Westwood Mall (Houston, Texas)
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| Westwood Mall | |
 The Sears at Westwood Mall, which is still open for business |
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| Facts and statistics | |
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| Location | Houston, Texas, USA |
| Opening date | 1975 |
| Closing date | 1998 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| No. of floors | 2 |
Westwood Mall was a shopping mall located in the Westwood business development in Houston, Texas.
Westwood Mall opened in 1975 with anchors Joske's and Sears, along with over 60 stores. The mall was two stories, featuring a food court. The unconventional main entrance had escalators and an elevator from the first floor foyer to the second floor mall level instead of going directly to the food court that was blocked by the escalator/elevator. Unlike the front entrance, the rear entrance led directly to the food court. Joske's was converted to Dillard's in 1987.
At the time that it was built, it was located in the Alief section of unincorporated Harris County; the area was annexed by Houston shortly thereafter. The mall, which was located at the intersection of U.S. Route 59 and Bissonnet Street, always had difficulty competing with nearby and more established Sharpstown Mall. However, the area surrounding the mall was considered prime real estate and Westwood also benefited from being the closest mall to rapidly growing Fort Bend County. Additionally, many car dealerships were built around the mall to serve customers from new residential developments in the surrounding areas. Many of these dealerships are still in operation today and remain successful even after the mall's demise. Even new ones were built--a BMW dealership opened in the late 1990s.
In 1988, the mall completed a renovation that added skylights and improved the mall's overall image. At one point, Westwood considered adding Foley's as a third anchor, which would have resulted in the chain closing its store at Sharpstown Mall. However, Sharpstown Mall underwent its own renovation in 1993 which added several new features including an eight-screen movie theater, taking a bite out of Westwood's sales figures and renaming itself Sharpstown Center. Additionally, crime began to plague the area surrounding Westwood, including two incidents at the mall itself in only a two-month span. [1] [2]
Westwood Mall was doomed when First Colony Mall in Sugar Land opened in 1996. In 1998, Westwood's owners decided to convert the mall into a high-tech office center. Currently with the exception of Sears which still operates its store that opened before Westwood ever did, the mall is occupied by offices. The mall today operates as the Southwest Technology Center.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Houston Business Journal, Telecheck eyes old Dillard's space in Westwood Technology Center, October 30, 1998.
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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 |
