Recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the Makers
of the American Century, Victor Gruen is hailed as the Father of the
Shopping Mall in the United States.

Photo from US News and World Report

(See Media Fair Use rationale at end of article)

Much has been written about Victor Gruen (Gruenbaum), the Austrian e'migre' who escaped Nazi-occupied Europe in 1938 and arrived in New York City with a degree in architecture, eight dollars in cash and no command of the English language.

From these humble beginnings sprang an illustrious 39-year career in the design of retail structures, which got underway with his creation of fashionable Fifth Avenue boutiques and work on renovating several Manhattan department stores.

At the close of WW II, America -after years of depression and conflict- was ready for some major economic expansion, with virtually all this growth occurring in new, outlying suburbs. The regional shopping center was to become the center of commerce in this reconfigured landscape.

Gruen had many innovative concepts that were utilized in constructing these new-style, suburban centers. He also had a great deal of input in the urban renewal projects that resulted from America's shift away from downtown-centered commerce.

The best known of his concepts -The Gruen Transfer- involved trying to increase consumer spending by manipulating shoppers to do impulse buying. According to Gruen, this could be accomplished via unconscious influences of lighting, ambient sound and music, visual detail of storefronts, mirrored or polished surfaces and climate control of interior spaces.

Gruen also believed that America's central cities, which had been decimated by suburbanization in the 1950s and '60s, could be revitalized by constructing expressway loops around downtown areas, routing automobile traffic into parking garages and creating pedestrian-only zones -free of vehicular traffic- on previously-existing streets.

His first downtown redevelopment plan was commissioned by Fort Worth, Texas in 1955, but never carried out. Kalamazoo, Michigan, Fresno, California and Honolulu, Hawaii implemented parts of Gruen's plans....building only pedestrian malls.

Victor Gruen's mid-20th century malls. Articles for the Northland
Center, Valley Fair Center, Southdale Center, Riverside Plaza, Bay
Fair Center, Eastland Center, Glendale Center, Winrock Center,
Cherry Hill Mall, Midtown Plaza, Randhurst Center, Topanga Plaza,
Greengate Mall, Westland Center, Plymouth Meeting Mall, South
Coast Plaza, Midland Mall, Lakehurst Mall, Central City Mall and
Twelve Oaks Mall properties are included in this section. Write-ups
for Brookdale Center, South Hills Village and Rosedale Center may
be found by clicking here...

http://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/search/label/More%20Gruen%20Malls

Click on map image for a larger view.

It was not until 1962 that a fully-realized, "Gruenized", downtown was dedicated....under the auspices of Rochester, New York's MIDTOWN PLAZA.

Several American cities jumped on the Gruen-influenced, downtown shopping mall / urban renewal bandwagon. However, by the 1980s, the newness had worn off. The fact had to be faced; no redevelopment scenario, even though grandly-conceived and expensive, could reverse the exodus of retail trade from the blighted central city. Most downtown malls were eventually torn down, with the pedestrian-only streets being re-opened to automobile traffic.

Gruen's idea of a suburban shopping mall as a European-style town center of culture and entertainment was plausible for a while. The enclosed, megamall of the 1960s was often promoted as a venue for concerts, pageants and other public events. However, mall management entities eventually came to the conclusion that hosting such large-scale events was a cost-prohibitive endeavor, involving a great deal of problems and liability issues. Such spectacles became less and less frequent.

So, Victor's vision of the American retail center as a new-style, public gathering space was eventually undermined by the corporate directive for mere profit. He became disillusioned and returned to Vienna in 1967. Shortly before his death in 1980, Gruen dismissed the shopping mall -which he had been instrumental in creating- as a "bastard development".

Forthcoming is a selection of Victor Gruen's most noteworthy shopping mall projects. Some never made it past the drawing board stage; others came to full fruition and remain viable retail centers to this day. Others, such as San Jose's VALLEY FAIR, So-Cal's RIVERSIDE PLAZA, Albuquerque's WINROCK, Indy's GLENDALE, Pittsburgh's GREENGATE and Chicago's RANDHURST and LAKEHURST have been demolished or substantially redeveloped.

