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95-518: Augusta Mall opened on August 3, 1978, one week after the now-defunct Regency Mall opened. Augusta Mall had about 90 retail spaces when it first opened, anchored by two department stores: Rich's and Davison's . Many of the mall's design features were borrowed from other successful malls developed by The Rouse Company . The space frame ceiling is a replica of The Mall in Columbia , Governor's Square Mall , Tampa Bay Center and Hulen Mall while

190-538: A $ 32 million renovation and expansion. The centerpiece of the expansion was a new Sears store, which replaced the chain's freestanding store near Broad street at the intersection of Walton Way and 15th Street. In addition, the mall's interior was updated and expanded, growing from around 90 stores to more than 130 stores. In contrast, Regency Mall remained essentially unchanged from its original configuration, and its interior seemed dark and dated compared to that of its freshened cross-town rival. DeBartolo held out hope that

285-441: A 16-year-old was abducted from a parking lot at Regency Mall. She was raped and shot four times, and her body was found several days later near Hephzibah, Ga. Three years later, an 18-year-old woman was shot by a man who was hiding in the back seat of her car, leaving her paralyzed; her family filed suit against DeBartolo, claiming that security at Regency Mall was inadequate. A further blow came in 1990, when Augusta Mall completed

380-435: A 2006 candidate for Georgia House District 120 against incumbent Quincy Murphy, made the revitalization of Regency Mall the centerpiece of her campaign. In December 2008, Augusta-Richmond County made a proposal to use $ 8 million from the next phase of Augusta's Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) to demolish the mall and clear the property for development. Tax dollars would be used only for demolition. More recently,

475-515: A 28,000-square-foot (2,600 m ) center court, framed by 45-foot (14 m) pillars and featuring a fountain, a 28-foot (9 m) clock tower and a stage area floored in brown tile. Regency Mall had more than 800,000 square feet (70,000 m ) of space; when it opened, it was the largest enclosed shopping mall in Georgia. Regency Mall's grand opening took place on July 27, 1978, with 70 of its 139 scheduled stores ready for business. Many of

570-464: A 4,500 square foot location at the mall. On February 8, 2020, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 39 stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2020. On October 3, 2020, after an altercation, a gun was pulled out and two people were shot. One victim was transported to a nearby hospital where he later died from his wounds. The other victim was shot in the leg and she

665-494: A combination of Georgia-based and national chains. However, both malls operated successfully through the 1970s and much of the 1980s. They had drawn large retailers to close their downtown stores and relocate to the malls, and many smaller stores had opened stores in one, or both, of the malls. Though Regency Mall was the largest mall in Augusta, its location posed problems during the 1990s. Augusta Mall tended to draw shoppers from

760-418: A concrete viaduct when the mall was built, would have been restored to a more natural appearance; and park and recreation space would have been made part of the site. This proposal, however, did not come to pass. The Regency Mall property was also proposed as the site of a civic arena. However, Augusta-Richmond County voters defeated a local-option sales tax issue in 2004 that would have funded construction of

855-636: A connecting route to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina . Augusta has been mentioned as the east terminus of a proposed expansion of Interstate 14 that would begin in Midland-Odessa, Texas and run through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia with hopes of connecting major military installations along the highway corridor such as Fort Cavazos , Fort Moore , Fort Eisenhower , and Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville . Augusta has also been mentioned for another proposed interstate known as Interstate 3 that would go through

950-515: A deal has yet to be struck and negotiations are currently ongoing. In early 2018, unauthorized demolition of the Regency Mall parking lot by the owners was stopped by the city of Augusta. In October 2020, demolition work began on the mall, starting with the former Montgomery Ward space. It is currently unknown what will replace Regency Mall. Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( / ə ˈ ɡ ʌ s t ə / ə- GUSS -tə )

1045-507: A fort at the head of the navigable part of the river. The expedition was led by Noble Jones , who created a settlement as a first line of defense for coastal areas against potential Spanish or French invasion from the interior. Oglethorpe named the town in honor of Princess Augusta , the mother of King George III and the wife of Frederick, Prince of Wales . Oglethorpe visited Augusta in September 1739 on his return to Savannah from

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1140-420: A mentally disabled teenager, was killed by his cellmates in an Augusta jail. A protest against his death broke out in a riot involving 500 people, after six black men were killed by police, each found to have been shot in the back. The noted singer and entertainer James Brown was called in to help quell lingering tensions, which he succeeded in doing. In 1993, an area known as Hyde Park in Augusta, Georgia,

