Signal Hill Mall

Last updated
Signal Hill Mall
Signal Hill Mall Front view.jpg
The entrance of Signal Hill Mall in 2022
Signal Hill Mall
Location Statesville, North Carolina, United States
Coordinates 35°47′33″N80°51′27″W / 35.7926°N 80.8575°W / 35.7926; -80.8575
Address1685 E Broad St
Opening dateAugust 1, 1973;50 years ago (August 1, 1973)
Closing dateJanuary 2024;5 months ago (January 2024)
DeveloperC&J Associates
ManagementC&J Associates
OwnerC&J Associates
No. of stores and services1, 42 at peak
No. of anchor tenants 4 (1 open, 3 vacant)
Total retail floor area 309,100 square feet (28,720 m2) [1]
No. of floors1
A portion of the Signal Hill Mall's interior in 2023 SignalHillInterior.jpg
A portion of the Signal Hill Mall's interior in 2023

Signal Hill Mall was a regional enclosed shopping mall located in Statesville, North Carolina, United States. Opened in 1973, it originally featured more than 40 stores, with Woolworth, Belk, and Spainhour's as its original anchor stores. An expansion in 1979 relocated Spainhour's while also adding JCPenney. Spainhour's and Woolworth both closed in the mid-1990s, with Peebles and Hills respectively taking their places; Hills in turn was replaced by Sears soon after. The mall experienced a great deal of decline in the 2010s, losing most of its major stores throughout the decade and receiving significant attention as an example of a dead mall.

Contents

History

1970's

C&J Associates announced the mall on December 10, 1971, with Woolworth and Belk as the first two anchor stores. The mall would have 275,000 square feet (25,500 m2) of retail space and room for 30 stores. [2] The third original anchor, Spainhour's, was a local department store also operational in downtown at the time. [3] Belk had been operational in the city since 1912. [4]

The mall officially opened for business on August 1, 1973, with Belk, Spainhour's, and Woolworth as anchor tenants. A Winn Dixie grocery store was located just behind the mall. [5]

1980s

An expansion of the mall was started in 1979. The existing Spainhour's building was renovated for a new mall wing leading to a relocated, 41,000-square-foot (3,800 m2) Spainhour's as well as an adjacent 51,324-square-foot (4,768.2 m2) JCPenney. [6] The cost of these renovations was stated to be $4,000,000. [6] The new interior space totaled up to 21,000 square feet, [7] and included eight new stores. This brought the total to 42 stores. [6] [7] C&J Associates stated this portion cost $1,000,000. [8] Stores that joined during this period included Endicott Johnson, GNC, Chick-fil-A, Pearle Vision Center, Lerner New York (now known as New York & Company), Record Bar, and Southern Bell Telephone Company; which opened in November 1980. [8] Renovation work concluded with ceremonies on August 6, 1980 for the two anchor stores, [6] and October 15, 1980 for the interior tenants. [8]

1990s

The mall underwent a number of internal changes in the 1990s. First was the closure of Spainhour's in late 1992, ending its 50 years of service in Statesville. [9] This was followed in January 1993 by the closure of Woolworth. [10] By year's end, Peebles opened in the former location of Spainhour's. In response to this, the mall owners held a grand opening ceremony with a live band performance from The Muscat Ramblers, a band out of Charlotte, North Carolina. [11] Renovation of the former Spainhour's location for use by Peebles took about six months. [12]

Winn Dixie closed on December 14, 1994. This was a response to the company making a wider move to close smaller stores and open larger ones. [13] [14]

On July 28, 1995, Hills opened in the former location of Woolworth. [15] The 83,000 square feet (7,700 m2) store space cost about $2,000,000 to renovate. [15] [16] This location would be short lived, as Hills closed in April 1997. [17] It was quickly replaced by Sears, which held a grand opening on October 18, 1997. Sears was the most highly requested store by mall patrons, according to manager Burr Collier. [18]

Another major addition to the mall during this timespan was IHOP, which opened in February 1994 in a space at the front of the mall last occupied by the Apple House Buffet. [19] At the time, inline tenants of the mall included Blockbuster Music, Chick-fil-A, Dollar Tree, Footaction, GNC, and Kay-Bee Toys. [20]

2000s

Peebles began a going out of business sale on December 3, 2003 before closing in January 2004. [21] Around this time, management of C&J Associates announced plans for renovation. As part of these plans, some store leases were not renewed. [22]

