Town & Country Mall
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| Town & Country Mall | |
| Facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | Houston, Texas, USA |
| Opening date | 1983 |
| Closing date | 2005 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| No. of floors | 3 |
Town & Country Mall was an upscale shopping mall in Houston, Texas, competing with the then upscale West Oaks Mall and neighboring Memorial City Mall. It was supposed to surpass the older Memorial City Mall but never did due to its location. It is part of a Houston phenomenon of the older mall surviving newer malls.
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[edit] The New Mall: 1983–1990
In 1983, Town & Country Mall opened on Interstate 10 and Beltway 8 in Houston. The three-level mall debuted with anchor tenants Joske's (became Dillard's after 1987 acquisition), JCPenney, Marshall Field's (became Saks Fifth Avenue after Field's pulled out of Texas in 1997), and Neiman Marcus. The large, comfortable interior attracted residents from all over the surrounding area. Many large anchors, such as Dillard's, continued to flourish in the golden years of the mall.
The mall initially had a large food court on the third floor in the JC Penney wing, but it was soon replaced by a children's store called Twelve & Under, which offered a selection of toys and clothing in addition to a giant play structure. The only restaurant that remained in the food court area was a McDonald's. It featured booths within the inline store as well as seating out on the mall street. Numerous other restaurants were located throughout the rest of the mall.
By the late 1980s, Memorial City Mall, a nearby rival, was teetering on the brink of closure after Town & Country had taken the neighboring mall's 20-year grasp as the leading mall away. Town & Country was very popular through the 1980s, yet the 1990s saw a great depression.
[edit] Beginning of the End: 1991–2001
Town & Country had its rightful place as leader until the mid-1990s, when its popularity started to decrease. The mall was losing style with Houston shoppers as the interior became small and clogged while leasing space that was available could not handle larger stores that were demanded by many retailers. In fact, much of the mall's third level was vacant by the middle of the 1990s.
When the Beltway 8 and Interstate 10 interchange was built in 1989,[1] it obscured the view of the mall from the highways, giving Memorial City Mall an advantage since it was at the next Interstate 10 exit. Also, it was very hard to access the mall due to the limited amount of signage guiding people to the mall, and the clogged traffic of the Beltway 8 and Interstate 10 frontage roads. Saks Fifth Avenue replaced Marshall Field's in 1997 after Field's pulled out of Texas. That store closed in 2000 just before the JCPenney announced their closing sale. JCPenney pulled out in 2000 with the closing of several other stores nationwide. By the late 1990s, Town & Country was desperate for shoppers and tried to persuade them to come back by hosting model train conventions and such, but the mall never regained strength. By 2000, the mall was almost empty.
[edit] Closure: 2002–2005
In 2002, Memorial City Mall saw the time to regain its strength and started a huge renovation project. Dillard's then announced it would leave the mall and relocate to Memorial City after their lease expired in 2003. By 2004, only Neiman Marcus and a handful of national and local retailers remained, and when Dillard's relocated to Memorial City in favor of large, inexpensive retail space, Town & Country saw no other option but to close. JCPenney reopened inside the former Lord & Taylor space in Memorial City Mall after Lord & Taylor vacated the property in 2005. Late in 2004, the mall was demolished save for Neiman Marcus, which was slated to become part of a new development on the site of the former mall. However, Neiman Marcus later closed with an official closing sale in early 2006. The building has also since been demolished.
[edit] Remains
Nothing remains of the mall, except some nearby abandoned parking garages bordering the lot. The Town & Country Mall sign still stands on the Beltway 8 frontage road. The main area of the mall was a grassy lot for many months, yet is currently being redeveloped as CityCentre. The adjacent Town & Country Village developed with the mall is flourishing. The two movie locations, the former Loew's 3 and the former Town & Country 6 theaters, have also been demolished.
[edit] References
- ^ Slotboom, Oscar F. "Erik" (2003). Houston Freeways. Oscar F. Slotboom. ISBN 0-9741605-3-9. Also available in full online: Houston Freeways.
[edit] External links
- DeadMalls.com article about Town & Country Mall
- Wikimapia view of mall from satellite before demolishment, 2003
- CityCentre redevelopment
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North Houston Enclosed malls: Greenspoint Mall | Northline Mall | Northwest Mall West & Central Houston Enclosed malls: The Galleria | Memorial City Mall | West Oaks Mall South & Southwest Houston Enclosed malls: Almeda Mall | Sharpstown Mall Galveston & Southeast suburbs Enclosed malls: Baybrook Mall | Brazos Mall | Mall of the Mainland | Pasadena Town Square | San Jacinto Mall Fort Bend County/Greater Katy Enclosed malls: First Colony Mall | Katy Mills Northern suburbs/Montgomery County Enclosed malls: Deerbrook Mall | Willowbrook Mall | The Woodlands Mall |
