PlazAmericas
A Houston shopping mall formerly known as Sharpstown Center and Sharpstown Mall, repositioned around a Latin American and Hispanic-oriented retail and entertainment concept.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
PlazAmericas is a shopping mall in Houston, Texas, located at the northwest corner of Interstate 69/U.S. Route 59 and Bellaire Boulevard in the Sharpstown development of Greater Sharpstown. The property opened on September 14, 1961, as Sharpstown Center and became one of Houston’s earliest major suburban shopping destinations. It was the city’s third mall, following Gulfgate Mall and Meyerland Plaza, and was notable as Houston’s first fully air-conditioned mall. The opening took place only days after Hurricane Carla affected the region, but developer Frank Sharp chose to proceed with the event, presenting the center as a symbol of normality and economic confidence. Senator Ted Kennedy served as the principal speaker at the opening ceremony. The original center contained 43 stores on a single level. Its initial tenants included Foley’s, Montgomery Ward, Houston Trunk Factory, Battelstein’s, and Florsheim Shoes, as well as Sharpstown State Bank. The center benefited from its location within the expanding Sharpstown development and from the construction of the Southwest Freeway, now Interstate 69/U.S. Route 59. Frank Sharp donated land for the freeway, which improved regional access while also exposing the property to heavy traffic. By 1970, the mall had grown to 57 stores and was fully leased. A Texas-history clock diorama and a time capsule added civic and promotional elements to the original environment. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the property underwent a major expansion and modernization. A second floor was added between 1979 and 1980, increasing the store count to more than 200. JCPenney became an additional anchor, and a food court was created in the former Battelstein’s space. The mall was marketed as Sharpstown Mall during this period. It remained highly competitive for much of the 1980s; by February 1989, it was reported to be approximately 97 percent occupied. A further renovation costing about $50 million was completed in 1993, including a ten-screen Cineplex Odeon theater. The work was intended to retain Foley’s and strengthen the mall against the Galleria, Westwood Mall, West Oaks Mall, and other Houston-area retail developments. The center’s fortunes deteriorated from the late 1980s onward. Houston’s oil-related economic downturn, demographic change in surrounding neighborhoods, concerns about crime, and competition from newer suburban centers weakened the mall’s traditional customer base. The opening of First Colony Mall in Sugar Land in 1996 accelerated the loss of Fort Bend County shoppers and national retailers. JCPenney left in 1998, and other established tenants followed. The growth of big-box retail, discount stores, and online shopping added further pressure to the conventional department-store mall model. Ownership and financial problems intensified after 2000. Sharpstown Center Associates owned the property at the beginning of the decade, but the mall entered foreclosure in 2001, after which Travelers Insurance took ownership. Montgomery Ward’s nationwide liquidation removed another anchor, although Burlington Coat Factory subsequently occupied the former Montgomery Ward location. By the middle of the 2000s, the property had repositioned itself toward local and urban-oriented tenants. It received a Houston Press designation as “Best Hip-hop Mall” in 2006, and a radio studio operated from the center in 2007. Macy’s, which had inherited the former Foley’s location, announced its closure in December 2007; the store completed liquidation in March 2008. Finger Furniture also announced a closure in January 2008. That month, the mall entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while carrying more than $53 million in reported debt. The property was renamed PlazAmericas as part of a redevelopment strategy announced in 2009 by manager Boxer Property while RAIT Financial Trust owned the mall’s interior core. The new concept emphasized the Hispanic population of the surrounding trade area and introduced a Latin American marketplace identity. Plans called for approximately $10 million in improvements, a large mercado of roughly 83,000 square feet, smaller independent businesses, family amenities, live entertainment, and children’s facilities. The renamed property began displaying PlazAmericas signage in early 2010. The former JCPenney space was adapted into a marketplace and later associated with Latino City Jewelry Market, while other portions included grocery, service, furniture, cinema, jewelry, and specialty retail uses. In December 2018, Houston-based Baker Katz LLC acquired the main portion of the mall, while anchor parcels remained separately owned. PlazAmericas continues to operate as a distinctive, locally oriented shopping and services destination rather than as a conventional national department-store mall. Its current anchor and major-use tenants include Burlington, SuperNova Furniture, America Cinemas, La Sorella, Gold Factory & Imports, and Clarewood Supermercado. The property’s identity is closely tied to Houston’s Hispanic and Latin American communities, its long history in southwest Houston, and its adaptation from a postwar suburban department-store center into a multicultural marketplace.
