Rivercenter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the St. Paul RiverCentre, see RiverCentre.
| Rivercenter | |
 |
|
| Facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Antonio, Texas, USA |
| Opening date | 1988 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation |
| Owner | Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation |
| No. of stores and services | 100+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,060,000 sq ft (98,000 m²) |
| No. of floors | 4 |
| Website | www.shoprivercenter.com |
Rivercenter is a shopping mall located in downtown San Antonio, Texas along the River Walk. It is anchored by retailers Dillard's and Macy's, as well as a 38-story, 1,001-room Marriott hotel. The mall was purchased in 2005 by Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation.[1]
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[edit] History
Rivercenter opened in 1988 with San Antonio's first Lord & Taylor department store, an IMAX theater, as well as Dillard's. Part of the downtown redevelopment included an extension of San Antonio's famed River Walk into the Rivercenter lagoon.
Lord & Taylor, then owned by May Department Stores, was converted into a Foley's in 1989. In 2006, the space became Macy's after Macy's parent, Federated Department Stores, bought May Department Stores. The structure that houses Dillard's, an AMC Theatres, as well as other shops originally opened in 1887 as a freestanding Joske's at the corner of Alamo and Commerce streets. Several expansions from 1909 to 1953 brought the space to 551,000 square feet (51,200 m²). Joske's closed the flagship store for remodeling in 1987, planning to reopen in 1988, to coincide with the Rivercenter opening. But Dillard's acquired the Joske's chain shortly after the store closed for remodeling. The massive flagship store was divided up, with Dillard's occupying only a portion of the five-level building. The remaining area of the building was converted into lease space and a retail atrium for Rivercenter and an AMC movie theater. Even with the division of the building into other uses, portions of the structure, including 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m²). of space on the top two floors, as well as the old "bargain basement," remain unoccupied to this day.
In October 2006, plans were revealed to redevelop the property over a number of years.[2] Five-star restaurants and more outdoor seating would be added in the first phase of redevelopment. The redevelopment of the Joske's space would be the next phase. The Joske's facade along Commerce Street would be restored, bringing back the windows and brick that were covered in one of Joske's own renovations before Rivercenter was built, and tenants would be added for the currently vacant two upper floors. A luxury hotel would be added in the last phase, forcing a multi-level parking garage to close, but another parking garage would be built on another part of the property. San Antonio's Historic and Design Review Commission approved the redevelopment plan on October 4, 2006.[3] A grand re-opening is planned for 2008.[4]
It was reported in June 2008 that Ashkenazy purchased the historic Joske's building from Dillard's and plans to revitalize the landmark property as part of the property's redevelopment.[5][6][7]
[edit] Anchors
- Dillard's (opened 1887 as freestanding Joske's, became Dillard's 1988; only occupying 131,900 sq ft (12,250 m²). on two floors of 551,000 sq ft (51,200 m²). five-floor building)
- Macy's (opened 1988 as Lord & Taylor, became Foley's 1989, became Macy's 2006; 92,892 sq ft)
- IMAX Theater (34,467 sq ft)
[edit] References
- ^ N.Y. group acquires Rivercenter Mall, San Antonio Business Journal, July 8, 2005.
- ^ Redevelopment plans afoot for downtown mall. MySA.com (October 4, 2006). Retrieved on 9 October 2006.
- ^ Mall makeover plan gets tentative approval. MySA.com (October 5, 2006). Retrieved on 9 October 2006.
- ^ Downtown's updated Rivercenter is thriving, San Antonio Express-News, January 25, 2007.
- ^ New use for downtown Joske's, San Antonio Express-News, June 6, 2008.
- ^ Old Joske's building sold, downtown Dillard's to close, San Antonio Express-News, June 5, 2008.
- ^ Historic Joske's building purchased by Rivercenter Mall owners, San Antonio Business Journal, June 5, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Rivercenter website
- Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation website
- New owner needed to breathe fresh life into downtown mall, San Antonio Business Journal, September 17, 2004.
- Rivercenter Mall will be put on sales block, San Antonio Business Journal, April 17, 1998.
