Bashford Manor Mall
Encyclopedia
Bashford Manor Mall, named for the surrounding neighborhood of Bashford Manor, was a 560000 square feet (52,025.7 m²) enclosed mall in Louisville, Kentucky
which opened in 1973 and once had about 85 stores, including Ayr-Way, Bacon's
, Ben Snyder's, Hess's
, and Valu Market. Over time, these anchors changed. Ayr-Way was acquired by Target Corporation
. Ben Snyder's became Hess's, which in turn became a second store for Bacon's. Both Bacon's stores were later acquired by Dillard's
before closing.
Also, John Conti opened one of Louisville's first 'gourmet' coffee shops at Bashford Manor Mall in the late 70's.
Only one tenant—a dry cleaner—remained by late 2003, after years of decline. In 1999 the mall had been purchased by Rubloff Developments of Detroit, who began to renovate it in 2001 but did not finish, and eventually sold it for demolition in 2003. An abandoned Dillard's
store, not owned by the mall, remained standing. The Dillard's store was recently demolished and a Burlington Coat Factory store is currently being built.
The area has since been the site of a revitalization effort. The Target
store relocated a block west of the mall into a new construction, which included other shops. In 2005, the entire mall site was razed and rebuilt with several new large anchor stores, including a Wal-Mart
and Lowe's
. In addition, all of Bashford Manor Lane was widened to three lanes with trees and other landscaping added.
The mall was briefly mentioned in national news stories when 12-year-old Ann Gotlib
disappeared from the mall on June 1, 1983. She was never found and the case remained unsolved as of 2008.
Tenants in the 1970s included A&P (attached to Ayr-Way, marking the mall's western terminus, but not accessible through the mall's interior), Aladdin’s Castle (featuring pinball machines and early video games), Allied Sporting Goods (immediately east of Ayr-Way), Ayr-Way (west anchor; later became a Target store), Bacon’s (east anchor), Baskin-Robbins, Ben Snyder’s (central anchor), The Bottom Half, Byck’s, Cassano’s Pizza (later replaced by an Arby’s), The Family Tree, Hickory Farms, Karmelkorn, Kinney Shoes, Morse Shoes, Musicland, National Shirt (contemporary clothes for young people), Pass Pets (west end of mall), Swiss Cleaners, Waldenbooks, Walgreens (with a small adjacent diner), and Zondervan’s. (Waldenbooks and Zondervan's were immediately adjacent to each other. A narrow entrance/exit corridor ran between Zondervan’s and Bacon’s.) An island within the northern parking lot (along Bashford Manor Lane) included Command Performance hair salon, Payless Shoe Source, and Moby Dick seafood restaurant. An establishment called Bashford Liquors stood in an old stone building near the island. A stand-alone Liberty National Bank was in the northeast corner of the parking lot. A Sizzler restaurant was accessible via a footbridge to the southeast of Bacon’s.
In the 1980s, tenants included Chi-Chi’s, TJ Cinnamon’s, John Conti's Coffee, and the local hobby shop Something To Do. The late 1990s saw a conversion to several non-“brand” clothing and gift boutiques, perhaps hastening – or signifying – the mall's decline.
Bacon’s contained two stories. The entire balance of the mall was one story. Bacon’s featured a section for younger males called “Thoroughthreads” (again harkening to the local horse/Derby theme).
The former Ayr-Way had a very bland décor, with utilitarian lighting and merchandising – it was very different from a contemporary Target, Kmart, or Walmart. Ayr-Way had a fittingly drab-looking snack bar in the rear (relative to Bashford Manor Lane) of the store.
There was a fountain outside of Ben Snyder’s in the approximate center of the mall, and another in a fairly large open area outside of Bacon’s. Santa's annual digs were in the latter open area.
The mall was host to a “shoe box parade,” for which young people submitted shoe boxes decorated like parade floats, around the time of the Kentucky Derby in 1976.
A TARC mini-bus circulated at least on weekends between Bashford Manor Mall and Oxmoor Center.
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
which opened in 1973 and once had about 85 stores, including Ayr-Way, Bacon's
Bacon's
Bacon's was a chain of department stores based in Louisville, Kentucky.Jeremiah Bacon opened a store called Bacon's Dry Goods in 1845 on Market Street near Hancock Street. In 1876 he moved into a structure four times larger than the original. In 1901, Bacon's opened a location on Fourth and Market...
, Ben Snyder's, Hess's
Hess's
Hess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
, and Valu Market. Over time, these anchors changed. Ayr-Way was acquired by Target Corporation
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
. Ben Snyder's became Hess's, which in turn became a second store for Bacon's. Both Bacon's stores were later acquired by Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
before closing.
