Charleston Town Center facts for kids
Central court of Charleston Town Center
|
|
| Location | Charleston, West Virginia, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°21′18″N 81°38′21″W / 38.35500°N 81.63917°W |
| Opening date | November 1983 |
| Management | CBRE Group (as receiver) |
| Owner | U.S. Bank Association |
| No. of stores and services | 95 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (1 open, 2 vacant, 1 converted to office space and divided to smaller stores) |
| Total retail floor area | 933,979 sq ft (86,769.5 m2) (GLA) |
| No. of floors | 2 plus partial third level |
| Parking | 4,000+ |
The Charleston Town Center is a large shopping mall in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. It is one of the biggest enclosed malls in the United States located right in a city center. At its busiest, it had over 130 stores and restaurants on two main levels. There was also a food court on a third level.
Over time, some parts of the mall have been changed into office spaces. You can still find popular restaurants like Chili's Bar & Grill and Outback Steakhouse there. The only main department store left is JCPenney.
History of Charleston Town Center
The Charleston Town Center first opened its doors in November 1983. It was a very big deal for downtown Charleston, West Virginia. At the time, it was the largest downtown shopping mall east of the Mississippi River.
When it first opened, the mall had four major department stores. These big stores are called "anchor stores" because they attract many shoppers. The original anchor stores were JCPenney, Sears, Kaufmann's, and Montgomery Ward.
Changes Over the Years
The mall stayed mostly the same for many years. Then, in 1998, a store called Stone & Thomas changed its name to Elder-Beerman. This store closed in 2000. Soon after, Montgomery Ward also closed down. This happened because the company went out of business.
The space where Montgomery Ward used to be stayed empty for a while. In 2002, there were plans for a new department store, Dillard's, to open there. However, these plans did not work out.
Later, in 2002, a clothing store called Steve & Barry's opened in the old Elder-Beerman spot. In 2006, a company called BrickStreet Insurance moved its offices into the former Montgomery Ward space. Also, part of the food court was turned into government offices.
In 2007, Kaufmann's department store changed its name to Macy's. This happened because a larger company bought Kaufmann's. Steve & Barry's closed in 2008. Its space was later divided into smaller stores like Rue21 and Rack Room Shoes. In 2011, a TV station called WOWK moved its studio into some unused space in the BrickStreet area.
Recent Changes and Challenges
On December 28, 2016, Sears announced it would close its store in April 2017. This left JCPenney and Macy's as the only two main anchor stores.
The mall faced some financial challenges in late 2017. Because of these difficulties, the mall's ownership and management changed. On May 8, 2018, it was announced that the old Sears building would be torn down. A new Hilton-branded hotel is planned for that spot.
On April 2, 2019, Macy's also closed its doors. This left JCPenney as the only remaining department store at the Charleston Town Center. In July 2019, BrickStreet Insurance merged with another company. The combined company, now called Encova Mutual Insurance Group, still keeps its offices in Charleston.
