For other malls with this name, see Southpark Mall.
SouthPark Mall , located in Charlotte, opened on February 12 , 1970 with three department stores and about 1,000,000 square feet (90,000 m 2 ). As of 2007, it is the largest shopping mall in the Charlotte region with 1,600,000 square feet (150,000 m 2 ). Located about five miles (8 km) south of Uptown, in its namesake neighborhood at the corner of Sharon and Fairview Roads.
History
The area was considered the outskirts of Charlotte at the time it opened; people were skeptical about a big shopping mall in the middle of pastureland. The mall was developed by the Belk and Ivey families, owners of the eponymous department stores, who jointly owned and operated the mall. The design of the shopping mall was starkly modernist, with an underground parking deck. The inspiration for the mall's original architecture reportedly was Dallas' NorthPark Center. After the flagship Belk and Ivey's stores, Sears was the third anchor store to join the mall. A strip mall opened behind Sears in June 1970 with a Colonial Stores grocery store (later a Big Star food market, then acquired by Harris Teeter in the 1980s) and the SouthPark Cinemas I & II. A Franklin Simon & Co. store was also located at the mall through 1979.
Eventually, the mall faced competition with the two-story Eastland Mall built about 6 miles (10 km) northeast. Eastland contained Sears, Belk and Ivey's stores-- however it also included a 4th department store, JC Penney, and an ice skating rink. Over the years SouthPark became more upscale as the mall's interior and department stores were renovated, however they were more 'upgrades' than massive renovations.
In 1986, a major expansion was announced. The plans called for bringing department stores Thalhimer's and May Company's Lord & Taylor to the mall, in addition to a new food court. The food court and Thalhimers department store joined the mall in a new wing; however the addition of Lord & Taylor never materialized, although it was rumored for years that they'd take the Sears space. The new wing opened in 1988. In 1990, Dillard's bought out, and subsequently renamed, Ivey's department stores, and in 1992 Thalhimer's was converted to Hecht's as a result of May Company's buyout. After this, Belk, Dillard's, Hecht's and Sears were the mall's anchor stores.
In the 1990s, SouthPark standbys such as Woolworth's and Morrison's Cafeteria left, and many changes resulted from the new competition of Carolina Place Mall, located several miles to the south, in Pineville. The strip mall's Cinemas 3 closed after the new Phillips Place Cinemas opened, and the Harris Teeter moved to Morrocroft Shopping Center across Sharon Road. It was then announced that Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom would join the mall in its biggest expansion yet. Soon after, the Belk and Ivey families sold their interests in the property to Rodamco, who in turn sold the mall to Simon Property Group. Saks Fifth Avenue pulled out of the project, but Nordstrom opened their doors in 2004. In late 2005, Simon Property Group announced that Neiman Marcus would be the tenant of the final available anchor pad, along with another wing of stores & boutiques. Neiman Marcus opened in late 2006. Also, three new parking decks have been added. The expansion began in 2000 and was completed in the summer of 2007.
SouthPark Mall today
Within the last couple years, SouthPark has undergone extensive renovation and become a upscale mall. The mall has a new Dick's Sporting Goods at the former location of Sears, which closed in 2003 due to underperformance, and an outparcel Crate & Barrel. On the grounds of the mall, where a former strip mall was located, an outdoor stage called Symphony Park has been built. Here, during the summer months, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra stages its annual "Pops in the Park" free concert series.
2007 parking deck collapse
On 6 December 2007 at approximately 12:15 PM EST a portion of the Nordstrom/Neiman Marcus parking deck collapsed. The collapse of the deck was caused by a car colliding with a retaining wall on the third and highest level. Eyewitness accounts stated an elderly woman may have suffered a heart attack, which triggered the accident. Two cars were destroyed by the collapsed section of concrete, no one was in either of the cars.
At the time, this was the second American parking structure to collapse in a two weeks, leading people to question the structural integrity of such buildings.
Anchors
These are the mall's anchors:
- Belk (345,000 sq ft (32,100 m 2 ))
- Dick's Sporting Goods (79,000 sq ft (7,300 m 2 ) on property of former Sears)
- Dillard's (250,000 sq ft (23,000 m 2 ), formerly Ivey's)
- Macy's (201,000 sq ft (18,700 m 2 )., formerly Thalhimer's, later Hecht's)
- Neiman Marcus (80,000 sq ft (7,400 m 2 ))
- Nordstrom (144,000 sq ft (13,400 m 2 ))
Luxury stores
- Billy Reid
- Burberry
- Cole Haan
- Hermès
- Louis Vuitton
- Michael Kors
- Perry's at Southpark
- Ralph Lauren
- St. John
- Tiffany & Co.
- Juicy Couture
- Kate Spade
- Design Within Reach
- Bob Ellis Shoes
- Pure Denim
- Montblanc
- BCBG Max Azria
Midscale stores
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- American Eagle Outfitters
- Ann Taylor
- Anthropologie
- Apple
- Bag 'N' Baggage
- Bebe
- BCBG Max Azria
- Brooks Brothers
- Coach
- Crate & Barrel
- Express
- Gap, Gap Kids, & Baby Gap
- J. Crew
- Juicy Couture
- Kenneth Cole
- Lacoste
- Sephora
- Sur la Table
- Tumi
Restaurants
- Bronte Bistro
- California Pizza Kitchen
- The Cheesecake Factory
- The Counter Custom Burgers
- M5 Restaurant
- Maggiano's Little Italy
- McCormick & Schmick's
References
- ^ "SouthPark, NC" (HTML) . http://www.simon.com/about_simon/leasing/LocalMall.aspx?id=788 . Retrieved 2008-07-20 .
- ^ "Ann Taylor Factory opens at Concord Mills mall". Charlotte Business Journal (American City Business Journals). 2008-02-21 . http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2008/03/17/daily53.html . Retrieved 2008-06-30 .
- ^ "Charlotte Business Journal". Sears may exit SouthPark . American City Business Journals, Inc. . http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2002/11/25/story2.html?page=2 . Retrieved 2007-02-10 .
- ^ Woman Dies After Parking Deck Collapse At SouthPark Mall - Charlotte News Story - WSOC Charlotte
- ^ FOXNews.com - North Carolina Parking Deck Collapse Kills 1 - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
- ^ "SouthPark Mall Directory". Simon Property Group, Inc. . http://www.simon.com/mall/directory.aspx?ID=788 . Retrieved 2007-02-04 .
External links
- SouthPark Mall
Coordinates: 35°09′09″N 80°49′57″W / 35.1524°N 80.8326°W / 35.1524;
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