European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 01, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse The nailing of America by Frederick m. Winshi United press International Page 14 major shopping malls Are being built across the United states at the unflagging rate of about 30 a year an Extension of the Good life for Many americans but a pox on the landscape to others. Some critics View malls a $200 billion a year plus Busi Ness As a preview of 21st Century life dehumanized by strictly controlled environments that Lack variety sense of place and most importantly a feeling of nature and unlimited space. They rank malls with television As the greatest transformers of american lifestyle since world War ii. There about 19,000 shopping malls and plazas in the United states according to the count of the International Council of shopping centers. Since the late 1960s, construction emphasis has been on climate controlled enclosed malls and there Are now More than 1,000 of these of which 200 Are huge regional operations taking up a million Square feet of space and grossing upward of $100 million mailing of America probably will continue past the saturation Point. A few malls already have succumbed to Competition and others those with 200 stores or More probably have reached their maximum a trend has surfaced toward smaller More specialized malls better suited for Urban downtown than suburban communities. Suburban malls obviously have had a big Impact enforcing business away from cities said Arthur h. Schein of Boston a leading mall architect. But cities Are becoming a viable place to build malls and malls Are moving into the vacuum. It s desirable and there s a trend. And i Don t think it s just to combat the suburban j. J. Caletri manager of the 130-store Plaza at Lake Forest in Eastern new Orleans agreed with Schein noting that in the past 20 years the suburban mall had become the Center of activity because the Center of population swung to the suburbs. I think you la see a reversal of that with the downtown mall performing the same function Caletri said. Urban malls take the shape of existing downtown shop Ping streets landscaped and closed to traffic As in min Neapolis or blocks of shops built on the site of deteriorating downtown real estate that has been razed As in Hartford. The latest in Urban mails exemplified by the the Market in the Citicorp Center in Midtown new York features vertical Ltd a seven Story atrium with offices overlooking the High Lse retail Levels. Michael p. Buckley of Hartford design Developer for the Market says it offers a View of the the Market with its shops and ethnic restaurants is such a roaring Success that our Only problem is crowd control Buckley said. Downtown offer the greatest diversity the greatest landscape experience and the Street systems already Are in place. Downtown is where the action is one of the newest Urban projects is Philadelphia s Gal Lery a 125-store Multi level mall in the Shadow of City Hall which has set a record for Urban mall sales since it opened last August. State Street one of Chicago s main shopping thoroughfares is currently being mailed for completion next year. A 1 million Square foot enclosed mall is the most important element of a $250 million Urban renewal program that is expected to change the face of downtown Stam Ford Conn. Even so the majority of the malls listed for completion by the Csc in 1979 and 1980 Are still located near not in cities and just off main highways. The Only thing that will Ever limit mall building is what can be accommodated in the term of vehicles Buckley pointed out Urban malts have it Over suburban the stars and stripes in this respect since about 70 per cent of their customers use Public traffic engendered by malls has always resulted in some opposition to their construction from neighbouring landowners conservationists and environmentalists but most malls have gotten built just the same. Of of the reasons is that malls provide main streets or Market places not unlike the Agoras of ancient Greece for sub Urban areas that had none. Shopping is Only one attraction of malls according to a Survey of visitors to West roads which was built on 40 acres of Cornfields near Omaha 10 years ago. People go there to eat and socialize too and to play pinball and attend concerts and Art shows sponsored by the mall. A few malls have chapels that Are popular for weddings. As in the Case of Many malls a Complex of apart ment holdings Model Homes and Industry has grown up around West roads. Some malls have attracted drive in Heaters ice skat ing rinks and race tracks to their tracts. Kansas City s development director Joseph Vitt said the springing upon businesses around malls was a natural phenomenon in their Early Days but now it is a conscious Effort on the part of developers. You can get anything you want out Here said a 19-year-old Omaha Man on the Lookout for pretty girls at West roads the biggest mall Between Chicago an Denver. A cheerleader from Avoca Iowa 60 Miles away who came to buy special shoes and other equipment said we have no other place to go except Des Moines and that s Mother said she came with her children to eat at fast food stores and end up eating at two or three malls often Are the Only place for suburban youth to meet and occasionally to rough House but malls Are generally Well policed by both local police and private Secu Rity guards and there seems to be Little trouble. Police in suburban Troy mich., report that shoplifting car theft and other crimes at Somerset mall known As the fifth Avenue of the Midwest Are customers say they feel Safe and hardly Ever venture into downtown Detroit which has a reputation for Street crime. Although generally dependant on customers who live within is minutes driving distance malls also can be tourist attractions. Afr cd Barr general manager of Iso store Leno Square on peach tree Road in Atlanta claims 40 per cent of the shoppers Are tourists the highest percentage in the country. Winnie Mansfield who runs French designer Cour Reges High fashion shop at Lenox said at least so per cent of her customers Are from out of Atlanta some from Europe and South America. Most visitors to Lenox s often High priced exclusive shops Are unaware of the friction caused by the mall during its 19-year history. Atlanta s business Community has screamed for improvements to alleviate the maddening traffic problems created by Lenox Square while area residents refuse to have an expressway built through their neighbourhood. Meanwhile property values along peach tree have zoomed and Many residents have opted to sell their Homes. Somewhere along the line it becomes uneconomical to retain property As a single family Home near a mall said Collier Gladin Atlanta s director of planning. You get developers competing for the land and the economic pressures of living in a High Market area become Sunbear americans see malls such at the yet malls can be a Boon to homeowners. Crestwood a suburb of St. Louis has a Strongs a result of the 1-cent sales tax that brings in r $1 million a year to the City mostly from the Plaza mall. Thus the Plaza has raised the value of Crest Dences made excellent municipal services pos kept the local tax rate Low. Pm pm some so companies dominate the owning and managing of America s malls. Lao lion and construction often involves Over 60 go Tal and environmental agencies and Bun hearings so that it takes four or More years to out of the planning stage into actuality. Developers put much Effort into attracting department stores such As Sears May Stor Penney e. J. Korvette and Gimbels which us vital to Success. As John f. Maguire manager million a year King of Prussia pa., mall said your major draw is your department Sto year in year out basis. That is what is going to or break you but you do have to offer a Bradof big and Little shops to be a Success is what the malls Are All about. Mo4p Are big moneymakers failures have been Almo i nearly 90 per cent Are still owned by the orig Tai lit ers. Since most tenants Are on percentage Leasef Flugo up so does the rent mails tend to offset tonary Factor and have become favourites of estate investment Community. Success May also be the malls greatest americans on the Aven spend More time in a than they do anywhere except at Home or work tuesday j
