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Tri-City Pavilions

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Coordinates: 33°24′58″N 111°52′19″W / 33.416156°N 111.871988°W / 33.416156; -111.871988
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Tri-City Pavilions
Map
LocationMesa, Arizona, U.S.
Address1960 West Main Street
Opening dateAugust 14, 1968; 56 years ago (1968-08-14)
DeveloperMalouf Construction and Development Co.[1]
OwnerLamar Companies[2]
ArchitectGlenn A. McCollum[1]
No. of stores and services50+ (Mall)
No. of anchor tenants2 (Mall)
Total retail floor area550,000 square feet (51,000 m2) (Mall)[3]
96,656 square feet (8,979.6 m2) (Pavilions)[2]
No. of floors1

Tri-City Pavilions, formerly Tri-City Mall, is a shopping mall located in Mesa, Arizona, at the northeast corner of Main Street and Dobson Road. Developed in 1968 as an enclosed shopping mall featuring Diamond's and J. C. Penney, it underwent a decline in tenancy in the 1980s and was renovated. The mall was demolished in 1999 in favor of a new strip mall anchored by Safeway Inc. Tri-City Pavilions is owned and managed by Lamar Companies.

History

Arizona-based developer Grant Malouf first proposed Tri-City Mall in 1963. He had tried to acquire land that the University of Arizona was using as an alfalfa farm, at the corner of West Main and Dobson streets,[1] but instead chose a 40-acre (16 ha) plot across the street when it became available. Malouf chose the site because he felt that Mesa, being a tourist destination, was a suitable market for a shopping mall. After acquiring the land, he negotiated with two department store chains: J. C. Penney and Phoenix-based Diamond's to become the mall's anchor stores. The center cost over $10,000,000 to build.[4] Glenn A. MacCollum was the mall's architect. Features of the mall included a 36-foot (11 m)-tall fountain which propelled oil through nylon tubes to simulate the appearance of rain, 26 light fixtures made of redwood and suspended by chains, and dome-shaped skylights.[1] Landscaping around the mall included olive, oleander, and cypress, while the inside of the mall featured palm trees in planters. It was also the only mall in Arizona at the time to feature carpeted floors.[5] The name "Tri-City Mall" referred to the three cities expected to draw the most business from the mall: Mesa, Tempe, and Chandler,[5] although Malouf noted that the mall would be the first to service the eastern side of the Phoenix metropolitan area, and would be convenient to shoppers from nearby cities such as Scottsdale.[1]

Grand-opening ceremonies were held on August 14, 1968. 34 of the 50 stores in the mall opened for business that day, including J. C. Penney; the Diamond's store was still under construction at the time, with a targeted opening date of late 1969.[1] Malouf held the ribbon-cutting ceremonies that day, with other attendees including Arizona's then-governor Jack Williams and Mesa's then-mayor, Jack Taylor.[6] Other major tenants of the mall included Piccadilly Restaurants, a Bashas' supermarket, a Walgreens drugstore, and an S. H. Kress variety store.[5]

By the 1980s, Tri-City Mall had begun to lose stores and customers as retail development shifted southeasterly toward Fiesta Mall, which opened closer to the Superstition Freeway (US 60) in 1979. As Diamond's also had a store at Fiesta Mall, the chain chose to consolidate operations into that store. In response to the mall's decline, local developer Grossman Companies purchased the property in late 1984 and announced a $2.5 million renovation plan.[7] Renovations were finished by May 1985. Among the additions were the replacement of the flooring with tile, the addition of wrought iron lightpoles and park benches, and a new fountain. At this point, only the former Diamond's and one other space in the mall were vacant.[8] By 1987, portions of the former Diamond's building had been taken by local clothing store Winston's, as well as a Cigna health office,[9] along with a food court and four-screen movie theater.[10] By 1990, the Winston's clothing store was sold to the Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI), a Salt Lake City, Utah-based department store chain founded by Brigham Young. The Tri-City Mall store was not only the chain's first in Arizona, but also the first in a concept known as ZCMI II. This concept featured a smaller footprint than a traditional ZCMI store, selling solely men's and women's brand-name clothing and shoes while lacking other departments typically found in the chain's stores such as children's clothing, linens, housewares, and cosmetics. ZCMI II opened for business in February 1990.[11] A further addition to the mall came in 1991 when Florida-based Bealls opened its first Arizona location there.[12]

Despite these additions, the mall continued to dwindle in tenancy throughout the 1990s. In 1996, another Phoenix-based developer named Rubin Cos. bought the mall from Grossman and announced further renovation plans. Factors cited by Rubin representatives in Tri-City Mall's continued decline included the opening of Superstition Springs Center in 1990, along with the development of Arizona Mills which would open for business in 1997; another factor was the mall's distance from a major freeway or direction of residential growth.[13] Despite reducing rent costs, Rubin Cos. was unable to secure new tenants for the mall for these reasons.[14] J. C. Penney closed its store at the mall in 1998, by which point only six tenants remained: Bealls, Radio Shack, GNC, Furr's, Walgreens, and a clothing store called Western Village. In response, Rubin Cos. announced that the entire structure would be demolished except for the J. C. Penney building in favor of a new strip mall called Tri-City Pavilions.[15] Reconstruction of the mall into Tri-City Pavilions ensued in 1999, with a Safeway supermarket opening that year as a new anchor store.[14] The last standing Tri-City Mall store, the former J. C. Penney building, was demolished in April 2006 to make way for the Sycamore/Main Street Valley Metro Rail transit station.[16] There is a park and ride Parking lot north of Main Street east of the new mall for users (commuters) of the transit station to park their cars.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Gala opening planned for Tri-City center". Arizona Republic. August 13, 1968. pp. 29, 30. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Tri-City Pavilions". Lamar Companies. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Directory of major malls. MJJTM Publications Corp. 1990. p. 14.
  4. ^ "Tri-City Mall is crown in jewel of Malouf Developers". Arizona Republic. August 13, 1968. p. 29. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Grand opening slated for new Tri-City Mall". Arizona Republic. July 21, 1968. pp. 1F, 5F. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "Schedule of events of Tri-City opening". Arizona Republic. August 13, 1968. p. 30. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Mall won't sit still for renovations". Arizona Republic. March 13, 1985. pp. Extra 1, Extra 5. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  8. ^ David Cannella (May 6, 1985). "Wanted: Shoppers". Arizona Republic. pp. Extra A. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Cigna opens center in Tri-City Mall". Arizona Republic. February 9, 1987. pp. 6B. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  10. ^ "Tri-City Mall opens theater, food court". Arizona Republic. May 27, 1987. pp. Extra 2. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Jean Novotny (February 28, 1990). "Utah chain to open 1st ZCMI II store in Valley mall today". Arizona Republic. pp. C2. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Anita Carcone (December 18, 1991). "Bealls opens outlet at Tri-City Mall". Arizona Republic. p. 9. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  13. ^ Catherine Reagor (October 19, 1996). "Mesa mall given new hope". Arizona Republic. pp. E1, E8. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Tri-City Pavilions plans get boost from anchor". Arizona Republic. June 26, 1999. pp. EV1, EV6. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  15. ^ Lisa Gonderinger (September 8, 1998). "Transformation of Tri-City?". Arizona Republic. pp. EV1, EV3. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  16. ^ Hensley, JJ (April 19, 2006), "Last of Tri-City Mall is coming down", Arizona Republic

33°24′58″N 111°52′19″W / 33.416156°N 111.871988°W / 33.416156; -111.871988

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