 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2016) |
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1974 |
| Closing date | 2005 |
| Developer | Sizeler Realty |
| Total retail floor area | 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m2) |
Lake Forest Plaza was a shopping mall in New Orleans East, Louisiana, United States that opened in 1974. [1] It had been closed before being flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the ruins were demolished in 2007.
The plaza was once the largest shopping mall in the state of Louisiana with approximately 1,200,000 sq ft (110,000 m2) of retail space. [1] Original anchors were D.H. Holmes, Maison Blanche (each 3 levels), and Sears (2 levels). [1] A two level Mervyns was later added near the cinemas. The Maison Blanche and Sears stores relocated from the Gentilly Woods Shopping Center in the Gentilly section of New Orleans. The plaza also spawned the development of several smaller strip malls, and larger big box stores nearby.
The opening of the Lake Forest Plaza was accompanied by much fanfare, with celebrities making public appearances. [1] At its peak it accounted for a full 25% of all sales taxes collected in Orleans Parish. It was one of the first shopping/dining/entertainment centers ever developed. The cloverleaf design of the mall was centered around the first ice skating rink in the state, as well as the first "food court". As well as the food court outlets (Taco Loco, Flame-N-Burger, Hook Line & Sinker, Orange Julius, Karmelkorn, Baskin Robbins, Corn Dog 7, China Express, Great American Cookie Co., etc.), there were several sit-down restaurants. The mall itself was divided into four sections which ran from anchor to anchor. Each section was individually named: Santa Rosa Mall, Santa Ana Mall, Santa Maria Mall, and Santa Clara Mall, each section written out in tiles on the floors of each wing. The center of the mall where the ice rink and food court stood was the Fiesta Plaza Mall. The decor was entirely brown-tiled floors, tiled walls, wood benches, real live trees, and tons of skylights. Storefronts had stylish signage hung vertically in the corridors. While the mall was enormous, each corridor was cozy and manageable, the unique cloverleaf design kept it in perspective.
Original stores included the first Gap store in the area, Leonard Krower, Godchaux’s, Morrisons Cafeteria, Sizzler Steakhouse, the first ever Chick-Fil-A in the state, Swiss Colony, Shoe Lodge, Dannys, The Ranch, the ever-popular Farrells Ice Cream Parlor Restaurant, Gordons, Florsheim, National Shirts, GNC (also a first), Bakers, 5-7-9, Merry Go Round, Imperial Shoes, Porter Stevens, Rubenstein Brothers, All American Jeans, Spencers, Limited, Hickory Farms, Hibernia Bank, Bank of New Orleans, a huge McDonald's, Space Port, Wicks 'N' Sticks, Tinder Box, Walgreens (with a cafeteria), Hausmann's, B. Dalton, Collage, Brentano's (outlet of the famous New York City store), Gryders Shoes, Ponsetis Shoes, Oshmans, Fiesta Mexican Restaurant, Lerners, Kay Bee Toys, Vision Plaza, Halpern's Fabrics, etc.
The mall thrived until about the late 1980s when the economic downturn of southern Louisiana after the "oil bust" took an especially heavy toll on New Orleans East. [1] Through the 1990s, as the neighborhoods around it deteriorated and became unsafe, the mall felt the repercussions. Originally New Orleans East was an upper/middle-class neighborhood with many well-heeled subdivisions and several large upscale apartment complexes. When the economy hit the skids in the 1980s with the loss of the oil business, New Orleans East became less affluent. Many residents fled to the North Shore/Slidell area, which wound up with its own mall, (North Shore Square), which had many of the same anchors and mall stores as Lake Forest. Sears was the first large anchor to close at the Plaza. Despite a major renovation in the late 1980s which replaced the by now drab earth tone tiling to a generic white/aqua color scheme, as well as removed the ice rink, it was too late to save Lake Forest. White flight to Jefferson Parish bolstered Lake Forest's competitor Lakeside Shopping Center in Metairie in the battle for wealthier patrons, although New Orleans East (where Lake Forest was located) had a sizable black middle class population at the time.
