The Gardens on Havana

The Gardens on Havana is a shopping and lifestyle center in Aurora, Colorado, United States. Its history began with Buckingham Square Mall, which opened on August 5, 1971, under the development of Sherman Dreiseszun. The enclosed mall became an important retail destination for the area and originally combined national department stores, a supermarket, discount retail, sporting-goods stores, and local Colorado chains. Its principal early tenants included Joslins, Montgomery Ward, Safeway, Woolworth, Fashion Bar, and Dave Cook Sporting Goods. At its peak, Buckingham Square contained more than 828,346 square feet of retail space and more than 110 stores. Like many traditional enclosed malls, however, it experienced a prolonged decline in occupancy as retail patterns changed and key tenants closed or consolidated. Safeway, Woolworth, Fashion Bar, and Dave Cook Sporting Goods left over time, followed by Montgomery Ward. Joslins was acquired by Dillard's in 1998, while Mervyns was later added to the property. The mall's difficulties continued into the 2000s, with both Dillard's and Mervyns closing in 2006. Miller Weingarten Realty LLC acquired the property in 2004 and announced a redevelopment plan the following year. The proposal replaced the aging enclosed-mall format with a lifestyle-center concept: an open-air retail environment organized around streetscapes and a broader mix of stores and commercial uses. By the time of the acquisition, the former Montgomery Ward building had already been demolished and replaced by a Target store. That Target location was retained during the redevelopment, while most of the remaining mall structures were removed. Demolition of the old complex began on January 8, 2008, with a planned reopening in 2009. The redeveloped property officially reopened in 2009 under the name The Gardens on Havana. The new center reduced the property's retail footprint to more than 496,647 square feet while shifting its tenant mix toward large-format retailers, specialty stores, grocery, sporting goods, pets, office supplies, and everyday consumer services. Reported major tenants include Target, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Petco, Ross, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Office Depot. The Gardens on Havana represents a transition from a conventional regional mall to a more flexible open-air retail property. Its current identity is based on convenience-oriented shopping and a diversified tenant roster rather than the department-store-centered model that characterized Buckingham Square. The property is owned by AmCap Incorporated. No separate public information establishes a distinct operating company, stock listing, or official corporate website for the center.

The property now known as The Gardens on Havana originated as Buckingham Square Mall in Aurora, Colorado. Developed by Sherman Dreiseszun, Buckingham Square opened on August 5, 1971. Its original tenant roster reflected the standard American regional-mall model of the period, combining department stores, a supermarket, a discount retailer, sporting-goods businesses, and locally prominent chains. Joslins and Montgomery Ward served as major anchors, while Safeway, Woolworth, Fashion Bar, and Dave Cook Sporting Goods helped provide a broad range of shopping options. The mall expanded to more than 828,346 square feet of retail space and more than 110 stores at its height. Its later history followed the broader challenges facing many enclosed shopping centers. Several important tenants closed during the 1980s and 1990s, including Safeway, Woolworth, Fashion Bar, and Dave Cook Sporting Goods. Montgomery Ward also departed. The Joslins department-store chain was sold to Dillard's in 1998, and a Mervyns store was subsequently added, but these changes did not reverse the property's longer-term decline in occupancy. Miller Weingarten Realty LLC acquired Buckingham Square in 2004. In 2005, it announced a plan to convert the aging enclosed mall into a lifestyle center, an open-air retail format intended to combine conventional stores with pedestrian-oriented streetscapes and a more varied commercial environment. The former Montgomery Ward building had already been removed and replaced by Target by the time of the acquisition. Dillard's and Mervyns both closed in 2006, leaving the redevelopment plan as the property's principal path forward. Demolition of the old mall began on January 8, 2008. Rather than refurbishing the existing enclosed structure, the project retained the existing Target store and replaced most of the remaining complex with newly constructed buildings. The redeveloped center opened in 2009 as The Gardens on Havana. Its reported retail area is more than 496,647 square feet, substantially smaller than the former mall but designed around a more contemporary open-air format. The post-redevelopment tenant mix includes Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Petco, Ross, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, and Office Depot. These tenants position the center as a practical, diversified shopping destination rather than a traditional department-store mall. The Gardens on Havana is owned by AmCap Incorporated. Public reference material does not identify a separately branded management company, publicly traded parent, current executive team, or official website for the property.