Detroit's Eastland Center Project



Something of an early period, "Googie" design, the Hudson's anchor in
Gruen's circa-1950 proposal for EASTLAND CENTER. The cylindrical
store was to feature a rooftop parking deck.

A circa-1950 site plan for what would have been Greater Detroit's first
regional shopping center. Korean conflict building material shortages
put the brakes on construction. A more conventional -Gruen-designed-
mall opened on the site 7 years later.


One of Victor Gruen's earliest shopping center plans was commissioned by Detroit's J.L. Hudson Company in 1950. The chain was pondering expanding to suburban locations. A 97.8 acre tract, 14 miles northeast of the urban core and located in Gratoit ["Grash-it"] Township / Wayne County, was under consideration for development.

A space-age design complex envisioned by Victor Gruen was to be anchored by a circular Hudson's department store, which would have had a rooftop parking deck. The shopping venue was to be open-air, comprising nine store blocks; these arranged in a circle around a center parking area. The buildings would be connected via walkways and plazas in between, with an underground service tunnel providing out-of-sight freight access to the stores.

The plan was quite revolutionary for its time. However, building material shortages due to the Korean conflict put the project on indefinite hiatus in 1951. 6 years later, a more conventional design, open-air shopping mall opened on the site. See accompanying EASTLAND article, in the following section, for details.

Houston's Montclair Center Project

Gruen's second prospective retail center was to be built on a two parcel (23.7 acre total) site, located 6 miles west of downtown Houston. The plan envisaged for the MONTCLAIR SHOPPING CENTER was even more innovative than that of Detroit's circa-1950 EASTLAND.

The proposed Houston complex was to be anchored by two major department stores. This was unheard of in 1952, when what few suburban shopping malls that existed were centered on only one. Moreover, the complex was to feature a fully-enclosed and climate controlled "mall" area...yet another radical -and untried- concept.

The center would have straddled the two adjoining land lots, with Weslayan Street (which bisected the site) being routed beneath the mall structure. This design feature, along with a rooftop parking deck, made the construction cost for the center prohibitive.

Gruen and his backers were unable to commit two competing department stores to the project. The plan was abandoned, with a smaller-scale strip center eventually being built on the property.

Gruen's MONTCLAIR CENTER plan, several years ahead of its time,

was perhaps too radical a concept for the conservative, early 1950s.

At the time, the idea of a single-anchor, open-air mall was only starting

to catch on. Here, we had a plan for a bi-anchor, fully-enclosed

shopping complex. Radical indeed!

Detroit's Northland Center



In 1954, the third Victor Gruen-designed shopping mall -the first to
actually be built- came inline. Its J.L. Hudson was the largest branch
department store ever built in the United States. Encompassing 4 levels
and 511,500 square feet, it was rebranded by Marshall Field's in 2001
and Macy's in 2006.

The four directionally-designated malls of the Motor City started
with Southfield's NORTHLAND CENTER, in 1954. EASTLAND
CENTER, in Harper Woods, was completed in 1957. WESTLAND
CENTER, in Westland, was third in line...coming inline in 1965. The
final foray, Taylor's SOUTHLAND CENTER, opened in 1970.
[Click on map for a larger view]

Proclaimed a "shopping paradise" upon its completion in March 1954,

NORTHLAND CENTER was the nation's largest shopping mall until the

dedication of Long Island, New York's ROOSEVELT FIELD CENTER,

in August 1956.

Two shots of Fountain Court, at the southeast corner of the com-
plex. The multistory structure in both pictures is its humongous
Hudson's.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

The North Mall and S.S. Kresge 5 and 10.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot



The East Mall, running along the back side of the center.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

A site plan dated 20 years after the first. Two additional store blocks
(in dark gray) were built in 1970. By 1973, construction was underway
on two new anchor stores...Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penney. These
were completed -along with an enclosure of the mall- in 1974.

