North Star Mall

North Star Mall

North Star Mall entrance, with iconic Boots sculpture
Location San Antonio, Texas, USA
Coordinates 29°31′07″N 98°29′42″W / 29.5187°N 98.4951°W / 29.5187; -98.4951Coordinates: 29°31′07″N 98°29′42″W / 29.5187°N 98.4951°W / 29.5187; -98.4951
Opening date September 23, 1960
Developer The Rouse Company
Management General Growth Properties
Owner General Growth Properties
No. of stores and services 300+
No. of anchor tenants 5
Total retail floor area 1,257,000 sq ft (116,800 m2)
No. of floors 2
Website www.northstarmall.com

North Star Mall is a shopping mall in San Antonio, Texas, USA with anchor tenants Dillard's, J.C. Penney, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Forever 21. The mall also has over 200 specialty stores, some exclusive to the San Antonio market, including Arden B, Armani Exchange, The Cheesecake Factory, Build-A-Bear Workshop, MAC Cosmetics, Mont Blanc, Oakley, and Janie & Jack. The mall, which opened in 1960, is currently owned by General Growth Properties and 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.

History

North entrance to mall at Saks Fifth Avenue

On September 23, 1960 , Community Research & Development Corporation (later to become The Rouse Company) opens the doors to North Star Mall, a new 250,000-square-foot (23,000 m2) fully enclosed shopping center located at the intersection of San Pedro Avenue and Loop 13 (now Interstate 410 Connally Loop). The center opens with Wolff and Marx, H-E-B, Walgreens and 50 other shops and is the fifth shopping center developed by CRDC. A time capsule scheduled to be opened in 1985 is laid to commemorate the mall's opening.

The mall is expanded in 1963 and new anchor Frost Bros. is opened. A two-screen movie theater is added to the mall was added in 1964. The mall is expanded again in 1969 and Wolff and Marx relocated into a new four-level building as part of the expansion and is renamed Joske's. A two-level parking deck with a full service Texaco is added south of Joske's.

The Rouse Company sold a 62.5% stake in North Star Mall to Rodamco North America in 1974. In 1980 a pair of 40-foot (12 m)-tall cowboy boots, a sculpture by artist Bob "Daddy-O" Wade entitled 'The Giant Justins,' were installed on the I-410 frontage road. The mall promotes the sculpture, created for the Washington Project for the Arts in 1979, as the "world's largest pair of cowboy boots." Major renovation of the mall were completed in 1982, adding food and music courts as well as a new Foley's that is located on the former H-E-B and original Walgreens sites.

A new multi-level parking garage and two-story wing are added to the mall in 1985, along with new anchor Saks Fifth Avenue. North Star Mall celebrated its 25th anniversary, opens the 1960 time capsule, and dedicates a new one that was opened on September 23, 2010. Two additional multi-level parking garages were opened in 1986 and another three-story wing is added to the mall that includes new anchor Marshall Field's and a new food court. Foley's expands its store to 256,000 square feet (23,800 m2) by extending the store several feet north. Joske's was bought in 1987 and renamed Dillard's. Frost Bros. liquidated and closed in 1989. The Gucci boutique previously located in there relocates to a new two-level store adjacent to Saks Fifth Avenue. In 1992 Mervyns opened in the former Frost Bros. location. Marshall Field's pulled out of the Texas market in 1997 and the North Star Mall location is purchased by and converted into Macy's. Saks Fifth Avenue completes a major renovation on its existing store and also opens a new men's store in space leased from the mall directly adjacent to the existing store.

The Rouse Company sold an additional stake in North Star Mall to Rodamco in 2000, leaving Rouse less than 5% ownership of the property. The Rouse Company reassumed ownership of North Star Mall in 2002 by purchasing the property (and several others) from Rodamco North America. The Rouse Company began a multi-year, multimillion-dollar renovation in 2004. The renovation is to be the most extensive renovation the mall has seen in its history.[1] General Growth Properties purchases The Rouse Company and becomes owner of the mall. The scheduled renovation of the mall is postponed as a result of the transaction.

