Ala Moana Center facts for kids
 |
|
| Location | Ala Moana, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 21°17′28″N 157°50′37″W / 21.29111°N 157.84361°W |
| Address | 1450 Ala Moana Boulevard |
| Opening date | August 13, 1959 |
| Developer | Don Graham |
| Management | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| No. of stores and services | 350 stores, restaurants, and services |
| No. of anchor tenants | 8 |
| Total retail floor area | Approx. 2,400,000 square feet (220,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
The Ala Moana Center, often called just Ala Moana, is a huge outdoor shopping mall in the Ala Moana area of Honolulu, Hawaii. It is owned by Brookfield Properties Retail Group. Ala Moana is one of the largest shopping malls in the United States and the biggest outdoor shopping center in the world!
This mall is known for being one of the most successful malls globally. It's also the most valuable shopping mall in the United States.
History of Ala Moana Center
Before the mall was built, this area was a swamp! A man named Walter F. Dillingham used extra coral from nearby digging projects to fill in the swamp. His son, Lowell Dillingham, started the Ala Moana Center project in 1948, and construction began in 1957.
How the Mall Was Designed
Don Graham was the person who designed and developed the Ala Moana Center. Some people thought his design was strange because it faced away from the Pacific Ocean. It also had two levels for shops and parking, which was unusual then. But when the mall opened, it was a huge success! It even helped make Ala Moana the main shopping area in Oahu, moving it away from downtown Honolulu. Don Graham became the mall's first manager.
Opening Day and Early Stores
When Ala Moana Center opened in 1959, it was the largest shopping mall in the United States. Today, Brookfield Properties Retail Group owns and runs it. Even though other malls have become bigger over the years, Ala Moana Center is still known as the world's largest open-air mall.
Some of the first stores in the mall included Sears, F. W. Woolworth Company, Foodland, Longs Drugs, and Shirokiya. Later, in 1961, they added the Ala Moana Office Building, which had La Ronde, the first revolving restaurant in the U.S.! In 1966, more stores like JCPenney and Liberty House were added.
New Food Court and Expansions
The Makai Market food court was built in 1987, giving shoppers lots of places to eat. In 1999, the mall grew even more, adding a space for the fancy store Neiman Marcus and more shops on the upper levels. In 2006, they tore down some buildings to make way for the Mauka wing, which opened in 2008. This new section featured the department store Nordstrom.
A Very Successful Mall
In 2009, a report said that Ala Moana was the second most profitable mall in America! This means it made a lot of money from sales. It also had almost all its shops rented out, showing how popular it was. The report called the mall a "gold mine" because it made over $1 billion in sales each year.
In the early 2000s, the mall got a big makeover and grew even more. This made it the modern, world-class shopping spot it is today. During this time, two new sections were added: the Makai wing (south side) with Neiman Marcus, and the Mauka wing (north side) with Nordstrom.
Sears Leaves the Mall
On February 23, 2012, Sears announced it would close its store at Ala Moana Center. Sears had been there since the mall first opened in 1959! The closing was part of a big sale of Sears properties across the country. The Ala Moana Sears store closed for good on June 2, 2013.
The Ewa Wing Gets Bigger
On May 17, 2013, the mall's owner shared exciting news: Bloomingdale's would open a large store in a brand new, expanded Ewa wing. This new section opened on November 12, 2015. It replaced the old wing on the west side of the mall, including the space where Sears used to be. The new Ewa wing now has Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom (which moved from the north end of the mall) as its main stores. On October 22, 2017, Target opened its first store in a Hawaii mall in the spot Nordstrom used to be.
Architecture and Layout of the Mall
When it opened in 1959, Ala Moana Center cost $25 million. It had 87 stores and 4,000 parking spots. Over the years, the mall has been updated many times. The new designs often use ideas from modern Hawaiian architecture. These designs show the beauty of nature in Hawaiʻi. You can also see influences from Asian Pacific Rim cultures, which reflects the many Asian residents in Hawaiʻi.
For many years, a special part of Ala Moana Center was its koi ponds. In Japanese culture, koi fish represent happiness and peace. Even with all these changes, some people have said the mall looks a bit mixed up because of all the different updates over the years. Still, the design of Ala Moana Center was so good that its owner decided to spend over $1 billion in 2004 to update other malls in Canada and the United States, using Ala Moana Center as a guide! As of 2018, Ala Moana is worth almost $6 billion and is still the largest outdoor mall in the world.
Ala Moana Centerstage
The Ala Moana Centerstage is a very popular outdoor stage in Hawaiʻi. It's right in the middle of the mall. Local performers show off their talents here for visitors to enjoy. You can often see traditional Hula dances and performances by the Royal Hawaiian Band. This band is the oldest municipal band in the United States! Schools from all over the country and even the world travel to Honolulu just to perform at the Ala Moana Centerstage.
Also, episodes of a local TV singing competition called Hawaii Stars are often filmed on this stage. People usually gather on the second and third floors to watch the show being taped!
