SouthPark Mall
Charlotte, North Carolina - 1976
Absolutely stunning interior view of a fountain in SouthPark Mall! What a work of art. Actually, this fountain kind of reminds me of the one from Winter Park Mall. This is a slimmer version.
History: 1970 - present
Current website: Here.
[image courtesy of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room – Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County]
posted by Keith @ 4/15/2006
7 Comments:
I don't say this often enough, but THANK YOU Keith. You would not believe how much unearthing this picture of old SouthPark means to me.
See, I never had a chance to go to this mall until 1992, and by then the fountain and the court around it had been substantially changed. In 2002-3 it was changed again, with barely a resemblence to the original.
I never knew what the Founttain Court looked like originally...until now. Thank you again.
I'm going to use that picture in an evolution of the SouthPark fountain post on LiveMalls.
I just can't express as to how amazing it is that you've find this. I've never seen this fountain (or a lot of old SouthPark interior for that matter).. and I am a *huge* SouthPark fan.
Thank You So Much for finding and posting this Keith!
OK, I got my tribute together:
http://livemalls.blogspot.com/2006/04/evolution-of-fountain-court-at.html
Love the picture. You know, the first time I went to SouthPark (circa 2005), I could instantly tell that it was a 70s-style mall. I think the giveaway was the columns, which still look...tall and 70s-like. That fountain picture reminds me of (don't laugh too hard) Cinderella City -- not because of the fountain or the size of the court, but because of the framing of the fountain in the rectangular space by those 70s-style columns.
Anyways...
Steven: Thanks, and I'm really glad this photo meant so much to you! very cool. :D And your SouthPark tribute is great! Good work, and I appreciate the links to MOA.
Cora: Yes! That really struck me, too, right off. Stunning.
cant_not: Glad you dug it, too, and your Grocerying blog is looking cool so far, btw.
Matt: No, I totally hear you on the Cinderella City thing! Good point.
Interesting point on the Mecklenburg thing, Cora! Never noticed that. :D
Maybe some of them came here to Michigan, and founded Frankenmuth! Or vice versa.
Thanks for the great photos and the link to the Live Mall site ...it's been about 10 years since I was at SouthPark and I know it has changed dranmatically with the renovation/expansion of Nordstrom and the soon-to-be Neiman Marcus. Sears was there when I visited (now gone and replaced by Dick's , but was Gaylan's originally).
I can remember when I'd go there (maybe 20 years ago) and there was still Ivey's (now Dillard's) and Thalhimer's (now Hecht's and now Macy's). It has always been "the place to be" in Charlotte.
There was great hope in the past that Saks was coming there, but some problems with zoning and neighbors stopped all that.
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