DeVargas Center facts for kids
| Location | Santa Fe, New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Address | 564 N Guadalupe St |
| Opening date | 1973 |
| Developer | Nash Hancock |
| Owner | Fidelis Reality Partners |
| Architect | William Lumpkins |
| No. of stores and services | 55 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (4 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 320,000 sq ft (30,000 m2) (adjacent Albertsons included) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
De Vargas Center is a shopping mall that's all indoors, located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was first called De Vargas Mall. This mall is one of only two enclosed shopping centers in Santa Fe.
Contents
A Look Back: History of De Vargas Center
The Early Years: 1973-1987
The De Vargas Mall was built by a businessman named Nash Hancock from Kentucky. It officially opened its doors in 1973. However, some stores like Albertsons and Factory 2-U were already open a few years before. A Santa Fe architect named William Lumpkins designed the building.
In 1975, a fancy men's clothing store called Goodman's moved here from the Santa Fe Plaza. Then, in 1977, the mall added two big main stores, called "anchors": Montgomery Ward and JCPenney. It also got a United Artist movie theater with two screens.
When another mall, Villa Linda Mall, opened in 1985, JCPenney moved its store there. Later, a different department store called C. R. Anthony Co. took its place.
New Owners and Changes: 1988-2000
The mall got new owners for the first time in 1988. It was bought by Weingarten Realty. They spent $1 million to make the mall look better inside and to make the movie theater bigger.
In 1996, a popular clothing store called Ross Dress for Less opened a new store here. In 1998, Montgomery Ward, one of the main stores, had financial problems and closed its Santa Fe location. That same year, Albertsons bought the old Montgomery Ward building and planned to rebuild it.
Recent Times: 2001-Today
In 2010, a company called Fidelis Realty Partners bought the mall from Weingarten Realty. In 2016, several shops from a nearby marketplace called Sanbusco Marketplace moved to De Vargas Center. This happened because the New Mexico School of the Arts bought their old location.
Also in 2016, another main store, Hastings, closed all its stores because of financial difficulties. In 2017, the Regal Cinemas movie theater, which had six screens, also closed.
In 2018, the mall announced plans to build new things on the west side of the complex. This included "The Alley," which is a lounge and bowling alley. In 2019, T.J. Maxx announced that its sister store, HomeGoods, would open in one of the main store spots at the center.
What Stores Are There?
The De Vargas Center has several "anchor" stores, which are the big, main stores that attract many shoppers. It also has "junior anchors," which are also large but might be a bit smaller than the main anchors.
Main Stores (Anchors)
- Ross Dress for Less
- Office Depot
- Sprouts Farmers Market
- HomeGoods
Smaller Main Stores (Junior Anchors)
- The Alley
- CVS Pharmacy
