NorthTown Mall (Spokane, Washington)

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NorthTown Mall
NorthTown Mall (Spokane, Washington; aerial photo looking northeast).jpg
Aerial view of the mall facilities and surrounding environment facing northeast from the corner of North Division St. and Wellesley Ave. Mount Spokane can be seen in the distance.
NorthTown Mall (Spokane, Washington)
Location Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates 47°42′9.97″N117°24′32.32″W / 47.7027694°N 117.4089778°W / 47.7027694; -117.4089778
Opening date1955;69 years ago (1955)
DeveloperH. Halvorson Inc.
Management Kohan Retail Investment Group
OwnerKohan Retail Investment Group
No. of stores and services175
No. of anchor tenants 8 (6 open, 2 vacant)
Total retail floor area 1,048,908 sq ft (97,446.7 m2)
No. of floors2 with partial basement (1 in Barnes & Noble, Marshalls, and Regal Cinemas, 3 in Macy's and parking garage)
Parking4,500
Public transit access Spokane Transit Authority
Website www.northtownmall.com

NorthTown Mall is a shopping mall located in Nevada Heights, Spokane, Washington, U.S.. The shopping mall first opened in 1955 as an open-air center and has been expanded several times, with its biggest expansion occurring between 1989 and 1991. The mall is currently anchored by Barnes & Noble, Get Air Trampoline Park, J. C. Penney, Kohl's, Marshalls, and Regal Cinemas.

Contents

History

Planning for the shopping center began in early 1950 when Joe Albertson began discussing the possibility of opening an Albertsons supermarket on the side. [1] Shortly after the store's opening in 1951, Albertson and his agent, E.D. McCarthy began planning a shopping center, and they secured options on more land. [1] McCarthy named the proposed center Northtown and quickly received interest from Woolworth and W. T. Grant about opening large stores at the center. [1] After convincing Travelers Life Insurance to commit to substantial loans, H. Halvorson Inc. began construction of Northtown and it was completed in 1955. [1]

In June 1959, Sears confirmed plans to build a 208,000 square feet (19,300 m2) department store at the shopping center. [2] At the same time, Northtown officials revealed plans for a big remodel that would include a 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) expansion of the Albertsons store and 110,000 square feet (10,000 m2) of new retail space. [2] Sears completed its 13-acre site and opened in June 1961. [1]

The W.T. Grant Co. store that existed at the mall from 1955 to 1975 Northtown Shopping Center--Spokane, WA (5439836935).jpg
The W.T. Grant Co. store that existed at the mall from 1955 to 1975

Spokane-based The Crescent confirmed plans to open a 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) department store at the shopping center in December 1961. [3] With 38 tenants ready for business, Northtown opened with a grand opening celebration on March 29, 1962. [4] The Crescent opened its store at the shopping center in mid-July. [4] After completion, Northtown featured 41 tenants and employed more than 1,300 people. [4]

In 1976, W. T. Grant closed following a nationwide liquidation of the chain. The former W. T. Grant store was converted into the Northtown Mini-Mall, which featured several small retail shops. [5]

In 1983, Northtown received a facelift and was converted to an enclosed shopping center. [6] The project also added 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of new space east of The Crescent store. [6]

Major expansion in the 1990s

In August 1988, plans were announced to add a second level to the shopping center as part of $40 million expansion project. [7] In February 1989, David Sabey, of the Sabey Corporation, officially revealed his plans for the major expansion project. [8] Sabey's plans for the mall included four new department stores, a new Sears store, an additional parking garage, a food court, and dozens of new smaller shops. [8] The plans also required several buildings to be demolished including the current Sears building and the Albertsons and PayLess Drug complex. [8] At the time, Sabey would not reveal the names of the new department stores but chains including Emporium, JCPenney, and Mervyns were reportedly being considered. [8] Sabey also stated that Frederick & Nelson (formerly The Crescent) would remain in the shopping center. [8]

In preparation for the construction, Albertsons closed its store at the shopping center on August 3, 1989. [9] One month later, Sears began liquidating its old store. [10]

Plans to add The Bon Marché to center stalled in late 1989 after the chain's parent company filed for bankruptcy. [11] In late 1990, Woolworth closed its store after failing to reach an agreement to relocate during construction at the mall. [12] In August 1990, Mervyn's confirmed plans to open a store at the shopping mall. [13] On November 7, 1990, JCPenney announced plans to close two of its three Spokane stores to open a store at NorthTown Mall. [14] By early 1991, Emporium was added to the shopping center's plans and construction on the store began in April. [15] On August 7, JCPenney was the first of the three new department stores to open. [16] Emporium opened for business on October 17. [17] The mall's formal grand opening was held on October 27. [17]

Later additions

An addition including a Barnes & Noble, Nordstrom Rack and Regal Cinemas multiplex was completed in September 2000. It increased the gross leasable area of the shopping center to 1,050,000 square feet (98,000 m2).

