Six Flags Mall
A former enclosed regional shopping mall in Arlington, Texas, that operated from 1970 until its final closure in 2016 and was demolished by 2017.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Six Flags Mall was an enclosed shopping center in Arlington, Texas, located at the intersection of East Division Street, also designated State Highway 180, and State Highway 360 between Fort Worth and Dallas. It opened in August 1970 as Arlington’s first enclosed shopping center and the first regional shopping facility in the area. The mall took its name from the nearby Six Flags Over Texas theme park, rather than from an ownership relationship with the theme-park company. At opening, it was described as the largest shopping center in Tarrant County and became an important retail destination for the northern and central parts of Arlington. The property prospered during the 1970s and 1980s, when enclosed regional malls were major retail and social destinations. Its tenant mix included several large department stores and a range of smaller interior retailers. The competitive environment changed substantially after The Parks at Arlington opened in south Arlington in 1988. Customer traffic and retailer demand at Six Flags Mall weakened over the following decade, and the center entered a prolonged decline. JCPenney, one of its principal anchors, closed in 1997. Dillard’s and Sears followed in 2002. The former Foley’s location, originally occupied by Sanger-Harris, closed in January 2005. Dillard’s later returned to the property in March 2005 as a clearance center after the closure of Forum 303 Mall, but this did not restore the mall to its former regional role. By 2008, the property had entered foreclosure and only about a dozen stores remained inside the mall. At a December 2011 auction, the principal remaining attractions were the Dillard’s Clearance Center and Cinemark Tinseltown 9, a bargain-oriented movie theater showing first-run films. American Motorcycle Trading Company continued operating in an out-lot as of early 2012. The combination of anchor-store departures, reduced occupancy, competition from newer retail centers, and the broader deterioration of the enclosed-mall format left the property largely underused. In December 2012, private investor G. L. “Buck” Harris acquired approximately one-third of the mall, including the former JCPenney anchor, and proposed converting the property into a Hispanic-oriented shopping center called Plaza Central. The proposed redevelopment was intended to introduce new tenants, restore commercial activity, and eventually transfer the property to Youth With A Mission, a Christian outreach organization. The plan encountered zoning disputes with the City of Arlington, leading Harris to file a federal lawsuit against the city. Arlington’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved plans for an overhaul of the approximately 22.5-acre site on September 20, 2013. The property reopened under the Plaza Central name in October 2014, but the revival was short-lived. It closed again in February 2016, roughly a year and a half after reopening. Demolition began during the summer of 2016 and was delayed by litigation involving Cinemark. Two separate two-alarm fires occurred during the demolition process, on February 6 and March 2, although the available reference material does not establish their cause or the extent of any injuries or financial losses. The mall was completely demolished by around mid-2017. After demolition, the site was designated for industrial redevelopment rather than another conventional shopping mall. The planned use was an automobile-parts supplier park intended to serve the nearby General Motors Arlington Assembly plant. Six Flags Mall therefore represents both the rise of regional enclosed shopping in North Texas and the later conversion of an obsolete mall property into industrial space. It is no longer an operating retail center, and Plaza Central was a short-lived redevelopment identity rather than a continuing successor brand.
