Palm Beach Mall
Encyclopedia
The Palm Beach Mall was a shopping mall
in West Palm Beach
, Florida
. It was the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled mall developed in Florida
. Despite clear visibility from Interstate 95
and two major renovations, strong competition from newer shopping destinations, high area crime rates, and ultimately tentative speculation on redevelopment, the shopping center is perceived a dead mall
, and closed in early 2010. Three stores remain open: J. C. Penney
and George's Music which have outdoor entrances, and a Firestone
outparcel. The mall's current owner, Orix
, along with the City of West Palm Beach are currently looking into luring IKEA
and Bass Pro Shops
to occupy the site.
When the mall originally opened on October 26, 1967, it was touted by its developer, the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation, as the largest mall in the Southeastern United States. The founding anchors included J.C. Penney's, which moved from its historic store downtown on Clematis Street about three miles (5 km) southeast, Jordan Marsh
, and Richards. By the end of the decade, the mall also featured Walgreens
, Lerner Shops
, Food Fair
, Woolworth
, and The Mall Cinema 1-2-3-4 quadraplex
.
The Palm Beach Mall was expanded and renovated in 1980, in conjunction with the addition of Burdines
(which also previously had a presence downtown) sporting a parking garage and Lord & Taylor
. Sears moved into Richards space in 1980, which closed the same year following a statewide liquidation. The shopping mall's terrazzo
floor was also replaced with tiles.
Furthermore, when Pantry Pride (formerly Food Fair) closed in 1987, a food court called Treats was developed from its space. Concepts popular in the 1980s, including skylights and a lofty ceiling, were introduced to the Palm Beach Mall at this time.
The 2000 renovation replaced most of the malls interior fixtures, redesigned the food court (this time calling it "Sea Side Café), and replaced the Wonderfall in center court with a much more modern fountain sporting a seahorse
theme.
On May 1, 1999, Nicholas Megrath, an 18 year old manager at the Chick-fil-A
restaurant once located in the mall's Treats food court was murdered execution style by Jessie Miller Jr. Investigators said Miller entered the store, gagged and bound Megrath to a chair with duct tape and unsuccessfully attempted to open the store's safe. Investigators then claim the Miller became frustrated and fired a bullet into the 18-year-old's temple. Miller and his gang fled the scene with about $500 cash. Miller was sentenced to life without parole in 2009.
The mall faced stiff competition after the turn of the century with CityPlace
opening in downtown in 2000, and The Mall at Wellington Green
opening up in 2001 in nearby Wellington
. The mall also had to contend against increasing crime rates in the mall's surrounding area. Stores ran on shorter leases, and more left the mall entirely due to decreasing traffic. To bring business back to the mall, plans were devised but never executed to redevelop the property into mixed-use development
, one proposal was a 290000 square foot (0.0269418816 km²) IKEA
. In addition to this 700000 square foot (0.065032128 km²) of retail, 300000 square foot (0.027870912 km²) office space, and 500 residential units were considered.
From the decline of business at the mall, Dillard's
abruptly closed on October 31, 2008. Macy's
announced as of January 8, 2009, that the Palm Beach Mall location will close due to under par performance. On March 9, 2009, the mall started operating under reduced hours to negate the lower foot traffic.
On April 14, 2009, banking firm JPMorgan Chase filed for a foreclosure
suit against Simon for the failure to repay a $55.4 million loan used on the shopping center. The proposed foreclosure seeks the sale of the mall to satisfy the mortgage. As of July, 2009, Washington-based Madison Marquette is temporarily operating the mall by a circuit court judge's decision.
David Simon
, CEO of Simon Property Group
, claimed in July 2009 that the mall will remain open in its present form and that his company would continue being dedicated to making the aging mall a viable place to shop.
Beginning the first week of November, 2009, J.C. Penney has closed off its entrance to the mall. The store continues to see heavy use, but the air-conditioning in the respective wing of the mall was turned off due to vacancies. Sears closed on January 17, 2010, announcing liquidation sales to start November 19 of the preceding year.
On December 5, 2009, the malls court appointed receiver announced that the Palm Beach Mall would officially close on January 31, 2010 with the exception of J.C.Penney, George's Music and Firestone
, which have outdoor entrances. Upon foreclosure under Simon
ownership, Orix
seized ownership of the Mall in December 2009 and will take full control in 2010, expecting to demolish at least most the mall. Madison Marquette will continue to manage the malls operations. Orix and the City of West Palm Beach are currently trying to offer incentives to get IKEA and Bass Pro Shops
to occupy the space.
