LiveMalls

Monday, September 12, 2011

SouthPark; Charlotte, North Carolina. Morrison Boulevard facade, showing part of the Thalhimers(left) and Sears (right) facades. Photo taken from the Park Hotel, circa 1990. (Courtesy cantnot, via the North Carolina Room at the Charlotte Public Library)

SouthPark; Charlotte, North Carolina. Morrison Boulevard entrance, showing part of the Sears (right) facades. Photo taken August 7, 2002.

Previously on LiveMalls
SouthPark, circa 1990

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Belk-Beery, Wilmington, North Carolina. Billboard, 1985. (cantnot via New Hanover Public Library)

Belk-Beery, Independence Mall, Wilmington, North Carolina. Exterior entrance, 1979. (cantnot via New Hanover Public Library)

Belk-Beery, Independence Mall, Wilmington, North Carolina. Mall entrance, 1979. (cantnot via New Hanover Public Library)

Previously on LiveMalls
Belk, Independence Mall, Wilmington, North Carolina

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

former Macy's and Stern's (now Queens Place Mall); Elmhurst, Queens, New York

former Macy's and Stern's (now Queens Place Mall); Elmhurst, Queens, New York. Building under construction with the home of Ms. Mary Sondek in the foreground, circa 1965. (Life magazine, via Lou C.)

The above photo submitted by LiveMalls contributor Lou C. tells an interesting story.

In the early 1960s, the R.H. Macy Company began planning a new store in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York, near the Long Island Expressway. The building was originally planned as a traditional rectangular construction designed to replace several blocks of residences. However, the owner of the corner property, Mary Sondek, staunchly refused to sell what had been her childhood home.

Specifically, she reportedly refused to sell a 7×15-foot back corner of her lot to Macy's for $200,000 because she wanted her dog to have a place to play. As a result, the department store was reconfigured as a circle (with a small cut out of one side) overshadowing the tiny brown shingled house, where Ms. Sondek, a mother of six, continued to live until her death. Her home, that she fought so tenaciously to preserve, was soon leveled and a strip mall was squeezed into the site so close to Macy’s that the two are almost touching.

Despite the divot, the store was still considered the world's largest round retail building. Skidmore Owings & Merrill designed a circular, three-level building that echoed the futuristic pavilions of the 1964-65 World’s Fair just one mile away in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Behind the 142-yard diameter Macy’s rotunda were two circular parking ramps that gave access to the parking garage that ringed the entire structure allowing shoppers to park close to any department in the store. In front of the coliseum-like building was a smaller, circular First National City Bank which, with the parking ramps, gave the appearance of moons orbiting a planet.

Macy's no longer has a department store at this building, though there is a still a Macy's Furniture Gallery here. In 1995, it was converted to Stern's and later closed by Federated Department Stores. The building now contains the Queens Place Mall; and Macy's has a location at the nearby Queens Center.

Sources: Life magazine, The Universe of Discourse, Wikipedia, HollisNY.com

Saturday, March 19, 2011

USA Shopping Malls, Summer 1990

(c) Michael Galinksy

Taken nearly 21 years ago, this series of photos by Michael Galinksy capture a typical day at the mall as a moment in history at various locations across America, including Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove (Long Island), New York I think you'll like them. Click here for more.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Goodbye JCPenney (logo)

One of the most recognizable wordmarks of the 20th century is going away soon in a bid to attract younger shoppers. Retail giant JCPenney is rolling out a new logo in an attempt to rebrand themselves as a modern retailer.

The logo pictured above was designed by Massimo Vignelli and Jay Doblin's company Unimark and first appeared in late 1971. It was an attempt to craft a more contemporary, upmarket image for Penney stores, and also an homage to company founder James Cash Penney, who died shortly after the initial roll-out of the logo. The JCPenney logo was part of a comprehensive corporate identity program that in 1974 won an IDSA Special Award for the Advancement of Design

According to poster Bill B, at Brand New:

"the 'simple' Helvetica logotype was really the visual expression of a new philosophy that (Jay) Doblin had brought to the company. It had been called Penney’s, and Doblin rightly thought that implied cheap. He respected the founders' ideas and wanted to restore the name of the person who started the company to prominence. The logo would be the founders' 'signature' on everything the company did. and therefore it was not to be showy. It was a simple face and used discreetly — usually on the bottom and not big. There was not just one signature. Helvetica bold, medium, regular and light could be used depending on the situation. Regular was used most often and for signs, but light was used often for women’s apparel and bold was used in hardware. The identity system was meant to be the expression of a philosophy of doing business, and Jay was a fervent believer that design could accomplish such things."

Though it took almost 15 years to do so, the JCPenney logo eventually replaced a circa-1963 logo, affectionately known as Funky P, on all company materials and stores. For the last ten years, the logo has been featured in a red square.

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Belk; Hanes Mall, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Exterior view. Photographed January 30, 2011.

Belk; Hanes Mall, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Escalator well. Photographed November 26, 2010.

Belk; Hanes Mall, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Parking lot sign. Photographed January 30, 2011.

Belk; Hanes Mall, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Mall entrance. Photographed January 30, 2011.

Belk; Hanes Mall, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Upper level mall entrance. Photographed November 26, 2010.

Belk; Hanes Mall, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Upper level mall entrance. Photographed January 30, 2011.

Belk; Hanes Mall, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Lower level mall entrance. Photographed January 30, 2011.

Previously on LiveMalls
Belk, Hanes Mall

Monday, December 06, 2010

Macy's; Galleria Dallas, Dallas, Texas. Escalator well, circa 1986 (Richard Payne)

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Belk; Carolina Mall, Concord, North Carolina. View of secondary exterior entrance. Photographed November 20, 2010.

Previously on LiveMalls
Belk; Carolina Mall