com / Doran Companies
https://www.labelscar.com
"Apache Plaza" article on Wikipedia
Dallas' NorthPark Center


An aerial view of the mall soon after its August 1965 dedication. With nearly 900,000 leasable square feet, it was one of the largest fully-enclosed shopping centers in the nation.
Photo from Dexter Western All-Tom Corporation

Shoppers stroll the Neiman-Marcus Garden Court on the mall's grand opening day, August 19, 1965.
Photo from www.northparkcenter.com


The NORTHPARK Penneys, which anchored the northeast corner of the complex. In 1965, it was -reputedly- the largest JCP operation in the Southwest. The store encompassed 2 levels, 250,000 square feet, and included an attached Auto Center.
Photo from www.northparkcenter.com 

NORTHPARK CENTER was the second enclosed mall in the Texas Metroplex. Back in the day, it was more of a mid-market merchandiser, with a Woolworth 5 & 10, SupeRx Drugs and outparcel Kroger supermarket. There were, however, upscale tenants, such as Colberts and Neiman-Marcus.  

NORTHPARK CENTER TENANTS 1965:

TITCHE-GOETTINGER (with Granada Restaurant and freestanding Auto Center) / NEIMAN-MARCUS (with The Little Mermaid Restaurant) / J.C. PENNEY (with Coffee Shop, Beauty Salon and attached Auto Center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH (with luncheonette) / American Express Company / Black Forest Bakery / Bombay Shop / Bond Clothes / Butler Shoes / Canterbury Shop / Card Corner / Card Shop / Carriage Shop / Centennial Liquors Mall Store / Chandler's Shoes / Coiffure Continental / Colberts / Commonwealth Club / Community Hall / Contour Chair / Cullem & Boren / Doubleday Book Shop / Dreyfuss & Son / El Fenix Restaurant / Florsheim Shoes / Freeman Shoes / Games Imported / Gittings N-M / Home Furniture / Hong Kong Fashions / Hot Shoppes Restaurant / House of Nine / I. Miller Salons / Jarman Shoes / John Bull Pub / Kinney Shoes / Leeds Ties / Lerner Shops / Linz Jewelers / London House Restaurant / Margo's La Mode / Marlowe Camera / Marriott Cafeteria / Vivian McNeil / Melody Shop / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Milton's Clothing Cupboard / Mode O'Day Frock Shop / Murata Pearl / National Shirt Shops / Northpark Cinema I & II (outparcel) / Olan Mills Studio / Page Boy Maternity Shop / Pants Parlour / Parklane Hosiery / Paul's Shoes / Realife Vitamins / Red Cross Shoes / James F. Riggs Offices / Russell Stover Candies / Saybrook Fabrics / Seeburg Piano & Organ / Shaw's Jewelers / The Shoe Box / Singer Sewing Center / Stylish Stout Shop / SupeRx Drugs / The Swiss Colony / Texaco East service station (outparcel) / Texaco West service station (outparcel) / TSO (Texas State Optical) / Thom McAn Shoes / Toy World / WFAA studio-Dallas Morning News offices / Jas. K. Wilson / Woody's NorthPark Barbers / Zale's Jewelers / Zenith Cleaners & Launderers / Zinke's Shoe Repair    

CONVENIENCE CENTER:

KROGER supermarket / Centennial Liquors Park Lane Store / NorthPark National Bank of Dallas


Crowds in the Fountain Court (Titche's Court) on grand opening day. By the way, the fountain looks exactly the same in the 21st century. Of course, the nameplate on the wall has been changed a couple of times.
Photo from www.northparkcenter.com


Presiding over the southeast corner of NORTHPARK was a very "Mid-Mod" Titche-Goettinger. The store, which originally encompassed 3 levels and 250,500 square feet, was the Dallas-based chain's fifth branch.
Photo from the Allied Stores Corporation


An inside view of the NORTHPARK Titche's shows the store's elegant decor. 
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1965 


In a second interior view, we see the Mediterranean-style Men's Department.
Photo from Allied Stores Corporation Annual Report 1965 

The mall's west anchor was Dallas-based Neiman-Marcus. Originally encompassing 3 levels and 164,000 square feet, the NORTHPARK store was the chain's fourth branch.
Photo from the Mission Card Company

Center Court in the original NORTHPARK.
Photo from Curteichcolor


Colberts was a Parisienne-inspired ladies ready-to-wear emporium. The posh NORTHPARK establishment also carried a full line of fur coats. The Texas-based retailer was in business at the mall until 1981.
Photo from http://www.northparkcenter.com / Shelby Foster


Lillie Rubin was a Florida-based ladies' wear chain. The NORTHPARK store opened in 1967 and closed for good in 1996.
Photo from http://www.northparkcenter.com / Shelby Foster

NORTHPARK, circa-1975. The first mall expansion was completed in the previous year. The project added a 2-level Northwest Wing (dark gray), a Lord & Taylor anchor store and four parking structures. The gross leasable area of the complex had been expanded to 1.3 million square feet. 

Zooming up to the 1990s, we see a train set on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit. DART light rail extended service to the Park Lane station in January 1997. Although said station was not directly adjacent to NORTHPARK CENTER, the two are connected via the NorthPark Trolley shuttle bus...or -heaven forbid- a brisk walk.


Built on the site of an abandoned and demolished J.C. Penney, Houston's Foley's opened at NORTHPARK in October 2000. As one might surmise, the 250,000 square foot store now sports a Macy's nameplate.
Photo from Wikipedia /"02080" 


In May 2004, construction commenced on a large-scale expansion of NORTHPARK CENTER. In a circa-2005 snapshot, we see the Foley's Court in the throes of construction. A second level of retail stores is being added.
Photo from Dallas County, Texas

The NORTHPARK CENTER Nordstrom, which anchors the mall's northwest corner. The store, which was the piece de resistance of the early 2000s expansion, welcomed first customers in May 2006.
Photo from Wikipedia / "020808"


Barneys New York, another luxury retailer, operated stores in two different locations at NORTHPARK CENTER. The first, encompassing 19,000 square feet, was in business between 1990 and 1997. The second, consisting of 88,000 square feet, is seen here. It operated between September 2006 and April 2013.
Photo from Wikipedia / "020808"