In 2005, as a result of the Federated Department Stores/May Department Stores transaction, Macy's announced it would close their 178,000-square-foot (16,500 m2) three-level store at North Star in 2006 and rebrand the 250,000-square-foot (23,000 m2) Foley's store as Macy's.[2] In 2006 General Growth Properties purchases the Macy's location from Federated.[3] Mall officials announced that J.C. Penney would open a store in the former Macy's/Marshall Field's location in summer 2007.[4] A multimillion-dollar renovation planned since 1999 but stalled due to the 2004 ownership change finally resumes. Renovations will include the mall's interior and exterior, including the addition of ten-foot letters outside the mall spelling out "North Star."[5][6] As part of the Federated/May merger, Macy's is closed and Foley's is renamed Macy's. The former Foley's location becomes Macy's San Antonio flagship store.[7]

J.C. Penney opened in 2007 in the former Macy's location on August 2. In 2008 California-based Mervyns announces on August 13 that it will close its three San Antonio stores (including the North Star Mall location) by November 2008.[8][9] The new Apple Store opened in 2008. In 2010, Forever 21 relocated their existing store into the former Mervyns location. Also in 2010, North Star Mall celebrates its 50th anniversary and opens the 1985 time capsule. A Michael Kors boutique was scheduled to open by the start of the holiday shopping season.

Previous anchors

Previous anchors include Wolff and Marx, Frost Bros. (the space now occupied by Forever 21), Marshall Field's (the space most recently occupied by Macy's, then re-opened as J.C. Penney in summer 2007), and Foley's (the space now occupied by Macy's). Wolff and Marx closed in 1969 (and owner Joske's opened a new four-level Joske's store the same year), Frost Bros. was liquidated in 1989 after one year in bankruptcy, Marshall Field's exited the Texas market in 1997, and Foley's was renamed Macy's in 2006.

Additional information

There used to be an underground arcade, called the Music Court. Added in 1982 near the north entry between what is currently J.C. Penney and Saks Fifth Avenue, it was accessible only by escalator. In the early 1980s, the arcade's tenants included Expensive Toys for Big Boys, a record store, and a music store. An Oshman's Sporting Goods store leased the entire arcade space in the late 1980s and moved the escalator to the main corridor of pedestrian traffic for prime access. The Oshman's closed in the 1990s when it opened a superstore across the highway (now The Sports Authority), and the underground space has since been closed off.

The parking garage added in the mid-1980s between Saks and Dillard's displaced the mall's movie theater complex. The Texaco fuel station located in the mall's original underground garage (at the corner of Rector and McCullough) was also closed during the 1980s renovations.

The North Star Transit Center, operated by VIA Metropolitan Transit, is located adjacent to the mall's northwest corner[10]

Anchors

References

  1. ↑ "North Star Mall to get facelift". San Antonio Business Journal. July 2, 2004. Retrieved 15 October 2006.
  2. ↑ "Federated to close Macy's at North Star Mall". San Antonio Business Journal. July 28, 2005. Retrieved 9 October 2006.
  3. ↑ "Chicago real-estate firm agrees to buy Macy's at North Star Mall". San Antonio Business Journal. May 23, 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006.
  4. ↑ Penney's coming to North Star MySA.com, November 30, 2006
  5. ↑ "North Star Mall getting first major renovation in 20 years". MySA.com. May 26, 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006.
  6. ↑ "North Star Mall boots call for one tall paint job". MySA.com. October 18, 2006. Retrieved 18 October 2006.
  7. ↑ "Macy's execs hope to convert San Antonio Foley's shoppers". MySA.com. August 18, 2006. Retrieved 9 October 2006.
  8. ↑ "Mervyns closing all three S.A. stores". MySA.com. August 14, 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
  9. ↑ "Mervyn's department stores exiting San Antonio". San Antonio Business Journal. August 14, 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
  10. ↑ "Park & Rides/Transit Centers". VIA Metropolitan Transit. Retrieved March 13, 2013.
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