Palm Springs Mall

Palm Springs Mall was a shopping center in Palm Springs, California, serving the city and surrounding communities in the Coachella Valley. The property began as an open-air shopping center conceived in 1959 by oilman and land developer Ray Ryan and A.R. Simon, president of Seeterrra, Inc. Its original tenant mix combined everyday retail with entertainment, including a Market Basket supermarket and a 24-lane bowling center. The development was planned by the Los Angeles architectural firms Meyer and Kanner and Leitch and Cleveland, with construction undertaken by Ernest W. Hahn and Leonard Wolf. The center was substantially expanded in 1965. A 289,000-square-foot enclosed and air-conditioned addition transformed the open-air property into a regional mall and led to the name Palm Springs Shopping Center Mall. The expansion added a J.C. Penney department store and a range of services and attractions, including Bank of America, Thrifty Drugstore, Winchell’s Donut House, restaurants, a coffee shop, a cocktail lounge, an ice-skating rink, and an indoor-outdoor children’s play area. In 1969, the property adopted the shorter Palm Springs Mall name. At its peak, it was promoted as a major retail destination for shoppers from both the Coachella Valley and neighboring desert communities. The mall’s anchor strategy changed repeatedly. J.C. Penney departed in 1983 for the newly developed Palm Desert Town Center. A major renovation followed in 1986, adding a food court, new retail space, updated interior and exterior design, parking improvements, landscaping, and lighting. Kmart occupied the former J.C. Penney space, while local retailer The Alley was also added. Walker Scott, which had opened at the mall in 1970, closed around the renovation period. Buffums then opened in the former Walker Scott location on October 18, 1989, in a ceremony attended by Palm Springs mayor Sonny Bono. Buffums was later replaced by Harris-Gottschalks. By the 2000s, declining customer traffic led to increasing vacancies and the relocation or closure of important tenants. Gottschalks, the mall’s remaining major anchor, closed in 2009 after entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Other tenants, including Vons, True Value, Ross Dress for Less, and OfficeMax, also left or moved to other locations. Haiming Tan acquired the property in 2012 for $9.2 million. Beginning in 2014, College of the Desert explored purchasing the site for a satellite campus. Tan and his company, YTC Investments, resisted the sale, leading to a legal dispute involving the college’s use of eminent domain and concerns about notification and municipal involvement. In 2017, a representative for the owner said the property was intended for a mixed residential and commercial redevelopment. After approximately four years of litigation, College of the Desert acquired the former mall for $22 million. Demolition began in May 2019, ending the physical life of the shopping center and clearing the site for a planned college campus redevelopment. Palm Springs Mall therefore shifted from a regional retail and entertainment destination to a discontinued commercial property whose land was intended for educational and community use.

Palm Springs Mall originated in early 1959, when land developer Ray Ryan and A.R. Simon, president of Seeterrra, Inc., developed plans for a new shopping center in Palm Springs. Meyer and Kanner and Leitch and Cleveland, both Los Angeles architectural firms, were engaged to design the project. Ernest W. Hahn and Leonard Wolf were contracted to build it. The initial development was conceived as an open-air center and combined conventional retail with entertainment. Market Basket agreed to operate a supermarket, while a Southern California bowling operator arranged a lease for a 24-lane facility. The bowling center opened in late October 1959 after an investment reported at the time as $1 million and occupied approximately 25,000 square feet, with expansion plans for additional lanes. The property’s decisive transformation came in 1965, when work began on a large enclosed and air-conditioned addition measuring approximately 289,000 square feet. The expansion included a J.C. Penney department store and added financial, pharmacy, food-service, restaurant, and leisure uses. Bank of America, Thrifty Drugstore, Winchell’s Donut House, a restaurant, coffee shop, cocktail lounge, ice-skating rink, and children’s play area were among the uses associated with the enlarged center. The property was then known as Palm Springs Shopping Center Mall. In April 1969, it was shortened to Palm Springs Mall, and contemporary promotion presented it as a retail hub for communities across the Coachella Valley and the neighboring high and low desert areas. Anchor changes became a recurring feature of the mall’s history. Walker Scott opened in 1970, giving the center a second department-store anchor. J.C. Penney left in 1983 for Palm Desert Town Center. In 1986, the property underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation designed by David L. Christian Associates of Palm Springs. The work added a food court and retail units, introduced Kmart into the former J.C. Penney space, and refreshed the facade, interior, parking area, landscaping, and lighting. Walker Scott closed shortly after the renovation. Buffums opened in its former space in October 1989, but the store was eventually replaced by Harris-Gottschalks. The mall weakened during the 2000s as customer traffic fell and vacancies accumulated. Gottschalks, by then the only major anchor, closed in 2009 after the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Vons, True Value, Ross Dress for Less, and OfficeMax were also reported to have closed or relocated. In 2012, Haiming Tan purchased the property for $9.2 million. Two years later, College of the Desert proposed acquiring the site for a satellite campus. Tan declined to sell, and the college pursued court action using eminent domain. The owner’s attorneys challenged aspects of the process, including alleged failures to notify Tan or YTC Investments and concerns about city involvement. The owner’s representative said in 2017 that the preferred plan involved residential and commercial development. After a four-year legal battle, College of the Desert acquired the former mall for $22 million. Demolition started in May 2019, formally ending the shopping center’s existence. The site was subsequently associated with plans for a new educational campus, representing a transition from private retail development to public-serving institutional redevelopment.

