Union Station (Shannon Mall)

Last updated
Union Station Mall
Union Station (Shannon Mall) (7735596352).jpg
Exterior view of Union Station, July 2012
Union Station (Shannon Mall)
Location Union City, Georgia, United States
Coordinates 33°34′19″N84°32′02″W / 33.572°N 84.534°W / 33.572; -84.534 Coordinates: 33°34′19″N84°32′02″W / 33.572°N 84.534°W / 33.572; -84.534
Opening dateAugust 7, 1980
Closing dateNovember 3, 2010
DeveloperCadillac Fairview
ManagementOrlando Allen (2009-2010); David Long (1990s-2009)
OwnerColony Capital
No. of stores and services95
No. of anchor tenants 4
Total retail floor area 764,882 sq ft (71,059.9 m2)
No. of floors1
Parking4,332
External view of Union Station, July 2012 Union Station (Shannon Mall) (7735605898).jpg
External view of Union Station, July 2012

Union Station was a shopping mall in Union City, Georgia, in southwest Metro Atlanta adjacent to Interstate 85. Originally "Shannon Mall", it opened in 1980 and initially thrived until the 1990s when growth in neighboring cities drew shoppers away from the mall. After new ownership and renovations in 2006, the name was changed from "Shannon Mall" to "Union Station Mall" in 2006. After many years of decline, the mall closed in November 2010, and demolition began in late October 2014 to make way for a movie studio.

Contents

History

The mall opened on August 7, 1980 as Shannon Mall with anchor stores Sears, Rich's, and Davison's. It was renovated in 1986, 1999, and 2006. In 1987, the mall became "Shannon Southpark Mall" - but was changed back to "Shannon Mall" after its renovation in 1999 due to the fact that 38% of people in a survey claimed to still use that name. [1] In 2006, the mall was again renamed - this time as "Union Station Mall."

In 1986, the mall was renovated by adding a new wing that Mervyn's occupied.

In the early 1990s, under new management, the mall began a slight decline as less money was spent on advertising while some of the anchors cut back on inventory. [2] In 1996, after the nearby Fayette Pavilion opened, some stores including Linens 'n Things and Toys "R" Us left the mall. In January 1997 Mervyn's announced its plans to close and JCPenney began operating in the Mervyn's wing in October. [3] [4] In March 1998, [1] Macy's moved out of the former Davison's building which would remain unoccupied for the duration of the mall's operation.

In 1999, the mall underwent a $10 million renovation which saw the floor replaced with Italian tile, an enhanced ceiling, new benches with softer seating, a new look to the three main entrances with a lighter color scheme, removal of the food court's elevated seating area and a downgrade in the size of the mall's central fountain. [1]

In 2000, the decline continued as JCPenney left the mall and the Mervyn's wing lost so many tenants that management required the remaining ones to move elsewhere in the mall. The wing was blocked from late 2004 until late 2006. While not in use, the wing was required by Union City to have a functional fire escape door near the boarded up wall leading to the mall's entrance/exit within that wing for emergencies.

In 2006, the Mervyn's wing became an entertainment complex named Maxx-Fun. Maxx-Fun had plans to take over the entire wing by adding a bowling alley, a comedy club, and other entertainment venues in the vacant store fronts. Shortly after construction began it was abruptly halted when one of the investors died. The mall's owner, Lee Najjir, was an investor himself and no longer desired to participate in the deal. Maxx-Fun operated until fall 2009 before leaving the mall with two vacant anchors again.

The mall (during the tenure of Orlando Allen) sought to reopen Maxx-Fun and sought entertainment-based tenants for the former Macy's building. Several firms showed interest in it, but no one moved beyond initial conversations. Also, Maxx-Fun had a website in summer 2010 announcing its return to Union Station Mall. However, its fixtures and signs were removed from the property at some point afterwards, and its website is no longer functioning.

Notable features

The mall had skylights that provided natural light inside the mall, bright corridors, and a large sun window in the food court. Also, prior to the mall's renovation in 1999, there was a rise in the food court. [1] There was also a water fountain in the middle of the mall, which was a smaller version of one that previously existed. Also, while most of the mall had only one floor, the former Macy's building was the only part that had two floors.

Additionally, near the food court main entrance, a large multi-monitor display once existed - showing mall-related advertisements. Prior to the mall's closing, there were plans to create "Mall TV" to provide original programming for mall patrons.

In one wing, there existed a large metal sculpture of a clown on a unicycle - animated and positioned below one of the ceiling skylights. The sculpture was eventually removed after many complaints of the decay of the statue.

Competition

The mall suffered several blows that stymied its potential. Shannon Tower, the office building that sits behind the former mall, was the pilot of several similar office structures planned. The tower, according to Bull Realty, opened in 1978 - two years before the mall. Woody Johnson, the leasing consultant for the property, stated that the late developer, Scott Hudgins (who also developed the mall), wanted to build office complexes behind the mall. The demand for such never materialized, and the parcels remained naturally wooded. The office developments were supposed to provide constant foot traffic for the mall.

