Park Lane Centre
A former enclosed shopping mall and retail complex in Reno, Nevada, originally opened as Park Lane Centre in 1967.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Park Lane Centre was a major shopping destination in Reno, Nevada, that developed from an open-air retail complex into the enclosed Park Lane Mall before closing and being demolished in 2007. The property occupied the southeast corner of South Virginia Street and Plumb Lane, west of Reno–Tahoe International Airport and south of central Reno. Its location placed it within one of Reno's principal commercial corridors and gave it access to both established neighborhoods and regional visitors. Construction began on November 5, 1964, with architectural work attributed to Victor Gruen Associates and Charles Luckman Associates. The development opened in phases. A large Sears store began operating in 1965, ahead of the main center, and the broader complex officially opened on March 9, 1967, with 23 stores. The original open-air project provided approximately 600,000 square feet of gross leasable area and represented a reported investment of $10 million at the time. Its early anchor lineup included Sears, Weinstock's, Roos/Atkins, and Joseph Magnin. Weinstock's joined the center in the summer of 1967 with a three-level, air-conditioned department store. Park Lane Centre became the dominant shopping mall in the Reno area during its stronger years. In 1979, Macerich acquired the property and subsequently undertook substantial changes, including enclosing the mall and adopting the Park Lane Mall name. The redevelopment reflected the period's broader movement toward climate-controlled, enclosed regional shopping centers. The mall's competitive position weakened from the 1990s onward. Joseph Magnin had already departed, Sears relocated to Meadowood Mall in 1995, and Weinstock's closed in 1996 after its parent company was acquired by Federated Department Stores. Meadowood Mall, located roughly three miles to the south and more than twice the size of Park Lane, became Reno's leading regional shopping destination. Efforts to stabilize Park Lane included converting the former Sears space to a Gottschalks department store in 1996 and opening a Century Theatres cinema in 1998 after the former Weinstock's building was removed. These interventions did not reverse the property's decline. Park Lane Mall closed in January 2007 and was demolished in the fall of that year. Gottschalks, one of the remaining major occupants, closed in late 2008 amid the retailer's bankruptcy and liquidation. Century Theatres, together with several banking outparcels, remained after the mall's demolition. The land remained substantially vacant for several years following the Great Recession. Reno Land acquired the site in 2016 and began a redevelopment program in 2019. In 2020, the project adopted the Reno Experience District name, ending the legacy Park Lane identity. The mixed-use plan has included residential buildings, hotels, retail space, a market hall, coworking facilities, a technology campus, and a public park. The new complex opened to the public on November 6, 2021. As of 2025, the former mall site contains Century Theatres, apartment communities, hotel properties, a park, and banking outparcels, while substantial portions remain undeveloped.
History
Park Lane Centre emerged during the expansion of automobile-oriented retail development in postwar Reno. Construction began in November 1964 under the architectural direction of Victor Gruen Associates and Charles Luckman Associates. A new Sears department store opened on the property in 1965, two years before the main shopping center, and was substantially larger than Sears's previous downtown Reno location. The principal center opened on March 9, 1967, with 23 stores. Developed as an open-air mall, it ultimately provided about 600,000 square feet of gross leasable area. Its early department-store and specialty anchors included Sears, Weinstock's, Roos/Atkins, and Joseph Magnin. Weinstock's opened during the summer of 1967 in a three-story, air-conditioned building featuring Portuguese marble at ground level. The combination of large anchors, specialty retailers, and a convenient location made Park Lane one of the Reno area's leading shopping destinations. Macerich purchased the mall in 1979. During Macerich's ownership, the property underwent major modernization, including enclosure of the previously open-air shopping areas. The renamed Park Lane Mall reflected the prevailing regional-mall format, in which climate-controlled interiors and department-store anchors were used to attract shoppers across a broad metropolitan area. The center began losing strategic importance during the 1990s. Joseph Magnin closed, Sears moved to the newer Meadowood Mall in 1995, and Weinstock's shut its Park Lane location in 1996 after Federated Department Stores acquired Weinstock's parent company. Meadowood Mall, situated approximately three miles away and more than twice Park Lane's size, became Reno's dominant mall. Park Lane's owners attempted to reposition the property by bringing in Gottschalks in the former Sears space in 1996 and adding a Century Theatres cinema in 1998. The cinema project involved removing the former Weinstock's building. The repositioning was insufficient to overcome declining traffic and anchor losses. Park Lane Mall closed in January 2007 and was demolished during the fall. Gottschalks remained temporarily but closed in late 2008, shortly before the retailer entered bankruptcy and liquidated its stores. Century Theatres and banking facilities associated with Colonial Bank, later Heritage Bank of Nevada, and Wells Fargo survived the mall demolition. The former mall parcel remained underused for several years, a condition associated in the reference material with the effects of the Great Recession. Reno Land acquired the land in 2016. Redevelopment began in 2019, with plans for a large mixed-use district combining housing, hospitality, retail, a market hall, coworking space, a technology campus, and a public park. The project was renamed the Reno Experience District in 2020, formally ending the Park Lane name on the redeveloped property. The new district opened to the public on November 6, 2021. By 2025, the site included Century Theatres, three luxury apartment complexes, Kasa Archive and Element by Westin hotel properties, a one-acre park, and the surviving bank outparcels, although a considerable portion of the planned district was still undeveloped.