Just prior to Katrina, the mall was left with only one large anchor in the former Maison Blanche building, which became a Dillard's when they bought out the MB stores. Earlier on, when Dillard's bought out the Holmes stores, they shuttered the Lake Forest Plaza location rather than converting it. The cinemas closed when Gulf States Theatres decided to concentrate on the East Lake Cinema 8, located across the interstate from the plaza. In quick succession many of the national retailers closed also. Eventually they were replaced by independent stores catering to an urban clientele. Entire corridors of the mall were boarded up with sheetrock, which dramatically decreased the square footage accessible to the public. It seemed as if practically overnight the plaza became a "dead mall".
In 2005, the Federal levee failure during Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of what remained of the mall. The ruins would later be demolished. [1]
The mall was originally developed and managed by Sizeler Realty. Later it was sold a few times, eventually landing in the hands of Gowri Kailas in July 1999. The Grand Theatre was added in the early 2000s as an out parcel in a last-ditch effort to bring life back to the Plaza. As of 2019, the Grand Theatre was demolished. The rest of the complex has been demolished and is being replaced by a Lowe's. The rest of the site is to be redeveloped into a new "town center" type of development with free standing stores, garages, hotels, apartments and condos and is currently managed by Lauricella Land Company who also manages Elmwood Center also located in New Orleans off of Clearview Parkway.
The Florida Mall is a super regional enclosed shopping mall located south of Orlando in unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States, on the southeast corner of Orange Blossom Trail and Sand Lake Road; it opened in 1986. The mall features JCPenney, Dillard's, Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Sears, in addition to the Crayola Experience.
WestShore Plaza is one of two enclosed shopping malls located in the Westshore business district of Tampa, Florida, developed by Albert L. Manley of Boston, MA. WestShore Plaza was opened in 1967 and was touted as Tampa's first shopping center that was fully air-conditioned. WestShore houses many specialty shops including Francesca's Collection, LOFT, New Balance, H&M, Old Navy, Sunglass Hut, and more. The property is owned and managed by Washington Prime Group.
University Mall, previously University Square Mall, is a shopping mall located near the University of South Florida, just north of the city limits of Tampa on Fowler Avenue. The property is located just east of I-275.
Lloyd Center is a shopping mall in the Lloyd District of Portland, Oregon, United States, just northeast of downtown. It is owned by Arrow Retail of Dallas. The mall features three floors of shopping, with the third level serving mostly as professional office spaces, a food court, and U.S. Education Corporation's Carrington College. Lloyd Center also includes the Lloyd Center Ice Skating Rink, which has become the main draw for the mall. There are currently no anchors in the mall. There are vacant anchor spaces left by Macy's, Marshalls, Nordstrom, and Sears. Junior anchors include Barnes & Noble and Ross Dress for Less.
Southglenn Mall was a mid-size shopping center located on South University Boulevard in Centennial, Colorado, at the southwest corner of Arapahoe Road and University Boulevard. The center opened in 1974 and was closed from 2006 to August 2009 to make way for The Streets at SouthGlenn, a mixed-use redevelopment project.
Maison Blanche was a department store in New Orleans, Louisiana, and later also a chain of department stores. It was founded in 1897 by Isidore Newman, an immigrant from Germany.
The Mall of Louisiana is a mid-scale shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, between I-10 and Bluebonnet Blvd. It is the largest mall in Louisiana and contains the third largest indoor carousel in the world. It is the only regional mall in Baton Rouge. The anchor stores are 2 Dillard's stores, Main Event Entertainment, JCPenney, and Macy's.
Oakwood Center is a major shopping mall in Terrytown, Louisiana, on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in the New Orleans metropolitan area. It was originally named "Oakwood Mall", and some signage and local usage continue to call it that. It is geographically in Terrytown, but the mailing address is adjacent Gretna, Louisiana. The anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, Old Navy, Shoe Dept. Encore, JCPenney, and Dillard's. There is 1 vacant anchor store that was once Sears.