J.C. Penney currently owns the land where its store resides. Similarly, both Dillard's and Macy's continue to own the building and land their stores once occupied.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in West Palm Beach
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It was the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled mall developed in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Despite clear visibility from Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Florida
Interstate 95 is the main Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States; it serves the Atlantic coast of Florida. It begins at a partial interchange with U.S. Highway 1 just south of downtown Miami, and heads north past Daytona Beach and Jacksonville to the Georgia state line at the St...
and two major renovations, strong competition from newer shopping destinations, high area crime rates, and ultimately tentative speculation on redevelopment, the shopping center is perceived a dead mall
Dead mall
A dead mall or greyfield is a shopping mall with a high vacancy rate or a low consumer traffic level, or that is dated or deteriorating in some manner. Many malls in the United States are considered "dead" when they have no surviving anchor store or successor that could serve as an entry into or...
, and closed in early 2010. Three stores remain open: J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney
-External links:*...
and George's Music which have outdoor entrances, and a Firestone
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...
outparcel. The mall's current owner, Orix
ORIX
is a financial services group established 17 April 1964 as Orient Leasing Co., Ltd.. The company's name was changed to ORIX Corporation in 1989...
, along with the City of West Palm Beach are currently looking into luring IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
and Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops is a privately held retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise. Bass Pro Shops is known for a large selection of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor gear.-History:The owner, John L...
to occupy the site.
History
Jordan Marsh
Jordan Marsh & Company was a department store in Boston, Massachusetts, which grew to be a major regional chain in the New England area of the United States. In 1996, the last of the Jordan Marsh stores were converted to Macy's. The store was formerly part of Allied Stores and then Federated...
, and Richards. By the end of the decade, the mall also featured Walgreens
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
, Lerner Shops
New York & Company
New York & Company, Inc. is a nationwide specialty retailer of women's fashion and accessories.Lerner Shops was founded in 1918 by Samuel A. Lerner and Harold M Lane in NYC. Also born to Samuel in 1918 was Alan Jay Lerner. New York & Company, Inc., its current name under new ownership, is an...
, Food Fair
Pantry Pride
Food Fair, also known by its successor name Pantry Pride, was a large supermarket chain in the United States. It was founded by Samuel N. Friedland, who opened the first store in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the late 1920s. As of 1957, Food Fair had 275 stores, and at its peak, the chain had more...
, Woolworth
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
, and The Mall Cinema 1-2-3-4 quadraplex
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
.
The Palm Beach Mall was expanded and renovated in 1980, in conjunction with the addition of Burdines
Burdines
Burdines was a leading department store chain in the state of Florida. The first Burdines store was opened in Bartow, Florida in 1896., Burdines became part of Federated Department Stores, Inc in 1956...
(which also previously had a presence downtown) sporting a parking garage and Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
. Sears moved into Richards space in 1980, which closed the same year following a statewide liquidation. The shopping mall's terrazzo
Terrazzo
Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...
floor was also replaced with tiles.
Furthermore, when Pantry Pride (formerly Food Fair) closed in 1987, a food court called Treats was developed from its space. Concepts popular in the 1980s, including skylights and a lofty ceiling, were introduced to the Palm Beach Mall at this time.
The 2000 renovation replaced most of the malls interior fixtures, redesigned the food court (this time calling it "Sea Side Café), and replaced the Wonderfall in center court with a much more modern fountain sporting a seahorse
Seahorse
Seahorses compose the fish genus Hippocampus within the family Syngnathidae, in order Syngnathiformes. Syngnathidae also includes the pipefishes. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning “sea monster”.There are nearly 50 species of seahorse...
theme.
On May 1, 1999, Nicholas Megrath, an 18 year old manager at the Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A |"fillet"]]) is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values. Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a...
restaurant once located in the mall's Treats food court was murdered execution style by Jessie Miller Jr. Investigators said Miller entered the store, gagged and bound Megrath to a chair with duct tape and unsuccessfully attempted to open the store's safe. Investigators then claim the Miller became frustrated and fired a bullet into the 18-year-old's temple. Miller and his gang fled the scene with about $500 cash. Miller was sentenced to life without parole in 2009.
The mall faced stiff competition after the turn of the century with CityPlace
CityPlace
CityPlace is an upscale lifestyle center in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida along South Rosemary Avenue. Besides from shops, the center also includes rental apartments, condos, and offices....
opening in downtown in 2000, and The Mall at Wellington Green
The Mall at Wellington Green
The Mall at Wellington Green is a super-regional shopping mall in Wellington, Florida. The mall features Macy's, Dillard's, J.C. Penney, Nordstrom, and City Furniture, Ashley Furniture Home Store, and La-Z-Boy Furniture galleries. In addition, the mall has over 170 stores and eateries...
opening up in 2001 in nearby Wellington
Wellington, Florida
Wellington is a village in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of 2006, the village had a population of 55,584 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Wellington is part of the South Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
. The mall also had to contend against increasing crime rates in the mall's surrounding area. Stores ran on shorter leases, and more left the mall entirely due to decreasing traffic. To bring business back to the mall, plans were devised but never executed to redevelop the property into mixed-use development
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
, one proposal was a 290000 square foot (0.0269418816 km²) IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
. In addition to this 700000 square foot (0.065032128 km²) of retail, 300000 square foot (0.027870912 km²) office space, and 500 residential units were considered.
