North Star Mall, San Antonio, TX

An extant asset

North Star Mall is one of the first things I remember seeing off of the San Antonio beltway on my first visit. Located near the airport on the north side of town, its location is within a suburban business park containing a myriad of mid-risers including the unique Pyramid Building. Two leading retail legacies, Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue, are located on the flanking side of the mall facing the highway where they immediately let the passers by know that this is more than likely one of the metropolis's premier shopping facilities.

 
North Star Mall Mallmanac, ca. 1998. View the full PDF version here.

North Star Mall opened as a fully enclosed, 250,000 square foot center in 1960. Three years later, its first anchor, Frost Bros, was added. In the late sixties, Central Park Mall, which was shuttered in 2001, opened across the street while San Antonio based Joske's opened a location at the older facility. Those original anchors were later joined by Marshall Field's and Foley's, both of which have since been taken over by other brands. Today, North Star's anchor lineup includes Dillard's, Forever 21, JCPenney, Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue.

North Star Mall as of this writing.

When I finally got to visit the North Star Mall in the late nineties, the first thing I noticed were the huge shit-kickers (cowboy boots) adorning the entrance to the property. Yee-haw. The interior was wide, dark and airy, with two separate upper level sections integrated clumsily into the design. Though nice with a healthy selection of stores, I was actually more enamored with the Central Park Mall next door and it's mid-mod sixties design that was never updated.

North Star Mall aerial. (Source)

North Star Mall's official website