An extant asset
On my recent trip back to the Hampton Roads area of Virginia for the first time in over two decades, I was able to visit all of the remaining malls still standing on the Southside. Though it wasn’t until I visited the last of them, Pembroke Mall, that I realized that it's always been my favorite.
1 to 4- The front of the former Pembroke Mall. The space that Bath & Body Works now occupies previously served as the mall’s main entrance. 5- Developments rising across from the Virginia Beach Town Center. 6- The entrance to Old Navy once served as one of the dual main entranceways that were a part of the expansion's original layout. 7- Some of the tenants in what remains of the 1966 building. 8- Old Navy facing the town center.
Standing in the shadows of the skyscrapers located across the street in the Virginia Beach Town Center development, aka the Beach’s downtown, Pembroke Mall looked much the same as the last time I visited. Starting at the front facing expansion, I walked toward the west and the largest former anchor building once belonging to Sears.
Although the doors had been walled over, I was thrilled to see that the recessed entryway and the skylight over the court facing the former Sears mall entrance still existed. Though no longer accessible and now hosting service equipment, I was just glad to see the breezeway once leading to a dental office and a set of doors underneath a sign simply reading “MALL.”
1 to 3- The former Sears and its portion of the adjoining mall. 4- This breezeway once served as the recessed mall entranceway next to Sears. 5- Looking east from DSW. 6 to 8- The front of the former Sears now hosts Nordstrom Rack and DSW. 9 & 10- Fresh Market at the rear of Sears.
The Sears building itself was subdivided and renovated beyond all recognition. Underneath it all, however, I could still see those repeating rectangular faces hidden beneath modernized signage displaying the names Nordstrom Rack, DSW Shoe Warehouse and The Fresh Market.
It wasn’t until I reached the flanking side of the former enclosed center that my heart sank. Admittedly, I hadn’t been keeping a really close track of the present status of malls in the region, though I did know that all of Pembroke Mall’s interior concourses had been closed off. But in between the former Sears and Woolworth locations is where I finally noticed it.
Hoping to catch a glimpse of Pembroke Mall’s signature skylights over the former main corridor, all I could see was sunlight. While I wasn’t paying attention, almost the entirety of the former interior common area had been demolished. All that remained were the anchor stores and the former front facing expansion closest to Virginia Beach Boulevard, as well as a small portion abutting the former Sears.
1 & 2- What remains of Pembroke Mall on the flanking side where Woolworth used to be. 3 to 5- The Target store stands over the former northern expansion and Hess’s store. 6- The Aviva senior living residences, part of the project’s phase one. 7 & 8- Behind Target looking toward the spot where the Cineplex Odeon once was located.
I knew that this was coming, but I had hoped to catch one last sight of the original 1966 mall, even though I knew that I would never again see it from the inside. Pembroke, even though it was overshadowed by the juggernaut Lynnhaven Mall for the final 45 years of its life, was my most beloved retail destination in the region and it was gone.
Rising in Pembroke Mall’s place will be Pembroke Square, another mixed use destination being introduced to complement the Virginia Beach Town Center located just across the boulevard. The phased redevelopment will consist of an outdoor retail portion, senior living spaces, a hotel, and multi-family residences.
1 to 5- Kohl’s, once Miller & Rhoads followed by Upton’s. 6- The demolition of Pembroke Mall has revealed the original façade of Miller & Rhoads.
It’s been difficult to locate any clear renderings or site plans for the redesigned Pembroke Square, so I was hoping that it would involve preserving more of the original main structure. But even as phase one’s Aviva Senior Living has opened as the first newly build facility, it’s apparent that nearly all of the 1966 common area is no longer necessary.
I continued my walk around the what was left of the old earth toned development. I passed the relatively new Target before heading to Kohl’s, itself housed in part of the 1966 structure at one time hosting Miller & Rhoads before Upton’s. It was there where I was able to get the best view into the former common areas. The ground, still covered in earth that had not seen the sun since the early sixties, was being improved and a line of store fronts was rising on its periphery.
Pembroke Square site plan ca. 2025. View the full PDF version here.
However, there was one small silver lining to the death of Pembroke Mall. Abutting the Kohl’s store in its days hosting Miller & Rhoads was another recessed entryway designed in much the same way as the one next to Sears. It had long ago been turned into additional small store space while Miller & Rhoads stunning sixties façade was hidden beneath Kohl’s bland standard.
Looking into where Pembroke Mall once stood from the southeast.
But the recent demolition had revealed and given me one final glance at the 1966 exterior of the long defunct Richmond based department store. I was stoked to be facing the repeating rectangular brick frames underneath a mid-century modern roofline with widely spaced ornaments rising like crowns just above each one. In the midst of all of the destruction, I smiled. Though it will soon be gone, this is how I will always remember Pembroke Mall.
Close up picture of original Miller & Rhoads façade.
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