Avondale Mall

Avondale Mall was an enclosed shopping center in DeKalb County, Georgia, with a Decatur mailing address. It stood near the intersection of Columbia Drive and Memorial Drive, close to the city of Avondale Estates. The property originally operated as Columbia Mall and opened in 1964. Its name reflected the surrounding road network and nearby community rather than a corporate brand with a broader national presence. At opening, the mall was one of the significant shopping destinations in the Atlanta area. It contained approximately 400,000 square feet of retail space arranged over two levels and was described as the second-largest mall in Atlanta at the time. Its original anchor tenants were Davison's and Sears. Macy's was involved in developing the center, while the tenant mix also included smaller retailers and a McCrory's variety store. The mall's enclosed format reflected the dominant suburban retail model of the period, concentrating department stores, specialty shops, services, and indoor pedestrian circulation in a climate-controlled environment. The property changed hands in 1983, when Cadillac Fairview and the Scott Hudgens Company acquired Columbia Mall and announced renovation plans. Sears subsequently announced that it would leave. Rather than leaving the former Sears building entirely unused, the redevelopment plan incorporated both floors into the mall and divided them into smaller retail spaces. A smaller Sears Outlet later occupied part of the lower level before the space was used by Goody's for a period. These changes illustrate the center's attempt to adapt after the loss of a major anchor, but they did not fully reverse its longer-term decline. Avondale Mall's competitive position weakened during the 1970s and 1980s as retail patterns changed and newer or more attractive shopping destinations drew customers away. The departure of major anchors in 1984 and 1995 made it increasingly difficult to sustain the center's original operating model. After the Davison's/Macy's anchor departed, its upper floor was converted into a 16-screen movie theater. The lower floor remained largely vacant, apart from a newly constructed stairwell linking the lower mall level to the theaters. The cinema appears to have extended the property's useful life, but the mall ultimately closed at the end of 2001. The site also has a connection to popular culture. In the spring and early summer of 1985, portions of the action film Invasion U.S.A., starring Chuck Norris, were filmed at the mall. The production used the property for interior and exterior shopping-center sequences, including vehicle-crash scenes at the main entrance and near the former Sears and Davison's areas. These sequences later became one of the more recognizable historical details associated with the otherwise locally focused property. Demolition began in February 2007. The remaining walls of the former Sears building were removed on March 21, 2007, completing the physical erasure of most of the mall complex. Plans for the replacement site included a Walmart Supercenter along with condominium and other commercial development. The redevelopment proposal encountered strong resistance from residents of nearby Avondale Estates, but the Walmart Supercenter opened in March 2008. Avondale Mall therefore represents the lifecycle of a mid-century regional shopping center: rapid early expansion, anchor loss and adaptive reuse, prolonged decline, closure, demolition, and replacement by a contemporary large-format retail project.

Avondale Mall began as Columbia Mall in 1964 in DeKalb County, Georgia, near Columbia Drive and Memorial Drive and close to Avondale Estates. The enclosed center contained about 400,000 square feet of retail space on two floors and was among the largest malls in the Atlanta area at opening. Davison's and Sears served as the original department-store anchors, and the center was developed with Macy's involvement. Its tenant mix also included smaller specialty retailers and a McCrory's variety store. The mall's fortunes weakened during the 1970s and 1980s as retail competition and shopping patterns changed. In 1983, Cadillac Fairview and the Scott Hudgens Company acquired the property and announced renovation plans. Sears then announced its departure. The former Sears building was incorporated into the renovation, with its two floors divided into smaller spaces. A Sears Outlet later occupied part of the lower level, followed for a time by Goody's. These adaptations sought to preserve the building's commercial usefulness after the loss of an anchor. The center also became a film location in 1985. Invasion U.S.A., an action film starring Chuck Norris, used the mall for interior and exterior scenes. The production filmed around the main entrance, in areas near the former Davison's and Sears ends, and on an escalator inside the old Sears building. The filming occurred after Sears had closed and before renovations were completed. A further anchor departure in 1995 accelerated the mall's decline. After Davison's, later associated with Macy's, left, the upper floor of that anchor building was converted into a 16-screen cinema. The lower floor remained mostly vacant, with a new stairwell connecting it to the theater level. Although the movie theater helped keep the property operating for several additional years, Avondale Mall closed at the end of 2001. Demolition began in February 2007. The final remaining walls of the old Sears structure were removed on March 21. Redevelopment plans replaced the mall with a Walmart Supercenter and areas intended for condominiums and other commercial uses. Residents of nearby Avondale Estates strongly opposed aspects of the Walmart plan, but the Supercenter opened in March 2008. The former mall is therefore defunct, and the original enclosed retail complex no longer exists.

