Central Park Mall, San Antonio, TX

 A dead mall

Central Park Mall Mallmanac ca. 1968.  View the full PDF version here.

My first time visiting San Antonio in the late nineties, during the days just before Christmas, included seeing the cheery lights at the Riverwalk, a tour of the cool aircraft at Kelly Air Force Base and, of course, shopping.  Naturally, one of our destinations was the highly trafficked and successful North Star Mall with their big ole boots.  But just before turning into their chaotic parking lot, I noticed something just across San Pedro Avenue that completely stole my attention.

The parking surrounding the monolith saw much less activity.  On the far end of the structure, highlighted by rows of sixties style arched columns on the exterior, was a mid-rise building dressed in the international style once popular in a bygone area.  We never turned toward this nameless entity at the time, but after fighting North Star’s crowds and being blinded by their gaudy neon, I really would have much rather gone to its neglected sister across the street.

I found out later that this fascinating remnant of past retail was the Central Park Mall, which opened a few years after the originally open air North Star in 1968 as San Antonio’s first fully enclosed mall.  Sears and Dillard’s served as the two anchors in the barbell shaped, bi-level retail facility and were joined by about 100 smaller shops.  Innovations found in the early shopping center included a water fountain in center court representing the four seasons as well as a Venetian carousel.

Central Park Mall saw much success through the nineties until its neighbor to the east embarked on a large expansion that added new anchors and even a second level, while Central Park never really changed.  The interior concourse was shuttered in the early aughts, with the balance of the structure not including Sears demolished just a few years later.  Sears finally closed their store in 2018 and is the only original building left at what is now called Park North.

201 Central Park pamphlet ca. 2018.  View the full PDF version here.

Park North official website

North Star Mall, San Antonio, TX

An extant asset

-UPDATE BELOW-

28 December 2024

(Source)

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.

-UPDATE- 1- North Star Mall lease plan ca. 1960. View the full PDF version here.

-UPDATE- 2- North Star Mall Mallmanac ca. 1975. View the full PDF version here.

Two leading retail legacies, Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue, were located on the flanking side of the mall facing the highway where they immediately let the passersby know that this is more than likely one of the metropolis's premier shopping facilities.

-UPDATE- North Star Mall lease plan ca. 1980. 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 new 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.

-UPDATE- 1- North Star Mall under construction.  2 & 3- The Frost Brother’s store.  4- The mall interior just after opening. (Source for 1 to 4)  5 to 8- Early shots of North Star Mall including the original Joske’s.  (Source for 5 to 8)

Those original anchors were later joined by Marshall Fields 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 Mallmanac ca. 1998. View the full PDF version here.

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.

-UPDATE- North Star Mall Mallmanac ca. 2007. View the full PDF version here.

Though North Star Mall is attractive enough 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.  Unfortunately, that was the one to see the wrecking ball.

-UPDATE- North Star Mall lease plan ca. 2011. View the full PDF version here.

-UPDATE-

-28 December 2024

(Source)

Though newer competition in the form of the Shops at La Cantera have made their way into the San Antonio market, North Star Mall, with its central location and healthy selection of anchors, remains the star retail attraction in the metro.

1- Macy’s updated exterior. (Source)  2 & 3- Forever 21 and Saks Fifth Avenue’s mall entrances. (Source for both)  4- The Dillard’s mall entrance. (Source)  5- Looking down from the second level of the JCPenney wing. (Source)  6- One of the mall courts.  (Source)

North Star Mall has seen little in the way of changes since my previous post.  Though a little worse for wear, the nearly 65 year old retail destination has outlived younger competition such as McCreless, Windsor Park and Westlake Malls and should continue to do so.

North Star Mall Mallmanac ca. 2024. View the full PDF version here.

North Star Mall official website

Rivercenter Mall, San Antonio, TX

An extant asset

-UPDATE BELOW-

13 July 2024

(Source)

San Antonio was another one of those cities with which I almost instantaneously fell in love. I first flew down on an old Delta 727 from Dallas after a several hour delay on Christmas Eve 1998. I was there to spend the holiday with family located near Lackland and the old Kelly Air Force Base. The latter of these facilities was home to most of the military branch's Lockheed C-5 fleet. So there were huge airplanes, one thing that I love. First point secured. Then we made the trip downtown where I got to experience the vibrant nightlife and the festive atmosphere of the Riverwalk. Another point awarded. And right smack in the middle of it all was a large, urban shopping facility integrated onto and, in places, above the San Antonio River. Point three. I was in love.