1235-433: A new fifth anchor store could still become a reality. However, through location, renovation and growth, Augusta Mall was on its way to becoming the region's dominant mall. The first anchor store to close at Regency Mall was Upton's, which occupied the space originally built for Cullum's; its Regency Mall store closed in April 1993. Seven other stores in the mall closed by the end of that year. Some merchants who were leaving

1330-478: A new store at Augusta Mall, leaving Montgomery Ward as the only anchor left at the mall. The management of that store boarded up its mall entrances to save on heating and cooling costs. The mall's escalators were shut off to save money, and management scaled back the hours of operation. Even with these and other economic measures, the mall lost money each day it was open. Occupancy was, at most, 35 percent. Local government officials had eyed Regency Mall for years as

1425-699: A perilous visit to Coweta Town, near present-day Phenix City, Alabama . There, he had met with a convention of 7,000 Native American warriors and concluded a peace treaty with them in their territories in northern and western Georgia. During the American Revolutionary War , the Siege of Augusta resulted in the retaking the city from the British by the Americans. Augusta was the second state capital of Georgia from 1785 until 1795 (alternating for

1520-584: A period with Savannah, the first). Augusta developed rapidly as a market town as the Black Belt in the Piedmont was developed for cotton cultivation. Invention of the cotton gin made processing of short-staple cotton profitable, and this type of cotton was well-suited to the upland areas. Cotton plantations were worked by slave labor, with hundreds of thousands of slaves shipped from the Upper South to

1615-564: A poor location and a market too small to support two shopping malls. Its anchor stores began to pull out during the early 1990s. Regency's last remaining anchor, Montgomery Ward, closed when the chain folded in 2001. The mall was boarded up in March 2002 shortly after its last tenant, International Formal Wear, closed, but the buildings' interiors remained mostly intact. As of December 2013, in order to prevent any further vandalism and fires set by homeless people, transients, and squatters breaking into

1710-484: A possible location for city and county operations. In 1996, the Augusta Chronicle reported that Augusta Mayor Larry Sconyers and other commissioners conducted a behind-the-scenes effort to buy the mall and relocate government offices there. Though this plan didn't carry through, another proposal was made two years later to consolidate all of Augusta-Richmond County's government operations there, and to convert

1805-539: A result, Regency Mall's entire mall interior along with the interiors of its five anchor store buildings have all been completely gutted of all combustible materials, along with the removal of all mechanical and electrical equipment, wiring and systems, pluming fixtures, pipes, interior walls and doors, store fronts and gates, elevator cars, motors, hydraulics, escalators, HVAC unit systems, boilers, pumps, emergency generators, and electronic equipment, all of which has left Regency Mall sitting as an empty shell with nothing but

1900-427: A series of public forums in 1999 and 2000. This plan would have redeveloped the mall into a combination of park and retail space arranged in a "village" streetscape format. The enclosed mall concourse would have been demolished, and the large anchor stores would have been reconfigured into shopping and office space with restyled facades. Other new buildings would have been constructed; the basin of Rocky Creek, walled into

1995-411: A sports arena on the Regency Mall site. In July 2006, Macedonia Baptist Church of Augusta announced that it had secured a lease-purchase agreement on the former Montgomery Ward building and 15 acres (61,000 m ) of parking. The church revealed plans to turn the building into a sanctuary for up to 3,000 worshippers, a gymnasium, classrooms, a bookstore and a coffee shop. Pastor Dr. Gregory Fuller told

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2090-444: A store at the mall, becoming the fourth anchor. Regency Mall was configured in a Y-shaped layout. Its surrounding landscape was terraced, providing ground-level entrances to the upper and lower levels. The mall's interior was decorated in an alabaster motif with brown accents, and its floors were finished in brown-speckled terrazzo tile. Live trees were planted at intervals along the lower-level concourses. The mall's three wings met at

2185-560: A total area of 306.5 sq mi (793.8 km ), of which 302.1 sq mi (782.4 km ) is land and 4.3 sq mi (11.1 km ) (1.42%) is water. Augusta is located about halfway up the Savannah River on the fall line , which creates a number of small falls on the river. The city marks the end of a navigable waterway for the river and the entry to the Georgia Piedmont area. The Clarks Hill Dam

2280-466: A vacant store on the second level. However, the mall was steadily becoming deserted. DeBartolo Family Associates transferred the mall to mortgage holder Equitable Real Estate in 1995; as part of the deal, a $ 12.5 million debt owed by DeBartolo was forgiven. Equitable sold the mall in 1997 to Regency Mall, LLC, formed by Raleigh developers Haywood Whichard and Paul Woo, who specialized in buying and reselling distressed mall properties. Whichard and Woo bought