• 2008

  Replacement Walmart opens

  [1]Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A Walmart Supercenter opens on the redeveloped former mall site.

• 2007

  Demolition is completed

  [1]Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Demolition begins in February, with the last two walls of the old Sears building removed on March 21.

• 2001

  Mall closes

  [1]Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Avondale Mall ends operations after a prolonged decline and difficulty replacing departed anchors.

• 1995

  Davison's/Macy's anchor space is repurposed

  [1]Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  After the department-store anchor leaves, its upper floor becomes a 16-screen movie theater while the lower floor remains largely vacant.

• 1985

  Film production takes place at the mall

  [1]Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Invasion U.S.A. films multiple action sequences at the property.

• 1984

  Sears leaves the mall

  [1]Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears closes its store, and the former anchor building is subsequently divided for other uses.

• 1983

  Ownership changes and renovation is announced

  [1]Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Cadillac Fairview and the Scott Hudgens Company acquire the mall and announce a renovation program.

• 1964

  Columbia Mall opens

  [1]Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed shopping center opens in DeKalb County with Davison's and Sears as its original anchors.

A large suburban regional shopping mall serving the Atlanta metropolitan area during the era of enclosed department-store centers.

• Shopping center · 1964

  Enclosed retail mall

  The core offering was a two-level enclosed shopping environment of approximately 400,000 square feet. It brought department stores, specialty retailers, services, and pedestrian circulation under one roof and functioned as a major suburban shopping destination in the Atlanta area during its earlier decades.

• Department stores · 1964

  Department-store anchors

  Davison's and Sears were the mall's original anchor tenants. Their presence supplied the large-scale merchandise and customer traffic on which the enclosed mall's broader specialty-retail ecosystem depended. Both anchors eventually departed, contributing to the property's decline.

• Entertainment · 1995

  16-screen movie theater

  After the Davison's/Macy's anchor left, the building's upper floor was converted into a 16-screen cinema. The theater was an adaptive-reuse effort intended to generate new visits and help sustain the mall after the loss of a department-store anchor.

• 2007

  Replacement of the mall with a large-format retail developmentStrategy

  Background

  After the mall closed in 2001, the obsolete complex was selected for redevelopment.

  Action taken

  The mall was demolished and plans were advanced for a Walmart Supercenter, condominiums, and other commercial space.

  Aftermath

  The plan faced strong resistance from nearby residents, but the Walmart Supercenter opened in March 2008.

  Source

• 1995

  Conversion of former department-store space into a cinemaStrategy

  Background

  The departure of the Davison's/Macy's anchor left a major portion of the mall without its former department-store function.

  Action taken

  The upper floor was converted into a 16-screen movie theater, while the lower floor remained largely vacant.

  Aftermath

  The cinema appears to have prolonged the mall's operation for several years, but the center closed at the end of 2001.

  Source

• 1983

  Acquisition by Cadillac Fairview and Scott HudgensM&A

  Background

  The mall required investment and repositioning as its original retail environment came under pressure from changing competition.

  Action taken

  Cadillac Fairview and the Scott Hudgens Company purchased Columbia Mall and announced renovation plans.

  Aftermath

  The former Sears building was divided into smaller spaces after Sears announced its departure, but the redevelopment did not prevent the mall's later decline.

  Source

1. 1Avondale Mallen.wikipedia.org