History
Six Flags Mall opened in August 1970 at 2831 East Division Street in Arlington, Texas, near the intersection with State Highway 360. Its location placed it between Fort Worth and Dallas and within the growing suburban retail geography of the Dallas–Fort Worth region. The mall was named for the nearby Six Flags Over Texas theme park. It was Arlington’s first enclosed shopping center and initially represented the regional-mall model that dominated American retail during the latter half of the twentieth century. At its peak, the center served as a significant shopping destination for Arlington and surrounding communities. Its anchor lineup included JCPenney, Sears, Dillard’s, and a store that began as Sanger-Harris and later operated as Foley’s. The mall flourished through the 1980s, but its competitive position weakened after The Parks at Arlington opened in south Arlington in 1988. The newer center drew shoppers and retailers toward a newer, more concentrated regional retail environment. The decline became more pronounced during the 1990s and early 2000s. JCPenney closed in 1997, followed by Dillard’s and Sears in 2002. The former Foley’s anchor closed in January 2005. Dillard’s later occupied its former space again as a clearance center in March 2005, following the closure of Forum 303 Mall, but the clearance format was not equivalent to the full regional department-store operation that had previously supported the property. By 2008, the mall was in foreclosure and only approximately a dozen interior stores remained. The property’s retail presence contracted further by the time it was put up for auction in December 2011. The Dillard’s Clearance Center and Cinemark Tinseltown 9 were the main remaining attractions inside the former regional mall, while American Motorcycle Trading Company continued operating from an out-lot. The situation illustrated the separation of surviving entertainment and specialty uses from the increasingly vacant enclosed retail interior. In early December 2012, private investor G. L. “Buck” Harris acquired the former JCPenney anchor and approximately one-third of the mall property. Harris proposed redeveloping the site as Plaza Central, a Hispanic-oriented shopping center intended to bring in new tenants and restore the property’s commercial viability. The proposal also contemplated eventually donating the property to Youth With A Mission, a Christian outreach organization. Implementation was delayed by zoning issues with the City of Arlington, and Harris filed a federal lawsuit against the city in connection with the dispute. On September 20, 2013, Arlington’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved plans to overhaul the approximately 22.5-acre property. The center reopened as Plaza Central in October 2014, but the relaunch did not produce a durable operating business. The property closed again in February 2016. Demolition began in the summer of 2016 and was slowed by litigation filed by Cinemark. Two separate two-alarm fires occurred during the demolition period, on February 6 and March 2. The available source material does not provide a definitive cause for the fires or detailed information about damages. By around mid-2017, the shopping mall had been completely removed. Rather than being replaced by another enclosed mall, the site was rebuilt for industrial use, with plans for an automobile-parts supplier park serving the nearby General Motors Arlington Assembly plant. Six Flags Mall’s history consequently spans the expansion of enclosed regional retail, the effects of newer mall competition and anchor-store departures, an unsuccessful adaptive-reuse attempt under the Plaza Central name, and the conversion of obsolete retail land to industrial-support development.
- 2017
Mall is completely demolished
[1]The former mall is removed by around mid-year, clearing the way for industrial redevelopment.
- 2016
Plaza Central closes and demolition begins
[1]The redevelopment closes in February; demolition starts later in the year and is complicated by litigation and two fires.
- 2014
Reopens as Plaza Central
[1]The property reopens in October under the Plaza Central name.
- 2013
Planning commission approves overhaul
[1]Arlington’s Planning and Zoning Commission approves plans for the approximately 22.5-acre redevelopment site.
- 2012
Plaza Central redevelopment is proposed
[1]G. L. “Buck” Harris acquires a substantial portion of the property and proposes a Hispanic-oriented redevelopment under the Plaza Central name.
- 2011
Property goes to auction
[1]The mall is placed up for auction in December, with the clearance center and movie theater among the last notable operations.
- 2008
Mall enters foreclosure
[1]The property enters foreclosure with only a small number of interior retailers remaining.
- 2005
Former Foley’s closes; Dillard’s Clearance Center opens
[1]The former Sanger-Harris/Foley’s location closes in January, while Dillard’s reopens in a clearance-center format in March.
- 2002
Dillard’s and Sears close
[1]Two additional anchor stores depart as the mall’s long-term decline accelerates.
- 1997
JCPenney closes
[1]JCPenney leaves the property, removing one of the center’s major department-store anchors.
Products and positioning
Originally positioned as Arlington’s principal enclosed regional shopping center and a major retail destination in Tarrant County. Its later Plaza Central concept sought to reposition the property as a Hispanic-oriented shopping center, but that format did not achieve a lasting reopening.
