Lakeside Shopping Center

Lakeside Shopping Center, commonly known as Lakeside, is a regional shopping mall at 3301 Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. The center opened on March 24, 1960, as the first regional shopping mall in the New Orleans area. It began as an open-air development anchored by D. H. Holmes, JCPenney, and Godchaux's, reflecting the expansion of suburban retailing around New Orleans during the postwar period. The property was enclosed in 1969 and subsequently expanded and modernized through several stages. A major early change occurred in 1975, when JCPenney reopened in a new two-level location. The former JCPenney space was then redeveloped for additional retail uses, helping Lakeside become one of the largest shopping centers in Louisiana. D. H. Holmes, one of the original anchors, was converted to Dillard's in 1989. A food court was added after that transition, followed by further improvements that included a new Macy's store and a parking garage. Macy's opened at the center in 2008. The mall's more recent retail mix includes large department stores and prominent specialty retailers. Its listed major anchors are Apple, Dillard's, Macy's, JCPenney, and Zara. Zara opened at Lakeside in 2014, adding an internationally recognized fast-fashion tenant to the center's established department-store base. The property also includes more than 120 stores and restaurants, together with satellite-format tenants such as Dick's Sporting Goods and LOFT. Lakeside is described as a 967,000-square-foot, or approximately 89,800-square-meter, mall and as the largest and busiest mall in Greater New Orleans. Its positioning is primarily regional: it combines everyday shopping, department-store retail, fashion, technology, sporting goods, dining, and other services in a single enclosed center. The mall's history illustrates the evolution of American shopping-center formats from open-air suburban retail to enclosed regional malls and later mixed tenant and experiential retail environments. The center remained in operation after Hurricane Katrina, sustaining only minor damage according to the available reference material. Its continued presence in Metairie makes it a long-established retail destination for the New Orleans metropolitan area.

Lakeside Shopping Center opened on March 24, 1960, in Metairie, Louisiana, as the first regional shopping mall in the New Orleans area. Its original configuration was an open-air shopping center with D. H. Holmes, JCPenney, and Godchaux's serving as anchor tenants. The project represented the growth of suburban retailing around New Orleans and provided a large-scale alternative to traditional downtown department-store shopping. In 1969, Lakeside was converted into an enclosed mall. This change aligned the property with the increasingly common American regional-mall model, in which a climate-controlled interior and a concentrated collection of department stores and specialty retailers supported year-round shopping. The property continued to expand after enclosure. On November 5, 1975, JCPenney reopened in a new two-level store. The original JCPenney location was gutted and repurposed for additional retail space, increasing the mall's capacity and contributing to its position as one of Louisiana's largest shopping centers. The anchor lineup changed as the American department-store industry consolidated. D. H. Holmes, an original anchor, became Dillard's in 1989. A food court was added soon afterward, broadening Lakeside's role beyond traditional merchandise shopping and providing a common dining area for visitors. Later redevelopment brought a new Macy's store and a new parking garage. Macy's opened in 2008, adding another major department-store operator to the center. The mall's subsequent retail development included renovation of the food court and the arrival of Zara. Zara opened at Lakeside in 2014, giving the property a prominent international fashion tenant and reinforcing its appeal to shoppers seeking contemporary apparel. The listed major anchors are Apple, Dillard's, Macy's, JCPenney, and Zara. The center also contains more than 120 stores and restaurants, with satellite tenants including Dick's Sporting Goods and LOFT. Lakeside is identified as a 967,000-square-foot regional mall, equivalent to approximately 89,800 square meters. It is described as the largest and busiest mall in Greater New Orleans. The property serves a broad regional audience through a combination of department stores, fashion, electronics, sporting goods, dining, and services. Its tenant history and physical changes show a progression from open-air retail center to enclosed regional mall and then to a continuously refreshed shopping destination with a mix of traditional anchors and modern specialty brands. The center also experienced the environmental disruption associated with Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The available reference describes the mall as suffering only minor damage. No further ownership, management, financial, or executive information is established by the supplied material.