• 2019

  Demolition begins

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The former mall was demolished beginning in May for planned educational redevelopment.

• 2012

  Property is purchased by Haiming Tan

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Tan acquired the mall property for $9.2 million.

• 2009

  Gottschalks closes

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall’s remaining major anchor closed following the retailer’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

• 1989

  Buffums opens

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Buffums occupied the former Walker Scott space before later being replaced by Harris-Gottschalks.

• 1986

  Major renovation is completed

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The property received a new design, food court, retail space, Kmart, parking improvements, landscaping, and lighting.

• 1983

  J.C. Penney departs

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  J.C. Penney moved to the newly constructed Palm Desert Town Center.

• 1970

  Walker Scott opens

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  San Diego-based department store Walker Scott became a second anchor at the mall.

• 1969

  Property becomes Palm Springs Mall

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The longer Palm Springs Shopping Center Mall name was replaced by Palm Springs Mall.

• 1965

  Enclosed mall expansion begins

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A 289,000-square-foot air-conditioned addition converted the center into an enclosed regional mall and added J.C. Penney.

• 1959

  Initial open-air shopping center is developed

  [1]Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Ray Ryan and A.R. Simon organized the project, which opened with retail uses and a 24-lane bowling center.

A regional shopping and entertainment destination serving Palm Springs and the wider Coachella Valley, with a tenant mix spanning department stores, groceries, services, restaurants, and recreation.

• Shopping and entertainment destination · 1965

  Enclosed regional mall

  Palm Springs Mall provided an enclosed, air-conditioned retail environment with department stores, grocery and drug retailers, financial services, restaurants, specialty shops, a food court, and recreational attractions. Its customer base extended beyond Palm Springs into communities throughout the Coachella Valley and surrounding desert areas.

• Entertainment · 1959

  Bowling center

  The original shopping center included a 24-lane bowling facility opened in 1959. The approximately 25,000-square-foot venue added an entertainment component to the center and was planned with possible future expansion to 32 lanes.

• Food service and recreation · 1986

  Food court and leisure facilities

  The 1986 renovation added a food court and expanded the mall’s customer amenities. Earlier facilities included an ice-skating rink, restaurants, a coffee shop, a cocktail lounge, and an indoor-outdoor children’s play area.

• 2014

  Proposed conversion to a College of the Desert satellite campusStrategy

  Background

  Declining retail activity and vacant space prompted College of the Desert to consider the site for educational redevelopment.

  Action taken

  The college offered to purchase the property; after the owner declined, it pursued acquisition through eminent domain.

  Aftermath

  After several years of litigation, the college acquired the property for $22 million and demolition began in 2019.

  Acquisition price. $22 million (Acquisition following the eminent-domain dispute)

  Source

• 1986

  Major modernization and tenant repositioningStrategy

  Background

  The departure of J.C. Penney and changing retail conditions created a need to refresh the property and replace anchor space.

  Action taken

  Owners undertook a multimillion-dollar renovation, added a food court and retail units, and leased the former J.C. Penney space to Kmart.

  Aftermath

  The mall received updated facilities and new anchor positioning, although Walker Scott later closed and the property eventually entered a prolonged decline.

  Source

• 1965

  Decision to enclose and expand the shopping centerOther

  Background

  The original open-air center was expanded to meet regional demand and accommodate a larger tenant and anchor mix.

  Action taken

  Developers added a 289,000-square-foot enclosed, air-conditioned section and recruited J.C. Penney.

  Aftermath

  The property became a larger regional mall and was subsequently renamed Palm Springs Shopping Center Mall.

  Source

1. 1Palm Springs Mallen.wikipedia.org