Southcenter Mall

Tukwila, Washington - circa 1960s

Here's an old Southcenter Mall interior image dating to the '60s (not the best quality but you get the idea). The store on the left is called Bernie's (which appears to be a men's clothing store), and you can also just barely make out the mall's JCPenney anchor way down at the far end (see the beginning of the Penneys sign?). Speaking of which, here's the caption off another Southcenter postcard:

"The distinctive architecture of Southcenter is highlighted by the beautiful J.C. Penney store, largest in the Penney chain. Penneys is one of the four major department stores in Southcenter which along with 110 other stores makes it the largest shopping center in the Northwest and one of the largest in the world.

The main building covers 30 acres of the total 116 acre site. The center is 8 minutes south of Seattle at Tukwila and the Junction of Interstates 5 and 405."

Mall history: 1968 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4

Fountian At The Landing Shopping Center

Kansas City, Missouri - 1960's

Wonderful sixties postcard photo of children playing around the brightly-colored "Noah's Ark" fountain in an open-air court at The Landing mall (or shopping center, whichever you prefer) in Kansas City, Missouri. Stuff like this is what magical childhood mall memories are made of!

Mall history: 1960 - present
Current website: n/a
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2

Sunrise Shopping Center (aka The Galleria Mall)

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - 1960s

Here's a vibrant color postcard photo of the Jordan Marsh store looming high in the distance, above and anchoring a portion of the venerable Sunrise Shopping Center (as it was originally known) complex, along with a sweeping view of the beautiful surrounding areas. This shot looks West towards the shopping center, from the Intracoastal Waterway seen in the foreground.

In 1980 the Sunrise Shopping Center was fully enclosed, redeveloped and renamed The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale. I still prefer "Sunrise Shopping Center" myself, though.

Mall history: 1959 - present
Current aerial view
Current website: here
Previous entries: 1

Ala Moana Shopping Center

Honolulu, Hawaii - circa 196os

Gorgeous vintage postcard photo of a dazzling and colorful fountain in an outdoor court area at the Ala Moana Shopping Center. I believe this dates to sometime in the '60s. Caption on the back reads:

"Ala Moana Shopping Center - Pictured is a small portion of the fascinating array of fountains, trees, flowers, sculpture and art work found in this vast complex in Honolulu."

Mall history: 1959 - present
Architect: John Graham Jr.
Current aerial view
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

MOA Galleria - Downtown Shopping Park

Grand Junction, Colorado - circa 1960s

A beautiful and sunny '60s view of the Downtown Shopping Park (or Main Street Shopping Park), at the heart of the historic (and pedestrian-friendly) downtown shopping district in Grand Junction, CO.

Pleasantville, here we come!

Northway Mall: Mountain of Merchandise Auto Show

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - circa 1960s

Vintage photo of an auto show underway at Northway Mall in the 1960s (most likely around 1964, I believe). Judging by the pic's label, I'm guessing this was taken during a "Mountain of Merchandise" promotional sales event at the mall. And in fact, if you look real close, you can actually make out what appears to be a literal mountain of merchandise in the middle of the cars.

Either way, guesses aside, what I do know is that this is a cool image showing some of Northway Mall 's interior decor in this spacious court area, as well as a Woolworth store and National Record Mart shop, in the background.

Mall history: 1962 - present
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

(Study image courtesy The Shoppes at Northway)

JCPenney Store At Fremont Mall

Fremont, Nebraska - circa 1960s

Greetings from Fremont, Nebraska and the Fremont Mall... where shopping in the mall is a family affair! I know that because it says so on this cool vintage postcard, which shows not only the exterior of the Penney's (or JCPenney if you prefer) store at the mall, but also a good portion of its sign (the mall's).

I don't know a heck of a lot about Fremont Mall, but I don't have to, because Labelscar has my back on this one. They have both a great post on the mall with lots of info and contemporary photos, as well as a more recent shot taken from almost the same spot as this vintage one (and it still looks surprisingly similar!). Check it out.

Mall history: 1967 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none

Winrock Shopping Center

Albuquerque, New Mexico - circa 1960s

Winrock Shopping Center interior in the sixties--before falling on hard retail times in more recent years. This classic, but now-defunct shopping mall's ultimate fate seems to be in limbo these days according to a December 2, 2006 user submitted entry on DeadMalls.com:

"About two years ago stores started closing up in Winrock. It seems the owners had decided to redevelop it as an open sky, town center style mall so they were not allowing tenants to renew their leases. One by one all the stores closed (except for Dillard's who owned their space).