2375-674: A wide diurnal temperature variation throughout much of the year, despite its low elevation and humidity. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 45.4 °F (7.4 °C) in January to 81.6 °F (27.6 °C) in July; there are 53 nights with the low reaching the freezing mark, 82 days reaching or exceeding 90 °F (32 °C), and 5.5 days reaching 100 °F (38 °C) annually. Extreme temperatures range from −1 °F (−18 °C) on January 21, 1985 up to 108 °F (42 °C) on August 10, 2007, and August 21, 1983. Snowfall

2470-492: Is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia . The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third most populous city in Georgia (following Atlanta and Columbus ) is situated in the Fall Line region of the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , Augusta had a 2020 population of 202,081, not counting

2565-697: Is built on the fall line near Augusta, forming Clarks Hill Lake . Farther downstream, near the border of Columbia County , is the Stevens Creek Dam, which generates hydroelectric power . Even farther downstream is the Augusta Diversion Dam, which marks the beginning of the Augusta Canal and channels Savannah River waters into the canal. As with the rest of the state, Augusta has a humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cfa ), with short, mild winters, very hot, humid summers, and

2660-464: Is expected to make a full recovery. https://www.wjbf.com/breaking-news/shooting-at-augusta-mall-confirmed/ 33°27′49″N 82°04′46″W  /  33.46364°N 82.07939°W  / 33.46364; -82.07939 Regency Mall (Augusta, Georgia) Regency Mall was a major regional mall in South Augusta, Georgia , United States. Located at 1700 Gordon Highway , Regency Mall

2755-650: Is not considered. Augusta is located along the Georgia/South Carolina border, about 150 mi (240 km) east of Atlanta and 70 mi (110 km) west of Columbia . The city is located at 33°28′12″N 81°58′30″W  /  33.47000°N 81.97500°W  / 33.47000; -81.97500 (33.4700, −81.9750). According to the United States Census Bureau , the Augusta–Richmond County balance has

2850-630: Is not nearly as common as in Atlanta, due largely to Augusta's elevation, with downtown Augusta being about 900 ft (270 m) lower than downtown Atlanta. The heaviest recorded snowfall was in February 1973 with 14.0 inches (36 cm) Freezing rain is also a threat in wintertime. There are 10 historic districts throughout the city of Augusta. The most prominent, Augusta Downtown Historic District, encompasses most of downtown Augusta and its pre- Civil War area. The Augusta Downtown Historic District

2945-455: Is to get inside the abandoned shopping center. As of December 2013, in order to prevent any further vandalism and fires set by homeless people, transients, and squatters breaking into the mall, the City of Augusta and Richmond County officials ordered the malls owner to either secure the facility in order to bring it up to 2013-2014 Richmond County and City of Augusta fire codes or demolish it, as

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3040-724: Is usually scheduled for early November. Augusta is also the host to one of the largest IRONMAN 70.3 competition in North America taking athletes through various cycling routes around Augusta, a running course through Downtown Augusta, and an opening swim on the Savannah River along Augusta's riverfront. Recently, Augusta has been the featured home of the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships which leads cyclists through various routes through Downtown Augusta and Fort Eisenhower. The city has also attracted visitors during

3135-529: The Augusta National Golf Club . Membership at Augusta National is widely considered to be the most prestigious in the sport of golf around the world. Augusta lies approximately two hours away from downtown Atlanta by car via I-20 . The city is home to Fort Eisenhower , a major U.S. Army base formerly known as Fort Gordon. In 2016, it was announced that the new National Cyber Security Headquarters would be based in Augusta. The area along

3230-520: The Augusta metropolitan area . In 2020 it had a population of 206,000, making it the second-largest metro area in the state (after Atlanta ) and the ninth most populous urban center in the Deep South with a metro population of 611,000. Augusta was established in 1736 and is named in honor of Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (1719–1772), the bride of Frederick, Prince of Wales and the mother of

3325-615: The Nike EYBL Peach Jam Basketball Tournament held in neighboring North Augusta, South Carolina which features some of the top high school basketball players and teams across the United States. Augusta is linked to Atlanta to the west and Columbia, South Carolina , to the east by Interstate 20 (I-20). I-520 ( Bobby Jones Expressway ) extends from I-20 exit 196 through Augusta's western and southern suburban areas, eventually crossing

3420-906: The Pittsburgh Pirates . Later affiliated with the Boston Red Sox and the San Francisco Giants , the GreenJackets are now the Class A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves . The Augusta Lynx were a minor-league professional ice hockey team based in Augusta, Georgia. The Lynx played their home games at the James Brown Arena from 1998 until 2008. The Lynx, who played in the ECHL , had affiliations with

