SouthPark Mall (Strongsville, Ohio)

SouthPark Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Strongsville, Ohio a Greater Cleveland suburb. Its anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, and a 14-Screen Cinemark Movie Theater.[1] Kohl's is also an anchor, though located on the outskirts of the plaza.[1] Being one of the largest shopping centers in Ohio at 1,677,272 square feet (155,823.7 m2), SouthPark Mall is also ranked as one of the largest shopping malls in the United States.[2] The mall features over 170 specialty shops, restaurants,[3] and is the largest retail destination in Northern Ohio.[4]

SouthPark Mall
LocationStrongsville, Ohio, United States
Coordinates41°18′30″N 81°49′13″W
Address500 Southpark Center, Strongsville, OH 44136
Opening dateOctober 16, 1996 (October 16, 1996)
DeveloperRichard E. Jacobs Group
ManagementStarwood Retail Partners
OwnerStarwood Capital Group
No. of stores and services170
No. of anchor tenants7 (6 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area1,677,272 square feet (155,823.7 m2)
No. of floors2
Parking7,253 parking spaces
Websiteshoppingsouthparkmall.com

History

As early as the 1960s, the intersection of Royalton Road (SR 82) and Howe Road in the rapidly expanding suburb was coveted for commercial use. A secret plan by former Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell to build a new stadium at the site was exposed by the media in the 1980s and subsequently scrapped. The land was eventually sold to the Richard E. Jacobs Group, which later unveiled its first plans for a major mall. The Higbee Company and May Company Ohio, Cleveland's two major department store companies, announced that they would join as anchors.

Plans were approved in 1991 and ground was broken in 1995, with the $200 million SouthPark Center opening on October 16, 1996. The completed center included not only Dillard's (the renamed Higbee's) and Kaufmann's (the renamed May Company, now Macy's) department stores, but also JCPenney, Sears, over 100 retailers, a food court, and a grand porte-cochere — a massive, extended greeting canopy above its main entrance. Kohl's was also an anchor, though on the outlying perimeter road surrounding the mall. The project also made allowances for an eventual fifth mall anchor store location -- originally planned to be Nordstrom -- later to become Dick's Sporting Goods, plus substantial peripheral development.

Westfield Group acquired the shopping center in early 2002 from the Richard E. Jacobs Group,[5] and renamed it "Westfield Shoppingtown SouthPark", dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005. In 2006 it commenced a $60 million expansion and reconfiguration of the center, thus adding 25 upscale shops and restaurants, a rear porte-cochere entrance, and a 14-Screen Cinemark Movie Theater. Dick's Sporting Goods was also added at this time to become the mall's sixth anchor store.[6]

In April 2012, the mall was sold to Starwood Capital Group, along with seven other Westfield properties.[7] As a result, Starwood changed the name to SouthPark Mall.[8]

In May 2016, Starwood Retail Partners announced the opening of The Commons At SouthPark Shopping Center, a $14 million redevelopment of a former Giant Eagle located on Rt. 82.[9] New shops/restaurants included DSW, Michaels, Brown Aveda Institute, Orangetheory Fitness, The Vitamin Shoppe, Spavia, The RAIL, and first to market CoreLife Eatery.[10]

On May 31, 2018, Sears Holdings announced that the Sears location at SouthPark would be closing in September 2018 as part of a plan to close 72 stores nationwide.[11] The Sears store officially closed on September 5, 2018.

In August 2018, Starwood Retail Partners announced the opening of the newly remodeled center court. Featuring upgraded seating with built-in cell phone chargers, deluxe carpeting, and premium finishes. H&M also announced the expansion of its SouthPark Mall Store. The new store re-opened June 13, 2019.[12] As of October 2019, SouthPark Mall remains the largest retail destination in Northern Ohio.

Retailers

Situated about SouthPark's site perimeter is The Commons at SouthPark Plaza, OfficeMax, Kohl's, The Cleveland Clinic, KeyBank, and several restaurants. The shopping center is noteworthy for its coordinated upscale architectural treatment and lush landscaping. Its interior is roofed by grand barrel-vaulted truss-work and plentiful skylights over lush plantings. The center has proven a very strong draw and popular destination for local and regional residents alike.

Other notable retailers include: ALDO, Chico's, Carter's, J.Jill, Abercrombie & Fitch, Forever 21, Sephora, MAC Cosmetics inside Macy's, H&M, Aveda, Godiva, PANDORA, Clarks, Swarovski, The Buckle, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Pink, Hollister Co., Vans, Victoria's Secret, Lucky Shoes, Apricot Lane, Francesca's, Learning Express Toys, Books-A-Million, House of Hoops, Aerie, & Trollbeads.

Recent News

Recent Retailers to join SouthPark include: DryGoods, H&M (expansion), Charlotte Russe (reopened), Carters, PlayLive Nation

Other Events

On March 24, 2004, Avril Lavigne made a brief performance of her hit songs and new releases, as part of her Live by Surprise Tour.[13]

See also

References
  1. SouthPark Mall
  2. http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2012/malls Retrieved 2013-11-17
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2013-11-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Mall Directory Retrieved 2013-11-17
  4. https://twitter.com/SouthPark_Mall Retrieved 2014-02-27
  5. http://corporate.westfield.com/news_announcements/westfield-finalises-a-1-45-billion-transaction-acquires-nine-shopping-centre-from-the/ Retrieved 2014-02-27
  6. http://www.indexc.com/Projects/SouthPark-Mall-Expansion Retrieved 2014-02-27
  7. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/04/southpark_mall_in_strongsville.html Retrieved 2014-02-27
  8. http://strongsville.patch.com/groups/business-news/p/a-new-name-for-the-mall Retrieved 2013-11-19
  9. https://www.shoppingsouthparkmall.com/media/commons-southpark-welcomes-designer-shoe-warehouse-dsw Retrieved 2017-05-26
  10. http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/08/corelife_eatery_opening_in_strongsville.html Retrieved 2017-05-26
  11. http://fox8.com/2018/05/31/strongsville-sears-among-the-additional-72-stores-to-close/
  12. https://www.facebook.com/events/1050-southpark-ctr-strongsville-oh-44136-9325-united-states/hm-strongsville-grand-re-opening-southpark-mall/1687301568236096/ Retrieved 2019-10-03
  13. Bracelin, Jason (31 March 2004). "Avril & the Mall Rats". www.clevescene.com. Cleveland Scene. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
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