University Mall (Alabama)
 | |
| Location | Tuscaloosa, AL, USA |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°11′41″N 87°31′22″W / 33.1948°N 87.5229°W |
| Address | 1701 Mcfarland Blvd E Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 |
| Opening date | August 20, 1980[1] |
| Developer | Aranov Realty |
| Management | Aranov Realty |
| Owner | Aranov Realty |
| No. of stores and services | 78[2] |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4[3] |
| Total retail floor area | 733,254 sq ft (68,121.5 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Website | http://www.shopmalls.com/mall.cfm?mall=13 |
University Mall is the largest mall in western Alabama. It is located at the intersection of McFarland Boulevard and Veterans' Memorial Parkway in Tuscaloosa, the busiest in the city.
Owned and managed by Montgomery-based Aronov Realty, the mall opened on August 20, 1980.[1] Anchor stores of the 733,254 sq ft (68,121.5 m2) enclosed mall include J.C. Penney (99,450 sq ft (9,239 m2)), Sears (105,000 sq ft (9,800 m2)), Belk Women (82,222 sq ft (7,638.7 m2)) and Belk Men, Home & Kids (90,174 sq ft (8,377.4 m2)).[4] The only outlier properties on mall premises are branches of Regions Bank and Cadence Bank.
The property where University Mall now stands was previously home to the ruins of World War II-era Northington Naval Hospital. These ruins were finally destroyed during the filming of the climactic scene of the 1978 Burt Reynolds film Hooper. The ruins of the hospital had lain derelict for many years and included a few dozen buildings as well as two immensely tall brick smoke-stacks.[5] A few of the old buildings remained until the late 1990s and housed the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education offices until they were relocated to the old Tuscaloosa High School (later Tuscaloosa Middle School) building on Queen City Avenue. On 27 April 2011, the mall was damaged by a powerful tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa killing dozens of people. The mall was directly in the path of the tornado and sustained moderate damage.
Anchors
Belk Women
Belk Men, Home & Kids
References
- ^ a b Heine, Max (August 19, 1980). "University Mall likely to reduce 'out-shopping'". The Tuscaloosa News. p. 1.
{{cite news}}: More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help) - ^ Aranov Realty. "All University Mall stores". Retrieved July 2, 2009.
- ^ Aranov Realty. "Department stores". Retrieved July 2, 2009.
- ^ Aranov Realty. "Leasing Information: University Mall, Tuscaloosa, AL". Retrieved July 2, 2009.
- ^ Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Claims to Fame: Northington General Army Hospital". Retrieved July 2, 2009. [dead link]