3515-813: The Richmond County Technical Career Magnet School . Private schools in Augusta include Aquinas High School , Episcopal Day School, Saint Mary on the Hill Catholic School, Immaculate Conception School, Hillcrest Baptist Church School, Curtis Baptist High School , Gracewood Baptist First Academy, Alleluia Community School, New Life Christian Academy, Charles Henry Terrell Academy, Heritage Academy, and Westminster Schools of Augusta . Augusta Christian Schools , Augusta First Seventh-day Adventist School, and Augusta Preparatory Day School serve Augusta but are located in neighboring Martinez . The daily newspaper in

3610-693: The Soul City Sirens . Founded in 2008, this league is all-volunteer, and skater owned. Augusta is also home to the former Augusta 706ers, a minor league professional basketball team in the American Basketball Association . The team was founded in 2017 and stopped operations in December 2018 because of a lack of funds. The team played all home games at the James Brown Arena. The city's famous golf course,

3705-745: The Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL and the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL. The Augusta RiverHawks were a professional minor league ice hockey team. They played in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) from 2010 to 2013. They played their home games at the James Brown Arena. The Augusta Stallions were a professional Arena football team founded in 1999. They were one of the 15 original teams to join

3800-571: The U.S. economic recession and a relatively high state unemployment rate, the Augusta community has experienced a decrease in bankruptcy filings and saw a slight decrease in the unemployment rate from late 2009 to March 2011. However, these unemployment numbers were misleading as spring brought lower unemployment rates due to the Masters Golf Tournament. While unemployment fell to a two-year low of 8.3% in April 2011, unemployment rates have since risen to 9.9% as of July 2011. With

3895-634: The 2020 census, its racial and ethnic makeup was 35.52% non-Hispanic white, 55.19% African American, 0.24% Asian, 1.93% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.44% some other race, 3.91% multiracial, and 5.58% Hispanic or Latino of any race. This reflected nationwide trends of greater diversification since the beginning of the 21st century. In 1995, citizens of Augusta and unincorporated parts of Richmond County voted to consolidate their city and county governments. Citizens of Hephzibah and Blythe , also located in Richmond County, voted against joining in

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3990-527: The Augusta Canal to include Enterprise Mill, Sibley Mill, and King Mill. The city experienced the Augusta Fire of 1916 , which damaged 25 blocks of the town and many buildings of historical significance. As a major city in the area, Augusta was a center of activities during Reconstruction and after. In the mid-20th century, it was a site of civil rights demonstrations. In 1970, Charles Oatman,

4085-564: The Augusta Chronicle that the church was in negotiations with the owners of the rest of the mall, and that "Our hope and aim is to possess the entire mall." However, the plan did not come to pass. In 2007, Cardinal purchased the Montgomery Ward property, thereby completing its purchase of the entire mall. The future of Regency Mall has been a frequent issue in Augusta-Richmond County elections. Helen Blocker-Adams,

4180-638: The Augusta Economic Development Authority as of 2013, the top manufacturing employers in the city were: The top public sector employers were: The Augusta GreenJackets minor league baseball club, formerly located at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, now play at SRP Park along the Savannah River in North Augusta, South Carolina . The team began to play in 1988 as the Augusta Pirates, affiliated with

4275-481: The Augusta National Golf Club, hosts the first major golf tournament of each year, The Masters . This tournament is often regarded as the most prestigious in the sport and is one of the four major championships . The best professional and amateur golfers in the world come to Augusta during the first full week of April every year. The grounds of Augusta National are known for being pristine, and

4370-504: The Belk building into a court facility. Though some in Augusta hailed the plan as an opportunity to revitalize the flagging South Augusta area, critics said that the plan would have contradicted Augusta's efforts to revitalize the downtown and riverfront areas. The Augusta Chronicle criticized the $ 90 million proposal as "far-out" and "off-the-wall." In the end, these plans never went forward. There appeared to be new life for Regency Mall at

4465-594: The British monarch George III . During the American Civil War , Augusta housed the principal Confederate Powderworks . Augusta's warm climate made it a major resort town of the Eastern United States in the early and mid-20th century. Internationally, Augusta is best known for hosting the Masters golf tournament each spring. The Masters brings over 200,000 visitors from around the world to

4560-528: The Deep South in the domestic slave trade . Many of the slaves were brought from the Lowcountry , where their Gullah culture had developed on the large Sea Island cotton and rice plantations. During the American Civil War , Augusta was home to many war industries including powder-works facilities. After the war, Augusta had a booming textile industry leading to the construction of many mills along

