Memorial City Mall
A large regional shopping mall and entertainment destination in west Houston, Texas.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Memorial City Mall is a large regional shopping and entertainment complex in west Houston, Texas, located approximately 11 miles west of downtown at the junction of Interstate 10 and Gessner Road. It sits within the Memorial City area and is adjacent to Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, forming part of a broader commercial, medical, hospitality, and mixed-use district associated with MetroNational. The property is also located within the Memorial City Management District, whose formal legal designation is Harris County Municipal Management District No. 1. The center originated in the mid-1960s as Memorial City Shopping Center. Construction began in October 1963 with freestanding Sears and Weingarten's buildings. Sears opened on October 16, 1964, and MetroNational founder Joseph Johnson subsequently developed the wider shopping center around those initial stores. The Stanley-Warner Memorial Theater began operating on July 23, 1966, and the remainder of the center was formally dedicated on August 25 of that year. The early property expanded through the 1970s, adding Montgomery Ward, Foley's, and Lord & Taylor, eventually reaching about 1.3 million square feet of leasable space. During the 1980s and 1990s, Memorial City faced increased competition from the nearby Town & Country Mall, which opened in 1983 with upscale tenants including Neiman Marcus and Marshall Field's. Memorial City responded with renovations and the 1989 launch of Fame City, a family entertainment complex featuring indoor miniature golf, rides, an arcade, a teen disco, roller skating, and a cinema. The concept did not reverse the center's decline, and several department-store changes followed. Lord & Taylor left in 1989 and was replaced by Mervyn's. The downturn in Houston's economy during the 1980s oil glut, along with changing traffic patterns and the later deterioration of Town & Country Mall, shaped the competitive environment. A major revival began in the early 2000s through an approximately $500 million renovation and redevelopment program carried out from 2001 to 2005. The work added more than 100 retail shops, reconfigured and replaced anchor buildings, extended the east concourse, built parking garages, and introduced family-oriented amenities. Montgomery Ward was closed and demolished, while a new Foley's opened in 2001. Dillard's and Target opened in 2003, and a children's play area and NHL-standard ice rink were added as part of the continuing modernization. Department-store consolidation later converted Foley's locations to Macy's, while JCPenney replaced Lord & Taylor in 2006. Mervyn's also closed and was demolished. The complex expanded its entertainment offer with a 16-screen Cinemark theater with stadium seating, opened in May 2007 near Sears. From 2009 to 2010, a pedestrian skyway was built across Gessner Road to connect the mall with a 267-room Westin hotel at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center. The hotel opened in March 2011 and strengthened the area's integration of retail, healthcare, hospitality, and business uses. Memorial City Mall's tenant mix has continued to change as department-store retail evolved. Sears, the first major building on the site, closed in November 2018, and its structure was demolished in 2020. The mall remains an active Houston retail destination anchored by Target, JCPenney, Macy's, Dillard's, and Cinemark, with additional shopping, dining, recreation, and family-oriented services.
History
Memorial City Mall developed from a group of commercial buildings assembled in west Houston during the 1960s. Construction of freestanding Sears and Weingarten's stores began in October 1963, with Sears opening the following year. MetroNational founder Joseph Johnson then developed the surrounding Memorial City Shopping Center. Its cinema opened on July 23, 1966, and the balance of the center was dedicated on August 25, 1966. The property expanded during the 1970s. Montgomery Ward opened in 1972 with a new wing, Foley's arrived in 1974 with an east-wing addition, and Lord & Taylor opened in 1977 with a western expansion. These projects brought the center to roughly 1.3 million square feet of leasable area. The mall's competitive position weakened after Town & Country Mall opened nearby in 1983 with a more upscale tenant mix. Memorial City attempted to regain traffic through renovations, specialty conventions, and the Fame City entertainment complex, which launched in 1989. Fame City included indoor miniature golf, children's rides, an arcade, a teen disco, roller skating, and a cinema, but it did not produce a lasting turnaround. The center experienced numerous anchor changes in the late 1980s and 1990s. Lord & Taylor was replaced by Mervyn's in 1989. Town & Country Mall later suffered from difficult access, reduced visibility during Sam Houston Tollway construction, and the effects of Houston's oil-sector downturn. Dillard's moved from Town & Country to Memorial City in 2003, Town & Country closed in 2004, and JCPenney moved from that former competing center to Memorial City in 2006. Memorial City's principal revival occurred through an approximately $500 million renovation and redevelopment program carried out from 2001 to 2005. Montgomery Ward closed and was demolished, a larger two-level Foley's opened in 2001, and the former Foley's site was subsequently redeveloped. Lord & Taylor briefly returned in a new two-level store in 2002. In 2003, the center opened an extended east concourse, Dillard's, Target, and new parking structures. A children's play area and an NHL-standard ice rink were added during the continuing renovation. Foley's stores later became Macy's, while Lord & Taylor was replaced by JCPenney in 2006. Mervyn's closed in 2006 and its building was demolished. Entertainment and hospitality became increasingly important to the property. The former Loew's eight-screen theater closed in 2002 after its operator, Trammell Crow Co., entered bankruptcy proceedings. Cinemark opened a new 16-screen stadium-seating theater in May 2007. Between 2009 and 2010, Memorial City added a pedestrian skyway across Gessner Road to the adjacent medical-center complex; the connected 267-room Westin hotel opened in March 2011. Sears, the first major building on the original site, closed in November 2018. Its building was demolished in 2020. The active center continues to operate as a regional retail and entertainment destination with Target, JCPenney, Macy's, Dillard's, Cinemark, restaurants, specialty shops, and family amenities.
