University Mall (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Encyclopedia
University Mall is the largest mall in western Alabama
. It is located at the intersection of McFarland Boulevard and Veterans' Memorial Parkway in Tuscaloosa
, the busiest in the city.
Owned and managed by Montgomery
-based Aronov Realty, the mall opened on August 20, 1980. Anchor stores of the 733254 sq ft (68,121.5 m²) enclosed mall include J.C. Penney
(99450 sq ft (9,239.2 m²)), Sears
(105000 sq ft (9,754.8 m²)), Belk Women
(82222 sq ft (7,638.7 m²)) and Belk Men, Home & Kids
(90174 sq ft (8,377.4 m²)). The only outlier properties on mall premises are branches of Regions Bank and Cadence Bank
.
The property where University Mall now stands was previously home to the ruins of World War II
-era Northington Naval Hospital. These ruins were finally destroyed during the filming of the climactic scene of the 1978 Burt Reynolds
film Hooper
. The ruins of the hospital had lain derelict for many years and included a few dozen buildings as well as two immensely tall brick smoke-stacks. A few of the old buildings remained until the late 1990s and housed the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education offices until they were relocated to the old Tuscaloosa High School (later Tuscaloosa Middle School) building on Queen City Avenue.
On 27 April 2011, the mall was damaged by a powerful tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa killing dozens of people. The mall was directly in the path of the tornado and sustained moderate damage.
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It is located at the intersection of McFarland Boulevard and Veterans' Memorial Parkway in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, the busiest in the city.
Owned and managed by Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
-based Aronov Realty, the mall opened on August 20, 1980. Anchor stores of the 733254 sq ft (68,121.5 m²) enclosed mall include J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
(99450 sq ft (9,239.2 m²)), Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
(105000 sq ft (9,754.8 m²)), Belk Women
Belk
Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...
(82222 sq ft (7,638.7 m²)) and Belk Men, Home & Kids
Belk
Belk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...
(90174 sq ft (8,377.4 m²)). The only outlier properties on mall premises are branches of Regions Bank and Cadence Bank
Cadence Bank
Cadence Bank, N.A. , a bank holding company, is the principal subsidiary of Cadence Financial Corporation. Cadence Financial Corporation is now the principal subsidiary of Community Bancorp LLC . Cadence Financial Corporation is headquartered in Starkville, Mississippi...
.
The property where University Mall now stands was previously home to the ruins of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era Northington Naval Hospital. These ruins were finally destroyed during the filming of the climactic scene of the 1978 Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
film Hooper
Hooper
The word hooper is an archaic English term for a person who aided in the building of barrels by creating the hoop for the barrel. Hooper may also refer to:Place names in the United States:...
. The ruins of the hospital had lain derelict for many years and included a few dozen buildings as well as two immensely tall brick smoke-stacks. A few of the old buildings remained until the late 1990s and housed the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education offices until they were relocated to the old Tuscaloosa High School (later Tuscaloosa Middle School) building on Queen City Avenue.
On 27 April 2011, the mall was damaged by a powerful tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa killing dozens of people. The mall was directly in the path of the tornado and sustained moderate damage.