Park Road Shopping Center - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Park Road Shopping Center (Charlotte, North Carolina)

Park Road Shopping Center is an open air strip mall

Strip mall

A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...

located in Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...

. It is located northeast of the intersection of Woodlawn Rd. and Park Rd. in the south central part of Charlotte. Park Road Shopping Center has a nostalgic ambience, which is sustained by the pipe shop, soda shop, shoe repair shop, and many other stores that date back to the Post-World War II baby boom

Post-World War II baby boom

The end of World War II brought a baby boom to many countries, especially Western ones. There is some disagreement as to the precise beginning and ending dates of the post-war baby boom, but it is most often agreed to begin in the years immediately after the war, ending more than a decade later;...

era.

History

Park Road Shopping Center opened up on November 15, 1956 and was Charlotte's very first open area-type shopping mall. Developed by A.V. Blankenship, it is typical of Mid-Century modern

Mid-century modern

Mid-Century modern is an architectural, interior and product design form that generally describes mid-20th century developments in modern design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965...

architecture and the original billboard sign remains today. When the mall was first envisioned, it was considered to be a shift in area business development. At this time period most of the shopping areas were still located in and around downtown Charlotte. Meanwhile, more and more people continued to move to the suburbs and outlying areas of the city. This has been the catalyst that has kept the shopping center successful to this day. Park Road Shopping Center is a very bustling mall and serves many of the surrounding Charlotte neighborhoods such as Myers Park, Barclay Downs, Parkdale

Parkdale, Charlotte, North Carolina

Parkdale is a Charlotte, North Carolina neighborhood that generally includes the streets of Manning Dr. , Wintercrest Ln. , and Scofield Rd....

, Colonial Village, Madison Park, Sedgefield

Sedgefield (neighborhood)

Sedgefield is a neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, just south of Dilworth. Many of the homes there have been renovated, and it is a popular area for young professionals. It is located between Park Rd and South Blvd. Property values have been increasing faster than average due to the...

, Ashbrook, and Starmount

Starmount

Starmount is a residential neighborhood in the South Charlotte area.Starmount is also the name of a digital signage company based in Austin, Texas....

. In 1967 a local attorney named Porter Byrum bought Park Road Shopping Center. On June 16, 2011 Mr. Byrum announced that Park Road Shopping Center would be donated to 3 local colleges (Queens University of Charlotte

Queens University of Charlotte

Queens University of Charlotte is a private, co-educational, comprehensive university located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has approximately 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students through the College of Arts and Sciences, the McColl School of Business, the Wayland H. Cato, Jr. School...

, Wingate University

Wingate University

Wingate University was founded by Baptists in 1896 as Wingate School, an independent, co-educational institution and became a four-year college in 1977. In 1996, Wingate College became Wingate University....

, and Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...

). Mr. Byrum had held ownership of the shopping center for nearly 44 years. Just one month later these 3 colleges sold the shopping center for $82 million to Edens & Avant, a shopping center operator and developer. Despite these sudden changes in ownership, it is expected that the shopping center will continue on as is.

Current Tenants

(note: this list may not be completely up to date. Listing as of 6/16/2011)

ABC Store
Bank of America (ATM)
Bedford Falls Toys & Books
Best Alterations
BikeSource
Blackhawk Hardware
Brownlee Jewelers
Bruegger's Bagels
Caribou Coffee
Carolina Soda Shoppe
Catherine's Plus Sizes
Charlotte Café
Classic Attic
Colony Beauty Salon
Corner's
Fifth Third Bank
Firestone
First Citizens Bank
Flying Biscuit Cafe
Fuel Pizza
Gardens of Blackhawk
General Nutrition (GNC)
Great Outdoor Provision Co.
H2Oasis
Hallmark
Harris Teeter
Howren Music
Jami Masters School of Dance
Julie's
Kid To Kid
King Tiger Tae Kwon Do
Legacy Hair Salon
McDonald's
McCranie's Pipe Shop
Michael's
Modern Haircutters
Monkey Joe's
Omega Sports
Park Road Books
Park Road Key Shop
Park Road Quick Cleaners
Park Road Shoe Service
Park Terrace Theatre
Penny Pinchers
Piedmont MusiCenter
Pompous Peasant
Pop Shoppe Citgo
Rack Room Shoes
Radio Shack
Rite Aid
Roland's Salon
Sir Edmund Haley's
Situl Indian Restaurant
Ski Country Sports
Snip It's Childrens' Hair Salon
Suarez Bakery
Subway
SunTrust Bank
Time 'N Place
Tizzerts
Traditions Interiors & Accessories
Urban Pet
U.S. Post Office
Wachovia/Wells Fargo (ATM)
Wendy's

Past Tenants

A&P
B Natural Apparel & Accessories
Bush Stationers
Carolina Custom Golf
Colonial Stores
Eckerd Drugs
Faith Shoe Repair
Federal Bake Shop
F.W. Woolworth
The Hearing Center
J.C. Penney
Quaker Steak & Lube

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.