Sharpstown Mall
Encyclopedia
PlazAmericas, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall and earlier Sharpstown Center, is a shopping mall located in the Sharpstown
development in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas
. The mall is located on the northwest corner of U.S. Route 59
and Bellaire Boulevard. This is the third mall to be built in Houston after Gulfgate Mall
opened in 1956 and Meyerland Plaza
in 1957. Sharpstown Center was the first air-conditioned, enclosed shopping mall in the Houston area. The area includes the Jewelry Exchange Center, a ten story building. After the mall was renamed PlazAmericas, it took a Latin America
n theme and catered to Hispanic and Latino Americans.
) through his development and position the mall on the outbound side of the freeway to provide quick access to the mall. Developer Frank Sharp placed a time capsule in the cornerstone of the mall.
The mall opened on September 14, 1961, days after Hurricane Carla
hit Houston. A 1970 Houston Chronicle
article stated that Frank Sharp decided not to delay the opening; therefore the morale of Houstonians would be increased. Ted Kennedy
appeared during the first day ceremony, and served as the main speaker. The store opened with 43 stores. The first day brought only 8,000 shoppers (a number that was affected by the hurricane) present. The enclosed mall was considered unique for the area, and a luxury given Houston's historically unpredictable weather.The mall contained the Clock of Texas diorama
, an animated look at the history of Texas through the centuries. When Sharpstown Mall opened, it was located on the edge of Houston's suburbs. Sharpstown Mall was the first enclosed shopping Center in Houston, and the first one with air conditioning. Sharpstown Center had the first Foley's
in the Houston suburbs, the first suburban Houston Trunk Factory store, the first shopping center Battelstein's, and the first suburban Florsheim store.
Sharpstown Center consisted of many stores, including anchors Montgomery Ward, Battelstein's and the first Foley's
store outside of downtown Houston, along with the Sharpstown State Bank—which closed after the Sharpstown scandal
; now the Jewelry Exchange Center. Because it was Houston's first air conditioned mall, many Houston residents residing in the central part of the city wanted to experience the "mall of the future." The remains of the former bank are three drive-throughs in the middle of the front parking lot that are still standing to this day.
The mall fought off competition from The Galleria
and Westwood Mall
, which both opened in the 1970s. In 1970 Sharpstown Mall had 57 stores and was fully leased. A bank, a dog groomer, and a post office were located at the mall. In the early 1980s, a second floor was added and the mall was extensively renovated from its original 1950s appearance. A food court was added in the former Battelstein's department store.
In February 1989 Sharpstown Mall was 97% occupied, making it the mall with the highest percentage of occupied space in the Houston area.
In 1993, the mall was branded as the "Sharpstown Center" and underwent a minor facelift that included a new ten-screen movie theater. The branding would revert back to the original name in early 2008.
In the early 1990s the mall got a $50 million renovation.
Ralph Bivins and Greg Hassell of the Houston Chronicle
said that the mall's decline began in the late 1980s. In 1990 the Y'alls Texas store in the mall closed. The president of the chain, Sam Wisialowski, said that sales were declining by about 25-30% per year.
First Colony Mall
in suburb of Sugar Land
opened, resulting in the loss of many of Sharpstown Mall's national retailers and customers. Tom Estus, a shopping center broker of the Shelby/Estus Realty Group, said "It's a classic case of being passed up by newer, better malls. First Colony clipped it the hardest. The other places were more exciting to shop in. They were new. They were easier to get in and get out of."
Oshman's Sporting Goods
closed its store in 1997. In 1998, J.C. Penney closed the Sharpstown location and expected that the remodeled Meyerland Plaza
location would pick up business from the area. Many businesses and customers moved to Fort Bend County
. In addition, big box stores like Best Buy
and Wal-Mart
and discounter stores have taken customers who used to frequent shopping malls. Ed Wulfe, a shopping center developer of Wulfe & Co., said that the loss of the major tenants negatively affected Sharpstown Mall.
Another factor to the decline of Sharpstown was that the crime rate in the area surrounding the mall increased in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to white flight
and urban decay
, this consequently deterred customers, and even major retailers from opening a store; as they wanted primarily a low crime, middle class
, and wealthy area for profitable support.
Prior to the foreclosure, Sharpstown Center Associates, a New York investment group, owned the mall. By 2001, the mall was seized in a foreclosure. As a result, Travelers Insurance took ownership of the mall. During that year the J.C. Penney's space remained vacant. In the northern hemisphere spring of 2011 Montgomery Ward
's Sharpstown store, as with all of its other stores, closed since the company was going out of business.
Burlington Coat Factory
and Foley's
as major anchors. Other national chains included Bath & Body Works
and City Sports
. It also included a store called "Belts of the World."
In 2006 the Houston Press
awarded Sharpstown Mall "Best Hip-hop Mall."