In 1996, the Fayette Pavilion opened - taking Linens 'n Things, Toys "R" Us, and several other tenants away from the mall. The Fayette Pavilion was supposed to be another enclosed mall for the south side, but city and county zoning laws prohibited such. In 1998, Macy's closed its original location in the former Davison's building. Arbor Place Mall opened in 1999 - pulling the Douglas County shoppers away from the mall, and several other stores were lured away from the mall. In 2003, Camp Creek Marketplace opened on Camp Creek, and while some retailers had locations in both Camp Creek and Shannon Mall, the Shannon locations were closed by late 2004. The proposed mall in Newnan became Ashley Park - an open-air shopping center that featured restaurants and retailers such as Belk and Dillard's. This development had always been on the radar as a threat to Shannon since the 1990s, as it was like other planned malls in the metro area. Ashley Park, by some experts, took potential tenants who would have probably set up shop in Shannon Mall. Greenbriar Mall, the mall that Shannon was giving a run for its money, even lured tenants away from the area when the mall was dying.

List of anchor stores

NameYear
opened		Year
closed		Notes
Davison's 19801986
JCPenney 19972000Replaced Mervyn's
Macy's 19861998Replaced Davidson's
20032011Replaced Rich's; co-branded Rich's–Macy's from 2003–2005
Maxx-Fun20062009Replaced the Mervyn's wing.
Mervyn's 19861997
Rich's 19802003
Sears 19802011Last store in the mall to close.

Other barriers to growth

Some real estate scholars have argued that the area was never suited for the proposed potential of the mall. The demographics of the South Fulton cities such as Union City, Palmetto, and Fairburn were not strong enough to support such. The mall relied heavily on being regional - pulling people from Coweta County, Douglas County, Fayette County, Camp Creek, Cascade, Southwest Atlanta, and airport travelers. As more developments opened, fewer people came back to Shannon Mall. It failed to attract sit-down eateries beyond a Cracker Barrel (which closed prior to the mall's closing) and Buffalo's Cafe (which opened and closed in 2002). Gladys Knight's Chicken and Waffles looked into opening up a store in the mall but chose to be near the bowling alley instead.

As even an undercover vote of no confidence in the mall, Union City focused more on the annexations of South Fulton Parkway and building up the industrial community on Oakley Industrial Boulevard.

Final attempts to survive

By 2006, the mall was struggling to keep the few major retailers it had left. Many were staples from the mall's heyday. As the more major names left, the numbers were dwindling. Some of the vacant spots were filled by independent and startup retailers, but many of them ultimately left due to the lack of business. In 2009, according to an interview of Maria Allen (former Marketing Director) in Home Rule News, the mall had only 32 stores left (including the big-box anchors).

The mall offered incentives such as free rent for a period to lure businesses back into the mall. Event planners were given the use of the mall corridors to hold events to draw in potential shoppers. However, no major corporations bit. Event planners hit snags, as Union City required permits and variances, as the mall was not zoned for assembly usage. Some events such as an En Vogue concert, the annual Union City Mayor's Race, and Race Against Cancer did draw numbers. However, few people actually went inside the mall.

Prior to the mall's closing, there were plans to create "Mall TV" to provide original programming for mall patrons. In addition, several firms were brought in to provide entertainment for mall patrons such as live radio broadcasting, stage plays, town hall meetings, fashion shows, and others. These events brought small numbers and some attention - but not enough to sustain the mall.

In 2010, Chick-fil-A closed, being the only original tenant left from the mall's 1980 opening.

Closure and redevelopment

Due to the mall's owner, Lee Najjar, not paying the power bill, Georgia Power shut off electricity to the mall on November 2, 2010 at 10:30 p.m. after tenants were warned. [5] Macy's and Sears, however, remained open since they had their own electric meters. However, although they initially stayed open after the mall's closure, Macy's announced in January 2011 its plans to leave. [6] Sears, the last open store at the mall, remained open for several more months until finally announcing in August 2011 its plans to leave later in the year. [7]

By January 3, 2011, the foreclosed mall remained closed, and was auctioned at the Fulton County Courthouse the following day. [8] The mall was purchased by Colonial Capital, a California investment company. [9] Afterwards, the mall was placed back on the market for sale. According to Home Rule News, no buyers had shown interest in the property by May 2011.