History
PlazAmericas began as Sharpstown Center, a major component of Frank Sharp’s Sharpstown development in southwest Houston. The mall opened on September 14, 1961, shortly after Hurricane Carla affected the Houston area. Its launch was intended to project confidence and continuity despite the storm. The first-day attendance was relatively modest, with approximately 8,000 shoppers reported, but the center quickly established a lasting role in Houston’s retail history as the city’s first fully air-conditioned mall. The original one-level mall had 43 stores and featured Foley’s as its first suburban Houston location. Montgomery Ward, Houston Trunk Factory, Battelstein’s, Florsheim Shoes, and Sharpstown State Bank were among the early tenants. The center’s development was closely connected to transportation infrastructure. Frank Sharp donated a wide strip of land for the Southwest Freeway, helping make the mall accessible to a growing population while also contributing to the intense traffic around the site. Promotional features included a Texas-history clock display and a time capsule placed in the mall cornerstone. As Houston expanded through the 1960s and 1970s, the mall benefited from surrounding apartment construction, residential growth, new institutions, hospitals, dealerships, and employment connected to the energy sector. By 1970, it had 57 stores and was fully leased. Competition increased after the opening of The Galleria and Westwood Mall. The Galleria attracted upscale shoppers, while Westwood provided a more direct department-store competitor and better access to the rapidly developing Fort Bend County market. To respond, the mall underwent a major expansion beginning in 1979. A second floor was constructed, effectively doubling the retail area and bringing the store count above 200. JCPenney joined the anchor lineup, and a food court was established in the former Battelstein’s location. The property was promoted as Sharpstown Mall during this era. A significant renovation completed in 1993 added a ten-screen Cineplex Odeon theater and refreshed the center’s physical environment. In the late 1980s, occupancy remained strong, reaching approximately 97 percent in 1989 according to contemporary reporting. The mall’s decline developed over several decades. Houston’s oil glut harmed the local economy, and changes in nearby housing patterns were associated with lower household incomes and growing perceptions of crime. These factors weakened the mall’s appeal to established middle-class and professional shoppers. At the same time, newer retail centers offered easier access, newer buildings, larger parking areas, and more attractive tenant mixes. First Colony Mall in Sugar Land, which opened in 1996, particularly affected Sharpstown by drawing away shoppers from Fort Bend County. JCPenney closed its Sharpstown store in 1998, and other national retailers departed as customers shifted toward suburban centers, big-box stores, discount chains, and eventually online shopping. Financial instability became prominent after 2000. Sharpstown Center Associates owned the property at the beginning of the decade, but foreclosure in 2001 transferred ownership to Travelers Insurance. Montgomery Ward’s national liquidation removed another major anchor; Burlington Coat Factory later moved into that space. Foley’s remained the principal original anchor for a time, later becoming part of Macy’s. By the mid-2000s, the mall contained more local and urban-oriented tenants. The Houston Press recognized it as “Best Hip-hop Mall” in 2006, reflecting its changing customer base and cultural positioning. In 2007, Univision-owned KPTY operated a broadcast studio at the center. The last major traditional anchor departures occurred in 2007 and 2008. Macy’s announced the closure of its location in December 2007 and completed liquidation in March 2008. Finger Furniture also announced that it would close. In January 2008, the mall entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while carrying more than $53 million in reported debt. These events marked the end of the property’s classic department-store era. A repositioning followed under RAIT Financial Trust ownership and Boxer Property management. In 2009, the mall was renamed PlazAmericas. The new identity was explicitly designed to serve the Hispanic population in its surrounding trade area, which contemporary reporting described as a majority of the population within three miles. Proposed improvements included approximately $10 million in renovation work, a marketplace of roughly 83,000 square feet, family gathering space, live entertainment stages, children’s facilities, and room for hundreds of merchants. The project sought to replace the traditional anchor-driven model with a Latin American marketplace and community-oriented retail environment. The transition produced a property with a mixed tenant structure. The former JCPenney space became a marketplace associated with Latino City Jewelry Market and related retail and services. Other major uses include Burlington, furniture retail, cinema, jewelry, groceries, and specialty merchants. In December 2018, Baker Katz LLC acquired the main mall portion, while some anchor parcels remained under different ownership. PlazAmericas remains an active Houston retail property whose identity is based less on national department stores and more on Hispanic-oriented commerce, specialty services, entertainment, and local community relevance.
- 2018
Baker Katz acquires the main mall portion
[1]Baker Katz LLC purchased the main portion of the property while anchor parcels remained separately owned.
- 2010
The PlazAmericas name enters public use
[1]New signage appeared as the former Sharpstown Mall transitioned to its Latin American marketplace identity.
- 2009
PlazAmericas redevelopment is announced
[1]Boxer Property and RAIT Financial Trust announced a Hispanic-oriented repositioning and a planned marketplace redevelopment.
- 2008
Bankruptcy protection and anchor departures
[1]Macy’s and Finger Furniture announced closures, and the mall entered Chapter 11 protection amid substantial debt.
