Lake Forest Plaza

Lake Forest Plaza was a large enclosed shopping mall in New Orleans East, Louisiana. It opened in 1974 and became one of the most prominent commercial developments in the New Orleans metropolitan area. With approximately 1.2 million square feet of retail space, it was reported to be the largest shopping mall in Louisiana at its peak. The complex was developed and initially managed by Sizeler Realty, and its scale helped stimulate the growth of surrounding strip malls, stand-alone retailers, restaurants, and other commercial properties. The mall was designed as more than a conventional retail center. Its cloverleaf plan organized four principal retail wings around a central entertainment area known as Fiesta Plaza. The wings were identified as Santa Rosa Mall, Santa Ana Mall, Santa Maria Mall, and Santa Clara Mall. The central area included an ice-skating rink and what was described as one of the earliest food courts in the state. The original design used extensive earth-toned tile, skylights, trees, wood seating, and vertically displayed storefront signs to create a distinctive interior environment. The property also included cinemas and sit-down restaurants, making it a shopping, dining, and leisure destination rather than only a collection of stores. Its original anchor lineup included three-level D. H. Holmes and Maison Blanche stores and a two-level Sears. Maison Blanche and Sears had relocated from Gentilly Woods Shopping Center in New Orleans. A Mervyns store was subsequently added near the cinemas. The mall also hosted a broad mix of national chains, regional retailers, banks, specialty stores, restaurants, and family-oriented attractions. The reference material identifies local or early market entries for brands including Gap, Chick-fil-A, and GNC, alongside food operators such as Orange Julius, Baskin-Robbins, Karmelkorn, and Great American Cookie Company. The variety of tenants supported the mall's role as a regional destination and helped make it an important source of Orleans Parish sales-tax revenue. Lake Forest Plaza's fortunes changed during the economic downturn that followed the 1980s oil bust. New Orleans East lost population and purchasing power as residents moved toward the North Shore, Slidell, and Jefferson Parish. Competing centers, including North Shore Square and Lakeside Shopping Center, attracted shoppers and retailers that had once supported Lake Forest Plaza. The mall underwent a major renovation late in the 1980s, replacing its original brown and earth-toned finishes with a lighter white-and-aqua scheme and removing the ice rink. The renovation did not reverse the broader economic and competitive pressures. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the center experienced anchor departures, cinema closures, and the loss of many national retailers. Sears was the first major anchor to leave. After Dillard's acquired the D. H. Holmes chain, it closed rather than converted the Lake Forest Plaza Holmes location. The former Maison Blanche building later became a Dillard's, leaving that store as the principal remaining major anchor before Hurricane Katrina. As vacancies increased, portions of the mall were closed off and boarded up, while independent businesses serving a more urban customer base occupied some of the remaining space. A Grand Theatre was added as an outparcel in the early 2000s in an effort to revive the site. The mall had already closed before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Flooding caused by the failure of the federal levee system destroyed most of the remaining structures. The ruins were demolished in 2007. The former mall site was subsequently targeted for replacement by a Lowe's and a broader town-center-style development incorporating free-standing stores, parking structures, hotels, apartments, and condominiums. The Grand Theatre was also demolished by 2019. Lake Forest Plaza is therefore remembered both as an ambitious regional retail and entertainment complex and as a prominent example of a New Orleans-area mall whose decline was shaped by regional economic change, suburban competition, demographic movement, retailer consolidation, and disaster-related destruction.

Lake Forest Plaza opened in 1974 in New Orleans East as a major regional retail and entertainment complex. Developed and initially managed by Sizeler Realty, it occupied approximately 1.2 million square feet and was described as Louisiana's largest shopping mall at its height. The project was designed to anchor commercial growth in New Orleans East, then a relatively affluent area with substantial residential development. The center's physical plan distinguished it from a simple enclosed retail strip. Four named wings—Santa Rosa, Santa Ana, Santa Maria, and Santa Clara—extended from a central Fiesta Plaza. The middle of the mall contained an ice-skating rink, described in the reference material as the first in Louisiana, and an early food-court concept. Skylights, live trees, tiled surfaces, wood benches, and vertically mounted signs gave the interior a recognizable architectural identity. The complex also contained cinemas, sit-down restaurants, banks, and a broad selection of department stores and specialty merchants. D. H. Holmes, Maison Blanche, and Sears were the original principal anchors. Maison Blanche and Sears moved from Gentilly Woods Shopping Center, while Mervyns was added later near the cinema area. The tenant roster included apparel, shoes, books, toys, jewelry, home goods, pharmacies, financial services, and numerous food operators. The center's commercial importance extended beyond its walls: its opening encouraged nearby strip-center and big-box development, and at its peak it reportedly generated a quarter of the sales taxes collected in Orleans Parish. The property began to weaken after the regional economic decline associated with the 1980s oil bust. New Orleans East became less affluent, population shifted toward Slidell and the North Shore, and suburban centers such as North Shore Square and Lakeside Shopping Center competed for the same shoppers and department-store tenants. A late-1980s renovation changed the mall's interior from brown earth tones to a white-and-aqua palette and removed the ice rink, but the improvements could not overcome the underlying market changes. The decline continued through the 1990s. Sears closed first among the large anchors. Dillard's acquired D. H. Holmes and closed the Lake Forest Plaza location rather than converting it; Dillard's later occupied the former Maison Blanche building. The cinemas eventually closed after Gulf States Theatres concentrated operations at East Lake Cinema 8 across the interstate. National retailers departed in succession, and independent stores serving an urban clientele filled portions of the remaining space. Vacant corridors were closed with temporary walls, reducing the publicly accessible area and reinforcing the mall's reputation as a declining or dead shopping center. Ownership changed several times, with Gowri Kailas acquiring the property in July 1999. A Grand Theatre was added as an outparcel in the early 2000s as a last effort to bring new visitors to the site. The strategy did not restore the mall's former role. Lake Forest Plaza closed before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Flooding caused by the failure of the federal levee system destroyed most of the complex, and the surviving ruins were demolished in 2007. By 2019, the Grand Theatre had also been demolished. Plans for the former property called for a Lowe's and a broader town-center-style redevelopment with free-standing stores, parking structures, hotels, apartments, and condominiums.