In February 2014, the mall was sold to RookerCo, [10] and on October 27, 2014, a demolition ceremony at the site of the former mall took place in order to make way for a Film and Television production facility as well as a distribution center. [11]

In early 2016 the Atlanta Metro Studios opened for business on the site of the former Shannon Mall. Atlanta Metro Studios has the two largest purpose-built sound stages in North America. The largest purpose-built stage is 80,000 square feet with a 40' clear height. The second largest purpose-built stage is 55,000 square feet with 40' clear height. Because of the unique configuration of these two enormous stages, they can be subdivided into smaller stages by closing multiple operable sound-proof walls. There is the ability to have as many as 6 smaller stages at one time: (4) 20,000 sq ft and (2) 27,500 sq ft.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Century III Mall</span> Defunct shopping mall in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

Century III Mall is a defunct enclosed shopping mall located along Route 51 in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, approximately 10 miles southeast of downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The mall was built on a former slag dump in 1979. The Century III Mall planning began in 1976, opened in 1979, and closed in 2019. Anchor stores included Kaufmann's, Gimbels, JCPenney, Sears, and Montgomery Ward.

Pompano Citi Centre is a primarily open-air shopping mall in Pompano Beach, Florida. The center consists of a big box retailer strip, in addition to a small lifestyle center section. The mall's main anchor stores are JCPenney, Lowe's, Ross Dress For Less, Big Lots, and Pet Smart. Burlington, TJ Maxx, and Five Below will move into the former Sears with both stores scheduled to open in fall 2020.

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

Cumberland Mall is a shopping mall in the Cumberland district of Metropolitan Atlanta near the suburbs of Smyrna and Vinings. It was the largest shopping mall in Georgia when it opened on August 8, 1973. The anchor stores are Costco, Macy's, Planet Fitness, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Round 1 Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Town Center at Cobb</span> Shopping mall in Georgia, U.S.

Town Center at Cobb, is a super-regional shopping mall located in Cobb County, Georgia near Atlanta. The anchor stores are two Macy's stores, a Belk, and a JCPenney. There is one vacant anchor stores that was once Sears.

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

North Point Mall is a shopping mall, located in Alpharetta, Georgia. The mall opened on October 20, 1993 as one of the largest shopping malls in the country. The mall was the second to last property built by Homart Development Company.

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

Gwinnett Place Mall is a largely vacant shopping mall located in the Pleasant Hill Road corridor of Duluth, Georgia, in the United States. The mall is almost identical to Town Center at Cobb. For the first 16 years, Gwinnett Place was the leading mall in the region, drawing shoppers from as far away as South Carolina and centering what was then one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation until the openings of Mall of Georgia in Buford and Sugarloaf Mills in Lawrenceville. It was also used as the Starcourt Mall filming location in the third season of Netflix's Stranger Things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Star Mall</span> Shopping mall in Texas, USA

North Star Mall is a shopping mall in San Antonio, Texas, USA with anchor tenants Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Forever 21. The mall also has over 200 specialty stores, some exclusive to the San Antonio market, including Armani Exchange, The Cheesecake Factory, Build-A-Bear Workshop, MAC Cosmetics, and Oakley. The mall, which opened in 1960, is located at the intersection of Loop 410 and San Pedro Avenue in the city's Uptown District. It is a well-known city landmark for its Texas-sized cowboy boots, created by Texas artist Bob "Daddy-O" Wade, that are located along its Loop 410 frontage.

Inland Center is a regional shopping mall owned and operated by Macerich, located in San Bernardino, California along the southwest border adjacent to Interstate 215 and the city of Colton. The mall is within one mile of three bordering cities on the southern end of San Bernardino. Inland Center is a single-level mall anchored by, JCPenney, Forever 21 and Macy's, plus 110 specialty shops and services.

Somersville Towne Center is a regional shopping mall located in Antioch, California. Previously named County East Mall until 2004, the 501,259 square feet (46,570 m2) mall is managed by Urban Retail Properties. Originally opened in 1966, it is strategically positioned in one of the fastest growing areas of the San Francisco Bay Area, east Contra Costa County. Along with high population growth, east Contra Costa County is also experiencing sizable household income increases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise Valley Mall</span> Former shopping mall in Phoenix, Arizona

Paradise Valley Mall was a shopping mall located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The last remaining anchor stores were JCPenney and Costco. There were 3 vacant anchor stores that were once Sears, Dillard's, and Macy's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NorthTown Mall (Spokane, Washington)</span> Shopping mall in Washington, U.S.

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.

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

Irving Mall is an enclosed American shopping mall located in Irving, Texas, at the intersection of Texas State Highway 183 and Belt Line Road. It has over 80 stores, including four anchor tenants as of November 29, 2020, plus a food court with the only international restaurant being Subway.

Promenade Temecula, formerly The Promenade in Temecula, is a shopping mall in Temecula, California. Opened in October 1999, its anchor tenants are J. C. Penney, Macy's which occupies two anchor spots: Macy's North and Macy's South, Round One Entertainment, Edwards Cinema, and Dick's Sporting Goods.