- 2006
Urban and hip-hop repositioning becomes visible
[1]The Houston Press recognized the property as “Best Hip-hop Mall,” reflecting its evolving tenant mix and audience.
- 2001
Foreclosure changes ownership
[1]The mall was seized in foreclosure, with Travelers Insurance taking ownership.
- 1998
JCPenney closes
[1]JCPenney left the mall as shoppers increasingly patronized newer suburban centers and competing locations.
- 1993
Major renovation and cinema addition
[1]A reported $50 million renovation included a new ten-screen Cineplex Odeon theater and updates intended to retain major tenants.
- 1989
Occupancy reaches approximately 97 percent
[1]Contemporary reporting identified the mall as one of the Houston area’s most fully occupied shopping centers.
- 1980
Expanded Sharpstown Mall opens
[1]The second floor opened after a 15-month project, and the property added JCPenney and a food court.
Products and positioning
A multicultural Houston shopping and entertainment destination with a strong Hispanic and Latin American orientation, emphasizing independent merchants, specialty retail, services, family amenities, and marketplace-style shopping.
Retail services · 1961
Shopping mall retail
PlazAmericas provides a multi-tenant retail environment rather than a single proprietary product line. Its tenant mix includes apparel, jewelry, furniture, groceries, specialty merchandise, and personal services. The property’s current format reflects its repositioning away from a traditional department-store mall toward a marketplace model serving local and Hispanic consumers.
Jewelry and specialty retail · 2010
Latino City Jewelry Market
Latino City Jewelry Market occupies the former JCPenney anchor area and represents the conversion of a large department-store footprint into a specialty marketplace. The space is associated with jewelry retail and a broader collection of smaller businesses and services, illustrating PlazAmericas’ post-redevelopment tenant strategy.
Grocery retail
Clarewood Supermercado
Clarewood Supermercado is a supermarket-oriented offering within the mall’s Hispanic and Latin American retail environment. Its presence broadens the center beyond discretionary mall shopping and supports the property’s marketplace positioning by providing food and grocery products for nearby residents.
Entertainment
America Cinemas
America Cinemas provides movie entertainment within the current PlazAmericas tenant mix. Cinema use continues the property’s long-standing role as an entertainment destination, which previously included the ten-screen Cineplex Odeon complex added during the 1993 renovation.
Apparel retail · 2002
Burlington
Burlington occupies the former Montgomery Ward anchor space. The store provides off-price apparel and related merchandise and became a major tenant after Montgomery Ward closed its Sharpstown location during its nationwide liquidation.
Controversies
1971
Sharpstown scandal and the mall’s associated bank
Sharpstown State Bank, an original component of the development, later closed in the aftermath of the Sharpstown scandal. The controversy involved developer Frank Sharp, banking interests, and members of the Texas Legislature. The mall was not itself accused of wrongdoing, but its original development and bank were part of the historical setting.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009PlazAmericas Hispanic-market redevelopment
Houston · Greater Houston Hispanic community
The mall announced a repositioning around Hispanic shoppers, using a Latin American plaza and mercado concept with independent merchants, live entertainment, family space, and children’s amenities.
Outcome. The property adopted the PlazAmericas name in 2010 and developed a more locally oriented, specialty-retail tenant base.
- 2006Urban mall identity
Houston
The property promoted itself as an urban shopping destination and gained cultural recognition through a Houston Press “Best Hip-hop Mall” designation.
Outcome. The campaign-era identity reflected the mall’s transition from national department-store retail toward local, urban, and culturally specific tenants.
Brand decisions
2018
Baker Katz acquisitionM&ABackground
The mall operated with a mixture of separately owned anchor parcels and a main interior retail portion.
Action taken
Baker Katz LLC acquired the main portion of PlazAmericas.
Aftermath
The acquisition established a Houston-based owner for the principal mall component, while anchor ownership remained divided.
2009
Decision to rename and reposition as PlazAmericasStrategyBackground
The former Sharpstown Mall had experienced prolonged decline, anchor departures, vacancy, and bankruptcy-related financial stress.
Action taken
Management announced a Latin American-themed identity, an intended $10 million renovation, a large mercado, family facilities, live entertainment, and a tenant strategy aimed at Hispanic consumers.
Aftermath
The name changed publicly in 2010, and the mall developed a more specialized mix of jewelry, grocery, furniture, cinema, services, and independent retail.
Planned renovation investment. Approximately $10 million (Announced 2009)
2008
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filingOtherBackground
The mall had lost major anchors and faced sustained pressure from newer suburban centers, big-box retail, changing demographics, and online commerce.
Action taken
The property entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while reportedly carrying more than $53 million in debt.
Aftermath
The financial restructuring preceded a new operating and branding strategy focused on Hispanic-oriented marketplace retail.
Reported debt. More than $53 million (January 2008)
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