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.