A view of the mammoth mall soon after it made the change from outdoor
to indoor. The new J.C. Penney may be seen in the lower right.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

A more recent photo, showing the Hudson's anchor before it was
refitted with a Marshall Field's nameplate, in 2001. The store was
rebranded again -as a Macy's- in late 2006.
Photo from www.history.sandiego.edu



The north facade of the mall. After over 50 years in business, it  
still holds the distinction of largest shopping center in the Great
Lakes State.
Photo from http://www.history.sandiego.edu/

One of the few remaining vestiges of Victor Gruen. A sculpture created
for the circa-'54 shopping center is used as a centerpiece of a court area
in the present-day mall.
Photo from www.shopatnorthland.com

The mall entrance of Target, the most recent anchor store addition. The

116,000 square foot store opened in the spring of 1996.

Photo from www.shopatnorthland.com

The ever-changing anchor line-up at Greater Detroit's NORTHLAND
CENTER. Built in the days when the typical regional shopping center
had just a single major department store, the complex was eventually
expanded to feature four. Today, two of these spaces at NORTHLAND

are vacant. A junior anchor spot is also untenanted.

NORTHLAND CENTER
Northwestern Highway and 8 Mile Road
Oakland County (Southfield), Michigan

Victor Gruen's third mall design was the first to be actually built. NORTHLAND CENTER was situated on a 163 acre tract, 10 miles northwest of center city Detroit, in unincorporated Oakland County / Southfield Township, Michigan.

The original complex was a sprawling, 992,000 square foot, open-air structure. It encompassed 2 levels; one a service basement (with a small store section), the other being devoted entirely to retail.

A 4-level (511,500 square foot) J.L. Hudson, the first suburban location in the Detroit-based chain, was situated in the center of the mall. The store was surrounded by five retail blocks and several open court areas. These featured fountains, sculpture and attractive landscaping.

The 30 million dollar shopping venue opened March 22, 1954, with sixty-five stores. Within months, an additional forty-five were in business. Charter tenants included Hughes and Hatcher, Winkelman's, Barna-bee Children's Shops, Baker's Shoes, Chandler's Shoes, Cunningham Drugs, Sander's Confectionery and Himelhoch's.

In keeping with the 1950s concept of a regional center as a one-stop shopping destination, the original NORTHLAND CENTER included a bank, post office, medical clinic and lost children office. There were also a public auditorium, Kroger supermarket and S.S. Kresge 5 and 10.

The area surrounding the shopping center was incorporated, as the city of Southfield, in September 1957. Improved access came in late 1962, when the James Couzens (later John C. Lodge) Expressway was extended from Detroit's Wyoming Avenue to 8 Mile Road.

Newer shopping malls began to dot the region, including TEL-TWELVE MALL (1968-2001) {4.7 miles northwest, in Southfield}, LIVONIA MALL (1964-2009) {6.8 miles southwest, in Livonia} and WESTLAND CENTER (1965) {11.9 miles southwest, in Westland}. NORTHLAND CENTER had to do a major upgrade in order to compete.

A renovation and expansion was done in stages, between 1970 and 1974. Firstly, two store blocks were added to the southeast end of the complex. These were followed by two new anchors; a 2-level (284,000 square foot) J.C. Penney and 1-level (122,200 square foot) Montgomery Ward. Secondly, courts and concourses were fully enclosed. With all construction completed, NORTHLAND CENTER encompassed 1.5 million leasable square feet.

By the mid-1980s, the newness had begun to wear off. Several national chain tenants had vacated, including S.S. Kresge, Jo-Ann Fabrics and The Limited. However, Illinois-based Main Street joined the tenant list in 1986. This store would be rebranded by Wisconsin-based Kohl's in 1988.

The 1990s were also years of change at NORTHLAND CENTER. Massachusetts-based T.J. Maxx came in 1990, a Food Court was installed in 1991 and Montgomery Ward closed in early 1998. A southeastern expansion was completed in April 1996, adding a 1-level (116,000 square foot) Target.

Along with the new century came more modifications. J.C. Penney closed in June 2000, leaving a large vacancy. Kohl's pulled out of the mall in 2004. The old Montgomery Ward was leased to National Wholesale Liquidators, who opened in October 2004 but closed in November 2008. Hudson's was rebranded as Marshall Field's in early 2001 and morphed into Macy's in September 2006.

Between the mid-1990s and late 2000s, ownership of NORTHLAND CENTER changed three times. The latest transaction, concluded in January 2009, transferred the deed of the 1,680,000 shopping center to the New York City-based Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation.