4655-443: The Montgomery Ward building, to Cardinal Entities of Mattituck, New York for $ 3.5 million. Ownership of the Montgomery Ward building changed that year, as well, passing to Charleston, South Carolina-based Commercial Property Holdings. Cardinal had hoped to revitalize the mall by offering a lease-purchase package to Augusta-Richmond County for office space, and by attracting new tenants to the mall. Cardinal had plans as well to revitalize

4750-797: The Savannah River to South Carolina, in which it is known as Palmetto Parkway. U.S. Route 1 (US 1), along with State Route 4 (SR 4), connects Wrens . US 1 also links Augusta with Aiken, South Carolina . US 25 and SR 121 connects Waynesboro with Augusta; across the state line, US 25 and South Carolina Highway 121 (SC 121) links Augusta with Edgefield, South Carolina . US 78 / US 278 / SR 10 , known locally as Gordon Highway , connects Thomson with Augusta. In South Carolina, US 1 and US 78 go through Aiken, South Carolina . US 78 further connects with Charleston, South Carolina . US 278 bypasses Aiken and serves as

4845-494: The Whichard-Woo partnership were reportedly close to a deal, the sale never went through. Whichard and Woo then tried to sell the property at auction, but could draw no bids higher than $ 2.3 million. Whichard finally bought out Woo's share for $ 2.7 million in an April 1999 foreclosure auction, but Woo continued to manage the property. Whichard then tried, without success, to sell the property to Augusta-Richmond County. In

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4940-825: The area to showcase new cyber related products as well as discussions on cyber based collaboration efforts between the public and private sectors. Companies that have facilities, headquarters or distribution centers in the Augusta metro area include CareSouth , NutraSweet , T-Mobile , Covidien , Solo Cup Company , Automatic Data Processing , Clearwater Paper , Solvay S.A. , Bridgestone , Teleperformance , Olin Corporation , Sitel , E-Z-GO , Taxslayer , Elanco , KSB Company (Georgia Iron Works), Club Car (Worldwide Headquarters), Halocarbon, MTU Friedrichshafen (subsidiary of Tognum ), Kimberly Clark Corporation , Nutrien (formerly PotashCorp), John Deere , Kellogg's and Delta Air Lines ' baggage call center. According to

5035-399: The center fountain and elevator was taken from Beachwood Place , which opened the same month as Augusta. Since its opening, the mall has undergone 5 major expansions and several smaller renovations. The first of these began in 1987, when the mall added a 132,000-square-foot expansion for a new location of J. C. Penney. In 1990, the mall underwent its second expansion, when Sears joined as

5130-515: The central and western portions of Augusta. Regency Mall, located in south Augusta, tended to draw customers from the southern, eastern and northern portions of the Augusta area, and also drew business from service personnel stationed at nearby Fort Gordon. Regency Mall also suffered by not being located near expressways or interstate highways. In contrast, Augusta Mall was located just off the Bobby Jones Expressway ( I-520 ), and

5225-418: The city from Savannah to Knoxville, Tennessee and would only run through two states, Georgia, and Tennessee. Parts of Augusta are served by city transit service Augusta Public Transit (APT), but the main mode of transportation within the city is by car. Augusta is also served by a number of taxi companies. The city has two airports: Augusta Regional Airport and Daniel Field . Augusta Regional Airport

5320-548: The city is The Augusta Chronicle . The television stations serving Augusta and its metropolitan market are: WAGT ( CW Plus and NBC ), WCES ( PBS ), WFXG ( Fox ), WJBF ( ABC and MeTV ) and WRDW ( CBS ). The city's large medical community and patient population is served by the Medical Examiner (www.AugustaRx.com), a twice-monthly newspaper published since 2006. Augusta is a regional center of medicine, biotechnology, and cyber security. Augusta University ,

5415-459: The county marshals' substation. During the first few months after the closing of International Formal Wear, the mall's concourse was used for some events like church or dance and yoga classes, even though all of the mall's stores were closed. The mall closed its doors for good in March 2002, and its entrances were boarded up. However, the marshals' substation remained open. In 2002, Whichard sold his stake in Regency Mall, which included everything but

5510-424: The county's desire to redevelop the property, Cardinal continues to market Regency Mall at a price of $ 52.5 million; though the company reports several firms have expressed interest, no buyer has yet surfaced. In August 2012, WRDW-TV reported on small fires being set on the mall's property. A reporter and cameraman from the television station broke into the mall to shoot footage, and did this to display how easy it