Unfortunately, during this time another developer created a third open air mall across the street. Now the Winrock owners have decided not to redevelop their mall. Winrock now sits empty, rotting in the sun."

Mall history: 1961 - present
Architect: Victor Gruen
Current website: n/a
Current aerial view
Resource articles: 1, 2. 3. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3

Stouffer's Restaurant At Eastland Center Mall

Harper Woods, Michigan - circa 1960s

Great vintage sixties interior postcard view of Stouffer's Restaurant at Eastland Center Mall (aka Eastland Shopping Center), in Metro Detroit. Eastland Center is still there today, unfortunately this swanky restaurant is not. The mall is currently anchored by Sears, Target, Macy's, Marshall Field's, Steve & Barry's, and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse. More vintage photos of Eastland Center Mall coming soon!

Mall history: 1957 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2

North Whittier Heights Shopping Center

La Puente, California - circa 1960s

Retro postcard view of the North Whittier Heights Shopping Center (as it was called then) strip mall plaza in La Puente, CA (not an enclosed shopping mall). Stores seen here in this groovy shot include an Alpha Beta supermarket at the far end, Country Club Pharmacy, and Cork & Bottle Liquor. I have no idea whether this plaza is still around today, and if so, what name it might be going by now, etc., but it sure looked swanky back then!

Meier & Frank (Now Macy's) At Lloyd Center Mall

Portland, Oregon - circa early '60s

Early-sixties photo of the Meier & Frank department store (the chain is now Macy's) at, once again, Lloyd Center Mall--they sure produced a lot of postcards back in the day! Thanks loads to reader, Brian Neuroth, for the cool find! One of the few Lloyd Center shots I don't recall seeing before (somehow).

Mall history: 1960 - present
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,
12, 13

King of Prussia Plaza (aka King of Prussia Mall) Harvest House

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania - circa 1960s

The Harvest House restaurant & coffee shop at King of Prussia Plaza (now King of Prussia Mall). I believe at the time, this was one of the very first Harvest House establishments, which soon became such a familiar fixture at many malls and shopping centers throughout the '60s and '70s (Cherry Hill Mall had one). This is a neat vintage postcard view of Harvest House's groovy-but-gaudy (a good thing in my book) interior and exterior at King of Prussia Plaza.

Mall history: 1963 - present
Developer: Kravco Co. (now Kravco Simon)
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4

Granada Plaza Shopping Center

Ormond Beach, Florida - circa 1960s

The Walgreens and TG&Y store in the Granada Plaza shopping center in Ormond Beach, Florida. Granada Plaza is a strip mall (still there today) with an interesting location nestled right next to the Atlantic Ocean. Zoom out its aerial view to truly appreciate this plaza's impressive spot, which also puts me in mind of the Gulf View Square Mall postcard I shared before (in Port Richey, FL), with its close (if not downright precarious looking) proximity to the water.

Bellevue Park Plaza Shopping Center

Belleville, Illinois - circa early '60s

Shop & park free, at Bellevue Park Plaza! A little strip center that opened in 1970 (current aerial), and is still there today. Below is the plaza as it looks today (via LoopNet), from almost the same angle as the one above...

Plaza today

As you can see, the current stores include the typical generic type of modern lineup (i.e. boring): CVS, Rent-A-Center, Blockbuster Video, Dollar General, Fantastic Nails, First Payday Loans, Verizon Wireless, Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and Dollar Tree. Yuck!

Vintage Coral Ridge Mall aerial

Fort Lauderdale, Florida - circa 1960s

Here's another vintage aerial postcard (yes, it looks like dirty mall pr0n) of Coral Ridge Mall. Card dates back to the sixties, I believe. I'm still trying to pinpoint what year this shopping mall first opened. I'm also not sure why the mall doesn't appear to maintain an official website (if they do, I sure haven't been able to find it), but current anchor stores are Target, T.J. Maxx, and Marshalls, last I heard.

An anonymous reader shared some fun memories of Coral Ridge the first time I featured it (initial comments reference the aerial in that original post):

"To the left right in front of Penny's is a Publix supermarket which is still open. Move further down in the picture and you will see the old Plitt Theatre (saw King Kong in '76 there), which was a nightclub last time I checked. I have never seen another building, much less a theater, that had this great architectural concave at the top of the roof. Very art deco-esque.