To attract customers, the mall billed itself as "Houston's Premiere Urban Mall" on its website to compete against the nearby Galleria
. The mall's proximity to the city center and frontage on a major freeway was planned to revitalize the mall and the surrounding development in the fashion of Memorial City Mall
and its surrounding area. As of May 2007, the mall was nearly 75% occupied, but mostly in local tenants.
On October 20, 2007, local hip hop
radio station KPTY
, owned by Univision
, opened a broadcast studio called Studio 104.9. Located not too far from the Univision building in Uptown, KPTY broadcasted from Sharpstown on a regular basis.
On December 28, 2007, Macy's announced that it will close its location in Sharpstown, which was formerly the first chain Foley's store, that opened in 1961, the same time the mall opened its doors. The liquidation sale ended March 15, 2008, and employees were moved to other Macy's stores.
On January 9, 2008, Finger Furniture announced that it will be closing its doors at Sharpstown Mall.
By January 11, 2008, Sharpstown was operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was up for sale. The then owner of the mall, Urban Mall Houston, was over $53 million in debt.
said that the redevelopment into PlazAmericas is expected to create 500 jobs.
Signs indicating the renaming appeared by January 29, 2010.
Sharpstown, Houston, Texas
Sharpstown is a master-planned community in Greater Sharpstown, Southwest Houston, Texas, United States. It was one of the first communities to be built as a master-planned, automobile centered community and the first in Houston. Frank Sharp, the developer of the subdivision, made provisions not...
development in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. The mall is located on the northwest corner of U.S. Route 59
U.S. Route 59
U.S. Route 59 is a north–south United States highway . A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, U.S. 59 is now a border-to-border route, Part of NAFTA Corridor Highway System. It parallels U.S. Route 75 for nearly its entire route, never much more than away, until it veers southwest...
and Bellaire Boulevard. This is the third mall to be built in Houston after Gulfgate Mall
Gulfgate Mall
Gulfgate Mall, also known as Gulfgate Shopping City or Gulfgate Center, is a shopping center located in the East End, Houston, Texas, United States...
opened in 1956 and Meyerland Plaza
Meyerland Plaza
Meyerland Plaza is a large shopping center located in southwest Houston, Texas, United States.Meyerland Plaza is located in the Meyerland neighborhood of Houston and is just outside of the 610 Loop.-History:Meyerland Plaza opened on October 31, 1957...
in 1957. Sharpstown Center was the first air-conditioned, enclosed shopping mall in the Houston area. The area includes the Jewelry Exchange Center, a ten story building. After the mall was renamed PlazAmericas, it took a Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n theme and catered to Hispanic and Latino Americans.
Beginnings and prime years (1961–1990s)
Transportation was a major problem because it took Houstonians time to get to the mall. Frank Sharp decided to donate a 300 ft (91 m) wide strip of land to build the Southwest Freeway (U.S. Route 59U.S. Route 59
U.S. Route 59 is a north–south United States highway . A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, U.S. 59 is now a border-to-border route, Part of NAFTA Corridor Highway System. It parallels U.S. Route 75 for nearly its entire route, never much more than away, until it veers southwest...
) through his development and position the mall on the outbound side of the freeway to provide quick access to the mall. Developer Frank Sharp placed a time capsule in the cornerstone of the mall.
The mall opened on September 14, 1961, days after Hurricane Carla
Hurricane Carla
Hurricane Carla was one of two Category 5 tropical cyclones during the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season. It struck the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, becoming one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the United States. Hurricane Carla was the second most intense storm to ever...
hit Houston. A 1970 Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
article stated that Frank Sharp decided not to delay the opening; therefore the morale of Houstonians would be increased. Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
appeared during the first day ceremony, and served as the main speaker. The store opened with 43 stores. The first day brought only 8,000 shoppers (a number that was affected by the hurricane) present. The enclosed mall was considered unique for the area, and a luxury given Houston's historically unpredictable weather.The mall contained the Clock of Texas diorama
Diorama
The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...
, an animated look at the history of Texas through the centuries. When Sharpstown Mall opened, it was located on the edge of Houston's suburbs. Sharpstown Mall was the first enclosed shopping Center in Houston, and the first one with air conditioning. Sharpstown Center had the first Foley's
Foley's
Foley’s was a chain of department stores owned by May Department Stores and headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas. As of August 30, 2005, the division was dissolved and operation of the stores was assumed by Federated's Macy's West and Macy's South divisions. Foley's operated stores in Texas,...
in the Houston suburbs, the first suburban Houston Trunk Factory store, the first shopping center Battelstein's, and the first suburban Florsheim store.
