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Westfield Southcenter

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Coordinates: 47°27′32″N 122°15′29″W / 47.459°N 122.258°W / 47.459; -122.258
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For the mall in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, see Southcentre Mall.
Westfield Southcenter
The glass façade of the atrium entrance towers 90 feet (27 m) above the ground.
Map
LocationTukwila, Washington, United States
Coordinates47°27′32″N 122°15′29″W / 47.459°N 122.258°W / 47.459; -122.258
Opening dateJuly 31, 1968; 56 years ago (July 31, 1968)
DeveloperAllied Stores
ManagementUnibail-Rodamco-Westfield
OwnerUnibail-Rodamco-Westfield
No. of stores and services218
No. of anchor tenants4
Total retail floor area1,682,961 sq ft (156,352.2 m2)[1]
No. of floors3
Parking7,143
Websitewestfield.com/southcenter

Westfield Southcenter, formerly known as Southcenter Mall, is a shopping mall located in Tukwila, Washington, US, and owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. It is the largest shopping center in Washington and the Pacific Northwest.[2]

The mall is anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Nordstrom, and Sears. The mall also contains an AMC movie theater.

History

Early history and construction: 1956–1968

In early 1956, three officials from Northgate Shopping Center, James Douglas, president of Northgate Co., Wells McCurdy, Douglas' assistant, and Rex Allison, the vice president of Allied Department Stores formed the Southcenter Corporation as a subsidiary of Allied. Their goal was to eventually build a large shopping center south of downtown Seattle that would match the success of their own Northgate and began searching for a site, preferably with at least 100 acres.[3] The site chosen was part of what was known as the Andover Tract, an 800-acre (3.2 km2) area of former pasture land being developed by the Port of Seattle for industrial use. In anticipation of the developments, the entire area (947 acres; 383 ha) was annexed by the city of Tukwila in November 1957.[4] Southcenter Corp. purchased 160 acres (0.65 km2) strategically at what would eventually be the intersection of two major freeways, The Seattle - Tacoma Freeway (I-5) and I-405. The construction schedule of the mall would depend on the construction of the freeways.[5]

Excavation at the site began in early 1967 and construction on the $30 million shopping center began in the summer of 1967. John Graham & Company, a Seattle firm that also designed the original Northgate and Tacoma Malls, was announced as the architect for the project. Even with four labor strikes slowing work down, construction was largely completed on the structure by May 1968. Work on the interior continued until the day before opening on July 31.[6] In total, 25 main contractors and 50 subcontractors helped build the mall.[6] The concrete terrazzo floors of the mall were said to be the largest in area (85,000 square feet) in all of Puget Sound and were a last minute addition to the mall. Needed to make the cement like mixture for the floors were 500 cubic yards of sand, 3,000 100-pound sacks of gray cement, 3,000 100-pound (45 kg) sacks of white cement and 5,000 100-pound (45 kg) sacks of brown marble chips. 30,000 feet (9,100 m) of zinc divider strips were used for the floors.[7]

The grand opening was held on July 31, 1968, at 11 a.m. with Washington State Governor Dan Evans as the key speaker. At 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m2) with 92 stores employing 3,600 people, it was the largest shopping mall in the region.[6]

Westfield: 2002–2006

In early 2002, the mall was purchased by the Westfield Group.[8] At that time it was renamed "Westfield Southcenter".

A view inside the atrium, looking down from the 3rd floor. Patrons eating at the dining terrace can be seen at top center.

On May 11, 2006, Westfield broke ground on a $240 million expansion.[9] that was to add 400,000 square feet (37,000 m2)

2010-present

On July 22, 2010, Seafood City opened in the former Mervyn's space. In 2014, The Container Store opened in the former Borders Books space. In the same year, the Westfield Group split its assets, with malls in North America and Europe being moved into the Westfield Corporation. In 2015, it was announced that the Rainforest Cafe will be closing in January 2016 and it is replaced by a Chinese restaurant Din Tai Fung opening on April 21, 2017.

In December 2017, Westfield Corporation was purchased by the European shopping center giant Unibail-Rodamco. The company took on the name Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, while its properties in North America and Europe were unified under the Westfield brand.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.westfieldcorp.com/portfolio/detail/southcenter
  2. ^ Southcenter mall expands, regroups with new retailers
  3. ^ "South-of-City Shopping Area Planned" Seattle Times 4 Dec. 1957. P.1
  4. ^ "City Light Asks Service Franchise in Tukwila Area" Seattle Times 15 Oct. 1958. P.40
  5. ^ "South End Plans Point to Controversy" Seattle Times 11 Dec. 1957. P.34
  6. ^ a b c "Workers Rush to Ready Giant Southcenter for Grand Opening" Seattle Times 21 Jul. 1968. P.4 C
  7. ^ "Terrazzo Floor Job is Largest in Area" Seattle Times 21 Apr. 1968. P.C1
  8. ^ Westfield Southcenter
  9. ^ Westfield Southcenter News and Events
  10. ^ Lamm, Greg (December 12, 2017). "Southcenter Mall operator Westfield Corp. sells for $15.7 billion". Puget Sound Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
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