• 2009

  The Gardens on Havana opens

  [1]The Gardens on Havanaen.wikipedia.org

  The rebuilt property officially reopened as an open-air lifestyle center.

• 2008

  Mall demolition begins

  [1]The Gardens on Havanaen.wikipedia.org

  Demolition began on January 8, 2008; the existing Target store was preserved.

• 2006

  Dillard's and Mervyns close

  [1]The Gardens on Havanaen.wikipedia.org

  Both department-store tenants left the property before the main redevelopment work began.

• 2005

  Redevelopment plan announced

  [1]The Gardens on Havanaen.wikipedia.org

  The owner announced a plan to transform the enclosed mall into an open-air lifestyle center.

• 2004

  Property changes ownership

  [1]The Gardens on Havanaen.wikipedia.org

  Miller Weingarten Realty LLC acquired Buckingham Square Mall.

• 1998

  Joslins is acquired by Dillard's

  [1]The Gardens on Havanaen.wikipedia.org

  The Joslins chain was sold to Dillard's, changing one of Buckingham Square's principal department-store identities.

• 1971

  Buckingham Square Mall opens

  [1]The Gardens on Havanaen.wikipedia.org

  Buckingham Square Mall opened in Aurora on August 5, 1971, under developer Sherman Dreiseszun.

An open-air lifestyle center focused on convenient, everyday shopping across department-store, grocery, sporting-goods, pet, office-supply, discount, and general-merchandise categories.

• General merchandise

  Target

  Target is a major retained anchor at the property, offering general merchandise, household goods, apparel, groceries, electronics, and everyday consumer products. Its presence connects the redeveloped center to the earlier mall site, since the store replaced the former Montgomery Ward building before the wider reconstruction.

• Department store

  Kohl's

  Kohl's is a department-store anchor serving apparel, footwear, accessories, home products, and other general merchandise. It forms part of the center's post-redevelopment mix of large-format retailers.

• Sporting goods

  Dick's Sporting Goods

  Dick's Sporting Goods provides athletic apparel, footwear, sporting equipment, and outdoor recreation products. The store continues the property's long association with sporting-goods retail, which was represented in the original mall by Dave Cook Sporting Goods.

• Pet retail

  Petco

  Petco is a specialty pet retailer offering pet food, supplies, accessories, and related products and services. Its presence broadens the center beyond apparel and general merchandise into recurring household needs.

• Off-price retail

  Ross

  Ross is an off-price retailer offering discounted apparel, footwear, accessories, home furnishings, and related merchandise. It contributes value-oriented shopping to the center's tenant mix.

• Grocery

  Sprouts Farmers Market

  Sprouts Farmers Market is a grocery anchor focused on fresh food, produce, natural and organic products, vitamins, and specialty grocery items. Its inclusion supports the lifestyle center's convenience and everyday-needs positioning.

• Office supplies

  Office Depot

  Office Depot supplies office products, school materials, technology accessories, furniture, and related business services. It adds a work- and education-oriented category to the center's retail offer.

• 2005

  Conversion from enclosed mall to lifestyle centerStrategy

  Background

  Buckingham Square had experienced declining tenancy and the loss of several major stores. Miller Weingarten Realty therefore proposed a new open-air format rather than continuing the existing enclosed-mall configuration.

  Action taken

  The owner announced plans to demolish most of the old mall and rebuild the site as a streetscape-oriented lifestyle center, while retaining the existing Target store.

  Aftermath

  The project led to demolition beginning in 2008 and the 2009 reopening of the property as The Gardens on Havana, with a smaller but more diversified retail footprint.

  Source

1. 1The Gardens on Havanaen.wikipedia.org