• 2007

  Mall ruins demolished

  [1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The remaining structures are demolished after the Katrina destruction.

• 2005

  Hurricane Katrina flooding damages the closed mall

  [1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Levee failure and flooding destroy most of the already-closed complex.

• 1999

  Property acquired by Gowri Kailas

  [1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  After several ownership changes, the property is reported to have been acquired by Gowri Kailas in July.

• 1988

  Major renovation changes the interior

  [1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The mall replaces its original earth-toned finishes with a lighter white-and-aqua design and removes the ice-skating rink.

• 1980

  Reaches peak regional importance

  [1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  At its height, the center is described as accounting for approximately one-quarter of all sales taxes collected in Orleans Parish.

• 1974

  Lake Forest Plaza opens

  [1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The New Orleans East shopping center opens with approximately 1.2 million square feet, three major original anchors, an ice rink, food court, restaurants, and cinemas.

A large regional enclosed mall combining department stores, specialty retail, food service, dining, cinemas, and family entertainment.

• Retail property · 1974

  Enclosed regional shopping mall

  The core offering was a large enclosed retail environment organized into four themed wings around a central plaza. It provided department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, services, and entertainment under one roof.

• Entertainment and food service · 1974

  Fiesta Plaza ice rink and food court

  The central Fiesta Plaza combined an ice-skating rink with a food-court area and became a defining feature of the original design. Food operators included quick-service, snack, dessert, and casual dining businesses. The rink was removed during the late-1980s renovation.

• Department stores · 1974

  Department-store anchors

  D. H. Holmes, Maison Blanche, and Sears formed the original anchor group, with Mervyns added later. The anchor buildings supplied high-volume general merchandise and helped establish the mall as a regional destination.

• Cinema · 2000

  Grand Theatre

  Added as an outparcel in the early 2000s, the Grand Theatre was intended to provide a new entertainment draw during the mall's decline. It was later demolished.

• 2007

  Redevelop the demolished mall siteStrategy

  Background

  After Hurricane Katrina flooding destroyed most of the closed mall, the site required complete clearance and a new commercial concept.

  Action taken

  The ruins were demolished, with plans described for a Lowe's and a town-center-style mix of free-standing stores, garages, hotels, apartments, and condominiums.

  Aftermath

  The former mall ceased to exist as an enclosed shopping center. The Grand Theatre was also demolished by 2019.

  Source

• 2000

  Add an outparcel cinemaStrategy

  Background

  The shopping center was losing tenants and needed new reasons for consumers to visit.

  Action taken

  A Grand Theatre was developed as an outparcel in the early 2000s.

  Aftermath

  The entertainment addition did not restore the mall, which closed before Hurricane Katrina.

  Source

• 1988

  Undertake a major mall renovationStrategy

  Background

  The mall faced changing consumer patterns and worsening economic conditions in southern Louisiana after the oil bust.

  Action taken

  Management replaced the original earth-toned interior with a white-and-aqua design and removed the ice-skating rink.

  Aftermath

  The renovation did not halt the longer-term loss of anchors, cinemas, national retailers, and customer traffic.

  Source

• 2007

  Ruins demolished[1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The remains of Lake Forest Plaza were demolished after the hurricane-related destruction.

• 2005

  Hurricane Katrina flooding destroys the mall[1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  By the time Hurricane Katrina struck, the mall had already closed. Flooding following the failure of the federal levee system destroyed most of the remaining complex.

• 2000

  Grand Theatre added as a revival effort[1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  A Grand Theatre was developed as an outparcel in the early 2000s in an effort to add entertainment traffic and support the struggling shopping center.

• 1999

  Gowri Kailas acquires Lake Forest Plaza[1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The property was reported to have changed hands several times before being acquired by Gowri Kailas in July 1999.

• 1988

  Late-1980s renovation removes the ice rink[1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The mall received a substantial interior renovation that replaced its original earth-tone finishes with a lighter color scheme. The ice-skating rink was removed during the changes.

• 1974

  Lake Forest Plaza opens in New Orleans East[1]Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The large enclosed shopping center opened with major department-store anchors, specialty retailers, restaurants, and entertainment facilities.

1. 1Lake Forest Plazaen.wikipedia.org