5605-669: The course was ranked in 2009 as the third best golf course in the world by Golf Magazine . The city also has several disc golf facilities. The Augusta Top Gun Series is a series of tournaments sanctioned by the Professional Disc Golf Association . These tournaments are held at various venues in Augusta, including Pendleton King Park and Lake Olmstead. Also, Augusta hosted the 2006 Professional Disc Golf World Championships. Along with Pendleton King and Lake Olmstead, two courses in North Augusta, SC

5700-557: The establishment of the Georgia Cyber Center in Downtown Augusta, the Augusta metro region has become a hub for cyber security based companies looking to locate to the area in part as well to the establishment of the U.S. Army Cyber Command relocating to Fort Eisenhower from Fort Meade. Augusta plays host to TechNet on a yearly basis which brings in various military, government, and private sector leaders to

5795-420: The former Montgomery Ward's building. Regrettably, no further advancements have been made on the project since that time. Regency Mall was originally planned as part of the "Regency Square" development, which included condominiums, a shopping plaza and a hotel. Frank Barrios, who served as the first manager for Regency Mall, said in 1978 that the mall's location, at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Gordon Highway,

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5890-559: The fourth anchor, in a 157,000-square-foot store. The $ 32 million renovation project also updated the interior of the mall and expanded the number of retail spaces from about 100 to more than 130. In October 1992, Vice President of the United States Dan Quayle held a rally at the mall during the final stretch of the campaign before the 1992 United States presidential election . Over 5,000 supporters showed up, well above expectation for 1,000 attendants. By 1998, when

5985-765: The inaugural 2000 AF2 season. They started off in the American Conference, before switching to the Southeast Division in 2001, and then the Eastern Division in 2002. The team folded in 2002. The Augusta Rugby Football Club (ARFC) is a division 2 men's club competing in the Palmetto Rugby Union, part of the USA Rugby South Conference. Augusta has an all-female flat track roller derby team,

6080-430: The internal concrete and steel skeletal structure resulting in extremely large wide open spaces inside, some Urban Explorers who have managed to venture into the facility since the demolition of the interior of both the mall and anchor stores have posted videos on YouTube and posted photos on dead and abandoned mall websites showing just how far and extensive the interior demolition of the entire facility went. All of

6175-516: The mall has suffered from vandalism and exterior deterioration, it remains structurally sound. Cardinal Entities estimates the property's value at $ 30 to $ 40 million, but its property manager has said there has been little interest in the property. There is a general consensus that Regency Mall will most likely never again operate as a major regional shopping center, and that it will either be adapted to new use or demolished to make way for another project. One proposal for Regency Mall's reuse grew out of

6270-468: The mall needed to be renovated to attract new tenants, but Woo said that the two weren't willing to risk the $ 15 to $ 30 million such renovations would require. Other tenants fell as the years passed. Belk closed its Outlet Center at Regency Mall in August 1996. General Cinema closed its three-screen theatre at Regency Mall that same year. Two years later, JB White closed its Regency Mall store and opened

6365-436: The mall property's proximity to Rocky Creek, which lies in a "priority corridor" of the Augusta master plan, has prompted efforts by local officials to seek the property's redevelopment. In June 2011, a team of county inspectors, in an effort to determine if Regency Mall was in violation of Augusta-Richmond County's abandoned properties ordinance, surveyed the mall's interior and found damage from vandalism, but no mold. Despite

6460-410: The mall property. Cardinal's property manager maintained that the mall had a full-time maintenance worker, and that a crew had repaired a leaky roof and cleaned mold out of the mall's interior. The marshals’ substation moved out in the summer of 2004. All entrances to the parking lot were blocked off around 2010. Many ideas for the future of Regency Mall have been proposed over the last decade. Though

6555-421: The mall said that the mall wasn't generating enough traffic to justify remaining at the mall. One said she didn't see the mall "having any kind of future" the way it was. Another merchant claimed that the mall's management "doesn't seem to want to work with its tenants." Though some new businesses moved in, some of these were small businesses instead of franchised outlets; for example, a comic book store moved into

6650-497: The mall was announced. Construction of the development started in the summer of 2006, with the grand opening on November 8, 2007. In 2007, a man drove his car into the mall. In January 2013, Abercrombie & Fitch closed its location at the mall. In July 2014, a thief stole $ 2,000 worth of panties from the Victoria's Secret store at the mall. In January 2016, Vans , Torrid , and rue21 announced plans to open locations at

6745-475: The mall's food court. However, these plans were shelved after the local government decided against moving offices to the mall, and in early 2003 Cardinale ended its immediate efforts to market the mall, choosing instead to keep the shopping center closed indefinitely. In the years following, Cardinal and the county's licensing and inspection department fell into dispute about the mall's condition. The local government claimed that Cardinal had not properly maintained

