Valley View Center
A former shopping mall at Interstate 635 and Preston Road in north Dallas, Texas.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Valley View Center was a large regional shopping mall in north Dallas, Texas, located at the intersection of Interstate 635 and Preston Road. Although the property is generally associated with its 1970s opening, its first major anchor, a freestanding Sears store, opened on the site in 1965. Homart Development Company, the real-estate development subsidiary of Sears, later connected the Sears store to a new Sanger-Harris department store and a group of specialty retailers. The expanded center opened in 1973 and became one of the principal shopping destinations in the northern Dallas area. The property grew substantially during the 1970s and 1980s. Dillard's joined the center in 1979, and LaSalle Street Fund acquired the mall in 1982 before adding a fourth anchor, Bloomingdale's, in 1983. The mall benefited from a broad department-store lineup and a large enclosed retail format, with anchors and specialty tenants serving shoppers from across the Dallas–Fort Worth area. In 1985, Valley View participated in public celebrations surrounding the end of Texas's long-standing restrictions on Sunday retail trading. The first New Year's Day opening for the anchor stores followed in 1987. The center's competitive position weakened during the 1990s as newer shopping destinations opened nearby, local demographics changed, and department-store retail entered a period of structural decline. Bloomingdale's closed in 1990, leaving its anchor space at the center of a legal dispute involving Montgomery Ward, Federated Department Stores, and the mall's owner. The space ultimately remained unused for several years before JCPenney opened there in 1996. The original twin-screen cinema closed in 1991 and was later converted into broadcast facilities for Radio One stations KBFB and KZMJ. A new AMC multiplex opened in 2004, providing a major entertainment component but not reversing the property's longer-term decline. Ownership and management changed repeatedly. The Macerich Company bought the mall in 1996, but financial pressure culminated in Macerich's default on debt secured by the property. LNR Partners took possession in 2010, with Jones Lang LaSalle handling management. Beck Ventures acquired the approximately 1.65-million-square-foot property around 2012 and brought management in-house. During this period, the owners pursued redevelopment concepts rather than a straightforward restoration of the traditional mall model. One such effort, The Gallery at Midtown and Artists Studios, introduced artists, galleries, and creative organizations into portions of the partially occupied center. The anchor-retail base continued to contract. Macy's closed in 2008 after inheriting the former Sanger-Harris and Foley's location through corporate rebranding. Dillard's also closed in 2008, JCPenney left in 2013, and Sears—the site's oldest and longest-running anchor—closed in July 2017. The artistic studios and the two radio-station facilities also departed during 2017. By then, AMC Valley View 16 was effectively the only major public-facing remnant of the original complex. Remaining mall corridors were progressively closed, and tenants were required to leave sections of the property in advance of demolition. Plans to replace the mall with a mixed-use project known as Dallas Midtown were repeatedly delayed by legal disputes, zoning issues, demolition disagreements, and the loss of proposed public incentives. The AMC theater continued operating until January 2, 2022, after which the remaining mall and theater facilities ceased public operations. A two-alarm fire broke out at the former mall on February 11, 2023; its cause was investigated. Demolition of the mall was completed in May 2023. The Valley View Center brand is therefore defunct as a shopping-center operation, while the larger site remains associated with proposed redevelopment.
