An extant asset
-UPDATE BELOW-
10 November 2024
The Minneapolis suburb of Edina is probably best known for being the home of the Southdale Center, widely regarded as the United States' first modern shopping mall. But right across the street from the old ground-breaker is another innovation in retail, Galleria.
-UPDATE- 1 & 2- Galleria’s main entrance. 3- The construction area where Gabbert’s originally stood. 4- Crate & Barrel and the northwestern mall entrance. 5- Pottery Barn. 6- Galleria’s main common area runs above a portion of the car park. 7- The Design with Reach store. 8- The walkway connecting two lower level entrances.
Not particularly attractive on the inside or the outside, Galleria is best known throughout the Cities as being the more upscale companion to the more mid-market Southdale. Like the "lifestyle" centers that would come decades later, there are no traditional anchors.
Galleria Mallmanac ca. 2000. View the full PDF version here.
Instead, the developers rely on an upmarket mix of retailers such as Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton, as well as a medley of distinct restaurants to attract their target demographic. It was truly avant-garde as it was built during a time when malls were dependent on major department stores, with the average center being designed with four or five full-line anchors.
-UPDATE- 1- Galleria’s western end from the rear. 2- One of the mall entrances on the same side. 3- The Westin Hotel and Pittsburgh Blue. 4- Barnes & Noble. 5- The flanking side of the mall exterior. 6- One of the lower level entrances from the sunken parking area.
Galleria was built by Gabbert's Furniture Store in 1976, which is considered to be the mall's sole anchor. In 2004, a system was launched where patrons could avail of a gift registry encompassing all merchants in the mall, the first of its kind in the nation.
-UPDATE- Galleria Mallmanac ca. 2010. View the full PDF version here.
With these progressive ideas and a concept ahead of its time which just happens to be the preferred tenant mix for today's consumer, it's no wonder that Galleria is out drawing even the venerable old Southdale. For the sake of retail history, however, I hope that both can survive.
-UPDATE- Galleria’s main concourse.
-UPDATE-
-10 November 2024
Being completely overshadowed by its more historic and well known companion across West 69th Street, I couldn’t really remember a whole lot about Galleria. So my visit in 2024 was like walking through its doors for the first time.
Galleria Mallmanac ca. 2017. View the full PDF version here.
The building itself is elongated and low-slung, basically looking like a suburban office park as one speeds by. But the few skylights rising above the roof line show that behind this unremarkable façade may actually be something pretty substantial.
1- Crate & Barrel’s mall entrance. 2 to 6- The main east-west running corridor.
Today resting in the shadow of a newly attached high-rise Westin Hotel, Galleria plays host to a selection of luxury brands that only an exclusive number of peers such as Phipps Plaza, The Shops at the Bravern and Plaza Frontenac can boast.
Galleria Mallmanac ca. 2021. View the full PDF version here.
Located above the sloping parking lot beneath, the main concourse runs east to west and winds past several access points to a lower level that mainly only provides egress to the parking underneath. Decked out in the earth tone palette of most enclosed centers today, there’s little in the way of plant life, seating and skylights though I was glad to see the occasional water feature still in use.
Galleria Mallmanac ca. 2023. View the full PDF version here.
I also found myself standing next to a large construction site where the building housing Gabbert’s Furniture, around which Galleria was built, once stood. After departing in 2019, another home retailer, Rypen, took over the space before recently departing.
The different courts and seating areas of Galleria. The stairs lead up from small entrance areas in the sunken car park.
After the new tenant’s departure, what was once the oldest section of the Galleria was bulldozed. New smaller shops are planned for this latest construction which will be abutting the Crate & Barrel store that was added in a 2000s expansion.
Galleria Mallmanac ca. 2024. View the full PDF version here.
Just across the street, however, rival Southdale Center has been threatening Galleria’s livelihood as they add their own selection of luxury brands, including Gucci and Montcler in their first ever Minnesota locations.
Galleria’s lower level on the mall’s east end near Barnes & Noble.
But it seems that Galleria is well positioned to ride out the storm as its own impressive lineup continues to bring in the wealthier patrons of Minneapolis and Saint Paul’s southern suburbs.
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