6840-495: The mall, Regency Mall's whole interior along with the interiors of its four anchor stores have all been completely gutted of all combustible materials after the City of Augusta and Richmond County officials had ordered the malls owner to either fully secure the facility in order to bring it up to 2013-2014 Richmond County and City of Augusta fire codes or demolish it. Demolition work on the mall commenced in October 2020, starting with

6935-405: The mall, valued at $ 33.5 million in 1991 tax records, for less than $ 4.15 million. In hopes of attracting business, lease rates were set as low as $ 3.50 per square foot, compared to the $ 9–$ 18 per square foot charged elsewhere in the surrounding area. Though a few businesses moved to the mall, they weren't enough to turn business around. The mall continued to lose tenants. Whichard and Woo said that

7030-510: The mall. In 2002, Regency Mall was officially closed to the public, and boarded up. Also in 2002, the Augusta Mall infrastructure was upgraded, including: storm drain maintenance, a new parking lot, and other interior work. Macy’s closed during this time, and its lower level was converted into a furniture store. In 2006, a fourth expansion, “The Augusta Promenade”, a 180,000 sq ft (17,000 m) lifestyle center addition to

7125-463: The mall. In January 2017, Buca di Beppo , which had opened in February 2012, closed its location at the mall. In April 2017, several men robbed the Apple Inc. store at the mall. In April 2018, Williams Sonoma closed its location at the mall. Also that month, the mall began to be powered by a 435-kilowatt rooftop solar panel system. In September 2018, QC Nails Salon announced plans to open

7220-603: The malls original tenants in 1978, a teen clinic, and a substation for the Richmond County Marshals Department. Foot Locker closed its Regency Mall location sometime in January 2001. The teen clinic closed in March 2001. Montgomery Ward closed in June 2001, leaving just International Formal Wear and the county marshals’ substation. International Formal closed around January 2002 and opened a new store on Wrightsboro Road near Augusta Mall, leaving only

7315-504: The meantime, some of the mall's vacant store space was used by organizers for the Georgia Games. Montgomery Ward's parent company announced in December 2000 that it would close all remaining stores in 2001. Regency Mall's management said that though Montgomery Ward would be closing, the mall would remain open. However, only 5 stores remained by this time: Montgomery Ward, Foot Locker, International Formal Wear, which had been one of

7410-492: The merger, which took effect January 1, 1996. The unified government consists of a mayor and ten commissioners . Eight commissioners represent single-member districts, while two are elected at-large, each to represent a super district that encompasses half of Augusta-Richmond's population. Law enforcement in Augusta is handled by the Richmond County Sheriff's Office which patrols the main city of Augusta and

7505-438: The outside entrances to the five anchor stores and to the actual mall sections have been cinder-blocked off and the entire building as a whole is being offered for lease with demolition also being offered as an option for possible property and surrounding land and area redevelopment. In August 2017, it was announced that the property was among five locations under consideration for the new James Brown Arena . As of December 2017,

7600-434: The river was long inhabited by varying cultures of indigenous peoples , who relied on the river for fish, water and transportation. The site of Augusta was used by Native Americans as a place to cross the Savannah River, because of its location on the fall line . In 1735, two years after James Oglethorpe founded Savannah , he sent a detachment of troops to explore the upper Savannah River. He gave them an order to build

7695-702: The smaller stores in the mall opened over the following weeks. Cullum's, still under construction at the time the mall opened, did not open until later in 1978, and Belk's Regency Mall store was not completed until 1979. Augusta Mall , seven miles (11 km) from Regency Mall, opened for business on August 3, 1978. Developed by the Rouse Company, Augusta Mall had been in the planning stages since 1972; however, its construction had been delayed due to economic uncertainty. The smaller Augusta Mall had 100 stores but only two anchors, Rich's and Davison's; both of these were Atlanta-based chains, while Regency Mall featured

7790-449: The start of 1999, with reports of an impending sale to a developer who planned to convert it into an outlet mall. One report announced prematurely that the mall had been sold to AMC Development, that upscale retailers such as FAO Schwarz and Nike would relocate to the mall, and that the mall would be converted into an entertainment center with amusement park rides, a hotel, an ice rink, specialty shops and office space. However, though AMC and

7885-690: The state that retain the sheriff in a law enforcement capacity. Public K–12 schools in Augusta are managed by the Richmond County School System , which covers all of Richmond County. The school system contains 36 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and the following eight high schools: Glenn Hills , Butler , Westside , Hephzibah , T. W. Josey , A.R.C. (Academy of Richmond County) , Lucy Craft Laney , and Cross Creek . There are four magnet schools : C. T. Walker Traditional Magnet School , A. R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School , Davidson Fine Arts , and

