Plaza del Caribe facts for kids
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Plaza del Caribe Mall, looking north
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| Location | Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Coordinates | 17°59′36.35″N 66°36′41.65″W / 17.9934306°N 66.6115694°W |
| Address | PR-2 (Ponce By-pass) and PR-12 (Ave. Santiago de los Caballeros) |
| Opening date | 9 November 1992 |
| Developer | Q.B. Construction |
| Management | Ing. Edwin Tavárez |
| Owner | Jaime Fonalledas, Empresas Fonalledas, Inc. |
| Architect | JP2 Architects, LCC (Baltimore, Md) |
| No. of stores and services | 140 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 (4 open, 2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,100,000 sq ft (100,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | 4,000 |
| Website | http://www.plazadelcaribe.com |
Plaza del Caribe is a large indoor shopping mall in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is owned by Empresas Fonalledas. This mall is the biggest one in southern Puerto Rico. You can find it where Puerto Rico Highway 2 and Highway 12 meet. Its main stores are JCPenney and Macy's. Another big store, Sears, closed in February 2020.
Contents
History of Plaza del Caribe
Early Plans: 1960s-1970s
Back in 1969, a company called Kislak Organization planned a new mall. They wanted to build a large shopping center in Ponce. It was first called "Plaza del Caribe."
In 1971, JCPenney, a very big store, decided to open a location here. It would be a two-story department store. The mall was planned to have over 500,000 square feet of stores. It would also have parking for 3,600 cars. The project was led by Sabari Estates, Inc.
By 1972, construction was expected to start soon. The mall was planned to have 60 stores. It was hoped to be finished by 1974.
In 1975, news came that the $25 million Plaza del Caribe would begin building. This was after getting important approvals. Many well-known stores signed up to be part of the mall. These included Pueblo Supermarkets, JCPenney, F.W. Woolworth, and Thom McAn. The mall was expected to create 2,000 jobs.
By 1976, construction was about to begin. The mall was planned to have around 85 stores. It would be nearly 700,000 square feet. This was going to be the largest mall outside the San Juan area.
Opening and Growth: 1990s-2000s
In 1990, reports said the mall would be very modern. It would serve over 470,000 shoppers in the region. The project cost more than $50 million. Jaime Fonalledas, the owner, said the mall would help Ponce's economy.
On November 9, 1992, Plaza del Caribe officially opened. It already had plans for more construction. The first two phases cost $74 million. They created up to 2,000 jobs. The mall opened with 32 stores ready. Its main stores were Sears, JCPenney, and González Padín. Plaza del Caribe was planned to have 118 stores in total. These included food places, movie theaters, and shoe stores.
By 2003, many popular stores had opened. These included Gap, Old Navy, Claire's, Champs Sports, and Foot Locker. In 2007, Circuit City also announced it would open a store there.
Recent Changes: 2010s and Beyond
Around 2010, the old movie theater was replaced. A new, bigger Caribbean Cinemas opened. It has 10 screens and is near the mall.
In 2012, CompUSA opened its second store in Puerto Rico at the mall. It was a large 30,000 square foot store. This store later closed in 2015.
Also in 2012, Plaza del Caribe started a big renovation. They spent $3.5 million to update the food court. They also built the second Zara store in Puerto Rico. The food court became more modern and bright. A special sculpture called "Venus" was moved to the center of the food court.
In 2013, a P. F. Chang's restaurant opened at the mall. It could seat 268 people.
Later in 2013, Macy's announced plans to open a new store. It would be a two-level, 150,000 square-foot store. This was a big addition for the mall. Construction started in 2014. The Macy's store was expected to create about 275 jobs.
In October 2013, Sports Authority opened its first store in Puerto Rico here. It was a large sporting goods store. However, it closed in 2016 because the company went out of business.
In 2014, the mall announced its first major expansion in over 20 years. They would add a new two-story building. This would bring over 200,000 square feet of new space. The new Macy's store would be a main part of this expansion. The project cost over $30 million. It also added more than 400 parking spaces.
On November 5, 2015, the mall celebrated its new look. This included the grand opening of the Macy's store. Other new stores like Victoria's Secret and Starbucks also opened.
In November 2019, it was announced that Sears would close its store here. It was part of a plan to close many Sears stores. The store closed by February 2020.
Mall Design
Plaza del Caribe is known for its fancy design. It has artwork all around the mall. You can see special art in its main central area, called the atrium. You can enter the mall from both its first and second floors.
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One of Plaza del Caribe's entrances at nighttime
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Carousel at Plaza del Caribe
Current Main Stores
Other Stores Nearby (Outparcels)
- Caribbean Cinemas
- Supermercados Pueblo
- Crunch Fitness
Former Main Stores
- Sears
- Sears Brand Central
- González Padín (closed 1995)
Former Stores Nearby (Outparcels)
- Sports Authority (closed 2016)
- CompUSA (closed 2012)
- Circuit City (closed 2009)
- TigerDirect (closed 2015)
See also
In Spanish: Plaza del Caribe para niños
- Jaime Fonalledas
- Plaza Las Americas