Also, John Conti opened one of Louisville's first 'gourmet' coffee shops at Bashford Manor Mall in the late 70's.
Only one tenant—a dry cleaner—remained by late 2003, after years of decline. In 1999 the mall had been purchased by Rubloff Developments of Detroit, who began to renovate it in 2001 but did not finish, and eventually sold it for demolition in 2003. An abandoned Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
store, not owned by the mall, remained standing. The Dillard's store was recently demolished and a Burlington Coat Factory store is currently being built.
The area has since been the site of a revitalization effort. The Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
store relocated a block west of the mall into a new construction, which included other shops. In 2005, the entire mall site was razed and rebuilt with several new large anchor stores, including a Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
and Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...
. In addition, all of Bashford Manor Lane was widened to three lanes with trees and other landscaping added.
The mall was briefly mentioned in national news stories when 12-year-old Ann Gotlib
Ann Gotlib
Ann Gotlib was an immigrant girl who disappeared from the premises of a Louisville, Kentucky mall on June 1, 1983. The case to find her abductor and killer was covered heavily by the Louisville news media and stretched for the next twenty-five years until the suspect, deceased, was finally...
disappeared from the mall on June 1, 1983. She was never found and the case remained unsolved as of 2008.
Bashford Manor Mall in the 1970s
The original decor of the Bashford Manor Mall was themed on horses (as those raised at the former Bashford Manor farm), horse racing, and the Kentucky Derby. The coloring was warm. The floors were covered with low-pile carpets; the carpeting was brown in some places, and orange or gold in other places. The mall featured at least two narrow sunken areas within the main hallway with cushioned benches and televisions, apparently designed for casual TV-watching. The mall was somewhat darkly lit in places, including in the TV-watching pits. (A renovation in the 1980s made the mall significantly brighter, with white tiling and such, but also much less warm.) The mall was very popular -- thriving and with few or no vacancies -- in the 1970s and 1980s, and, along with the Showcase Cinemas a couple blocks north on Bardstown Road, helped create periods of significant traffic congestion in the area, most notably on weekend evenings and around Christmas.Tenants in the 1970s included A&P (attached to Ayr-Way, marking the mall's western terminus, but not accessible through the mall's interior), Aladdin’s Castle (featuring pinball machines and early video games), Allied Sporting Goods (immediately east of Ayr-Way), Ayr-Way (west anchor; later became a Target store), Bacon’s (east anchor), Baskin-Robbins, Ben Snyder’s (central anchor), The Bottom Half, Byck’s, Cassano’s Pizza (later replaced by an Arby’s), The Family Tree, Hickory Farms, Karmelkorn, Kinney Shoes, Morse Shoes, Musicland, National Shirt (contemporary clothes for young people), Pass Pets (west end of mall), Swiss Cleaners, Waldenbooks, Walgreens (with a small adjacent diner), and Zondervan’s. (Waldenbooks and Zondervan's were immediately adjacent to each other. A narrow entrance/exit corridor ran between Zondervan’s and Bacon’s.) An island within the northern parking lot (along Bashford Manor Lane) included Command Performance hair salon, Payless Shoe Source, and Moby Dick seafood restaurant. An establishment called Bashford Liquors stood in an old stone building near the island. A stand-alone Liberty National Bank was in the northeast corner of the parking lot. A Sizzler restaurant was accessible via a footbridge to the southeast of Bacon’s.
In the 1980s, tenants included Chi-Chi’s, TJ Cinnamon’s, John Conti's Coffee, and the local hobby shop Something To Do. The late 1990s saw a conversion to several non-“brand” clothing and gift boutiques, perhaps hastening – or signifying – the mall's decline.
Bacon’s contained two stories. The entire balance of the mall was one story. Bacon’s featured a section for younger males called “Thoroughthreads” (again harkening to the local horse/Derby theme).
The former Ayr-Way had a very bland décor, with utilitarian lighting and merchandising – it was very different from a contemporary Target, Kmart, or Walmart. Ayr-Way had a fittingly drab-looking snack bar in the rear (relative to Bashford Manor Lane) of the store.
There was a fountain outside of Ben Snyder’s in the approximate center of the mall, and another in a fairly large open area outside of Bacon’s. Santa's annual digs were in the latter open area.
The mall was host to a “shoe box parade,” for which young people submitted shoe boxes decorated like parade floats, around the time of the Kentucky Derby in 1976.
A TARC mini-bus circulated at least on weekends between Bashford Manor Mall and Oxmoor Center.