San Jose's Valley Fair Center

A circa-56 site plan of the original VALLEY FAIR CENTER. The

large store area indicated on the north end of the complex was a

Safeway supermarket.

A bird's eye view of VALLEY FAIR, with the adjacent STEVENS CREEK
PLAZA in the upper left corner.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

In 1987, Macy's, at the circa-1956 VALLEY FAIR CENTER, was
incorporated into a newly-built, connecting corridor mall (shown
in light gray). It linked Macy's with stores that were originally part
of STEVENS CREEK PLAZA (indicated in black). The amalgamated
mall was called simply VALLEY FAIR.

A circa-2001 site plan shows all of the changes done to the mall since
the 1980s. The 1986 structure (shown in black) has been expanded
with a second mallway (indicated in medium gray) linking a new
Nordstrom with the original Macy's (now a Women's Store). Three
parking garages have also been added; Garage "A" was built in the
mid-1990s. Garages "B" and "C" were completed between 1999
and 2001.

Australia's Westfield Group acquired The VALLEY FAIR property
in the late '90s. Today, the center has multiple Macy's locations.
The Men's and Home Furniture Gallery seen here was originally
a Bay Area-based Emporium, in the old STEVENS CREEK
PLAZA.
Photo from UCDVicky"



The retail hub was saddled with the unwieldy mall moniker
WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN VALLEY FAIR in 1999.
The "shoppingtown" reference was unceremoniously dropped
from the names of all the company's properties in mid-2005.
Photo from "UCDVicky"

VALLEY FAIR CENTER
Stevens Creek Boulevard and Eastshore Freeway
San Jose, California

Victor Gruen's second bona-fide shopping mall project was built on a 41 acre tract, located 5.5 miles southwest of San Jose's Central Business District. The mall site was adjacent to a newly-opened segment of the Eastshore Freeway.

VALLEY FAIR CENTER consisted of a single retail level with a service basement. The open-air venue, developed by Macy's San Francisco, was anchored by a 2-level (157,300 square foot) Macy's.

Initial stores in the 405,000 square foot complex were dedicated in August 1956. There would eventually be thirty-nine tenants, including Joseph Magnin apparel, an F.W. Woolworth 5 and 10 and Safeway supermarket.

In its early years, VALLEY FAIR CENTER was famous for the kiddie-ride amusement area that had been installed on the roof of its Macy's. Included were a 40-foot ferris wheel, merry-go-round and mini-train. These attractions were removed in late 1957.

The center was sold to the La Jolla, California-based Hahn Company in 1963. It was around this time that a 78,600 square foot third level was added to the existing Macy's, taking the space previously used for the "rooftop fair".

A major renovation of VALLEY FAIR CENTER took place in the 1970s. The complex was fully-enclosed and a multi-level parking garage was added to the east end of the retail venue. Henceforth, the shopping hub was known as VALLEY FAIR MALL.

Competing shopping malls sprang up in the region, including EASTRIDGE MALL (1971) {6.9 miles east, in southeast San Jose}, OAKRIDGE MALL (1973) {6.4 miles southeast, in San Jose}, VALLCO FASHION PARK (1976) {3.3 miles west, in Cupertino} and SUNNYVALE TOWN CENTER (1979-2007) {5.5 miles northwest, in Sunnyvale}.

In 1985, the Hahn Company -now technically known as TrizecHahn- acquired the neighboring STEVENS CREEK PLAZA and began a large-scale renovation of it and VALLEY FAIR MALL. The bulk of VALLEY FAIR was razed, leaving only the Macy's and its parking garage. The department store, expanded by 160,000 square feet, would now comprise 396,000 square feet of floor space.

A 100 million dollar, 2-level mall concourse was built, linking an expanded Macy's with the Emporium and I. Magnin at the old STEVENS CREEK PLAZA. At the center of the new center was a 2-level (168,000 square foot) Nordstrom.

Renamed simply VALLEY FAIR, the amalgamated mall encompassed 1.2 million leasable square feet. One hundred and twelve stores (out of an eventual one hundred and seventy-five) were dedicated October 15, 1986.