• 2014

  Zara opens

  [1]Lakeside Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Zara opened a store at Lakeside as part of the center's later tenant and food-court redevelopment.

• 2008

  Macy's opens

  [1]Lakeside Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A new Macy's department store opened during a later phase of mall expansion.

• 2005

  Hurricane Katrina impact

  [1]Lakeside Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The mall reportedly sustained only minor damage from Hurricane Katrina.

• 1989

  D. H. Holmes is replaced by Dillard's

  [1]Lakeside Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Dillard's took over the original D. H. Holmes anchor location.

• 1975

  New two-level JCPenney opens

  [1]Lakeside Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney reopened in a new two-level location on November 5, 1975, and its former space was redeveloped for other retailers.

• 1969

  Conversion to an enclosed mall

  [1]Lakeside Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The original open-air center was enclosed as part of its first major format transformation.

• 1960

  Opening as an open-air regional shopping center

  [1]Lakeside Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Lakeside opened in Metairie on March 24, 1960, with D. H. Holmes, JCPenney, and Godchaux's as its original anchors.

A large regional enclosed shopping center serving Greater New Orleans, combining department stores, national specialty retailers, restaurants, and services.

• Retail format

  Department-store retail

  Lakeside's department-store offering includes Dillard's, Macy's, and JCPenney. These anchors provide broad assortments across apparel, accessories, beauty, home goods, and other general merchandise, giving the center a substantial everyday and seasonal shopping base.

• Apparel · 2014

  Fashion retail

  Fashion is represented by specialty retailers including Zara and LOFT. Zara's presence adds an internationally recognized contemporary fashion offer, while the broader mall assortment complements department-store apparel with more focused clothing and accessory formats.

• Consumer electronics

  Apple Store

  The Apple Store is one of Lakeside's listed major anchors. It provides access to Apple's consumer technology products and related retail and support services, contributing an electronics and technology destination to the center's otherwise broad merchandise mix.

• Dining

  Food court and restaurants

  Lakeside includes a food court and more than 120 stores and restaurants overall. The food-court addition expanded the property's role as a shopping and dining destination, while later renovation helped maintain the dining component as part of the mall's ongoing redevelopment.

• Sporting goods

  Sporting-goods retail

  Dick's Sporting Goods is identified as a satellite tenant associated with Lakeside. Its presence broadens the center's merchandise coverage into sporting equipment, athletic apparel, footwear, and related recreational products.

• 2014

  Add Zara and renovate the food courtProduct launch

  Background

  The center's later redevelopment included refreshed dining facilities and an effort to broaden its fashion offer.

  Action taken

  The food court was renovated and Zara opened at Lakeside.

  Aftermath

  The mall added a prominent international fashion tenant while updating its dining environment.

  Source

• 2008

  Add a new Macy's anchorProduct launch

  Background

  Lakeside underwent later expansion that included a new department-store component and parking infrastructure.

  Action taken

  A new Macy's store opened at the mall.

  Aftermath

  Macy's became one of the center's listed major anchors.

  Source

• 1989

  Convert the D. H. Holmes anchor to Dillard'sOther

  Background

  D. H. Holmes was one of Lakeside's original anchor stores.

  Action taken

  The location became a Dillard's store.

  Aftermath

  Dillard's became a continuing major anchor in the mall's department-store lineup.

  Source

• 1975

  Replace and redevelop the JCPenney spaceGeneration change

  Background

  JCPenney was an original anchor at Lakeside.

  Action taken

  JCPenney reopened in a new two-level store, while the former location was redeveloped for additional stores.

  Aftermath

  The change increased the mall's retail capacity and supported its growth as one of the largest shopping centers in Louisiana.

  Source

• 1969

  Enclose the open-air centerStrategy

  Background

  Lakeside began as an open-air regional shopping center in 1960.

  Action taken

  The property was converted into an enclosed mall.

  Aftermath

  The conversion established the enclosed regional-mall format that shaped Lakeside's subsequent expansion.

  Source

1. 1Lakeside Shopping Centeren.wikipedia.org