Chick-fil-A closed on December 31, 2005. [23] Another closure during this time span was Pet Pros pet store, whose owner Bob Barber stated that sales had decreased by 40 percent in the months leading up to the store's closure. [24] A patron in the 2006 article detailing the struggling mall's story stated, "If I'm going to go shopping, I'm going to go to another mall." [24]

2010s

Sears closed in 2012 as part of a restructuring plan by the chain to close over 100 stores. [25]

Despite C&J Associates' intentions, a redevelopment project for the mall would never come. The reasoning for this was the state of the economy, as stated by manager Burr Collier in a 2013 article written about the declining property. [22] One stated idea for a redevelopment was turning inline space into big-box stores. [22] Another idea was combining the Signal Hill Mall property with the Newtowne Plaza, which was next to the mall and also built by C&J Associates. [22]

JCPenney closed in 2015 as part of a 40-store round of closures. [26] During the 2010s, Signal Hill Mall received significant media attention as an example of a dead mall. [27] One major closure in 2016 was Bookland bookstore, which had been a tenant since the 1980s. [28] Following their closure and failed attempts at redevelopment, Signal Hill Mall had only 11 stores remaining. Among these were Belk, Saslow Jewelers, IHOP, Bath & Body Works, GNC, RadioShack, and FootAction. [28] Saslow's Jewelers, after almost 20 years of operation, closed its store in October of 2017. [29] This was followed by the closure of Radio Shack later in the year. [30]

2020's

As of 2022, the mall has continued to decline, with Belk being the only remaining anchor tenant. The Iredell Free News reported that previous attempts at redevelopment had failed due to slow economic growth in the Statesville area; despite this, representatives of C&J Associates noted that industrial development in the area had increased in the intervening years, leading to the possibility of the mall being repurposed for non-retail use. [31] The mall is occasionally used as space for community and recreational events by Statesville residents.

The interior of the mall closed its doors in January of 2024. [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riverchase Galleria</span> Shopping mall in Hoover, Alabama

Riverchase Galleria, locally known as The Galleria, is a large, super–regional shopping mall and mixed use development in Hoover, Alabama, in the Greater Birmingham metropolitan area. It is ranked 43rd on the list of largest shopping malls in the United States. It is the largest enclosed shopping center in Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson Mall</span> Shopping mall in South Carolina, United States

Anderson Mall is a regional shopping mall located in Anderson County, South Carolina. The mall, which is anchored by Belk, JCPenney, and Dillard's, has 671,000 sq ft (62,300 m2) of gross leasable area. Built by Melvin Simon & Associates, it is owned by Kohan Retail Investment Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Square Mall</span> Shopping mall in Georgia, United States

Georgia Square Mall is a shopping mall located in Athens, Georgia, in United States. Its clientele includes relatively few students attending the nearby University of Georgia, catering primarily to local residents of the Athens area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Berry Mall</span> Shopping mall in Rome, Georgia

Mount Berry Mall, previously named Mount Berry Square, stands as a single-level enclosed shopping destination situated in Rome, Georgia. Serving as the sole enclosed mall within the city, it first opened its doors in 1991. The mall features Belk and Dunham's Sports as its anchor stores and is currently under the ownership and management of the Hull Property Group.

The Village at Orange, formerly known as the Orange Mall and later as The Mall of Orange, was a minor enclosed shopping mall located in Orange, California. The mall, one of Orange's first, opened for consumer entry in 1971, and was composed of both internal merchants and external anchor tenant buildings, the original latter of which only Walmart remains operational. In September 2023, TVO Management, the mall's property manager, announced that the internal portion of the mall would close on or by January 31, 2024. The mall ceased internal operations on the date provided by TVO Management, marking the end of 52 years of constant public operation in Northern Orange.

