Northwood Mall, Tallahassee, FL

Interior view at the Northwood Mall on opening day. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida.

Northwood Mall opened its doors to hundreds on September 20, 1969, as an enclosed mall experiment by Publix Supermarkets. The first and only mall developed by Publix, the 514,000-square-foot shopping center’s retail strategy was to fill it with local merchants to compete against regional malls catering to national chains. The two-story mall’s tenants included Publix, Eckerd Drugs, Mendelson’s Department Store, Gilberg’s Fabrics, Millers Bootery and up and coming small Florida chains such as Rheinauers, JByrons and Bealls. However, Northwood’s demise came quick with the 1971 opening of Tallahassee Mall and the arrival of Governors Square Mall in 1979. In addition, it didn’t help that the Publix store manager was also the mall manager. Coming to the conclusion that Publix grocery stores and enclosed malls went together like gasoline and bleach, Publix sold the center in 1983 and got out the enclosed mall business for good. As for Northwood, Tallahassee was too small to support three regional malls. By 1989, Northwood had been converted into an office park and renamed Northwood Centre. This former mall was recently completely razed.

Omni International Mall, Miami, FL

Guest dining inside of a restaurant at the Omni International Mall in 1978. Courtesy of State Archives of Florida.

Like many early Florida malls, Omni International Mall was built adjacent to an existing department store (Jordan Marsh). A creation of developer Thomas Cousins, the mall opened in February 1977 in Downtown Miami’s Omni District. Although anchored by Jordan Marsh and JCPenney, unlike most malls, it was designed as a multiple level mixed-use complex featuring 115 retail shops, office and hotel space. It also included an indoor theme-park with a 2-story Italian-designed carousel, a two-level disco and a six-plex AMC theater. Never as successful as South Florida’s suburban malls, Omni’s fortunes turned for the worse after the bankruptcy of Jordan Marsh in 1991. By the time JCPenney left in 1998, most of the mall was already vacant. In 2000, the mall closed for good. Since that time, a portion of the former shopping complex has been converted for use by the Miami International University School of Art & Design and Crystal Cruises.

Pinellas Park Mall, Pinellas Park, FL

When DeBartolo’s Pinellas Park Mall opened on April 13, 1977 at US 19 and Gandy Boulevard, it was anchored by JCPenney, Ivey’s and Montgomery Ward and already in a region overwhelmed with malls.

The mall’s suffering kicked into high gear with the 1997 closing of Montgomery Ward. That same year, new owner John Hancock Insurance attempted to reverse the decline with a major renovation. Nevertheless, JCPenney converted its store into an outlet in 1999. The final nail in the coffin came with the departure of Dillard’s (former Ivey’s) in 2004. By that time, the mall’s named had been changed to ParkSide Mall. After Dillard’s closed, the shopping center was razed and the property was redeveloped into a 600,000-square-foot Target-anchored big box strip mall called The Shoppes at Park Place.

Tampa Bay Center, Tampa, FL

The final days of Tampa Bay Center. Courtesy of Labelscar.com.

Opening its doors on August 5, 1976, Tampa’s fourth major mall was developed by the Maryland-based Rouse Company. Known as the Tampa Bay Center, the 877,000-square-foot two-story complex was originally anchored by Burdines and Sears. In 1979, they were joined by Montgomery Ward. Located adjacent to Tampa Stadium, the mall’s management was accused of racism after it closed early to avoid being swarmed with fans attending the 1994 Florida Classic college football game between FAMU and Bethune Cookman (both historically black universities). Karma came a few years later with the 1999 closure of Montgomery Ward, Burdines leaving for the new Citrus Park Town Center and Sears heading to WestShore Plaza in early 2002. With no major department stores remaining, the shopping center was purchased by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and demolished in 2005 to make way for a team training facility.

University Mall (University Town Plaza), Pensacola, FL

The redeveloped University Town Plaza. Courtesy of Realty Masters of Florida.

When University Mall opened in 1974, it instantly became Pensacola’s dominate retail destination, despite the presence of the then two-year-old Cordova Mall a few miles southeast. Its original anchors were JCPenney, Sears, and McRae’s first location outside of Mississippi. In 1994, Simon Properties acquired the successful shopping center. Unlike most malls on this list, University Mall died despite all of its anchors still surviving. After being significantly damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Simon decided to upgrade its other Pensacola mall at the expense of University. Plans were also made to convert the mall into an outdoor lifestyle center. Excluding the anchor stores, by 2009 all of the tenant leases had been terminated. In 2011, Belk (acquired McRae’s in 2006) relocated its store to Simon’s expanded Cordova Mall. Demolition of University Mall began in 2013. Big box space for Academy Sports+Outdoors, Burlington Coat Factory and Toys “R” Us were constructed in its place between the former mall’s JCPenney and Sears department stores.

Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com