History
The Valley View Center site began as a Sears store constructed in 1965 on what was then the northern fringe of Dallas County. Homart Development Company, Sears's real-estate subsidiary, expanded the site by adding a Sanger-Harris department store, a connecting mall corridor, and specialty retailers. The resulting shopping center opened in 1973. Its opening received local and national attention when a Thom McAn shoe-store promotion offered customers a free steak with a qualifying purchase. The mall expanded during the late 1970s and 1980s. Dillard's opened in 1979, while LaSalle Street Fund acquired the property in 1982 and added Bloomingdale's as a fourth anchor in 1983. The center also developed entertainment and community functions. A twin-screen General Cinema theater opened in 1975, and Texas's first legal Sunday-shopping day in 24 years was marked by special events at Valley View and other area malls in September 1985. Anchor stores began opening on New Year's Day in 1987. The center's fortunes changed in the 1990s. Bloomingdale's closed in 1990, and a dispute over the former anchor space followed Montgomery Ward's attempt to obtain it through bankruptcy proceedings. A bankruptcy court decision in 1991 allowed the owner to withdraw from the proposed sale, and the space remained unused until JCPenney opened there in 1996. The original cinema closed in 1991. After remaining vacant for more than a decade, the former theater was remodeled into radio studios for KBFB and KZMJ, which opened in 2002. Macerich purchased Valley View in 1996 for a reported combination of cash and assumed debt. During the following years, the center experienced declining occupancy and increasing competition. The surrounding area became younger, lower-income, and more ethnically diverse, changing the mall's customer base and creating pressure for a new development strategy. Officials announced a larger AMC cinema as part of a redevelopment effort; the 16-screen AMC Valley View 16 opened in May 2004, but the theater could not stop the broader deterioration of the enclosed mall. The department-store anchors subsequently disappeared. Macy's, which had replaced Foley's after the corporate acquisition of May Department Stores, closed in March 2008. Dillard's closed in August 2008. In 2010, LNR Partners took possession after Macerich defaulted on $125 million of property debt, and Jones Lang LaSalle assumed management. Beck Ventures later acquired the property and took management in-house in 2012. An attempt to activate vacant areas through The Gallery at Midtown and Artists Studios brought artists, galleries, and creative organizations into the complex, but the initiative closed indefinitely in 2017. Redevelopment proposals increasingly focused on replacing the mall with Dallas Midtown, a mixed-use project. Plans included demolition of much of the existing center and new office, residential, retail, and entertainment uses. Progress was interrupted by lawsuits, zoning and planning disputes, disagreements over demolition, and the loss of city incentives. The original mall continued to contract: JCPenney closed in 2013, Sears closed in July 2017, and the radio stations left their former theater facilities that year. Remaining corridors were progressively blocked and tenants were displaced as demolition preparations advanced. AMC remained open longer than the other major tenants but closed after its final showtimes on January 2, 2022. The former mall later suffered a two-alarm fire on February 11, 2023, whose cause was investigated. Demolition was completed in May 2023. Valley View Center no longer operates as a shopping mall, although the broader property has continued to be discussed in connection with Dallas Midtown redevelopment.
- 2023
Fire and demolition
[1]The former mall suffers a fire in February, and demolition is completed in May.
- 2022
The last major public attraction closes
[1]AMC Valley View 16 ends operations in January.
- 2017
Sears and the creative facilities depart
[1]Sears closes in July, while the artists' studios and radio operations also leave during the year.
- 2012
Beck Ventures acquires the property
[1]Beck Ventures takes ownership and brings management in-house.
- 2010
LNR Partners takes possession
[1]LNR Partners assumes control after Macerich's debt default.
- 2004
AMC Valley View 16 opens
[1]A new 16-screen AMC cinema opens as a major entertainment anchor.
- 2002
Radio studios open in the former cinema
[1]KBFB and KZMJ begin broadcasting from renovated space in the former twin-screen theater.
- 1996
Macerich purchases Valley View
[1]Macerich acquires the property and later pursues redevelopment responses to declining occupancy.
- 1990
Bloomingdale's closes
[1]The anchor leaves amid weaker sales and increased competition.
- 1983
Bloomingdale's opens
[1]A fourth anchor store is added to the center.
Products and positioning
A large regional enclosed mall serving north Dallas, later repositioned through entertainment, arts, and redevelopment initiatives as conventional department-store retail declined.
Shopping-center retail · 1973
Regional enclosed shopping mall
Valley View Center's core offering was a large enclosed retail environment combining department-store anchors, specialty shops, services, dining, and internal pedestrian corridors. At its peak, the center occupied approximately 1.65 million square feet and served shoppers in north Dallas. Its commercial identity depended heavily on department stores, making it vulnerable as those retailers contracted and consumers shifted toward newer centers and other shopping formats.
Cinema and entertainment · 2004
AMC Valley View 16
Opened in 2004, AMC Valley View 16 was a stadium-seating multiplex intended to strengthen the mall's entertainment offer and support wider redevelopment plans. It became the last major attraction operating at the former center after the department-store anchors and most retail corridors had closed. AMC ended operations after scheduled showtimes on January 2, 2022.
Arts and creative space · 2012
The Gallery at Midtown and Artists Studios
This adaptive-reuse initiative occupied portions of the partially vacant mall with local artists' studios, galleries, and other creative organizations. It represented an attempt to generate activity without restoring the former department-store retail model. The initiative operated during the 2010s and closed indefinitely in May 2017.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012The Gallery at Midtown and Artists Studios
Dallas, Texas
Vacant wings were repositioned as a community for artists, galleries, studios, and creative groups.
