Town and Country Shopping Center
Whitehall, Ohio - 1976
Dating back to 1949, this mall is now recognized as one of the first actual modern shopping centers in the United States. Love that sign!
Anyone know if this one is still around today? I didn't have much time to look into it yet.
Mall history: 1949 - ?
Architect: Don M. Casto
[image courtesy of The Columbus Metropolitan Library]
posted by Keith @ 5/26/2006
16 Comments:
Well I hope you enjoy what I found. The mall is still there.
New Target and Staples Stores Joining Town & Country
Monday, April 26, 2004
Columbus, Ohio — Casto, one of the country's leading real estate organizations, today announced that a new 124,000 square foot Target and a new 18,786 square foot Staples are joining the lineup of retailers at Town & Country on East Broad Street in Whitehall, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio.
Whitehall Mayor Lynn Ochsendorf said the city is extremely happy that both Target and Staples are locating new stores in Whitehall. She credits the city's successful approach to private-public partnering and Whitehall's Community Revitalization Area incentive program to achieving tangible results for the community. According to Ochsendorf, "These projects bring new investment that strengthens our tax base while also providing our residents with job opportunities."
Anticipating a March, 2005 opening, construction of the new Target store will begin immediately after the demolition of the vacant 65,000 square foot Ames. Construction on the new Staples store, which will occupy 18,786 square feet of the former Drug Emporium space, is projected to begin in June for an anticipated fall, 2004 opening.
Citing a trend in the shopping center industry for department stores and other major retailers to open stores in suburban shopping and power centers, partner Don M. Casto, III said, "Retailers are taking another look at properties inside-the-outerbelt for their expansion plans. Several of our centers offer prime redevelopment opportunities and put retailers closer to their customers in stores with lower rents and operating costs than mall locations. Consumers also appreciate the convenience of in-and-out shopping in their own neighborhoods."
Understanding the value of neighborhood centers as convenient shopping alternatives, Casto renovated the 489,617 square foot center in 1999 with a new façade with brick accents and colorful awnings, redesigned parking lot and traffic pattern, new pedestrian light poles and benches, new tenant identification signs, and extensive landscaping. Town & Country was built in 1948 and is known as the country's first regional shopping center. It was previously remodeled in 1975 and expanded in 1987. The center's current availability is limited to several small shops and a 53,000 square foot box previously occupied by Big Bear.
ALSO:...........
http://www.donmcasto.com/retail/portfolio.php?action=detail&pID=46
Go there, site plan and lease plans.
Enjoy!
This area has seen some good days, and bad days.
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/3786/tandcaerial1af.jpg
If you look at this picture, the Target is located across the street from the original center.
I used to work nearby, so it's been awhile since I have been in the area. I think the area is on the rebound, thanks to Target. And although I hate to say it, Wal-Mart is also going to build in Whitehall.
Intersting note in the upper upper left corner, at Yearling and Broad St (Hwy 16). In this area is only one of two Lustron homes known to still be existing in the Columbus area. The old Lustron plant is nearby.
Luston homes... that would be another blog!
I've been to Whitehall, Ohio, but for some reason I don't remember that shopping center. I must have been looking towards the Target ;-)
david, your picture scares me.
Great work there, Jeff! Thanks for the info! :)
Thanks for the aerial photo as well, David! Good stuff.
Chris: Why exactly? I'd like to be scared, too...
there was a Town and Country Village in San Jose, CA, up until about 2002 or so. Don't know if it's the same thing; the sign wasn't nearly as cool, but it was just as kitschy. Wish I could get some pictures to you, but it's since been convered to Santana Row, a snooty shopping center.
i actuly have something good 2 say
i have been 2 that town & i think i remember driving around that place. hey can anybody identify that car in the front
I worked for the fire department in Whitehall for 12 years and spent alot of time at T&C when I was little. It doesn't have it's original configuration anymore. Zettler's used to be on the end where the old Big Bear used to be. There are no original stores left. There is a bar in the center that has been there with different names for as long as I can remember. Whitehall is trying to reinvent itself. There used to be a really interesting Polynesian restaurant called the Kahiki across the street in Columbus.
The Wal-Mart and Sonic are on Main St where Speed's used to be.
I happened to check out this site hoping to find information regarding the workers that built the shopping center. My grandfather was in construction and helped build this mall and several others in Columbus until he fell from a ladder through the floor and was injured. He recovered but did not work again. He was very proud of his work and I am glad to see the mall still looks so good after all this time. I still shop there once in a while. At one time we used to go behind the mall to see Big Time Wrestlers. That was pretty exciting at the time.
Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!
There are a few empty store there now on the far left side. There once was a Big Bear grocery store but its no longer in business..I think something needs to be put in there like best buy or something and also A.j wright has gone out of business something should take its place maybe a tj max?..there's fast food and a b dubs aka buffalo wild wings..and that sign is no longer there I wish it was it was very nice now its quite ugly if u ask me..lol
Although it has been years since I lived in Columbus, many of my formative years in the 1970's and early 80's were spent at Town & Country Shopping Center. My Grandmother lived across the road from the mall and she and I would walk to the stores regularly. I remember the candy counter at the Lazarus store, the cool sweeping staircase to the 2nd floor that went up the right side of the JCPenney, the super cool hobby store (Hobby Town? I think) where most of my models came from and of course the greatest toy store ever Kiddie Korner, one of the only places in Columbus in the 1970's you could get those new fangled toys from Denmark called Legos, and I loved me some Legos! It is the oldest mall in Columbus, 1949 and there is still an orginal tennant, Sam's Shoe Repair. It is a huge property parking in front and back, roads that link various buildings full of shops and out back the dreaded Department of Motor Vehicles (is it still there?) where I took my driving test at 16. Great memories, thank you Town & Country!
Town & Country is still in existence but as with all things it has changed tremendously. My favorite store was Gallenkamp's Shoe Store!
I think its nice still, its busy and its not crime ridden. Safe place to shop and a good variety of things. I moved here from New Orleans and we have nothing like Columbus does. Its all residential there and not all the job/shopping areas catering to the residents of each neighborhood which is what I personally feel is the cause of the high crime there. I learned a lot here and when I decide to move back home I will bring that knowledge to the city planning commission meetings, if successful, credit yourselves with that one....thanks Cbus and the metro area inclhding Whitehall.
Where Target is today, used to be the Town & Country Cinema (a General Cinema).
Kiddie Korner forever !!!!!
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