Oglethorpe Mall

Oglethorpe Mall
Center Court of Oglethorpe Mall, April 2006
Location Savannah, Georgia, United States
Coordinates 32°00′12″N 81°07′01″W / 32.0034°N 81.1169°W / 32.0034; -81.1169Coordinates: 32°00′12″N 81°07′01″W / 32.0034°N 81.1169°W / 32.0034; -81.1169
Opening date April 1969 (renovated 1974, 1977, 1982, 1989, 2002)
Developer Scott Hudgens
Management Brookfield Properties Retail Group
Owner Brookfield Properties Retail Group
No. of stores and services 126
No. of anchor tenants 4
Total retail floor area 948,000 sq ft (88,100 m2) (GLA)
No. of floors 1
Parking 5,348 spaces (including parking deck)
Website oglethorpemall.com

Oglethorpe Mall is a super-regional shopping mall on the Southside of Savannah, Georgia.

Named after General James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah, the mall has expanded since its opening in 1969 to nearly one million square feet. Among its features are several restaurants, a food court, and nearly 130 stores. It is anchored by Belk, J. C. Penney, Macy's, and Sears.[1] The center also features junior anchors Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, Stein Mart, and DSW. It is owned by Brookfield Properties Retail Group.

History

Center Court of Oglethorpe Mall, 1977.

Oglethorpe Mall opened in April 1969 at 7804 Abercorn Street as Savannah's first shopping mall. The main anchors were Belk-Beery, McCrory, and Sears. At the time, the mall featured Savannah's first Chick Fil-A store. Other tenants included Morrison's Cafeteria (later Piccadilly, now closed), Adler's, and a Piggly Wiggly. By 1974, a 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) expansion wing was added.[2]

Additional growth came in 1982 when a 230,000-square-foot (21,000 m2) expansion wing was added off Center Court featuring JCPenney and Levy's of Savannah.[2] In February 1986, Levy's was acquired by Jordan Marsh, a major Federated Department Stores chain based in Florida and New England. In 1988 Jordan Marsh was consolidated with Maas Brothers of Tampa and operated as Maas Brothers/Jordan Marsh.

Until 1989, the mall featured its original 1969 design elements. A significant renovation changed the feel of the mall altogether by featuring "coastal" design elements like whitewashed wood, tabby walls, and lighter paint choices. The mall is extensively lit during the day by natural lighting from skylights that were installed during the renovation. A new tile floor was installed, and would win design awards in 1990. A new two level parking garage completed the project in the summer of 1990. Further consolidation saw the closure of Maas Brother/Jordan Marsh in September 1991.[3] In 1992, the Maas Brothers/Jordan Marsh store was converted into general mall space, and a new 135,000 sq ft (12,500 m2) Rich's was added to the mall. McCrory left the mall in 1994 and was replaced by Stein Mart the following year.[2]

A section of the mall known as The Promenade (a corridor built in 1985 as a replacement for Adler's, decorated with neon lights and glass block) was replaced in 2000 with Barnes & Noble. A new food court was opened in 2002, and the Abercorn Street facade was extensively upgraded through the 2000s.[2] Rich's was folded into Macy's in 2005.

On August 22, 2018, Sears announced that it would be closing in November 2018 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide.[4] After the store closes Belk, JCPenney and Macy’s will be the remaining anchors. However, Seritage Growth properties, a Real Estate Investment Trust who puirchased the Sears building in 2015[5], plans to replace Sears with an open-air center. [6] Furthermoe, in 2019, H&M will open its third Savannah area store in an in-line portion of the mall. [7]

Additionally, in 2018, the mall receive its first facelift since 2002. New interior and exterior mall signage, interior paint, ceilings, and tile floors were installed to update the appearance of the mall.

References

  1. ↑ "Oglethorpe Mall - Shopping Mall in Savannah, GA". www.oglethorpemall.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Oglethorpe Mall- Savannah, GA- Oldest Mall in Savannah".
  3. ↑ "Maas Brothers History". www.tampapix.com.
  4. ↑ https://www.wcvb.com/article/heres-the-list-of-46-more-sears-kmart-stores-to-close-in-late-2018/22804579. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ "Chatham County Board of Assessors". www.chathamcounty.org.
  6. ↑ "Seritage At Oglethorpe Mall". www.seritage.com.
  7. ↑ "H&M to open at Oglethorpe Mall". www.savannahnow.com.


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