Anchor stores at VALLEY FAIR changed nameplates during the 1990s. I. Magnin closed in 1992. Its area became inline store space. The Emporium was expanded with an additional (85,000 square foot) third level, for a grand total of 316,000 square feet. The store was rebranded as a Macy's Men's and Home Furniture Gallery in 1996.

In 1998, TrizecHahn sold the complex to a joint venture of Australia-based Westfield Holdings (now the Westfield Group) and the Maryland-based Rouse Company. Westfield soon established full ownership of the venue.

A major expansion began in late 1998. The project, encompassing three phases of construction, included two parking garages and a new 3-level (225,000 square foot) Nordstrom.

A fifty-store, wrap-around concourse (built to the northeast of the existing mall and connecting the original Macy's and second Nordstrom) was dedicated in 2001. The circa-1986 Nordstrom was sectioned into smaller retail spaces within the new concourse.

2006 brought news of a third major expansion of the 1,475,600 square foot, two hundred sixty-two-store, WESTFIELD VALLEY FAIR. The project was to add 650,000 leasable square feet in a second wrap-around concourse of seventy-two stores. Moreover, two anchors, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's, were to join the retail roster.

However, the economic collapse of the early 2000s slammed the brakes on the prospective remodeling project. It was put on indefinite hold with no indication of when -or if- it would ever be started.

FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT VALLEY FAIR,
CLICK ON THE MERGED MALLS LINK

Minneapolis' Southdale Center

The mall's original trademark
Graphic from The Dayton Corporation

Victor Gruen's best-known -and most emulated- shopping center.
As most everyone is probably aware, it was America's first regional-
class, enclosed shopping mall. Here we see the Dayton's anchor store
and "Alligator" parking lot.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

A physical layout of the original, Gruen-designed mall. This drawing
is a composite of the 2 retail levels, with Lower Level entrances indi-
cated with black boxes. Those of the Upper Level are shown in gray.


SOUTHDALE CENTER TENANTS 1957:

DAYTON COMPANY (with Valley View Room restaurant and public auditorium) / L.S. DONALDSON (with Minnesota Room restaurant and public auditorium) / RED OWL SUPERMARKET / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 and 10 (with lunch counter and basement sales area) / Anderson Shop China and Glassware / The Cotton Shop / Bachman's Florist / Roy H. Bjorkman, Inc. ladies' apparel / Boutell's Furniture / Bringold Meats / Suzy Hats / Brown Photo / Buttrey Stores, Inc, Women's Apparel / Chandler's Shoes / Baker's Shoes / DeLaria Delicatessen / Edina Liquor Store / Egekvist Bakery / Fanny Farmer Candies / Farm and Orchard Fruits and Vegetables / Farnham Stationers and School Supplies / First Southdale National Bank / Gager's Handicraft / Flagg Brothers Shoes / John W. Heller ladies' apparel / Household Finance / Jack and Jill Children's Shop / J.B. Hudson Company Jewelers / Jackson-Graves ladies' apparel / Juster Brothers men's apparel / Juvenile Shoes / Kelco Storeware / G.R. Kinney Shoes / Kiddie Koral children's amusement area (with zoo) / Fashion Beauty Salon / Marshall Wells Hardware / Minneapolis Gas Company / Mode O' Day Frock Shops / Marvin Orek and Associates ladies' apparel / Peck and Peck / The Purple Door Greeting Cards / Pets Unlimited / Peter Pan Restaurant / The Record Shop / Richman Brothers men's apparel / P. Schlampp and Sons Furiers / Shirley's Maternity Fashions / Sidewalk Cafe / Slenderella International / Southdale Men's Store / Southdale Appliance Repair Center / The Toy Fair / Thorpe Brothers Real Estate / United States Post Office / Walgreen Drug / Walter's, Incorporated ladies' apparel / White Way Cleaners / Wirt Wilson and Company

OUTPARCELS:
Southdale Garden Center / Pure Oil service station / Western Oil and Fuel Company

The revolutionary retail center's front / southwest elevation. There

were two retail levels in the main mall, four in the Dayton Company

anchor store and a service level basement, accessed via the tunnel

portal indicated above.