Outcome. The initiative provided temporary adaptive reuse but closed indefinitely in 2017 as redevelopment and vacancy pressures continued.
- 1985Sunday-shopping opening celebration
Texas
Valley View joined other Texas malls in marking the first legal Sunday shopping day after the state's 24-year blue-law restrictions ended.
Outcome. The event established expanded Sunday operations, although some smaller tenants objected to the new contractual operating expectations.
- 1973Grand-opening steak promotion
Dallas, Texas
As part of the 1973 opening celebration, Thom McAn offered a free eight-ounce steak with a qualifying purchase. The unusual retail promotion attracted local and national media attention.
Outcome. The promotion became one of the mall's best-known opening events.
Brand decisions
2017
Progressive closure and demolition preparationStrategyBackground
After the departure of most department-store anchors, the property owner prepared the center for redevelopment.
Action taken
Sections of the mall were closed, tenants were required to vacate, and portions of former anchor buildings and corridors were demolished or fenced off.
Aftermath
AMC remained accessible for several years but became the only major public-facing remnant before closing in 2022.
2012
Adaptive reuse and Dallas Midtown redevelopment strategyStrategyBackground
Declining occupancy, changing nearby demographics, and the loss of department-store anchors made conventional mall operations increasingly difficult.
Action taken
Beck Ventures pursued mixed-use redevelopment under the Dallas Midtown concept while using vacant mall areas for artists, galleries, and creative organizations.
Aftermath
Legal, zoning, demolition, and incentive-related conflicts delayed the redevelopment. The mall ultimately closed and was demolished, while the wider site remained tied to future redevelopment proposals.
2000
Decision to add a major AMC cinemaProduct launchBackground
Mall officials sought to support a broader redevelopment effort and add an entertainment anchor as traditional retail faced increasing competition.
Action taken
Plans for a large AMC multiplex were announced; construction of the eventual 16-screen theater began in 2003.
Aftermath
AMC Valley View 16 opened in 2004 and remained the mall's last major attraction, but it did not reverse the center's long-term decline.
1991
Court ruling leaves former Bloomingdale's space unresolvedOtherBackground
After Bloomingdale's closed, Montgomery Ward sought to acquire the former anchor space through a bankruptcy-court proceeding. The mall owner objected to the proposed transaction.
Action taken
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge allowed Federated to withdraw from the proposed sale in favor of an arrangement with LaSalle Street Fund, citing litigation costs and business considerations.
Aftermath
The anchor space remained vacant until JCPenney opened there in 1996.
Recent events
- 2023
Fire damages the former Valley View mall[1]
Other
A two-alarm fire occurred at the former mall on February 11, 2023. Approximately 50 firefighters responded, and the cause was investigated.
- 2023
Demolition of Valley View Center is completed[1]
Other
Demolition of the mall complex was completed in May 2023 after years of partial closures and redevelopment delays.
- 2022
AMC Valley View 16 closes[1]
Other
AMC permanently closed the theater after its final scheduled showtimes on January 2, 2022.
- 2017
Sears closes the mall's oldest anchor[1]
Other
Sears ended operations on July 16, 2017, leaving AMC as the only remaining major operating anchor.
- 2013
JCPenney closes its Valley View store[1]
Other
JCPenney closed its Valley View location in May 2013 after earlier downsizing and closure of part of the store.
- 2012
Beck Ventures acquires the property[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Beck Ventures acquired the approximately 1.65-million-square-foot property and assumed management responsibilities in-house.
- 2012
Artists and creative organizations occupy parts of the mall[1]
Campaign
The Gallery at Midtown and Artists Studios initiative used vacant mall areas for local artists, galleries, and creative groups.
- 2010
LNR Partners takes possession after Macerich debt default[1]
Other
LNR Partners took possession of the mall after Macerich defaulted on debt secured by the property. Jones Lang LaSalle became responsible for management.
- 2008
Macy's closes its Valley View store[1]
Other
The department store occupying the former Sanger-Harris and Foley's space closed in March 2008.
- 2008
Dillard's closes its Valley View location[1]
Other
Dillard's announced the closure of its Valley View store, which ended operations in August 2008.
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