Santa Rosa Mall is a shopping mall located in Mary Esther, Florida. It is anchored by Dillard's-closing 2023. It also has a 10-screen United Artists cinema outside the mall. Stirling Properties manages and owns the mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbiana Centre</span> Shopping mall in Lexington County, South Carolina

Columbiana Centre is an indoor super-regional shopping mall located off Interstate 26/U.S. Route 76 on Harbison Boulevard in Columbia, South Carolina that opened in 1990. It is the dominant shopping center in the Columbia Metropolitan Area. Most of the mall's territory is located in Lexington County, although portions of the mall extend into Richland County. The regional mall has 788,103 square feet (73,217.2 m2) of retail space. Its anchors include two Belk stores, Dillard's, and JCPenney. The Men's Belk opened in early 2015 in the former Sears which closed in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Town Mall</span> Shopping mall in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

West Town Mall is a shopping mall located in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Opened in August 1972, this one-level mall is located in the western portion of Knoxville in the West Hills community. West Town Mall is located along Interstates 40/75 and Kingston Pike. The mall has 1,339,000 square feet (124,397 m2) of gross leasable area, making it the largest of any enclosed shopping mall in Tennessee. The anchor stores are Dillard's, Dick's House of Sport, 2 Belk stores, JCPenney, and Cinebarre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mall at Johnson City</span> Shopping mall in Tennessee, United States

The Mall at Johnson City is an enclosed shopping mall in Johnson City, Tennessee, United States. The mall features over 90 stores and a food court. It is managed by Washington Prime Group. Opened in 1971, the mall features Dick's Sporting Goods, HomeGoods, Belk, and JCPenney as anchor stores, with more than 90 inline tenants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Mall</span> Shopping mall in Virginia, U.S.

Bristol Mall was the only regional shopping mall serving Bristol, Virginia. It opened in 1975. Former anchors included Sears, Belk, JCPenney, and a movie theater. With Bristol being the home of country music, long before Knoxville or Nashville, for many years there had been a museum at the mall, showcasing the legacy this left to the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WestGate Mall (South Carolina)</span> Shopping mall in South Carolina, USA

WestGate Mall is a shopping mall in Spartanburg, South Carolina, off Interstate 26 and US Highway 29 on West Blackstock Road in the city's primary shopping market. The regional mall has 954,302 square feet (88,657.6 m2) of retail space and four anchor stores: Belk, Costco, Dillard's, and JCPenney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staunton Mall</span> Shopping mall in Staunton, Virginia

Staunton Mall was a shopping mall in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. It was slightly outside the city limits of Staunton, Virginia. Opened in 1968 as Staunton Plaza, it originally featured J. C. Penney, Montgomery Ward, Woolworth, and Safeway as its major stores. An expansion plan between 1985 and 1987 enclosed the formerly open-air property while adding Leggett as a third department store and renaming the property to Staunton Mall. The mall underwent a number of anchor store changes throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s: Safeway became an outlet store for Sears, then Goody's and Gold's Gym, while Woolworth was converted to Stone & Thomas and then to Peebles, and Montgomery Ward became Steve & Barry's. The mall lost many inline stores throughout the 21st century, and passed through several owners before closing on January 1, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seminole Towne Center</span> Shopping mall in Florida, United States

Seminole Towne Center is a super-regional enclosed mall located in Sanford, Florida, 20 mi (32 km) north of Orlando near the I-4/SR 417 interchange. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albany Mall</span> Shopping mall in Albany, Georgia

Albany Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Albany, Georgia. Opened in 1976, it features Belk, JCPenney, Dillard's, Old Navy, and Books-A-Million as its anchor stores. It is managed by Spinoso Real Estate Group.

Eastland Mall is a shopping mall in Bloomington, Illinois. It opened in 1967 and has expanded several times in its history. It features more than 90 stores and a food court. The anchor store is Kohl's. There are 3 vacant anchor stores that were once Macy's, Bergner's, and Sears. The fifth anchor store, JCPenney, has been rebuilt, partially demolished, and subdivided into in-line mall retail space. The mall is owned and managed by CBL & Associates Properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jasper Mall</span> Shopping mall in Alabama, United States

Jasper Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Jasper, Alabama, United States, approximately 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Birmingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastdale Mall</span> Shopping mall in Alabama, United States

Eastdale Mall is a regional enclosed shopping mall located in Montgomery, Alabama. It opened on August 3, 1977. As of 2010, it was 964,717 square feet (89,625.1 m2) in size. The anchor stores are At Home, JCPenney, Dillard's, and 2 Belk stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selma Mall</span> Shopping mall in Alabama, United States

Selma Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Selma, Alabama. The mall opened in 1971 with Sears, Britt's and S.H. Kress as its major stores. By the 1990s, Kress had become McCrory Stores, and Beall-Ladymon had joined as a central anchor. The anchor store is Treasure Box Flea and Antique Mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodville Mall</span> Former shopping center in Northwood, Ohio

Woodville Mall was an enclosed shopping mall off of Woodville Road in Northwood, Ohio, outside the city of Toledo, Ohio. The mall opened in 1969 and, after losing most of its stores in the 2000s, became a dead mall. The mall's interior was closed in December 2011 and demolished in March 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dublin Mall</span> Shopping Mall in Georgia

Dublin Mall is a regional shopping mall located in Laurens County, Georgia. The mall is mainly anchored by Belk and Southern Flair in the former JCPenney, with junior anchors TJMaxx, Officemax and Farmers Home Furniture.