A circa-'56 cut-away view of the SOUTHDALE Garden Court. The tall
fixture on the left was the bird aviary, a feature used in many of the
mid-century malls that followed.

Color postcard pics of Gruen's Garden Court. The 100 foot wide plaza
provided shoppers a respite among its fountains, flora and fauna. There
were also a sidewalk cafe and several modern art sculptures. The new
concepts presented here were emulated in every interior mall built in
America.
Photo 1 from Malls of America Blogspot
Photo 2 from www.lileks.com (James Lileks)

The same Garden Court in the 21st Century. Its area was nearly
doubled during a renovation in 1992.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Gephart"

The present-day Garden Court, viewed from the opposite end.
Photo from www.lileks.com (James Lileks)



Trendz On Top, a teenage apparel area that opened, as a newly-
fashioned (pardon the pun), 4th level, in 2002.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Gephart"

A circa-2008 physical layout of the First Level of SOUTHDALE CENTER.
The 1956 structure is indicated in black. Three expansion over the years
have added 543,000 leasable square feet to the 4-level mall. With all of
this newer construction, just about all of the Gruen is gone.

A contemporary physical layout of the 1,339,000 square foot retail hub.
The Mervyn's (nee' Donaldson's) space sat vacant for over 7 years be-
for a Herberger's opened -in late 2011- to fill the vacancy. A new Food
Court has been built on Second Level space fronting on J.C. Penney


SOUTHDALE CENTER
West 66th Street and France Avenue South
Edina, Minnesota

Following the success of his NORTHLAND CENTER project in suburban Detroit, Victor Gruen was on a roll. Soon after its completion in 1954, he was commissioned by Minneapolis' Dayton Company to design a shopping center for the Twin Cities.

The result, SOUTHDALE CENTER, opened for business October 8, 1956, as the first regional-class, enclosed shopping center in the United States. It was also the first to feature decorative works of art in its interior spaces. Moreover, SOUTHDALE was rather revolutionary in its "introverted" design.

Whereas previous shopping centers faced out, toward their parking lot, most stores in SOUTHDALE faced in...with their entrances and signage on the inside of the mall. The unified "mall aesthetic" of the exterior was not compromised by the sight of several individual storefronts and signs.

Modeled in the idea of a European city center or galleria, the mall was a congregating and socializing place fitted to America's emerging car culture. It was to be a new-era, reworked town center of the future.

Gruen's plans for the mall to be the nucleus of subsequent development, which was to include homes, schools and parks, did not come to pass as planned. Nonetheless, SOUTHDALE was a model for the megamalled America of the 1960s and '70s. This was not what Gruen had had in mind.

The original 20 million dollar, 810,000 square foot center was situated on an 82 acre tract, eight miles southwest of downtown Minneapolis, in the Village of Edina ["uh-diy-nuh"]. SOUTHDALE was centered around a 3-story, 100 foot wide, "Garden Court", which had tropical landscaping, statues, a fountain and bird aviary.

There were two retail levels and a subterranean "truck road", connected with tenant stores via elevators, stairs and hallways; all of this out of sight of mall shoppers.

The split level parking area, and how it was interconnected with the 2 retail levels of the mall, was innovative in design. Its lots were named for animals, such as "Alligator", "Rooster" and the like. This was done to make it easier for shoppers to remember how to get back to their cars, parked somewhere in the 5,200 spaces originally provided.

The anchors at the 1956 SOUTHDALE grand opening were a 4-level (238,000 square foot), Minneapolis-based Dayton Company and 4-level (179,000 square foot), Minneapolis-based L.S. Donaldson. The initial tenant list of fifty-eight included an F.W. Woolworth 5 and 10, Red Owl supermarket, and Walgreen Drug, as well as a bank, hardware store, seven restaurants and cafes, eleven apparel shoppes, five shoe stores and a US Post Office. The fully-leased complex housed seventy-two stores and services.

Minnesota's first twin cinema, the Southdale I and II, opened in 1966. The 1,950 seat theater was built as an outparcel to the mall and was located in its southwest parking area. It was made into a triplex in 1975 and became the Southdale I-II-III-IV in 1980. The venue was shuttered August 16, 1990 and demolished soon after.