-UPDATE-  1 to 3- The Rivercenter under construction in downtown San Antonio.  4 to 6- The Rivercenter in the eighties.  (Source for all)

The Rivercenter and downtown as a whole made quite the impression on me. The waters of the San Antonio River actually ran through the building, which was adorned in the colors and the styles of the southwest. The promenades created a serpentine maze of both indoor and outdoor plazas where the mall met the water, with the cobblestone walkways and arched crossings integrated seamlessly into the design of the complex.

Rivercenter Mallmanac ca. 1998. View the full PDF version here.

During the daytime, there was more of a family atmosphere as my nephew joined us for the standard tourist fare, which included a long walk along the river's banks and the required gondola tour. But at night, the area took on a completely different personality. Bars and dance clubs lined the previously family friendly environs of the riverwalk while multi-colored Christmas Lights cascaded from the top of the trees nearly all the way down to the water. 

-UPDATE-  1 to 3- The exterior of the Rivercenter in its earlier days.  4 to 6- The interior in the eighties.  (Source for all)

The Rivercenter opened in 1988 featuring Dillard's and the city's first Lord & Taylor. The building housing Dillard's was the half million square foot, century old flagship store for San Antonio based Joske's. Just before the mall opened, however, and as renovations were being completed that would join the older building to the new mall, Dillard's took over all of the venerable old San Antonio stores' locations. But only about half of the Joske's space was used by its new owners, allowing the rest of the historic building to be turned into additional mall space and an AMC Cineplex.

Rivercenter Mallmanac ca. 2011. View the full PDF version here.

Since the Rivercenter's opening, Foley's has taken over the Lord & Taylor spot before being acquired by and renamed Macy's while Dillard's closed their mall store in 2008. Today, the entire building that once housed Joske's is slated for redevelopment. This could include a luxury hotel to complement the existing 1000 room, 38 story Marriott located at the other end of the mall.

The Rivercenter in the late nineties.

I'm normally one who avoids kitschy tourist spots that most usual travelers like to frequent. In fact, I've made it a point to avoid places like San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf and Chicago's Navy Pier despite their popularity. But there are some spots that may fall into that kitschy category which still have to be seen. One, in my opinion, is the Las Vegas Strip. Another is here, San Antonio's Riverwalk.

-UPDATE- Rivercenter pamphlet ca. 2021. View the full PDF version here.

-UPDATE-

-26 December 2021

1- The atrium looking out into the San Antonio River.  (Source)  2- The newly laid out interior of the former Joske’s.  (Source)  3- H&M’s mall entrance.  (Source)  4- The exterior of the former Macy’s store, once Foley’s and Lord & Taylor before that.  (Source)

Up to this point, the Rivercenter has avoided the fate of other city center located vertical malls such as MacArthur Center and Horton Plaza and actually continues to remain as a viable retail destination.  The redevelopment of the former Joske's store was completed in 2016.  With its opening, the names H&M, Dave & Busters and Starbucks, among others, were added to the lineup.

The Shops at Rivercenter Mallmanac ca. 2024. View the full PDF version here.

Unfortunately, what is now named the Shops at Rivercenter did lose its final remaining traditional department store anchor when Macy’s, formerly Foley’s, announced their withdrawal in 2021.  However, the newest owners of the facility are looking at possible conversions to residential or office spaces.  The developers hope that these types of changes will bring more local shoppers back into the facility that currently attributes about seventy-five percent of its sales being from visitors originating from somewhere other than Bexar County.

1- Where the San Antonio River meets the Rivercenter.  (Source)  2- The former Joske’s under redevelopment.  (Source)  3- The exterior of the former Joske’s and Dillard’s after its renovation was complete.  (Source)  4-  Rivercenter surrounding the historic St. Joseph Catholic Church.  (Source)

The Shops at Rivercenter official website