Sharpstown Center consisted of many stores, including anchors Montgomery Ward, Battelstein's and the first Foley's
Foley's
Foley’s was a chain of department stores owned by May Department Stores and headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas. As of August 30, 2005, the division was dissolved and operation of the stores was assumed by Federated's Macy's West and Macy's South divisions. Foley's operated stores in Texas,...
store outside of downtown Houston, along with the Sharpstown State Bank—which closed after the Sharpstown scandal
Sharpstown scandal
The Sharpstown scandal was a stock fraud scandal in the state of Texas in 1971 and 1972 involving the highest levels of the state government. The name came from the involvement of the Sharpstown area of Houston.-Background:...
; now the Jewelry Exchange Center. Because it was Houston's first air conditioned mall, many Houston residents residing in the central part of the city wanted to experience the "mall of the future." The remains of the former bank are three drive-throughs in the middle of the front parking lot that are still standing to this day.
The mall fought off competition from The Galleria
Houston Galleria
The Galleria, stylized theGalleria, is an upscale mixed-use urban development centrally located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas, United States. The development consists of a retail complex, as well as the Galleria Office Towers complex, two Westin hotels, and a private health club...
and Westwood Mall
Westwood Mall (Houston, Texas)
Westwood Mall was a shopping mall located in the Westwood business development in Houston, Texas.Westwood Mall opened in 1975 with anchors Joske's and Sears, along with over 60 stores. The mall was two stories, featuring a food court...
, which both opened in the 1970s. In 1970 Sharpstown Mall had 57 stores and was fully leased. A bank, a dog groomer, and a post office were located at the mall. In the early 1980s, a second floor was added and the mall was extensively renovated from its original 1950s appearance. A food court was added in the former Battelstein's department store.
In February 1989 Sharpstown Mall was 97% occupied, making it the mall with the highest percentage of occupied space in the Houston area.
In 1993, the mall was branded as the "Sharpstown Center" and underwent a minor facelift that included a new ten-screen movie theater. The branding would revert back to the original name in early 2008.
In the early 1990s the mall got a $50 million renovation.
Decline (1990s–2000s)
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
said that the mall's decline began in the late 1980s. In 1990 the Y'alls Texas store in the mall closed. The president of the chain, Sam Wisialowski, said that sales were declining by about 25-30% per year.
First Colony Mall
First Colony Mall
First Colony Mall is a regional shopping mall in Sugar Land, Texas—about southwest of Houston. The mall—located west of the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6—opened on March 14, 1996 and was recently expanded in 2006...
in suburb of Sugar Land
Sugar Land, Texas
Sugar Land is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and Fort Bend County. Sugar Land is one of the most affluent and fastest-growing cities in Texas, having grown more than 158 percent in the last decade. In the time period of 2000–2007, Sugar Land also enjoyed a...
opened, resulting in the loss of many of Sharpstown Mall's national retailers and customers. Tom Estus, a shopping center broker of the Shelby/Estus Realty Group, said "It's a classic case of being passed up by newer, better malls. First Colony clipped it the hardest. The other places were more exciting to shop in. They were new. They were easier to get in and get out of."
Oshman's Sporting Goods
Oshman's Sporting Goods
Oshman's Sporting Goods Inc. was a sporting goods retailer in the United States. Its headquarters was in East End, Houston, Texas. It operated traditional sporting goods stores and Oshman's Supersports USA megastores.-History:...
closed its store in 1997. In 1998, J.C. Penney closed the Sharpstown location and expected that the remodeled Meyerland Plaza
Meyerland Plaza
Meyerland Plaza is a large shopping center located in southwest Houston, Texas, United States.Meyerland Plaza is located in the Meyerland neighborhood of Houston and is just outside of the 610 Loop.-History:Meyerland Plaza opened on October 31, 1957...
location would pick up business from the area. Many businesses and customers moved to Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
. In addition, big box stores like Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
and 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 discounter stores have taken customers who used to frequent shopping malls. Ed Wulfe, a shopping center developer of Wulfe & Co., said that the loss of the major tenants negatively affected Sharpstown Mall.
Another factor to the decline of Sharpstown was that the crime rate in the area surrounding the mall increased in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
and urban decay
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
, this consequently deterred customers, and even major retailers from opening a store; as they wanted primarily a low crime, middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
, and wealthy area for profitable support.
Prior to the foreclosure, Sharpstown Center Associates, a New York investment group, owned the mall. By 2001, the mall was seized in a foreclosure. As a result, Travelers Insurance took ownership of the mall. During that year the J.C. Penney's space remained vacant. In the northern hemisphere spring of 2011 Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
's Sharpstown store, as with all of its other stores, closed since the company was going out of business.
