Coronado Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico

 An extant asset

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 1965.  View the full PDF version here.

It was during a family cross country road trip in 2008 when I made my one and only visit to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We had stopped for the night due to a planned appointment so I had some time to kill.  And what better place to do that than at the local mall?

Old timey postcards of Coronado Center.

I had chosen Coronado Center due to its central location as well as its proximity to another dying enclosed complex, Winrock Mall.  After exploring the older facility, which has since then met its own demise, I spent the rest of the day at its more up to date neighbor.

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 1985.  View the full PDF version here.

Coronado Center is definitely a tale about two separate structures slapped together with little besides retail in common.  One portion was stylish, vibrant, two levels and had a Del Taco.  The other was single level, tired and ancient, not very inviting and was highlighted only by a Sears.

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 1995.  View the full PDF version here.

This single level segment serves as the original Coronado Center, having opened in 1965 as an open-air facility.  Anchored by Sears and Rhodes Brothers, it complemented nearby Winrock and soon the surrounding retail district would become the city’s go-to.

1 & 2- Coronado Center in 2014. (Source for both)  3 & 4- The interior concourses today. (Source for both)

While Rhode’s Brothers was taken over by Liberty House in the mid-seventies, the newer, double tiered western portion was constructed with department stores Goldwater’s and The Broadway serving as anchors.  At around this time, Liberty House was usurped by Mervyn’s.

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 2005.  View the full PDF version here.

In 1984, a fifth anchor, Sanger-Harris, was added to the newer build.  In the late eighties, there was some shuffling of the anchors.  May D&F took over Goldwater’s spot while Foley’s moved into what was once Sanger-Harris.  This Foley’s location, however, was shuttered the following year.

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 2011.  View the full PDF version here.

JCPenney moved into Sanger-Harris’s former pad in 1990 while Foley’s returned in 1993, this time within the walls that once housed May D&F.  Just a few years later in 1996, Macy’s made their debut within the recently vacated confines of The Broadway.

Coronado Center’s interior. (Source for both)

Foley’s was rebranded as Macy’s in what was the then Cincinnati based retailer’s second location.  The pad formerly belonging to The Broadway was subsequently vacated for the larger Foley’s, leaving the western-most anchor spot darkened for several years.

Coronado Center Mallmanac ca. 2024.  View the full PDF version here.

Kohl’s moved to Mervyn’s space upon the latter’s bankruptcy while, in the early 2010s, Gordman’s and Dick’s shared the space originally claimed by The Broadway.  Sears, unsurprisingly, called it quits in 2018 and the space was subdivided into smaller stores and big boxes.

Recent shots of the inside and outside of Coronado Center. (Source for all)

Kohl’s, after about a decade tenure at Coronado Center, exited in 2023 leaving JCPenney and Macy’s as the sole traditional anchors.  And while these will help to keep the sixty year old retail destination healthy enough for now, it’s inevitable that more changes will come in the future.

Coronado Center official website

Galleria at Sunset, Henderson, NV

 An extant asset

Surprisingly enough, the fast growing city in the desert, Las Vegas, has never been over-malled even with nearly unlimited square miles of wasteland surrounding it.  Though most visitors may only be aware of the retail facilities located on the Strip such as Fashion Show Las Vegas and the Forum Shops at Caesar’s, most wouldn’t be familiar with those facilities built mainly for the local population.  While Meadows Mall serves much of the north and west residing patrons, The Galleria at Sunset serves those on the south and eastern ends of the burgeoning metropolis.

1- The original main mall entrance.  2- The early interior floors. (Source for 1 & 2)  3 & 4- An overview of the main concourse in the Galleria at Sunset’s earlier days.  (Source for 3 & 4)

Being a bit out of the way, I was never able to make my own trip to the region’s newest enclosed retail facility on my most recent trip to Las Vegas.  The closest I came was flying directly over the sprawling complex while on final approach to Harry Reid International Airport.  But from what I have gathered, it presents pretty much standard mall fare highlighted by Dillard’s, JCPenney, Macy’s, Kohl’s and Dick’s as anchors.

Galleria at Sunset Mallmanac ca. 2011.  View the full PDF version here.

Labeled as Ranch Mall upon its conception in the mid-eighties, construction was delayed until the mid-nineties in what was then mainly undeveloped desert lands on the outskirts of Henderson.  Just the proposition of a large, enclosed retail facility being constructed in the area drove rapid development in the vicinity that would one day push Henderson to the second most populous city in the state, surpassing even the biggest little city in the world, Reno.