Springdale Mall is a shopping center located in Mobile, Alabama, United States, directly across from Bel Air Mall. Opened in 1959 as an open-air shopping center, Springdale Mall was later redeveloped as an enclosed shopping center. Facing competition from larger shopping centers in the area, Springdale was demolished in stages in the 2000s, with most of the former enclosed mall being replaced with big-box stores.
Richardson Square Mall (1977-2006) was an enclosed single-level shopping center located in Richardson, Texas on Plano Road, stretching between the intersections of Belt Line Road and Spring Valley Road. The three adjacent corners of Belt Line and Plano Road were also occupied by shopping centers. The mall attached to an existing Sears, which served as an anchor store and remained in business after Richardson Square Mall was demolished in June 2007.
North Shore Square was a 621,192-square-foot (57,710.6 m2) shopping mall located in Slidell, Louisiana, United States. It was the largest mall on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, the 5th largest mall in the New Orleans area, and the 11th largest mall in Louisiana.
Orlando Fashion Square is a split one-story, two-story indoor shopping mall located in Orlando, Florida. Opened in 1973, it features 79 stores in over one million square feet of shop space. The mall's anchor stores are Macy's, Floor & Decor, and Dillard's Clearance Center. Predating the mall's opening was a Sears department store opened in 1963; this store closed in 2016 and has been razed for redevelopment. JCPenney, another anchor store closed in 2020. Other major tenants include Premiere Cinemas and Planet Fitness. The mall is managed by UP Development, Inc.
Cortana Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and was at the intersection of Airline Highway and Florida Blvd. It was last owned by Moonbeam Equities of Las Vegas, Nevada. It opened in 1976 and was demolished in 2021.
Coastland Center is a shopping mall located in Naples, Florida. Opened in 1976, it features Macy's, JCPenney, and Dillard's as its anchors. It hosts a food court and many other specialty stores. The food court is the main attraction. The mall itself is situated on just one floor, but all of the anchor stores have two floors. In 2019 the former Sears got demolished and rebuilt to a new movie theater CMX CinéBistro and Uncle Julio’s opened in 2022 in the former Sears parking lot with Twin Peaks sport bar and restaurant in 2023.
Seminole Towne Center is a super-regional enclosed mall located in Sanford, Florida, 20 mi (32 km) north of Orlando at the intersection of I-4 and SR 417. It has 1,136,579 square feet (105,591.6 m2) of gross leasable space. Current anchors are JCPenney, Dillard's, Dick's Sporting Goods, & Elev8 Fun, With 2 vacant anchors which are the former Macy's & Burlington
Altamonte Mall is a super-regional shopping mall located in Altamonte Springs, Florida, United States, a suburb of Orlando. The mall features the traditional retailers JCPenney, Dillard's, and Macy's, in addition to an 18-screen AMC Theatres. The mall features prominent specialty retailers such as Apple Store, Volcom, Cotton On, Sephora, and White House Black Market.
Northwest Arkansas Mall is a shopping mall located in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Edison Mall is an enclosed, super-regional shopping mall in Fort Myers, Florida. The mall opened in 1965, and has been expanded three times since. Edison Mall is owned by Washington Prime Group, which took over the mall in 2014. The mall is named for inventor Thomas Edison, who owned a winter residence and laboratory in Fort Myers. The mall's anchors are Dillard's, JCPenney, and two Macy's stores, and also includes 133 stores and a lifestyle center section. The mall itself is situated on just one floor, but all of the anchor stores have two floors.
Tyrone Square is an enclosed shopping mall in St. Petersburg, Florida. Opened in 1972, it features Dick's Sporting Goods, Dillard's, Five Below, J. C. Penney, Macy's and PetSmart as its anchor stores.
Greeley Mall is a 578,000-square-foot (53,700 m2) mall located in Greeley, Colorado. It has about 61 tenant spaces inside the mall along with five anchor spaces, but only one of the five anchors (Cinemark) are occupied.