A dead mall
I always thought that Metrocenter was a pretty cool name for a mall. On top of that, there were two major retail developments sharing the moniker, neither of which remain accessible today. The first is a largely abandoned monolith rotting on the south side of Jackson, Mississippi. The other has already met its end in northwestern Phoenix.
Vintage black and whites of Metrocenter’s early days. (Source for all)
But the Phoenix location is perhaps better known through pop culture as the fictional San Dimas Mall, when the eponymous leads of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure let Billy the Kid, Socrates, Joan of Arc, Genghis Kahn and Sigmund Freud loose within its neon lined, earth toned tiled and double tiered walls.
Metrocenter lease plan ca. 1973. View the full PDF version here.
On my first two visits to Phoenix in 2019 and 2020, I had intended to visit the sprawling monolith just to the west if I-17, but I never made the trip. By the time I made plans for my third visit in 2026, although an extension of the city’s light rail had been made all of the way to Metrocenter’s doors, the majority of the structure lay in several piles of rubble.
Scenes and behind the scenes shots from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure when Metrocenter stood in for San Dimas Mall. (Source for all)
From my perch at the elevated Metro Parkway light rail station, all that remained of one of the most well-known shopping malls in US history was a Wal-Mart Super Center that wasn’t a part of the original development, the original Sears store and the structure once serving as the home to Rhodes, Liberty House and JCPenney.
Metrocenter lease plan ca. 1974. View the full PDF version here.
Even the entire parking lot was gated off and reduced to soil, so there wasn’t much of a point in attempting a loop around the former center. I had missed my chance to see for myself what I’m sure was a superb example of early enclosed shopping mall design and architecture. Sigh.
Postcards and overhead shots showing Metrocenter’s footprint. (Source for all)
Metrocenter opened in late 1973 in the largely undeveloped northwestern environs of the relatively young desert city. The expansive, fully double tiered monolith boasted four anchors at its debut, Rhodes Brothers, The Broadway, Goldwater’s and Diamond’s. Sears, at the far northern reaches of the property, was added shortly after.
Metrocenter lease plan ca. 1984. View the full PDF version here.
Not long after Sears had made their entrance, Rhodes was taken over by Honolulu based department store Liberty House as a part of their ill-fated mainland expansion. Including all five department store anchors, the building encompassed 1.4 million square feet of space, an absolute monster for its time.
Metrocenter’s early, distinctive architecture with a googie-in-the-seventies flair. (Source for all)
Though initially opposed due to its massive scale from neighboring communities, Metrocenter was an immediate success. The 100 million dollar development was the largest of its kind in the state of Arizona and one of the largest in the country as the first fully bi-level center with five competing anchors.
1- Metrocenter’s main entrance. 2 to 4- The interior mezzanines and ice skating rink. 5- The original, swooping entrance adornments. 6- Old timey colored Goldman’s department store. (Source for all)
Further anchor shuffling came in the next decade as Diamond’s was taken over by Dillard’s in 1984. Joske’s moved into Liberty House’s old space the same year but was soon usurped by Dillard’s as a second location before finally seeing its final tenant, JCPenney, move in before the decade’s end. In 1989, Robinson’s took over Goldwater’s space, ending a decade of churn.
Metrocenter lease plan ca. 1997. View the full PDF version here.
Metrocenter’s popularity peaked in the eighties with its motion picture debut, but subsequent decades proved more challenging for the aging mall. The neighborhoods surrounding the development, which was annexed into the city of Phoenix soon after its opening, was experiencing demographic shifts.
The interior of Metrocenter in the early 2020s not long before its demolition. (Source for all)
In addition, more competition was added to Phoenix’s retail landscape as Paradise Valley, Fiesta and Westridge Malls (now known as Desert Sky) muscled in on Metrocenter’s territory. The complex’s looming parking lots became notorious as a destination for cruising, leading to further dents in its reputation.
Metrocenter Mallmanac ca. 2008. View the full PDF version here.
These factors were the driving force for Metrocenter’s first renovation in the early nineties, which led to both the removal of the ice skating rink and the expansion of the upper level food court overlooking it. Just after in 1996, The Broadway shifted to Macy’s but only lasted until their first exit in 2005. They reentered the tenant list in 2006 at the former location of Robinson’s.
Metrocenter’s exterior in the early 2020s shortly before being leveled. (Source for all)
In 2004, new owners took over the declining retail destination, bringing back Westcor as mall managers in attempt to stem the tide of departures. After another small refurbishment in 2007, the Metrocenter changed management again as Jones Lang Lasalle entered the picture. It was sold again just a couple of years later in 2010.
Metrocenter lease plan ca. 2017. View the full PDF version here.
After Dillard’s was downgraded to a clearance center in 2009, what was originally The Broadway was removed for the Wal-Mart Supercenter. With JCPenney’s exit in 2007 and Macy’s final departure in 2015, Sears and Dillard’s remained as the only remaining anchors until their withdrawals in 2018 and 2023, respectively. The mall itself closed in 2020.
The site of Metrocenter after demolition from the Metro Parkway light rail station.
Now nearly fully demolished, plans are in place for a mixed-use development called The Metropolitan to rise at the site. The proposal includes office space interspersed with retail as well as residential blocks and townhomes. The first occupants are expected to move in sometime in 2027.
(Source)
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