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
and Foley's
Foley's
Foley’s was a chain of department stores owned by May Department Stores and headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas. As of August 30, 2005, the division was dissolved and operation of the stores was assumed by Federated's Macy's West and Macy's South divisions. Foley's operated stores in Texas,...
as major anchors. Other national chains included Bath & Body Works
Bath & Body Works
Bath & Body Works, LLC, is an American retail store under the Limited Brands umbrella. It was founded in 1990 in New Albany, Ohio and has since expanded across the United States and Canada. It specializes in lotions, bath items, personal care items, and home fragrances.The company launched both a...
and City Sports
City Sports
City Sports is an American sporting goods retailer operating mostly on the east coast of the United States. Its chief products include athletic apparel, footwear, and equipment...
. It also included a store called "Belts of the World."
In 2006 the Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
awarded Sharpstown Mall "Best Hip-hop Mall."
To attract customers, the mall billed itself as "Houston's Premiere Urban Mall" on its website to compete against the nearby Galleria
Houston Galleria
The Galleria, stylized theGalleria, is an upscale mixed-use urban development centrally located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas, United States. The development consists of a retail complex, as well as the Galleria Office Towers complex, two Westin hotels, and a private health club...
. The mall's proximity to the city center and frontage on a major freeway was planned to revitalize the mall and the surrounding development in the fashion of Memorial City Mall
Memorial City Mall
Memorial City Mall is a large shopping mall in Memorial City, Houston, Texas, United States, at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Gessner Road, adjacent to the large Memorial Hermann medical complex...
and its surrounding area. As of May 2007, the mall was nearly 75% occupied, but mostly in local tenants.
On October 20, 2007, local hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
radio station KPTY
KPTY
KQBU-FM is a radio station broadcasting an Regional Mexican format. The studios are located at the Univision building at 5100 Southwest Freeway in Houston, Texas and transmitter is located in Devers, Texas. Licensed to Port Arthur, Texas, USA, it serves both the Beaumont-Port Arthur area...
, owned by Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
, opened a broadcast studio called Studio 104.9. Located not too far from the Univision building in Uptown, KPTY broadcasted from Sharpstown on a regular basis.
On December 28, 2007, Macy's announced that it will close its location in Sharpstown, which was formerly the first chain Foley's store, that opened in 1961, the same time the mall opened its doors. The liquidation sale ended March 15, 2008, and employees were moved to other Macy's stores.
On January 9, 2008, Finger Furniture announced that it will be closing its doors at Sharpstown Mall.
By January 11, 2008, Sharpstown was operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was up for sale. The then owner of the mall, Urban Mall Houston, was over $53 million in debt.
Renaming to PlazAmericas (2010–present)
In 2009 Boxer Property Management Corp., the manager of the interior core of the mall announced that the property, now owned by RAIT Financial Trust in Philadelphia would be renamed "PlazAmericas." Chris Chumley, a spokesperson for PlazAmericas, said "Anybody who knows the back story to the mall knows that it's been distressed for a number of years." The 10 million dollar renovation of PlazAmericas will alter the mall to make it more appealing and relevant to the community; 52% of the area population within a three mile (5 km) radius of PlazAmericas is Hispanic. Chumley said "The mall has not been traditionally used by the population, the hispanic population that's within a close proximity to it." When the renovations are finished, PlazAmericas will have 350 stores, twice the amount that it had as of January 2010. In addition the property will include a children's play area, and a 83000 square foot "mercado" (marketplace). The marketplace will have many smaller businesses, a large family lounge, live entertainment stages, and a play area. Kevin Quinn of KTRK-TVKTRK-TV
KTRK-TV, channel 13, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, located in Houston, Texas...
said that the redevelopment into PlazAmericas is expected to create 500 jobs.
Signs indicating the renaming appeared by January 29, 2010.
Current Status of Anchor Sites
- Burlington Coat FactoryBurlington Coat FactoryBurlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
(181,477 square feet, opened in former Montgomery WardMontgomery WardMontgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
2002) - "Clarewood Mercado" (177,229 square feet, first opened as JCPenney in 1981. Closed 1998, and reopened in 2010 as a marketplace, with shops, grocery store, laudromat)
- Vacant (360,846 square feet, opened as Foley'sFoley'sFoley’s was a chain of department stores owned by May Department Stores and headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas. As of August 30, 2005, the division was dissolved and operation of the stores was assumed by Federated's Macy's West and Macy's South divisions. Foley's operated stores in Texas,...
in 1961, became 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...
2006, closed March 15, 2008)
External links
- PlazAmericas
- Sharpstown Mall official website (Archive)
- Trevino, Ron. "Mall Makeovers: Struggling malls revamping to boost business." KHOU-TVKHOU-TVKHOU is the CBS affiliate television station in Houston, Texas. Serving Greater Houston, it is owned by the Belo Corporation and broadcasts on digital and PSIP channel 11...
. Saturday March 13, 2010. - "Sharpstown Center to be PlazAmericas." Houston Business Journal. Monday December 21, 2009.
- "PlazAmericas (project page) The Gelaspi Company.