Enclosed regional shopping center · 1970
Six Flags Mall
The original enclosed shopping-center complex opened in 1970 and combined department-store anchors with smaller interior retailers, food services, and later entertainment uses. It served Arlington and nearby communities as a regional retail destination before losing traffic and tenants after the opening of newer competition in south Arlington.
Hispanic-oriented shopping-center redevelopment · 2014
Plaza Central
Plaza Central was the proposed and briefly operating redevelopment identity for part of the former Six Flags Mall property. The concept sought to attract tenants and shoppers through a Hispanic-oriented retail positioning. The site reopened under this name in October 2014 but closed again in February 2016.
Cinema
Cinemark Tinseltown 9
Cinemark Tinseltown 9 was a nine-screen movie theater associated with the property during its declining years. It showed first-run films at bargain rates and remained one of the mall’s principal attractions after most interior retail tenants had departed.
Department-store clearance retail · 2005
Dillard’s Clearance Center
Dillard’s returned to the property in March 2005 in clearance-center form after the closure of Forum 303 Mall. It was one of the last significant retail operations associated with Six Flags Mall before the property’s eventual closure and demolition.
Brand decisions
2016
Demolish the former mall for industrial redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The Plaza Central reuse effort had failed to establish a lasting retail operation, and the property was no longer viable as an enclosed shopping mall.
Action taken
Demolition began during the summer, with the site ultimately cleared for an automobile-parts supplier park intended to serve the nearby GM Arlington Assembly plant.
Aftermath
The mall was completely demolished by around mid-2017 and the site shifted from retail use toward industrial support space.
2012
Redevelop the property as Plaza CentralStrategyBackground
The mall had suffered anchor departures, foreclosure, and severe tenant losses, leaving the enclosed retail format largely unviable.
Action taken
Investor G. L. “Buck” Harris proposed converting the property into a Hispanic-oriented shopping center, adding new tenants and pursuing a possible future transfer to Youth With A Mission.
Aftermath
Zoning disputes and related litigation delayed the project. Although the property reopened as Plaza Central in 2014, it closed again in February 2016.
Recent events
- 2017
Former mall site transitions to industrial redevelopment[1]
Other
The mall was completely demolished by around mid-year, with the site planned for an automobile-parts supplier park serving the nearby GM Arlington Assembly plant.
- 2016
Plaza Central closes again[1]
Other
The Plaza Central operation closed in February, approximately eighteen months after reopening.
- 2016
Demolition begins and fires occur during site clearance[1]
Lawsuit · Other
Demolition began during the summer and was slowed by a lawsuit filed by Cinemark. Two separate two-alarm fires were reported during demolition, on February 6 and March 2.
- 2014
Property reopens as Plaza Central[1]
Other
The former mall reopened under the Plaza Central name in October as a redevelopment intended to serve a Hispanic-oriented retail market.
- 2013
Arlington approves Plaza Central overhaul plans[1]
Regulation · Lawsuit
After zoning disputes and a federal lawsuit against the city, the Arlington Planning and Zoning Commission approved plans to overhaul the approximately 22.5-acre property.
- 2012
Plaza Central redevelopment is announced[1]
Other
Investor G. L. “Buck” Harris acquired approximately one-third of the property and announced plans to redevelop it as a Hispanic-oriented shopping center called Plaza Central.
- 2011
Six Flags Mall property offered at auction[1]
Other
At a December auction, the Dillard’s Clearance Center and Cinemark Tinseltown 9 were identified as the principal remaining mall attractions.
- 2008
Property enters foreclosure[1]
Bankruptcy
The mall was placed into foreclosure while only a small number of interior stores remained.
- 2005
Former Foley’s anchor closes[1]
Other
The fourth major anchor, a former Foley’s location originally associated with Sanger-Harris, closed in January. The former Dillard’s space later reopened as a clearance center.
- 2002
Dillard’s and Sears depart[1]
Other
Two major department-store anchors, Dillard’s and Sears, closed, further reducing the mall’s regional draw.
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