Washington Commons

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Washington Commons
(Port Plaza Mall)
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Washington Commons entrance
circa July 2007
Location Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
Opening date August 4, 1977
Closing date February 27, 2006
Developer Hunzinger
No. of stores and services 120
No. of anchor tenants 3
Total retail floor area 7 acres (28,000 m2)

Washington Commons, formerly known as Port Plaza Mall, was an urban shopping mall/multi-use facility located in downtown Green Bay, Wisconsin in the United States. It opened on August 4, 1977 with two anchor stores, JCPenney and H.C. Prange (the latter of which had been open since 1927). Later years would see the addition of Boston Store and a food court. Following the loss of its anchors, the mall shuttered its doors on February 27, 2006, 7 days after mall ownership notified the remaining tenants of its closure.

[edit] Timeline

Groundbreaking for Port Plaza Mall began in 1975. It opened for business on August 4, 1977, featuring H.C. Prange and J.C. Penney as its anchor stores, as well as space for 99 inline tenants. At the time, the mall was managed by Mansur & Associates of Chicago, Illinois. Boston Store was added in 1981 as a third anchor, with a food court being added that year as well. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. bought the mall in 1986, with Zamias Enterprises serving as general manager. In 1997, Whitehall Funds purchased the mall, still in association with Zamias until 2001. Port Plaza underwent renovation in 1988, including the addition of neon lights and fountains.

The first anchor change came in 1992 when H.C. Prange was acquired by Younkers and thus renamed. Boston Store closed in 2000 when the parent company merged with Younkers. The mall was renamed Washington Commons in 2001, with Washington Street being run through the former food court (which was then relocated to center court). Other stores began closing, such as McDonald's and Osco Drug, followed by Payless ShoeSource in 2003, and Champs Sports and Bath & Body Works a year later. Younkers closed on July 25, 2004, following the opening of a new store at nearby Bay Park Square, while University of Wisconsin–Green Bay opened offices in part of the mall. The final anchor, J.C. Penney, moved to a new store in Ashwaubenon in 2005.

Following J.C. Penney's closure, plans were announced to operate APAC Customer Services offices in the former department store, but these plans fell through when a deal could not be reached. APAC would instead reach a deal with the City and BayLake Bank to move to the former Boston Store location, where BayLake Bank was developing a branch. Development Associates would take the issue to court, citing conflict of interest by the City and BayLake Bank (which happened to be the mall's lender); though the parties would eventually reach an out-of-court settlement, the cost of the suit would leave Development Associates in debt.

With the mall facing foreclosure by BayLake Bank and electrical services about to be disconnected in 2006, the mall's last six tenants are forced to leave by February 27. Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt said that the city would help relocate the displaced businesses. The mall was then closed to the public on February 27 and is kept clean and secure daily by maintenance crews for potential future development. The property is put up for sale for $8 million. In addition, Bay Lake Bank and APAC formally move into the former Boston Store location.

Demolition began in mid-2007 on the former Younkers building to make way for four separate developments: the WaterMark (originally called RiverCenter), Flats on the Fox, Flatley Marketplace and the Astor Place Condominiums. The skyway above Washington Street, which connected Younkers with the rest of the mall, was also demolished. Also, the City of Green Bay, which gained ownership of the mall property as part of the settlement with Development Associates, transferred ownership to its Redevelopment Authority. In May 2008, Middleton, Wisconsin-based T. Wall Properties, revealed redevelopment plans which included an 8-10-story office building with ground-floor stores and restaurants, re-establishment of the original pre-mall street grid, and other new buildings after the first building is complete.


[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Commons"