From the decline of business at the mall, 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,...
abruptly closed on October 31, 2008. Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
announced as of January 8, 2009, that the Palm Beach Mall location will close due to under par performance. On March 9, 2009, the mall started operating under reduced hours to negate the lower foot traffic.
On April 14, 2009, banking firm JPMorgan Chase filed for a foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
suit against Simon for the failure to repay a $55.4 million loan used on the shopping center. The proposed foreclosure seeks the sale of the mall to satisfy the mortgage. As of July, 2009, Washington-based Madison Marquette is temporarily operating the mall by a circuit court judge's decision.
David Simon
David Simon (CEO)
David E. Simon is chairman and chief executive officer of Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group, an S&P 500 company and the largest U.S. publicly traded real estate company.-Early life and career:...
, CEO of Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
, claimed in July 2009 that the mall will remain open in its present form and that his company would continue being dedicated to making the aging mall a viable place to shop.
Beginning the first week of November, 2009, J.C. Penney has closed off its entrance to the mall. The store continues to see heavy use, but the air-conditioning in the respective wing of the mall was turned off due to vacancies. Sears closed on January 17, 2010, announcing liquidation sales to start November 19 of the preceding year.
On December 5, 2009, the malls court appointed receiver announced that the Palm Beach Mall would officially close on January 31, 2010 with the exception of J.C.Penney, George's Music and Firestone
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...
, which have outdoor entrances. Upon foreclosure under Simon
Simon
Simon is a common name, from Hebrew meaning "He who has heard/hears [the word of God]".Simon may also refer to:-Names:* Simon , including a list of people with the given name Simon...
ownership, Orix
ORIX
is a financial services group established 17 April 1964 as Orient Leasing Co., Ltd.. The company's name was changed to ORIX Corporation in 1989...
seized ownership of the Mall in December 2009 and will take full control in 2010, expecting to demolish at least most the mall. Madison Marquette will continue to manage the malls operations. Orix and the City of West Palm Beach are currently trying to offer incentives to get IKEA and Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops
Bass Pro Shops is a privately held retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise. Bass Pro Shops is known for a large selection of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor gear.-History:The owner, John L...
to occupy the space.
J.C. Penney currently owns the land where its store resides. Similarly, both Dillard's and Macy's continue to own the building and land their stores once occupied.
Stores
- J. C. PenneyJ. C. Penney-External links:*...
; 202812 square feet (18,841.9 m²) (Opened in 1967) - George's Music Superstore (Opened in 2002)
- FirestoneFirestone Tire and Rubber CompanyThe Firestone Tire and Rubber Company is an American tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900 to supply pneumatic tires for wagons, buggies, and other forms of wheeled transportation common in the era. Firestone soon saw the huge potential for marketing tires for automobiles. The company...
; located in parking lot near J.C. Penney (Formerly opened as Penney's Auto Center in 1967)
Former anchors
- BurdinesBurdinesBurdines was a leading department store chain in the state of Florida. The first Burdines store was opened in Bartow, Florida in 1896., Burdines became part of Federated Department Stores, Inc in 1956...
(opened in 1979, converted to Macy's in 2005) - Dillard'sDillard'sDillard'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,...
(opened in 2000, closed in 2008, space is currently vacant) - Food Fair (later became Pantry Pride, closed 1987, became Food Court)
- Jordan MarshJordan MarshJordan Marsh & Company was a department store in Boston, Massachusetts, which grew to be a major regional chain in the New England area of the United States. In 1996, the last of the Jordan Marsh stores were converted to Macy's. The store was formerly part of Allied Stores and then Federated...
(opened in 1967, closed in 1992, became Mervyn's) - Lord & TaylorLord & TaylorLord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
(opened 1980, closed 2001, store demolished) - Macy'sMacy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
(converted in 2005 from Burdines, closed in 2009, space is currently vacant) - MervynsMervynsMervyns was an American middle scale department store chain based in Hayward, California. It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares. Many of the company's stores were in shopping malls...
(opened in 1991 in former Jordan Marsh space, demolished in 2000, became Dillard's and additional mall store space) - RichardsRichardsRichards may refer to:*Richards In places:* Richards, Missouri, USA* Richards, Texas, USAIn other uses:* Richards , on the Moon* Richards , on Venus...
(opened in 1967, closed in 1980, became Sears) - Sears (opened in 1980 in former Richards space, closed in 2010)