- 2020
Original Sears building is demolished
[1]The Sears building, which had opened in 1964, is demolished following the store's 2018 closure.
- 2011
Westin connection opens
[1]A pedestrian skyway links the mall to the Westin hotel at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center.
- 2007
Cinemark theater opens
[1]A 16-screen stadium-seating Cinemark theater opens adjacent to Sears.
- 2006
JCPenney replaces Lord & Taylor
[1]JCPenney opens at the center after Lord & Taylor closes; Mervyn's also closes during the same year.
- 2003
East concourse, Dillard's, and Target open
[1]The revitalization adds a longer east concourse, new parking structures, Dillard's, and Target.
- 2001
Redevelopment program accelerates
[1]A multiyear renovation begins, including the closure and demolition of Montgomery Ward and construction of a new Foley's.
- 1989
Fame City launches
[1]The center adds a large indoor family entertainment complex as part of its response to local competition.
- 1983
Nearby Town & Country Mall opens
[1]A competing mall opens roughly one mile west, intensifying pressure on Memorial City.
- 1977
Lord & Taylor expansion
[1]Lord & Taylor opens as an anchor with a western wing, bringing the center to approximately 1.3 million square feet of leasable space.
- 1974
Foley's opens
[1]Foley's opens with the center's east-wing expansion.
Products and positioning
A large regional shopping center positioned as a family-oriented retail, dining, entertainment, and hospitality destination serving west Houston and the surrounding Memorial area.
Shopping center · 1966
Retail shopping
Memorial City Mall provides a broad regional shopping mix through department stores, mass-market retail, specialty shops, apparel stores, beauty businesses, home-related merchandise, and other consumer services. Its principal current anchors identified in the reference material are Target, JCPenney, Macy's, and Dillard's. The tenant mix has changed repeatedly as department-store chains entered, consolidated, relocated, or closed.
Food and beverage
Dining and food services
Restaurants and food-service businesses complement the mall's retail offer and support its positioning as a destination for shopping, family visits, and leisure. Specific current restaurant brands are not identified in the supplied reference material.
Entertainment · 1989
Family entertainment amenities
The center has used entertainment to broaden its appeal beyond conventional retail. Historic and redevelopment-era amenities included the Fame City indoor entertainment complex, a children's play area, an NHL-standard ice rink, and specialty conventions. These initiatives reflect the property's effort to attract families and increase dwell time.
Cinema · 2007
Cinemark movie theater
A 16-screen Cinemark theater with stadium seating opened in May 2007 near the Sears building. It replaced the earlier eight-screen Loew's theater as the major cinema facility associated with the mall's entertainment offer.
Marketing campaigns
- 2001Memorial City revitalization program
Houston metropolitan area
A large-scale redevelopment sought to modernize the mall, add more than 100 shops, replace aging anchor buildings, improve parking, and create a broader family-oriented destination.
Outcome. The program ran through 2005 and repositioned Memorial City as a major regional retail and entertainment center.
- 1989Fame City family entertainment strategy
Houston metropolitan area
Memorial City introduced Fame City, an indoor entertainment complex with miniature golf, rides, an arcade, a teen disco, roller skating, and a cinema to counter competition from the nearby Town & Country Mall.
Outcome. The concept was not successful in reversing the center's decline, and Memorial City later pursued a much larger redevelopment program.
Brand decisions
2009
Integration with the adjacent medical and hotel districtStrategyBackground
Memorial City Mall is adjacent to Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center and the surrounding commercial district.
Action taken
A pedestrian skyway was constructed across Gessner Road to connect the mall with a new Westin hotel at the medical center.
Aftermath
The connection was completed after construction from 2009 to 2010, and the 267-room hotel opened in March 2011, linking retail, healthcare, and hospitality uses.
2007
Cinemark entertainment expansionProduct launchBackground
The previous eight-screen Loew's theater had closed in 2002.
Action taken
A new 16-screen Cinemark theater with stadium seating opened near Sears.
Aftermath
The theater restored and expanded the mall's cinema offer as part of its retail-and-entertainment positioning.
2003
Opening of new east concourse and anchor facilitiesProduct launchBackground
The redevelopment required replacement and expansion of older anchor-store space.
Action taken
Memorial City opened an extended east concourse, Dillard's, Target, and two parking garages.
Aftermath
The additions increased the center's retail capacity and strengthened its position after the closure and demolition of older facilities.
2001
Commitment to a major mall redevelopmentStrategyBackground
Memorial City faced aging facilities and competition from the nearby Town & Country Mall, while the surrounding west Houston area was returning to economic prosperity.
Action taken
The property undertook an approximately $500 million renovation and redevelopment program that added retail space, replaced anchor buildings, expanded circulation, and introduced family amenities.
Aftermath
The redevelopment continued through 2005 and was followed by new anchor relocations, a Cinemark theater, and stronger integration with nearby medical and hospitality facilities.
Redevelopment investment. (2001-2005)
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/memorial-city-mall · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled