Southwest Plaza facts for kids
| Location | Jefferson County, Colorado |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°36′43″N 105°05′44″W / 39.61198°N 105.09560°W |
| Address | 8501 West Bowles Avenue Littleton, Colorado 80123 |
| Opening date | 1983 |
| Developer | Southwest Properties Venture |
| Management | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| Owner | Brookfield Properties Retail Group |
| No. of stores and services | 102 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 (4 open, 1 vacant, 1 converted to fulfillment center) |
| Total retail floor area | 1,171,957 square feet (108,878.4 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
Southwest Plaza is a large indoor shopping mall located in Jefferson County, Colorado. It is just south of Denver. Even though its address says Littleton, Colorado, the mall is actually a couple of miles east of that city.
This mall has two levels. It is home to over 150 different stores. You can also find a food court inside for snacks and meals.
The main big stores, called "anchor stores," at Southwest Plaza are Dillard's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Round 1 Entertainment, and JCPenney. There are also two other large spaces that used to be anchor stores. One is now a Macy's center that sends out online orders, and the other is empty. It used to be a Sears store.
Contents
History of Southwest Plaza
How the Mall Started
Southwest Plaza first opened its doors in 1983. When it first opened, it had several big department stores. These included The Denver Dry Goods Company, May D&F, Montgomery Ward, Sears, and Joslins.
In 1987, a company that owned May D&F bought The Denver Dry Goods Company. Since they already had a May D&F store at the mall, the Denver Dry Goods store was sold. It then became a J. C. Penney store.
In 1993, the May D&F store changed its name. It became a store called Foley's.
Changes and New Stores
In 1998, the mall was sold to a new owner, General Growth Properties. They bought it for $64 million. Also in 1998, the Joslins store changed its name and became a Dillard's store.
Montgomery Ward closed all its stores across the country in 2001. This included the one at Southwest Plaza.
In 2006, the old Montgomery Ward space became a new Dillard's store. The old Dillard's store then split into two new stores: Dick's Sporting Goods and Steve & Barry's. In the same year, the Foley's store also changed its name and became a Macy's.
Steve & Barry's closed down in 2009. This happened because the whole chain of stores went out of business.
Mall Renovations and Recent Changes
In November 2015, the mall finished a big makeover. This renovation cost $75 million and took 18 months to complete. Around the same time, a popular restaurant called The Cheesecake Factory opened at the mall.
On August 6, 2019, it was announced that the Sears store at Southwest Plaza would close. It was part of a plan to close 26 Sears stores nationwide. The store officially closed in October 2019.
In October 2020, Macy's made a big change. They announced that the Macy's store at Southwest Plaza would no longer be open for shopping. Instead, it would become a center for sending out online orders. This means you can't shop inside that Macy's anymore.
Images for kids
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Vibe of the parking garage.
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Parking Garage next to JCPenney and present-day Dick's Sporting Goods gets demolished
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Steve and Barry's Closing Sale - Inside
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Steve and Barry's signage on outside of building
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Steve and Barry's Closing Sale - Inside, Alternate Perspective
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Store Closing Banners at one store entry
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Huge "STORE CLOSING" banner near main entry