1- The Galleria at Sunset’s new main entrance. (Source)  2- Macy’s and the front exterior. (Source)  3- Looking down the concourse toward JCPenney. (Source)  4- The original center court before renovation. (Source)

What had by then been renamed as The Galleria at Sunset opened its doors in early 1996 as a double-tiered, one million square foot climate controlled facility, drawing tens of thousands of patrons at its debut.  The four original anchors consisted of Dillard’s, Robinsons-May, JCPenney and Mervyn’s.  The original interior was archetypical nineties, employing geometric elements in the colors of the desert.  From pictures I have seen, it was absolutely fantastic.

Galleria at Sunset site plan ca. 2024.  View the full PDF version here.

The Galleria at Sunset saw its first expansion in 2002 when thirteen additional spaces were added as well as new junior anchor tenant Galyan’s sporting goods.  Around the same time, the first anchor shuffle occurred when Robinsons-May was usurped by the Macy’s brand.  Several years later in 2009, Mervyn’s shuttered its space.  Soon after, clothing retailer Kohl’s opened in its place.

The Galleria at Sunset’s first overall renovation happened in 2013 when all of the original desert themed décor, as well as the popular chess piece topiaries located in the food court, were removed for, well, the basic mall template for the mid-2010s.  Another smaller scale expansion took place in 2014, leaving the center with its present day footprint.

1- Kohl’s entrance.  2- The bus comes to the Galleria.  3 & 4- Bingo in the food court.  (Source for all)

Though it’s nothing flashy even when compared to its cross town peer Meadows Mall, the shopping center serves its purpose well and has found its own niche within the southwestern reached of the Las Vegas Valley.  Commercial development within the vicinity continues to grow, and the spark for this buildup, The Galleria at Sunset, continues to thrive.

(Source)

Galleria at Sunset official website

Salem Center, Salem, OR

 An extant asset

(Source)

I love city center malls, especially ones found unexpectedly in smaller towns.  Being the mall nerd that I am, I’ve located them in hamlets such as Kalispell Center in Kalispell, Montana, Mankato Place in Mankato, Minnesota and Mason City Iowa’s Southbridge Mall.  But one of the most successful and active that I have found, so much so that it outlasted its own suburban peer, is in Oregon’s state capital, Salem Center.

Salem Center lease plan ca. 2002.  View the full PDF version here.

Though I’ve never been to the Salem Center, only having passed through the city via Interstate 5 on my way to Portland, it does seem to punch way above its weight when compared to the retail options in cities of a similar size.  To this day, it still hosts a traditional department store with Macy’s as well as several junior anchors.  What’s most unique, however, is that even though it is no longer open, this center once hosted a full line Nordstrom store.

1 to 4- Interior shots of Salem Center. (Source for all)  5- Empty storefronts in the center. (Source)  6- The mall entrance to the former Nordstrom store. (Source)

What today is known as Salem Center opened in 1979 occupying several blocks in the capital’s city center.  But the first of its anchor stores was actually built in the mid-fifties when Meier & Frank opened their first branch outlet on the corner of High and Center Streets.  A decade later in 1965, JCPenney joined the downtown lineup with their own two level addition just a few blocks away.  Then, in 1970, downtown’s first major suburban competition came with the opening of Lancaster Mall just to the east.

Salem Center lease plan ca. 2011.  View the full PDF version here.

Originally titled as Nordstrom Mall and Salem Plaza, the double and single tiered buildings were constructed on a couple of blocks between the two extant anchors.  JCPenney was connected to the Nordstrom Mall via a skybridge while the Seattle based luxury retailer of the same name debuted their own 72,000 square foot facility.  Mervyn’s opened their outlet in Salem Plaza, which itself was expanded with a second level in the mid-eighties.

Salem Center lease plan ca. 2015.  View the full PDF version here.

Soon after, the separate centers were consolidated and rechristened as the Salem Center.  Over the years, Mervyn’s ceded to Kohl’s and Meier & Frank was converted to a Macy’s upon their takeover.  Nordstrom pulled out of what was by then one of their smallest full line locations in 2018 while JCPenney announced their departure in 2020.  While these losses have had an impact, Salem Center still hosts standard mall retailers such as American Eagle Outfitters, Hot Topic and Spencer’s.

1 & 2- Two of Salem Center’s mall entrances.  3- The Cinnebare Theaters. (Source for 1 to 3)  4- The former JCPenney store. (Source)  5- The former Nordstrom exterior. (Source)  6- Apartments now stand where Nordstrom once did. (Source)

Salem Center’s sole competition within the market, Lancaster Mall, was de-malled in the late 2010s and was relabeled as Willamette Town Center.  This leaves the downtown complex as the only remaining enclosed plaza in the area.  The former Nordstrom location was demolished with a residential complex built in its place.  Hopefully this will keep enough patrons coming back for the city center retail destination to survive.

Salem Center Mallmanac ca. 2023.  View the full PDF version here.

Salem Center official website