7980-693: The state's only public health sciences graduate university, employs over 7,000 people. Along with Piedmont Augusta , the Medical District of Augusta employs over 25,000 people and has an economic impact of over $ 1.8 billion. The city's three largest employers are Augusta University, the Savannah River Site (a Department of Energy nuclear facility) and the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Eisenhower , which oversees training for Cyber , Signal Corps , and Electronic Warfare. Despite layoffs from several companies during

8075-444: The third expansion was announced, Augusta Mall had become the region’s prime shopping area. J. B. White closed its store at Regency Mall and relocated to Augusta Mall to become its fifth anchor store, now Dillard's. Traffic congestion became a problem on Wrightsboro Road and Interstate 520 - the main freeway connecting the mall. The city funded a $ 231,000 project for expanded lanes as well as road improvements and new exit ramps to

8170-404: The unconsolidated towns of Blythe and Hephzibah which fall under Augusta-Richmond County. It is the 116th most populous city in the United States and the 92nd-largest metropolitan area. The process of consolidation between the city of Augusta and Richmond County began with a 1995 referendum in the two jurisdictions. The merger was completed on July 1, 1996. Augusta is the principal city of

8265-482: The unincorporated areas of Hephzibah and Blythe although both of these towns have their own police departments. Prior to consolidation, Augusta had a city police department and the Richmond County sheriff patrolled the unincorporated areas of the county. The consolidation charter deems the sheriff as the chief law enforcement officer of Richmond County. Augusta is one of the few consolidated city-counties in

8360-451: Was approximately two miles from Interstate 20. Regency Mall was not near any such thoroughfares; instead, it was located at the intersection of two traditional highways, in a part of town that was slowly deteriorating. Security at Regency Mall also became an issue as the 1980s wore on, leading to a perception that the mall was not a safe place to visit. Both Augusta Mall and Regency Mall had faced security problems by 1985. But in March 1986,

8455-537: Was chosen because it was the center of population for the Central Savannah River Area and had excellent accessibility. Construction of Regency Mall began in 1976. Montgomery Ward, Belk and J.B. White were the first anchor stores to announce locations at Regency Mall. JCPenney considered building a store at Regency Mall, but decided against it, instead choosing later to move into Augusta Mall. Cullum's announced in early 1978 that it would build

8550-524: Was investigated by the EPA for contamination. The investigation totaled $ 1.2 million. Air, groundwater, and soil were all believed to be contaminated, and people living in the area were hoping for government assistance to move away from Hyde Park. Two of five neighborhoods in Hyde Park appeared to have arsenic, chromium, and dioxin, while all five were found to have PCBs and lead. However, residents were told it

8645-661: Was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Augusta also includes the: At the 2020 United States census , there were 202,081 people, 66,838 households, and 41,517 families residing in the city. During the 2010 U.S. census , the city's population was 195,844, up from 195,182 at the 2000 United States census . In 2000, the city's racial and ethnic composition was 43.72% non-Hispanic white, 49.96% African American, 0.25% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.18% some other race, 1.48% multiracial, and 2.79% Hispanic or Latino of any race. By

8740-470: Was not a risk to their health unless they somehow ingested it on a regular basis. At the time the article was written, the citizens still questioned why the EPA and ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Disease Registry) did not consider these chemicals as a threat to them. Hyde Park also has higher rates of certain illnesses (such as cancer, infections, rashes) than the average in America, and the citizens question why that

8835-486: Was open from 1978 to 2002. It was anchored by J.B. White (now Dillard's ), Belk (Belk-Howard, but signed as Belk), Montgomery Ward and Cullum's (later Meyers-Arnold and Uptons ), and also featured a three-screen movie General Cinema theatre. Developed by Edward J. DeBartolo and Associates, Regency Mall was Augusta's first shopping mall, opening one week before Augusta Mall . Never updated during its lifespan, Regency Mall failed due to crime and security problems,

8930-766: Was sanctioned by the International Hot Boat Association . The event benefited the Augusta Chapter of the Georgia Special Olympics with over 100 racing teams from 25 states competed annually for $ 140,000 in purse and prizes while trying to beat the course record of 252.94 mph (407.07 km/h). Augusta is the site of the Head of the South Regatta. The youth rowing regatta is held on the Savannah River and

9025-586: Was used for the tournament. 299 disc golfers from around the world attended the event, with Ken Climo winning the tournament and his 12th world championship. Augusta hosted the Augusta Southern Nationals billed as "World's Richest Drag Boat Race" for 30 consecutive years. The event was held on the Savannah River near downtown in July until 2016. The race was part of the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series and

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