Mercury Plaza Mall

Mercury Plaza Mall was a shopping center in Hampton, Virginia, that opened in 1967 as Mercury Plaza. It is notable for being described as the first indoor shopping complex on the Virginia Peninsula. The center initially combined enclosed retail space with major anchor tenants, including Roses, Montgomery Ward, and Giant Open Air Supermarket. Its development reflected the expansion of suburban retailing in the Hampton Roads region during the 1960s, when enclosed malls and large-format department and grocery stores became important destinations outside traditional downtown districts. Roses was the center's first anchor store. During the mid-1980s, the property was renamed Mercury Plaza Mall, while Montgomery Ward relocated to nearby Coliseum Mall. The former Montgomery Ward space was subsequently associated with Home Quarters Warehouse and Circuit City. In 1987, the remaining enclosed portion of the mall was demolished and replaced by a Burlington Coat Factory store, which opened at the site in November of that year. This redevelopment ended Mercury Plaza's operation as a conventional enclosed shopping mall and left it functioning more as an open shopping center anchored by individual large-format stores. The retail mix continued to contract over the following years. Home Quarters Warehouse departed by the end of the 1980s, while Roses and Giant, later associated with the Farm Fresh supermarket name, left during the early 1990s. Circuit City remained at the property until April 2002 and was reportedly the only other retailer remaining at the center besides Burlington Coat Factory. The decline illustrates the competitive pressure faced by older shopping centers as newer regional malls, power centers, and remodeled retail properties attracted tenants and customers. Mall Properties, a New York City-based company, owned both Mercury Plaza and Coliseum Mall. In July 2003, the company decided to move Burlington Coat Factory to Coliseum Mall. By September 2003, Mercury Plaza had become vacant, and the original shopping-center structures were demolished. The property therefore survives primarily as a historical example of early enclosed retail development on the Virginia Peninsula rather than as an active shopping destination.

Mercury Plaza was developed in Hampton, Virginia, and opened in 1967. At the time, it was identified as the Virginia Peninsula's first indoor shopping complex, placing it among the region's early purpose-built suburban retail destinations. Its initial tenant and anchor lineup included Roses, Montgomery Ward, and Giant Open Air Supermarket. These stores gave the property a combination of apparel, department-store, and grocery traffic, helping it serve as a broad retail destination for nearby communities. The center underwent a significant change in the mid-1980s. It adopted the name Mercury Plaza Mall, but Montgomery Ward moved from the property to Coliseum Mall. The vacated anchor space was replaced by Home Quarters Warehouse and Circuit City, reflecting the period's shift toward warehouse-style home-improvement retail and specialized consumer-electronics stores. The change also connected Mercury Plaza's history with Coliseum Mall, which was owned by the same New York City-based company, Mall Properties. In 1987, the enclosed part of the property was razed. Burlington Coat Factory replaced the former mall structure with a store that opened in November 1987. This redevelopment removed Mercury Plaza's status as an enclosed shopping mall, transforming it into a more conventional open shopping center organized around freestanding or individually accessible retail buildings. Home Quarters Warehouse left by the end of the decade. Roses and Giant later departed in the early 1990s; the Giant operation was subsequently associated with the Farm Fresh supermarket name. Circuit City remained at the center until April 2002. According to the available historical account, it was then the shopping center's only remaining retailer other than Burlington Coat Factory. The concentration of occupancy in two stores indicated the property's long-term decline as a retail destination. In July 2003, Mall Properties decided to move Burlington Coat Factory to Coliseum Mall. By September of that year, Mercury Plaza was vacant. The original structures were subsequently demolished, ending the site's life as a shopping center. Mercury Plaza's historical importance lies less in a continuing retail brand than in its role in the development and decline of suburban shopping infrastructure in Hampton. It began as an early enclosed complex, adapted through anchor replacement and physical redevelopment, and ultimately disappeared after losing its principal tenants.

• 2003

  Vacancy and demolition

  [1]Mercury Plaza Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Mall Properties moved Burlington Coat Factory to Coliseum Mall in July. Mercury Plaza was vacant by September, and the original shopping-center structures were later demolished.

• 2002

  Circuit City departure

  [1]Mercury Plaza Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Circuit City left Mercury Plaza in April 2002, leaving Burlington Coat Factory as the center's only other reported remaining retailer.

• 1987

  Enclosed mall structure demolished

  [1]Mercury Plaza Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The remaining enclosed portion of the mall was demolished and replaced by a Burlington Coat Factory store, which opened at the property in November. Mercury Plaza consequently ceased operating as an enclosed shopping mall.

• 1985

  Renaming and anchor-store changes

  [1]Mercury Plaza Mallen.wikipedia.org

  During the mid-1980s, the property adopted the Mercury Plaza Mall name. Montgomery Ward relocated to Coliseum Mall, while Home Quarters Warehouse and Circuit City took over retail space associated with the former anchor area.

• 1967

  Opening as Mercury Plaza

  [1]Mercury Plaza Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Mercury Plaza opened in Hampton, Virginia, and became the Virginia Peninsula's first indoor shopping complex. Roses served as its first anchor, alongside Montgomery Ward and Giant Open Air Supermarket.

A regional suburban shopping center that began as an early enclosed mall and later transitioned into a smaller open retail center before closing and being demolished.

• Department store · 1967

  Roses

  Roses was Mercury Plaza's first anchor store and provided broad general-merchandise and apparel traffic when the center opened in 1967.

• Department store · 1967

  Montgomery Ward

  Montgomery Ward was one of the original major anchors at Mercury Plaza. It later relocated its store to Coliseum Mall during the mid-1980s.

• Supermarket · 1967

  Giant Open Air Supermarket

  Giant Open Air Supermarket supplied grocery-oriented traffic and was one of the center's original primary anchors. The operation later became associated with the Farm Fresh name before leaving in the early 1990s.

• Apparel retailer · 1987

  Burlington Coat Factory

  Burlington Coat Factory replaced the demolished enclosed mall structure and opened at Mercury Plaza in November 1987. It was the property's principal remaining retailer until its move to Coliseum Mall in 2003.

• Consumer electronics retailer

  Circuit City

  Circuit City occupied space at Mercury Plaza after the mid-1980s redevelopment and remained until April 2002, when it departed as the center's tenant base had substantially contracted.

• 2003

  Relocation of Burlington Coat FactoryStrategy

  Background

  By 2003, Burlington Coat Factory was the principal remaining retailer at Mercury Plaza after Circuit City and earlier tenants had left.

  Action taken

  Mall Properties decided to move Burlington Coat Factory from Mercury Plaza to Coliseum Mall in July 2003.

  Aftermath

  Mercury Plaza was vacant by September 2003, and its original structures were subsequently demolished.

  Source

• 1987

  Conversion from enclosed mall to open retail centerStrategy

  Background

  The enclosed portion of Mercury Plaza had become subject to redevelopment after anchor-store changes and the relocation of Montgomery Ward.

  Action taken

  The enclosed structure was demolished and replaced with a Burlington Coat Factory store, ending the property's operation as a traditional indoor mall.

  Aftermath

  Mercury Plaza continued as an open shopping center, but its tenant base later declined as Home Quarters, Roses, Giant, and eventually Circuit City departed.

  Source

1. 1Mercury Plaza Mallen.wikipedia.org