References

  1. ↑ "Signal Hill Mall". Commercial Cafe. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Signal Hill Mall involves 30 stores". Statesville Record and Landmark . December 10, 1971. p. 2B. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  3. ↑ "New Spainhour's store is planned". Statesville Record and Landmark . May 15, 1972. pp. 1A, 3A. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "History on Belk store reverts to 1912 in city". Statesville Record and Landmark . April 8, 1974. p. 8E. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "New Signal Hill Mall Will Open On Wednesday". Statesville Record and Landmark . July 31, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved September 9, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Facilities At Mall Expand". Statesville Record and Landmark . August 5, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "Great Gains Uncovered During Signal Hill Mall's Eight-Year History". Statesville Record and Landmark . July 2, 1981. p. 26. Retrieved September 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 3 "Seven New Stores Open At Mall". Statesville Record and Landmark . October 14, 1980. p. 4. Retrieved September 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Spainhour's To End Operations At Mall". Statesville Record and Landmark . October 9, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Woolworth Closing Announced". Statesville Record and Landmark . September 18, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Peebles Will Open On Nov. 11". Statesville Record and Landmark . November 5, 1993. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Peebles To Open New Mall Store". Statesville Record and Landmark . May 13, 1993. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "New Winn-Dixie Plans Opening". Statesville Record and Landmark . December 14, 1994. p. 4. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "New Winn-Dixie Plans Opening". Statesville Record and Landmark . December 14, 1994. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  15. 1 2 "Hills Reveals Plans For Grand Opening". Statesville Record and Landmark . July 26, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Hills heads south." WWD, 15 February 1995, p. 20. Business Collection, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A16519329/GPS?u=tplmain&sid=GPS&xid=6ae43a7f. Accessed 1 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "Hills to close store in mall". Statesville Record and Landmark . January 14, 1997. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Sears' opening draws huge crowd". Statesville Record and Landmark . October 19, 1997. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "IHOP To Open In Signal Hill Mall". Statesville Record and Landmark . February 3, 1994. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Signal Hill Mall We've Got You Covered!". Statesville Record and Landmark . July 18, 1996. p. 37. Retrieved September 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ "Peebles will close its doors". Statesville Record and Landmark . December 2, 2003. p. 1. Retrieved October 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "Signal Hill Mall Whats Next?". Statesville Record and Landmark . March 31, 2013. p. 5. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  23. ↑ "Trying to stay afloat". Statesville Record and Landmark . January 1, 2006. p. 1. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  24. 1 2 "Trying to stay afloat". Statesville Record and Landmark . January 1, 2006. p. 3. Retrieved October 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Fuller, Bethany (December 29, 2011). "Sears in Signal Hill mall to close". Statesville Record and Landmark . Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  26. ↑ Hamlin, John (January 8, 2015). "JC Penney will close Statesville store April 4". Statesville Record & Landmark . Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  27. ↑ Biba, Jacob (June 17, 2015). "'The malls that time forgot': a look inside the abandoned malls of North Carolina". The Guardian . Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  28. 1 2 Mastandrea, Nina (January 6, 2016). "Bookland closing to leave Signal Hill Mall with 11 stores". Statesville Record and Landmark . Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  29. ↑ Osborne, Jessica (September 20, 2017). "Saslow's Jewelers closing at Signal Hill Mall". Statesville Record & Landmark . Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Radio Shack set to close in Signal Hill Mall in Statesville". Statesville Record & Landmark . May 9, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Signal Hill Mall property drawing interest from developers". Iredell Free News. July 8, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  32. ↑ bgibson@statesville.com, Ben Gibson (2024-04-22). "Despite April Fool's joke, future of Signal Hill Mall still up in the air". Statesville Record and Landmark. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.