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

Perimeter Mall is a shopping mall in Perimeter Center, Dunwoody, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, near the interchange of Interstate 285 and Georgia State Route 400. It is the second largest shopping mall in the state of Georgia, the largest being the Mall of Georgia in Buford, Georgia.

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

Macon Mall is a two level, 1.1 million square foot shopping mall located in Macon, Georgia. It is a dead mall with a 74% and rising vacancy rate with only one anchor store, Burlington. It has three vacant anchors left by Belk, J.C. Penney and Macy's. Sears once occupied the space currently taken by Burlington. The lower level is still empty.

Northpark Mall is a super regional mall located in Joplin, Missouri. The mall opened in 1972 with 600,000 square feet, and featured 60 stores, restaurants, and other services. Today, the Northpark mall is 1,080,000 square feet, and features more than 100 inline tenants including a food court. Northpark Mall is the largest mall in the Joplin region and serves a trade area of nearly 500,000 people. Freeman hospital added a soft play area in the Macy's women's court in the summer of 2014. The mall was also the temporary home of the 11th and 12th grades of Joplin High School until August 2014, when the new high school was completed. Northpark Mall is managed by CBL & Associates Properties. The anchor stores are Vintage Stock, TJ Maxx, H&M, JCPenney, and Dunham's Sports. There are three vacant anchor stores that were once two Macy's stores and Sears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NewPark Mall</span> Shopping mall in Newark, California

NewPark Mall is a 1,161,681 square feet (107,923.7 m2) super-regional mall in Newark, California. Opened in August 1980, it currently houses 119 stores. It serves the Tri-City area. The mall underwent extensive renovations that were completed in early 2017. Among the additions are a 12-screen AMC movie complex with an IMAX screen and an elaborate new glass-walled restaurant area with views through the entire property.

South Hill Mall is an enclosed, super-regional shopping mall located in Puyallup, Washington, United States. Opened in 1988 and expanded in 1992, the mall comprises more than 100 stores, plus a food court and movie theater, in 1,074,230 square feet (99,799 m2) of gross leasable area. The mall also includes five anchor stores, as well as DSW, Old Navy, and Regal Cinemas. The mall is managed by Cafaro Company of Youngstown, Ohio.

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

Sandusky Mall is an indoor shopping center located in Perkins Township, south of Sandusky, Ohio. It is located on the east side of US 250, north of I-80/I-90 and SR 2. It is the only major shopping center within 45 miles (72 km). The mall comprises more than 70 stores. The anchor stores are TJ Maxx, JCPenney, Books-A-Million, Dewey Furniture, Five Below, and Ross. There is currently a partially vacant anchor remaining: Elder Beerman, which was partially filled by Shoe Dept. Encore when they relocated from their former spot by American Eagle Outfitters. JCPenney had previously operated a store in downtown Sandusky. It is managed by Cafaro Company of Niles, Ohio.

River Ridge Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Lynchburg, Virginia. Opened in 1980, the mall features JCPenney, Belk, and Regal Cinemas as its primary anchors, with Jo-Ann Fabrics, T.J. Maxx, and Planet Fitness serving as secondary anchors. Three restaurant outparcels include Red Lobster, Taco Bell, and a local restaurant named Shakers, with a fourth outparcel being Salem, Virginia-based Kemba Roanoke Federal Credit Union. A Residence Inn by Marriott is the mall's first on-site hotel.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Thompson, John (19 March 1999). "Shannon Mall renovation". The Citizen. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Nelms, Ben (7 December 2010). "Once-thriving Shannon Mall goes dark". The Citizen. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Pedrotti, Kay (30 October 1997). "JCPenney now open at mall". Atlanta, GA: The Atlanta Journal/The Atlanta Constitution. ProQuest   247592094.
  4. ↑ Gramig, Mickey (30 December 1997). "Macy's leaving mall Replacing Shannon Southpark store could be difficult". Atlanta, GA: The Atlanta Journal/The Atlanta Constitution. ProQuest   247592561.
  5. ↑ Boone, Christian (3 November 2010). "Lights out at Union Station; fate uncertain for merchants at 'Big Poppa's' mall". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  6. ↑ Kass, Arielle; Rachel Tobin (4 January 2011). "Macy's to close at beleaguered Union Station Mall". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Sears to close Union Station Mall store in Union City". Union City, GA: The Newnan Times-Herald. Associated Press. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  8. ↑ Kass, Arielle; Rachel Tobin (4 January 2011). "Former Shannon Mall to be auctioned Tuesday". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  9. ↑ Joyner, Tammy; Rachel Tobin (10 January 2011). "Mall sinks but Union City rises". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  10. ↑ Huff, Dominique (19 February 2014). "Exclusive: Union Station Mall sold to Rooker Group". Union City: Home Rule News. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Shannon Mall demolished for new movie studio". South Fulton County, GA: WSB-TV. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
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.