First opened in 1975, the mall began to suffer in the 1990s due to changing demographics and high crime rates in the Redbird area, culminating in a bankruptcy in 2008. Due to support from the local community and the Dallas city government, the mall was able to remain open. It has since been purchased by developer Peter Brodsky, who is redeveloping the mall to include apartments, a medical center, and other community amenities.[4]
History
Opening
In 1968, Dallas-based department store chain Sanger-Harris purchased 133 acres (54ha) of land in southwest Oak Cliff for a 1.3-million-square-foot (120,000m2) indoor shopping center, which would be built following improvements to the bordering Interstate 20.[5] By 1973, the project had been transferred to a joint venture between Monumental Properties (which had built Six Flags Mall in nearby Arlington) and the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation.[6]
The two-level mall was constructed using three Triodetic space frames, which allowed for large courtyards with fountains, sculptures, and a small sunken garden.[7] It opened on September 11, 1975.[1] Initially, it was anchored by four department stores:
Sears, on the east side of the mall, opened on October 1, 1975,[8] replacing an older location on West Jefferson Boulevard.[9] The store closed on January 6, 2019 due to the bankruptcy of Sears Holdings.[10]
JCPenney, on the west side of the mall, opened on July 30, 1975. At 213,000 square feet (19,800m2), it was the largest of the four anchors.[11] The store was a replacement for smaller JCPenney stores at West Jefferson and Lancaster-Kiest, though both locations were initially kept open.[9][12] The store closed in 2001 and has since been demolished.
Sanger-Harris, on the north side of the mall, opened on June 30, 1975, replacing an older location in the A. Harris Shopping Center.[13] The store was converted to Foley's in 1987 and Macy's in 2006 before closing in 2017.
Titche's, on the south side of the mall, opened on August 1, 1975.[14] The store was converted to Joske's in 1979 and to Dillard's in 1987. After closing, the store was set to be redeveloped under the name Fiesta Mundo, but the redevelopment was never completed.
In 1994, a fifth anchor was added when Montgomery Ward opened a store between Sears and Dillard's. The store closed when Montgomery Ward went bankrupt in 2001 and was replaced with Burlington.
Decline
Red Bird Mall logo from 1975
The mall did well in the beginning, despite its location in the relatively undeveloped southern portion of Dallas. As early as the mid-1980s, demographics began to change dramatically in the area surrounding it, and at the same time a perception of crime began to brand the area so shoppers began taking their business elsewhere. And, in 1988, another regional one, The Parks Mall in Arlington, opened just 15 miles west.
DeBartolo attempted to remodel the mall in 1996, in an attempt to rejuvenate the look. It was then sold to Namco Financial, a California investment group founded by Ezri Namvar,[15] who was later convicted of four counts of wire fraud. In an attempt to attract new tenants, Namco gave it a small refurbishment and new name – Southwest Center Mall. The name changed in 1997. A new food court was added under the reign of DeBartolo. The addition was finished and occupied in 1998 at the northwest entrance. With a price tag of $18 million, it took up the lion's share of updates; upon its change of hands and change of name. In addition, though, Dillard's increased their store size from 100,000 to 150,000 square feet (14,000m2), and Sears renovated their entire store in 1998. Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penney left the mall closing their stores in the mall in 2001. This marked the beginning of the end of the mall as stores such as Sam Goody and Old Navy (which had moved in in 2000) closed their locations in 2003 with other big name stores following suit including Dillard's.
The property eventually went into bankruptcy in 2008; then foreclosure, the lender Madison Capital picked it up, Cityview Commercial was formed as a partner with Madison. A dynamic General Manager formed a partnership with the city, community, and ownership to assist with the endeavor of turning it around. Much progress was made, the General Manager resigned, and Boxer was hired to manage the property. The former General Manager is slated to rejoin it in April 2011 and is tasked with the final 25% of development and lease up. In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Southwest Center Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties.[16] In 2017, Macy's left the mall leaving another vacant anchor spot as the mall continued its struggles.
On October 15, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 142 stores nationwide.[10]
Future
Although the mall faced bankruptcy in 2008 and ultimately went through foreclosure, The Woodmont Company was hired by the Bankruptcy Trustee to manage it. In August 2008, Woodmont hired a dynamic general manager, which in turn created a team that truly revitalized it. The lender, Madison Capital, picked it up and Retail SWC Mall LLC was formed as a partner with Madison. The City of Dallas hired the ULI (Urban Land Institute) to assess the property and give their recommendations. The City of Dallas then paid to have the six-month option to purchase the former JCPenney building. They did not exercise their option. The former Dillard's building was being built out as a Fiesta Mundo and went into bankruptcy 2011. The general manager created a partnership with the city, community, lender, and ownership to assist with the endeavor of turning it around. Much progress was made, then the general manager resigned; Boxer followed as the management company. The former general manager rejoined it in April 2011 and is charged with the final development and lease up (last 25%).
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