Plaza del Caribe

Plaza del Caribe is an enclosed shopping mall located in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Empresas Fonalledas and it is the largest mall in southern Puerto Rico.[7] The mall is located at the intersection of Puerto Rico Highway 2 and Highway 12. The anchor stores are JCPenney and Macy's. A former third anchor store, Sears, closed in February 2020.[8]

Plaza del Caribe
LocationPonce, Puerto Rico
Coordinates17°59′36.35″N 66°36′41.65″W
AddressPR-2 (Ponce By-pass) and PR-12 (Ave. Santiago de los Caballeros)
Opening date11 September 1992[1]
DeveloperQ.B. Construction[2]
ManagementIng. Edwin Tavárez
OwnerJaime Fonalledas, Empresas Fonalledas, Inc.[3]
ArchitectJP2 Architects, LCC (Baltimore, Md)[4]
No. of stores and services140[5]
No. of anchor tenants6
Total retail floor area1,100,000 sq ft (100,000 m2)[5][3]
No. of floors2
Parking4,000[3][6]
Websitehttp://www.plazadelcaribe.net

History
Plaza del Caribe Mall, looking north

The mall opened on 11 September 1992. At the time it had 140 stores and was anchored by three major department stores: Sears, J. C. Penney, and Gonzalez Padin. This last one was in the mall until the company went bankrupt in 1995. The mall also had a 6-screen cinema in the area of the food court.[9] A freestanding Circuit City operated at the mall for a brief time in the mid to late 2000s but closed after the company went bankrupt. It was replaced by a CompUSA that eventually also closed down.[3] The space was occupied by TigerDirect until 2015.

During the 2010 holiday season, the in-mall 6-screen cinema was replaced by a new 10-screen Caribbean Cinemas multiplex located on the mall property but physically detached from the main mall structure. It is located immediately south of the main mall complex on a lot bounded on the south by Autopista Luis A. Ferre (PR-52).[10]

In late 2012, the mall began an expansion project increasing the number of restaurants in its food court from 13 to 18 establishments.[11] A $2+ million P. F. Chang's also opened on 13 May 2013. The 7,400 square feet structure has a capacity for 268 patrons.[12] In the fall of 2013, LongHorn Steakhouse also opened a restaurant in the mall.[13] Sports Authority also opened a store at this mall, its first one in Puerto Rico, in the fall of 2013.[14] As of September 2014, Macy's was in the process of building a store at this location at a cost of $23 million.[15] The enlarged 155,000 sf Macy's store opened in Fall 2015 and it will anchor a new concourse along with 19 new stores. After the 2015 renovation, the entire mall was renovated including new stores such as Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works.

An annual artisans' fair is held at Plaza del Caribe showcasing wood-working handcrafted items, and local music.[16]

On 7 November 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location a part of a plan to close 96 stores nationwide. The store will close in February 2020, leaving the mall with JCPenney & Macy's as their two main anchor stores.[17]

Mall design
One of Plaza del Caribe's entrances at nighttime.

Plaza del Caribe is notable for its sophisticated design, featuring artwork scattered throughout the mall, especially in its central atrium. Exterior entrances provide access to both its first and second floors.

See also

References
  1. Colosal montaje con toneladas de cartón. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 30. Issue 1501. Page 10. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  2. Project Name: Plaza del Caribe Mall. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  3. Plaza del Caribe se expande por primera vez en 20 años. Marian Díaz. 24 January 2014.
  4. Projects: Plaza del Caribe - Ponce, Puerto Rico. Archived 24 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  5. "Sobre Plaza Del Caribe – Plaza del Caribe".
  6. Llega cadena Express a Plaza del Caribe. Jason Rodríguez Grafal. La Perla del Sur. Ponce. Puerto Rico. Year 31. Issue 1543. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
  7. Plaza del Caribe: Sobre Nosotros. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  8. Cierran más tiendas Sears, Kmart y anuncian cuándo empiezan los remates. Mundo Hispanico. 8 November 2019. Accessed 12 March 2020.
  9. Plaza del Caribe Recibe al Publico. El Nuevo Dia. 9 November 1992. p. 137. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  10. "Home". La Perla del Sur.
  11. A punto de caramelo el nuevo Zara. Omar Alfonso. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 31. Issue 1514. Page 8. 5 December 2012. (Title in printed edition: Estara en Ponce:A punto de Caramelo la apertura del mas grande Zara.) Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  12. Crea 200 empleos estreno de P.F. Chang's. Jason Rodríguez Grafal. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 8 May 2013. Year 31. Issue 1536. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  13. A punto de caramelo el nuevo Zara. Omar Alfonso. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 31. Issue 1514. Page 8. 5 December 2012. (Title in printed edition: Estara en Ponce: A punto de Caramelo la apertura del mas grande Zara.) Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  14. Sports Authority anuncia contratación de empleados para primera tienda en Puerto Rico. Yalixa Rivera Cruz. El Nuevo Dia. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  15. Denuncian tala de 400 árboles en Plaza. Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 31. Issue 1556. 25 September 2013. Page 11. Retrieved 25 September 2013. Weblink updated 16 February 2018.
  16. "Feria anual de artesanía en Plaza del Caribe". La Perla del Sur. 17 October 2019.
  17. Tyko, Kelly; Bomey, Nathan (7 November 2019). "Sears and Kmart store closings: 51 Sears, 45 Kmart locations to shutter. See the list". USA Today. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
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