The first renovation at SOUTHDALE added a new Northeast Wing and 4-level (247,000 square foot) J.C. Penney. The project was completed in 1972. Sometime therafter, a 1-level (44,900 square foot) Marshalls opened in the First Level of the complex.

Regional retail rivals of SOUTHDALE were KNOLLWOOD MALL (1972) {4.6 miles northwest, in St. Louis Park} and EDEN PRAIRIE CENTER (1976) {4.8 miles southwest, in Eden Prairie}. GALLERIA EDINA, situated adjacent to the south side of the SOUTHDALE site, started out in 1959 as a freestanding furniture store. This was expanded into an enclosed shopping center in 1974.

Fearing major competition from MALL OF AMERICA, which was being built only 4.3 miles southeast, the owners of SOUTHDALE embarked upon a large-scale expansion in 1989. This began with the construction of a new 4-level (359,600 square foot) Dayton's, on the northwest side of the existing mall, which was connected with two new parking garages. The original Dayton's closed August 7, 1990, with the new location beginning business August 9.

The old Dayton's structure was then subdivided into 3 levels of inline stores, including Dayton's Petits and The Body Shop, with an 11-bay Food Court installed on the Third Level. The Garden Court was also doubled in size. Tenants in the renovated section of the mall began opening in July 1991, with store dedications continuing into the following year.

The most recent expansion of SOUTHDALE CENTER, added to its southeast end, got underway in January 2001. A new multiplex, the MegaStar Southdale 16, showed its first features December 1, 2001. District On France, an adjacent lifestyle-type collection of sit-down restaurants, debuted with P.F. Chang's China Bistro, in November 2001. This was followed by Cheesecake Factory (May 2002), California Pizza Kitchen (July 2002) and Maggiano's Little Italy (November 2002).

A section of teen-oriented shoppes, Trendz On Top, was built in an expanded fourth level of the old Dayton's. These additions increased the leasable square footage at SOUTHDALE to 1,339,000, with space for one hundred and fifty-eight stores and services.

The Dayton's store morphed into Marshall Field's in August 2001 and was "Macy-ated" September 9, 2006. Donaldson's was rebranded a Chicago-based Carson Pirie Scott August 10, 1988 and Hayward, California-based Mervyn's July 29, 1995. The 179,000 square foot store was shuttered in July 2004. The MegaStar multiplex was rebranded by the AMC chain in early 2004.

The Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group assumed ownership of SOUTHDALE CENTER in April 2007. The company -in a joint venture with San Francisco-based Farallon Capital Management, Limited Liability Company- acquired the Arlington, Virginia-based Mills Corporation. SOUTHDALE had been a Mills property since January 2005.

A remodeling was done between December 2011 and December 2012 that reconfigured existing mall spaces. A 6-bay, Second Level food court (replacing the original one on the mall's Third Level) was created in front of J.C. Penney. The 32 million dollar project also altered the First Level of the Northeast Wing, creating a more direct link between the Penney's store and Garden Court. Lastly, new restrooms, lighting, landscaping, and a children's play area were installed and all mall entrances were revamped.

Accompanying these improvements was a new anchor for SOUTHDALE! Minnesota-based Herberger's was signed for 135,000 square feet (3 levels) of the 179,000 square foot Donaldson's / Carson's / Mervyn's building. This new anchor opened for business November 9, 2011.

Southern California's Riverside Plaza

The original RIVERSIDE PLAZA featured some high-end "Mid-mod" signage!

Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

A late 1950s view of the open-air mallway of RIVERSIDE PLAZA.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

The original, Gruen-designed PLAZA. Notice the wide mallway down
the middle, a Gruen trademark. John Graham, Jr., a mall-designing
contemporary of Mr. Gruen, favored much narrower concourses in his
projects (see site plans for his MOORESTOWN -New Jersey- and
SOUTHLAND -Hayward, California- centers).

In the mid-1960s, the open-air mall was expanded toward the east. It
gained a new Grant City discount mart, Von's supermarket and block of
inline stores.



RIVERSIDE PLAZA as an enclosed shopping venue. The 632,000
square foot complex was roofed in 1984. At this time, the center
had two anchor stores; Harris' and Montgomery Ward. The latter
had assumed the Grant City space vacated in 1975.