The Bon Marché was re-branded as Bon-Macy's in August 2003, and became a full-fledged Macy's in January 2005. Mervyns was closed in 2007 and replaced with Kohl's in late 2007. The Emporium, which closed in 2003, was replaced with a Steve & Barry's store in 2007 and was closed in 2009 when the chain was liquidated. Nordstrom Rack, which was relocated to Spokane Valley Mall (a shopping center owned by NorthTown owner General Growth Properties) in 2010, was replaced with a Marshalls store in March 2012.

NorthTown Mall's renovated Queen Avenue entrance NorthTownMallSpokane.jpg
NorthTown Mall's renovated Queen Avenue entrance

In October 2013, the mall announced plans for a major renovation, which will include demolishing 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2) of retail space in the mall's north end. [18] When finished in 2015, the demolished portion was replaced with 63,000 square feet (5,900 m2) of new retail space and a new entrance. [18] The mall will also receive a reconfigured parking lot and new interior paint, lighting and signage. [18]

The Blue Zoo, an 11,000 square foot interactive aquarium opened on August 1, 2019 in the renovated north portion of the mall; The zoo is marketed to provide an experiential environment to educate children about the oceans and features a variety of saltwater and freshwater marine life and includes tanks with starfish, shrimp and snails, reefs, giant octopus, and clownfish as well as a freshwater river tank and predator tank. [19] Some tanks contain animals that can be touched, such as a pool where patrons can gently touch stingray and pick up cleaner shrimp; the zoo also has non marine life exhibits such as a reptile room and a bird room where you can feed parakeets and chickadees. [20]

On August 6, 2019, Sears announced plans to close its store at the mall in late October as part of a plan to close 26 stores nationwide. [21] On January 5, 2021, it was announced that Macy's would be closing in April 2021 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide. [22]

The mall was sold to the Kohan Retail Investment Group in February 2022 for $49 million. [23]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Huge Northtown Complex to Open". The Spokesman-Review . March 29, 1962.
  2. 1 2 "Northtown Plans Will Triple Size". The Spokesman-Review . June 19, 1959.
  3. ↑ "Crescent Expands Northtown Plans". Spokane Daily Chronicle . December 28, 1961.
  4. 1 2 3 "Northtown Ceremony Set". Spokane Daily Chronicle . March 28, 1962.
  5. ↑ "Northtown Progress Sale". The Spokesman-Review . June 22, 1983.
  6. 1 2 "Spokane shopping mall to get facelift and roof". The Spokesman-Review . June 22, 1983.
  7. ↑ "Northtown Mall will double its size". The Spokesman-Review . August 17, 1988.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Northtown Mall plan revealed". The Spokesman-Review . February 16, 1989.
  9. ↑ "Northtown Albertsons closing". The Spokesman-Review . July 1, 1989.
  10. ↑ "Sears - Northtown Storewide Clearance". Spokane Chronicle . September 22, 1989.
  11. ↑ "Bon expansion at Northtown stuck in limbo". The Spokesman-Review . January 15, 1990.
  12. ↑ "Woolworth closing store at Northtown". Spokane Chronicle . July 20, 1990.
  13. ↑ "Mervyn's to put stores in 2 malls". Spokane Chronicle . August 31, 1990.
  14. ↑ "Penney's to close at Shadle, downtown". Spokane Chronicle . November 7, 1990.
  15. ↑ "Northtown Mall construction job hits fever pitch". The Spokesman-Review . April 16, 1991.
  16. ↑ "JCPenney - Grand Opening Sale". The Spokesman-Review . August 7, 1991.
  17. 1 2 "More NorthTown openings loom". Spokane Chronicle . October 15, 1991.
  18. 1 2 3 "Renovations planned at NorthTown Mall". The Spokesman-Review. October 25, 2013.
  19. ↑ Robinson, Erin (August 1, 2019). "Interactive aquarium 'Blue Zoo' opens in the Northtown Mall today". KXLY. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  20. ↑ Walters, Daniel (September 12, 2019). "In its first month, NorthTown Mall's Blue Zoo aquarium was hit with a tidal wave of criticism". Inlandner. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  21. ↑ "NorthTown Mall Sears to close in October". KXLY-TV . August 6, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Northtown mall Macy's to close after 27 years".
  23. ↑ Lyle, Josh (February 24, 2022). "NorthTown Mall is sold, new owner plans to make it a destination". KREM. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
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