The interior had these wonderful skylights which let in ample yet understated lighting on a bright, sunny day. The ceiling was in a wave-effect pattern which only added to the mall's beauty. I also remember a small arcade where I saw Pac-Man for the first time! (It was on the left corridor exiting Penny's in the mall). They've since built a bigger arcade in almost the exact spot, but it wasn't as magical as the original.

Here is a current arial view of the mall in almost the exact frame. Notice all the new condominiums that have popped up over the years. This section of Ft. Laud is extremely affluent and ritzy, not to mention the property value has gone through the roof since the 70s. It's a realtor's dream."

Mall history: '50s or '60s - present
Current website: n/a
Current aerial view
Resource links: 1
Previous entries: 1, 2

Cherry Hill Shopping Center Aviary

Cherry Hill, New Jersey - circa 1960s

The beautiful birdcage in Cherry Hill Mall (or Cherry Hill Shopping Center, whichever you prefer).

I actually shared this same image once before in my "Shopping Mall Bird and Monkey Cages" post a long time ago (the one they liked so much on TV, lol), but this is an upgraded version of same. Plus, I just think this classic mall photo is so fantastic (oh, I wanna say kitsch-tastic so bad!) that it deserves to be featured in its own entry, don't you? The card's postmarked 1968, and here's its caption:

"A view of the 20-foot high aviary housing colorful tropical birds. One of many delightful points of interest in this unique shopping world of over 100 street and shops all under one roof, where the temperature is always spring time."

Mall history: 1961 - present
Architect: Victor Gruen
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Carlmont Village Shopping Center

Belmont, California - circa 1960s

Charming view of the Carlmont Village Shopping Center, a quaint little shopping plaza (not a "shopping mall" per se) nestled away in Belmont, CA. Built in 1955 on 8.3 acres of land, it's still there today, but of course, looks a little different now. I thought this was such a pretty postcard photo, I just had to share it here.

NorthPark Center (aka NorthPark Shopping Center)

Dallas, Texas - photos circa 1960s

Malls of America regular contributor, J, sent me these scans a while back (from the pages of a '60s-era Encyclopedia Britannica) of NorthPark Center Mall in Dallas, TX (commonly referred to as NorthPark Shopping Center in those days). Thanks again for the great submissions J!

The first photo is a shot of the Plaza fountain in one wing of the mall (which you can also see here in color). The second shot is obviously an exterior view of one of the mall's parking lot areas and store entrances. Some Wikipedia notes:

"NorthPark Center opened in 1965 as the largest climate-controlled retail establishment in the world. Originally developed by Raymond D. Nasher, the center is now owned, managed, operated and leased by husband and wife David J. Haemisegger and Nancy A. Nasher. After a three-year, $235 million expansion that doubled its size, NorthPark Center is expected to surpass $1 billion in sales in 2007.

From its inception, NorthPark Center has made world-class art an integral part of its interior landscape. NorthPark received the American Institute of Architects Award for 'Design of the Decade - 1960s' as one of the first commercial centers in the United States to create space for the display of fine art.

Over the years as NorthPark Center has remained true to its original design. For the most recent expansion, NorthPark’s owners returned to Omniplan, the architectural firm that originally designed the center with clean, modern lines, signature white brick and highly polished concrete floors. The expansion turned NorthPark’s original U shape into a unique square design surrounding a 1.4-acre landscaped garden known as 'CenterPark'."

Mall history: 1965 - present
Developer: Raymond Nasher
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3

Edison Mall Shopping Center

Fort Myers, Florida - circa '60s or '70s

A beautiful vintage postcard view of Edison Mall, baking under the hot Florida sun in the sixties or early-seventies (not exactly sure on the year). This is a shot of the mall's main entrance, with Woolworth's sitting to the right of the photo, a Penneys anchor to the right of that (not sure what store's on the immediate left of this courtyard), and a Maas Brothers store straight back behind this entrance foyer. Check out the "previous entries" below. You can just make out this entrance in a couple of them.

Mall history: 1960s(?) - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3

International Malls: Yorkdale Shopping Centre

Toronto, Ontario, Canada - circa 1960s

The Yorkdale Shopping Centre (aka Yorkdale Mall) was such a groovy shopping mall at one time! This retro postcard proves it. Every photo I see of it I love. (I'm talking about the vintage Yorkdale Shopping Centre, of course.) Looks like it was one heck of a swanky shopping destination back then.

Mall history: 1964 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2