Westfield Siesta Key

Westfield Siesta Key, formerly known as Westfield Southgate, Westfield Shoppingtown Southgate, Southgate Plaza, and South Gate Shopping Plaza, is a shopping mall in Sarasota, Florida that opened in 1956. The mall was renamed Westfield Siesta Key in June 2017.^[3]

The mall is anchored by Macy's, LA Fitness, Lucky's Market, and Cinebistro

History

Southgate Plaza opened in 1956 as a strip mall. It was enclosed in 1988.^[4] The original strip included two supermarkets: Publix and Winn Dixie, along with a W. T. Grant and Woolworth.^[5] J. C. Penney was added as part of a 1961 expansion.^[6]

W. T. Grant closed its store in 1976, which was then sold to Burdines.^[7] A J. W. Robinson's department store replaced the former J. C. Penney in 1978, after J. C. Penney moved to Sarasota Square Mall (now Westfield Sarasota Square).^[8][9] Robinson's became Maison Blanche in 1987^[10] and Dillard's in 1992.^[11] Three years after Robinson's opened, an enclosed wing was added.^[12]

In 1994, Publix moved to a larger store across the street.^[13] The Publix building became Saks Fifth Avenue in 1996.^[14]

Following the opening of Saks Fifth Avenue, the mall was renovated to include more upscale stores such as Williams-Sonoma, Ann Taylor, and Banana Republic.^[15]

Westfield Group bought the mall in 2002,^[16] renaming it Westfield Shoppingtown Southgate. The "Shoppingtown" was dropped on June 2005. On June 1, 2017 the mall was renamed to Westfield Siesta Key. Burdines became Macy's in 2005.

In 2012, Saks confirmed that it would move to Mall at University Town Center, a new mall being built in Sarasota by Taubman Centers.^[17] Dillard's closed their doors at Southgate soon after, consolidating into their newer UTC location nearby.^[18] In late 2014, Cobb Theatres announced it would take over the Saks space for a "Cinebistro" concept.^[19]

The mall was renamed Westfield Siesta Key on June 1, 2017.

References