Savannah Mall
GLA) | |
No. of floors | 2 |
---|---|
Parking | 3,783 spaces |
Website | savannahmall |
Savannah Mall was a two-level enclosed regional
History
The land the mall sits on was originally subdivided in the 1940s as Forest River Farms (named for the nearby river) and was a swampy lowland of nearly 80 acres. It was proposed to be a residential subdivision in then-rural, unincorporated Chatham County. This never came to fruition.[2]
In the 1970s, Abercorn Expressway (Georgia State Route 204) was extended down to Interstate 95. Subdivisions were being built nearby and by the mid 1980s, the only remaining tract of land was the Forest River Farms subdivision. By 1988 the land had been rezoned commercial and a development plan for the Savannah Mall was approved by the Metropolitan Planning Commission.[3] Real Estate developers David Hocker Associates and R.F. Coffin Enterprises began construction in early 1989.[4] The architect was Birmingham, Alabama based Crawford, McWilliams, Hatcher Associates, Inc. Civil engineering and Land Surveying were provided locally by EMC Engineering.[5]
When Savannah Mall opened on August 29, 1990, it was expected to supplant Savannah's older
The area around the mall also began to develop. In 1990, construction began across the street from Savannah Mall on the very first
Montgomery Ward pulled out of the mall in 1998.[13] Later that year Dillard's acquired J.B. White parent company Mercantile Stores Company, Inc. and rebranded the store.[14] Parisian and Belk both left the mall in early 2003.[15] At this point, many stores were leaving the mall and by 2005, there were more than 20 vacancies, with some stores relocating to Oglethorpe Mall, and others exiting the Savannah market altogether.
In August 2003, Bass Pro Shops opened in the space vacated by Parisian.
In 2008, the mall's owners undertook multimillion-dollar renovations with improvements focused on energy conservation, lighting and additional ADA access. The mall also received a new logo and modern features like Wi-Fi.[20]
Kohan Retail Investment Group purchased the mall in September 2016.[21] Savannah Mall was sold at auction to BCHM Investment Group for eight million dollars in October 2022. The mall at the time of sale had air conditioning and escalator issues.[1]
In December 2022, it was reported that the mall’s new owners were asking remaining tenants to vacate. The mall was scheduled to close on January 12, 2023 with all of the anchors remaining open.[22][23] Despite these announcements, the alderman of Savannah, Georgia announced on January 12 that the mall would not be closing.[24] As of March 2023, the doors to the mall (except the anchors) are locked and the in-line mall appears closed.
List of anchor stores
Name | No. of floors |
Year opened |
Year closed |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bass Pro Shops | 2 | 2003 | — | Replaced Parisian |
Belk | 2 | 1990 | 2003 | |
Burlington Coat Factory
|
1 | 2006 | 2020 | Replaced Belk |
Dillard's | 2 + Mezzanine | 1998 | — | Replaced J.B. White |
J.B. White
|
2 + Mezzanine | 1990 | 1998 | |
Jordan Marsh | 2 | Never | Planned for Opening | |
Miller & Rhoads | 2 | Never | Planned for Opening, Cancelled due to Bankruptcy | |
Montgomery Ward | 2 | 1991 | 1998 | |
Parisian | 2 | 1991 | 2003 | |
Steve & Barry's | 1 | 2004 | 2009 | Replaced Montgomery Ward |
Target | 1 | 2004 | — | Replaced Belk |
References
- ^ a b Justice, Chase (21 October 2022). "Remaining Savannah Mall businesses have yet to hear from new ownership following $8M sale". WSAV-TV. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ "Recombination of Former Lots 91 and 92". Chatham County Subdivision Map Book. 5S: 80. 1946. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Resubdivision of lots 70 through 81 and parts of lots 82 through 95". Chatham County Subdivision Map Book. 9S: 53. October 17, 1990. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
- ^ "Developed Properties". David Hocker & Associates, Inc. David Hocker Associates, Inc. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Site Plan - Savannah Mall". Chatham County Subdivision Map Book. 10P: 47. October 13, 1988.
- ^ "Savannah Mall". DeadMalls.com. DeadMalls.com. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Site Plan - Savannah Mall". Chatham County Subdivision Map Book. 10P: 47. October 13, 1988.
- ^ "Giving Customer What They Want". Washington Post. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Giving Customers What They Want". Washington Post.
- ^ "Savannah Mall". DeadMalls.com. DeadMalls.com. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Back in Time: Publix in the 1990s". The Checkout. Publix. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Developed Properties". David Hocker & Associates, Inc. David Hocker Associates, Inc. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Montgomery Ward to Close 9 Stores". AP. May 29, 1998. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ Robert W. Dalton (May 19, 1998). "Dillard's to buy JB White". GoUpstate.
- ^ "Savannah Mall". DeadMalls.com. DeadMalls.com. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Bass Pro Shops to Open Shop in Savannah, Ga., Mall. - Savannah Morning News (Savannah, GA) | HighBeam Research". Archived from the original on 2016-04-10. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ "Savannah Burlington store relocating in spring 2020". Fox 28 Savannah. Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Inc. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "Steve & Barry's to close all stores". Savannahnow.com. Savannah Morning News.
- ^ Kelly Tyko (November 25, 2019). "A.C. Moore Store Closings". USA Today. USA Today. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ Lauren Nardella (April 2, 2008). "Capital Improvements Started at Savannah Mall". Savannahnow.com. Savannah Morning News. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ Savannah, Business in (September 7, 2016). "Savannah Mall sold to New York developer". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
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has generic name (help) - ^ Syed, Camille (20 December 2022). "Several tenants in Savannah Mall forced to relocate businesses". WTOC-TV. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
- ^ Syed, Camille. "Savannah Mall closing next week, some stores staying open". WTOC-TV. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ https://www.wjcl.com/article/savannah-mall-closing/42479096