North Hills (Raleigh) facts for kids
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| Location | Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
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| Coordinates | 35°50′25″N 78°39′08″W / 35.8401506°N 78.6522257°W |
| Opening date | 1960 |
| Developer | Kane Realty Corporation |
North Hills is a cool place in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's a "mixed-use" area, which means it has lots of different things in one spot. You can find stores, restaurants, offices, homes, and even a place for older adults to live.
There's a big outdoor area where fun events happen. You might see live concerts, festivals, or even a farmers' market. North Hills is located where Six Forks Road and Lassiter Mills Road meet. It's also close to I-440.
Some of the main places here include Target, the Renaissance Raleigh Hotel, and a Regal Cinema movie theater with 14 screens. A store called JCPenney used to be here, but it closed in 2020. Now, a new store called Restoration Hardware is being built in its place. North Hills was built where an old shopping mall, also called North Hills Mall, used to be. That mall was the first indoor mall between Atlanta and Washington D.C.!
Contents
Exploring North Hills
North Hills is split into three main areas. These areas are called Main District, Lassiter District, and Park District. They are separated by Six Forks Road and Lassiter Mills Road.
Main District
The Main District is where the old North Hills Shopping Mall used to be. This was the first part of North Hills to be rebuilt. Here you'll find the Target store, the Regal Cinema, and the Renaissance Hotel. There are also many smaller shops and places to eat.
Lassiter District
The Lassiter District is home to a tall apartment building called the Alexan. You'll also find several smaller shops and restaurants here. A big Total Wine store is a main spot in this district. It used to be a Harris Teeter grocery store before it moved across the street.
Park District
The Park District is the newest and largest part of North Hills. It has three big office buildings: Captrust Tower, Advance Auto Parts Tower, and Bank of America Tower. There's also an AC Hotel and more apartment buildings. You can find many restaurants, nightlife spots, and smaller shops here. A large, two-story Harris Teeter grocery store is a major feature of this area.
North Hills History
North Hills has a long and interesting history. It started as a simple shopping center and grew into the modern place we see today.
Early Days of North Hills Mall
The original North Hills Mall first opened in 1960. It became an enclosed mall in 1967. This was a big deal because it was the first two-story, air-conditioned indoor mall between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta.
When it first opened, it had a simple rectangular shape with two floors. The top floor opened onto Six Forks Road, and the bottom floor faced a parking deck on Lassiter Mill Road. Some of the main stores back then were JCPenney, Ivey's, and Woolworth. A popular restaurant called K&W Cafeteria was also there for over 30 years.
Changes and Growth
Across Lassiter Mill Road, there was another shopping area called North Hills Plaza. It had a movie theater and a Winn-Dixie grocery store. In 1972, a bigger mall called Crabtree Valley Mall opened nearby. This new mall started to attract some of North Hills' shoppers.
In 1984, North Hills Mall got a big makeover. New stores came in to fill empty spaces. In 1990, the Ivey's store became Dillard's.
A New Vision for North Hills
In 1999, a local company called Kane Realty Corporation bought the North Hills Plaza. They updated it in 2001, turning it into a nicer area called The Lassiter at North Hills. A Harris Teeter grocery store was the main store there at first. Later, it was replaced by Total Wine. Other popular places like Starbucks and Panera Bread also opened.
In 2001, Kane Realty also bought North Hills Mall. Their plan was to create a new, open, and walkable urban area. They wanted it to be Raleigh's "midtown." Around this time, Dillard's moved to another mall.
The old mall closed in January 2003. Kane Realty even held an auction, selling everything from parking signs to benches! Soon after, in April, most of the mall was torn down. Only the JCPenney store and the parking deck were left. This made way for the new, open-air shopping center.
The Modern North Hills Opens
The new North Hills officially opened in November 2004. They had a big celebration with holiday lights and music. A new underground parking deck was added. The Target store opened, and it had the first "shopping cart conveyor" in the Carolinas. This was like an escalator just for shopping carts! A 14-screen movie theater, now run by Regal Entertainment, opened right above Target.
On January 17, 2020, JCPenney announced it would close its North Hills store. It closed on April 24, 2020. To replace it, a new building is being constructed. It will have a large Restoration Hardware store, outdoor dining on the third floor, and more shops, offices, and homes. Construction started in June 2021 and should finish in 2023.
Future Plans: Innovation District
The North Hills Innovation District is a new project. It will have lots of office space, four new apartment buildings, and many new shops. Some apartment buildings like Vine North Hills and Channel House have already opened. Others are planned for the future. A new shopping area called Makers Alley is also set to open in 2024.
Awards and Recognition
Since it was redeveloped, North Hills has won many awards. These awards show how well-designed and successful the area has become.
- The International Council of Shopping Centers, International Design and Development 2007
- Triangle CREW, Most Creative Land Use 2007
- Triangle CREW, Best Office Development 2006
- Triangle CREW, Best Major Retail Development 2006
- Triangle CREW, Best Mixed-Use Development 2005
- Triangle CREW, Best Commercial Real Estate Service 2005
- Triangle Business Journal, Top Retail Redevelopment 2004
- Triangle CREW, Best Redevelopment 2003
- Metro magazine, Best Shopping Center 2006 and 2005
Images for kids
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Traffic circle and several shops in Main District, North Hills
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Captrust Tower, Park District, North Hills
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Residential buildings in Park District.