- 2021
Reno Experience District opens
[1]The successor mixed-use project opened to the public on November 6.
- 2020
Reno Experience District identity introduced
[1]The redevelopment was renamed the Reno Experience District, replacing the historic Park Lane branding.
- 2019
Mixed-use redevelopment begins
[1]Construction began on a planned mixed-use district incorporating housing, hotels, retail, workspaces, technology facilities, and open space.
- 2016
Reno Land buys the site
[1]Reno Land acquired the former mall land after several years of limited use.
- 2007
Mall closes and is demolished
[1]Park Lane Mall closed in January, and the former mall structures were demolished in the fall.
- 1998
Century Theatres opens
[1]A new Century Theatres cinema opened after the former Weinstock's building was demolished.
- 1996
Gottschalks replaces Sears
[1]Gottschalks opened in the former Sears space as part of an effort to revive the property.
- 1995
Sears relocates to Meadowood Mall
[1]The Sears anchor moved from Park Lane to the newer Meadowood Mall, weakening Park Lane's regional appeal.
- 1979
Macerich acquires the mall
[1]Macerich purchased the property and later carried out major updates, including enclosing the mall and changing its name to Park Lane Mall.
- 1967
Park Lane Centre opens
[1]The main center opened on March 9 with 23 stores as an open-air shopping complex.
Products and positioning
A regional shopping center serving Reno-area consumers, initially positioned as a prominent open-air retail destination and later as an enclosed mall with department-store anchors and entertainment.
Retail property · 1967
Regional shopping mall
Park Lane Centre began as an open-air retail complex of approximately 600,000 square feet of gross leasable area. It offered department stores, specialty shops, apparel retailers, and consumer services, later becoming an enclosed mall after Macerich's ownership and redevelopment work.
Department stores · 1965
Department-store anchors
The center's principal anchors included Sears and Weinstock's, with specialty department stores Joseph Magnin and Roos/Atkins also occupying prominent spaces. Later anchor changes included Gottschalks in the former Sears location. These stores formed the mall's primary regional-shopping offer.
Entertainment · 1998
Century Theatres
Century Theatres opened at the property in 1998 as an entertainment-oriented addition intended to support the mall's repositioning. The cinema was one of the few businesses from the former mall to remain after the shopping center was demolished.
Brand decisions
2020
Transition to the Reno Experience DistrictStrategyBackground
The former mall land was being transformed into a mixed-use development after years of vacancy and the end of the Park Lane retail format.
Action taken
The redevelopment adopted the Reno Experience District name and moved away from the Park Lane Mall identity.
Aftermath
The successor district opened in 2021 with residential, hospitality, retail, entertainment, and public-space components.
1998
Century Theatres added to the propertyProduct launchBackground
Park Lane sought to add entertainment traffic while its department-store base was weakening.
Action taken
A new Century Theatres cinema opened after the former Weinstock's building was demolished.
Aftermath
The cinema survived the mall's 2007 demolition and remained part of the later site.
1996
Anchor replacement with GottschalksStrategyBackground
Sears had relocated to Meadowood Mall in 1995, leaving a major vacant anchor position at Park Lane.
Action taken
Gottschalks opened in the former Sears space as part of an attempt to revive the mall.
Aftermath
The replacement did not restore Park Lane's former dominance, and Gottschalks later closed in 2008 during the retailer's bankruptcy and liquidation.
1979
Enclosure and renaming of the mallStrategyBackground
After acquiring the open-air Park Lane Centre, Macerich pursued modernization intended to strengthen the property as a conventional regional mall.
Action taken
The shopping center was enclosed and adopted the Park Lane Mall name.
Aftermath
The updated format supported the mall through the following decade, but later anchor departures and competition from Meadowood Mall contributed to a prolonged decline.
Recent events
- 2021
Reno Experience District opens to the public[1]
Other
The mixed-use redevelopment of the former mall property officially opened on November 6, 2021.
- 2020
Former Park Lane property adopts Reno Experience District name[1]
Other
The redevelopment project replaced the historic Park Lane identity with the Reno Experience District name.
- 2016
Reno Land acquires former Park Lane site[1]
M&A
Reno Land purchased the land after it had remained largely vacant for several years following the mall's closure and demolition.
- 2008
Gottschalks exits the former Park Lane property[1]
Bankruptcy
Gottschalks closed its remaining store at the site in late 2008 before the department-store company entered bankruptcy and liquidated its stores.
- 2007
Park Lane Mall closes after prolonged decline[1]
Other
The Reno shopping mall closed in January 2007 after losing major anchors and facing sustained competition from Meadowood Mall.
- 2007
Park Lane Mall demolished[1]
Other
The former mall buildings were demolished later in 2007, although Century Theatres and several banking properties survived on or near the site.
Sources1 sources
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