Paradise Valley Mall facts for kids
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South East Entrance
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| Location | Phoenix, USA |
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| Coordinates | 33°36′02″N 111°59′00″W / 33.6004317°N 111.983386°W |
| Address | 4568 E Cactus Rd. |
| Opening date | 1978, grand opening ceremony held February 28, 1979 |
| Closing date | March 31, 2021 |
| Developer | Westcor, Dayton-Hudson Corporation |
| Management | RED Development |
| Owner | RED Development |
| Architect | Rafique Islam of Architectonics Inc. |
| No. of stores and services | 2 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (2 open, 3 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,152,333 sq ft (107,055.2 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in JCPenney, former Dillard's, former Macy's, and former Sears, 3 in the former Broadway.) |
Paradise Valley Mall was a large shopping mall located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It was a popular place for shopping and fun for many years. The mall officially closed its doors on March 31, 2021.
Before it closed, the main stores were JCPenney and Costco. Other big stores like Sears, Dillard's, and Macy's used to be there but became empty. After the mall closed, most of it was torn down to make way for new buildings.
Contents
History of Paradise Valley Mall
Opening the Mall
Paradise Valley Mall first opened its doors in 1978. A big opening party was held on February 28, 1979. When it first opened, it had three main department stores. These were JCPenney, Goldwater's, and Diamond's.
The mall was designed by an architect named Rafique Islam. It was built with special blocks and white stucco. Inside, it had skylights to let in sunshine and pretty courtyards with plants. The floors were made of wood and patterned tiles. The mall even had features to save energy.
Diamond's was the first big store to open in February 1979. JCPenney opened with the grand ceremony later that month. Goldwater's opened a bit later, in August 1980. A movie theater, General Cinema, also opened in 1979. It later became a Harkins Theatres.
The mall was part of a bigger plan for the area called Paradise Valley Village. A company called Westcor developed the whole project.
Growing Bigger
In the late 1980s, the mall got much bigger. Two new sections were added to the north. One new section had a Dillard's store. The other new section had more shops and a Broadway store. A three-story parking garage was also built.
The older part of the mall was updated too. More skylights were added, and some of the old floor tiles were replaced. In 1998, a fun carousel was added near the food court. In the early 2000s, the mall was updated again. Many indoor plants were removed, and new flooring was put in. The food court also got a new look.
In 2008, one of the newer sections was torn down. This made space for a brand new Costco store.
Changes in Big Stores
Over the years, the big department stores at the mall changed many times:
- JCPenney opened in February 1979 and was one of the last stores to remain.
- Goldwater's opened in August 1980. It later became J. W. Robinson's, then Robinsons-May, and finally Macy's in 2006. This Macy's store closed in 2021.
- Diamond's opened in February 1979. It became Dillard's in 1984, then Sears in 1989. The Sears store closed in January 2019.
- A new Dillard's store opened around 1989 as part of the mall's expansion. It closed in December 2020.
- Broadway opened in 1991. It became Macy's in 1996. This Macy's closed in 2006 and was later torn down to build the Costco store in 2008.
Mall's Later Years
Paradise Valley Mall was located near Scottsdale. Over time, the types of shoppers visiting the mall changed. In the early 2000s, newer shopping centers opened nearby. These new places attracted shoppers who wanted more expensive brands. This meant Paradise Valley Mall started selling more items for middle-income families.
In the 2010s, many chain stores started closing across the country. This also affected Paradise Valley Mall. More small, local businesses opened there instead of big chain stores.
In November 2018, it was announced that Sears would close its store. It officially closed in February 2019. Then, in November 2020, Dillard's announced it would close in December 2020. Finally, in January 2021, Macy's announced its closure for April 2021.
By late March 2021, Macy's was permanently closed. Only Costco and JCPenney were left as the main stores. The Picture Show Movie Theater also closed in December 2020.
When the mall permanently closed on March 31, 2021, only a few businesses were still open inside or nearby. These included JCPenney, Costco, Bath & Body Works, and Chompie's restaurant. Bath & Body Works and Chompie's closed soon after, but JCPenney and Costco stayed open.
In April 2021, the mall was sold to a company called RED Development. Demolition of the indoor mall began in July 2021 and finished in February 2022.
Surrounding Area
The mall was surrounded by a circular street called Paradise Village Parkway. This street divided the area into four sections.
The northwest section had the original mall and its parking lot. There were also several restaurants along the roads here. The Phoenix Public Library Mesquite Branch is located north of the mall.
The northeast section had other shopping centers like Village Plaza. You could find restaurants like In-N-Out Burger, Red Lobster, and Olive Garden there.
The southeast section had the Village Crossroads Shopping Center. It also had restaurants like Outback Steakhouse and Chick-fil-A.
The southwest section had more shopping centers and apartment buildings.
Many of these surrounding shopping centers were built around the same time as the mall. For example, Village Plaza opened in 1978 with stores like CVS Pharmacy and Sprouts Farmers Market. Other centers like Village Square I and II, Paradise Plaza, and Village Center also opened in the early 1980s. These areas had stores like TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Hobby Lobby, Target, and Dollar Tree.
Later, more centers like Village Fair North were built, adding stores such as Office Max and Best Buy. The Village Crossroads center, built in 1993, later got a Walmart Supercenter.
Future Plans
Transportation
Most people drove to Paradise Valley Mall. However, there are plans to extend the Valley Metro Rail to this area in the future. This would make it easier for people to get to the area without a car. These plans are still a long way off, possibly in the 2020s or later.
New Development
The old Paradise Valley Mall site is being completely changed. The owners, Macerich and RED Development, are turning it into a new kind of community. This new area will be like a "lifestyle center." It will have apartments, a self-storage center, and new shops and restaurants.
The first part of this big project started with tearing down the old Sears store. In its place, new apartment buildings will be built.
The demolition of the mall finished in February 2022. Plans for the new development, now called "PV," were announced. The first phase of PV is expected to open in mid-2024. It will include a Whole Foods Market, a park with a pavilion, more apartment buildings, and a new Harkins movie theater where you can dine in.