A circa-1999 shot of Harris-Gottschalks, in the enclosed version of
RIVERSIDE PLAZA. The store's moniker was officially shortened

to simply Gottschalks in the early 2000s. It served as the flagship

location for the chain until the company's liquidation in 2009.
Photo from www.mitchglaser.com

An aerial view of today's demalled RIVERSIDE PLAZA. The
old Harris' / Gottschalks store, on the left end, was the sole survivor
of the demolition of the original shopping center, that took place in
2003. After Gottschalks' shuttering, in July 2009, the store space

re-opened as a Forever 21.
Photo from www.bing.com

RIVERSIDE PLAZA
Central and Riverside Avenues
Riverside. California

Riverside County's first shopping mall was situated on a 35 acre tract, 58 miles southeast of central Los Angeles, in suburban Riverside. The open-air RIVERSIDE PLAZA, designed with input from Victor Gruen, was developed by Harold Heers, Senior.

The original, single-level center was anchored by a 2-level (141,300 square foot), San Bernadino-based Harris', which opened for business September 30, 1957. There were also Lerner Shops, Rexall Drug, Gallenkamp Shoes, Bakers Shoes and an F.W. Woolworth 5 and 10. An eastern expansion, built in 1966, added Grant City, a Vons supermarket and several inline stores.

RIVERSIDE PLAZA did not have a substantial retail rival until 1970, when TYLER MALL {4.7 miles southwest, in Riverside} opened. 5 years later, the RIVERSIDE PLAZA Grant City closed, with Montgomery Ward signing on as a new co-anchor.

The mallway and court area was enclosed and climate-controlled in 1984. With this renovation, RIVERSIDE PLAZA now encompassed 632,000 leasable square feet.

However, additional commercial competition developed over the ensuing years. MORENO VALLEY MALL (1992) {6.6 miles southeast, in Moreno Valley} and -especially- ONTARIO MILLS (1996) {11.9 miles northwest, in Ontario} drew away much of the potential business for RIVERSIDE PLAZA. By this time, the center was in a downward spiral.

Redevelopment and rejuvination of the struggling shopping venue was difficult to accomplish. A demalling plan was first announced in the mid-1990s. It was held up by the complicated, multiple ownership structure of the mall. Several tenants also objected to any modification of the existing structure.

The bankruptcy and closing of the Montgomery Ward chain in 2001 was an additional obstacle to the reinvention of the mall. Eventually, its redevelopers, Lake Forest, Illinois-based Litchfield Advisors, invoked eminent domain to secure the vacant Montgomery Ward "pad".

With the entire mall site now under a single ownership, it was possible to begin its renewal. Demolition commenced in June 2003. The Harris' anchor store, rebranded as Harris-Gottschalks in 1998, remained...along with a few peripheral structures.

A new RIVERSIDE PLAZA lifestyle center debuted in November 2004. In addition to Fresno-based Gottschalks (the Harris' name had been dropped), the center featured a 16-screen, stadium seating multiplex, relocated Trader Joe's, newly-built (55,000 square foot) Vons supermarket, Borders Books and several "upper crust" bistros. Today, the center is owned by Riverside-based Riverside Plaza Limited Liability Company, with Los Angeles-based C.B. Richard Ellis handling its leasing.

The 2009 bankruptcy of the Gottschalks chain resulted in the location at RIVERSIDE PLAZA closing in July of the same year. The store space re-opened, as a Los Angeles-based Forever 21, the following August. Another major vacancy was created with the September 12, 2011 shuttering of Borders Books.

The East Bay's Bay Fair Center

Planners mull over a scale model of the proposed BAY FAIR CENTER.
Photo from www.bayareanewsgroup.com

A mid-1960s postcard shot of BAY FAIR CENTER. The huge, 2-level
(plus basement) Macy's, seen in the background, was the third
suburban shopping center branch store in the Macy's San Francisco
chain (the first was at HILLSDALE CENTER...the second, at San
Jose's VALLEY FAIR). 
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot

An mid-century ad promoting San Leandro's BAY
FAIR CENTER.
Ad from www.cestcop.com (Mike Carrol, Jr. Productions)