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41-545: West Oaks Mall may refer to: West Oaks Mall (Houston) , a shopping mall in Houston, Texas, United States West Oaks Mall (Orlando) , a shopping mall in Ocoee, Florida, United States Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title West Oaks Mall . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change

82-557: A 14-screen Edwards Theatres multiplex as a new anchor for the mall, replacing the Alamo Drafthouse cinema which continued to operate until the completion of construction on the Edwards multiplex that resulted in the demolition of much of the former Mervyn's wing, which was briefly anchored by Steve & Barry's before the latter chain went bankrupt in 2009. Other anchor changes during this time included Fortis College filling

123-562: A core customer base in Fort Bend County that had long been critical to the mall's survival. Tom Estus, a shopping center broker of the Shelby/Estus Realty Group, said "It's a classic case of being passed up by newer, better malls. First Colony clipped it the hardest. The other places were more exciting to shop in. They were new. They were easier to get in and get out of." First Colony would also eventually seal

164-423: A lineup of outlet retail and entertainment options, as well as from a resurgent Memorial City Mall that completed a multimillion-dollar renovation in 2002. Both malls effectively lured shoppers from the rapidly growing and prosperous Greater Katy area away, with Memorial City's resurgence also hastening the decline of Town & Country Mall which closed in 2004 and would be redeveloped as CityCentre . The openings of

205-488: A new studio complex for the city's NBC television affiliate, KPRC-TV and its sister radio station KPRC-AM . By 1970, Sharpstown Center had 57 stores and was fully leased. The 1970s also saw the opening of The Galleria and Westwood Mall , which became Sharpstown's two strongest competitors over the next two decades. While the Galleria was unique in its strong focus on upscale retailers such as Neiman Marcus , Westwood

246-429: A plaque dated May 22, 1982. The mall itself opened in 1984 with a single-level floorplan designed in a "Mission style", and replete with earth tone interiors, numerous fountains and skylights. Originally, the mall targeted higher-end consumers on Houston's western fringes and surrounding suburban areas, with anchor tenants Foley's, Saks Fifth Avenue , Lord & Taylor , and Mervyn's , along with over 120 inline stores,

287-883: A regional shopping mall located in the Alief area of the west side of Houston , Texas, USA, that opened in 1984. With a trade area serving far western parts of Houston including a business clientele in the Energy Corridor and suburban neighborhoods west of George Bush Park in the Greater Katy and Fulshear areas, the mall is located at Texas State Highway 6 and Westheimer Road and can easily be accessed south on Highway 6 via Interstate 10 . The anchors are Dillard's Clearance Center , Crazy Boss, The Outlet at West Oaks, and Fortis College . There are 2 vacant anchors, formerly housing Sears and Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill . Pacific Retail Capital Partners owned

328-560: A renovation that removed several features including a tall clock at the intersection of the Arcade and the Dillard's/JCPenney concourse, an elevated seating area in the food court used as a smoking area, all of the mall's fountains, and the original dark brown tile in the mall's inline corridor. In July 2003, Somera Investment Partners and Coastwood Capital Group purchased the mall from an affiliate of CB Richard Ellis Investors. That same year,

369-513: A six-screen Plitt Theatres (later Cineplex Odeon ) cinema, and a food court dubbed the "Fiesta Food Court". West Oaks served as a direct competitor to nearby Town & Country Mall and Memorial City Mall in Houston's Memorial area – targeting shoppers in Houston's Energy Corridor and the Greater Katy area, as well as a newer alternative for shoppers in rapidly growing Fort Bend County who otherwise would have gone to Sharpstown Mall or Westwood Mall . In 1985, Macy's announced that it

410-648: A store in the nearby suburb of Stafford to serve the Sugar Land area that once frequented Sharpstown for retail business. In 1998, JCPenney would close its store at Sharpstown, having lost much of its clientele to its First Colony store, with much of its remaining business going to its Meyerland Plaza store. In addition to the loss of businesses and customers to the Sugar Land area, further compounded by many big box retailers opening new locations in and around said area, such aforementioned big box stores as well as discounters including Walmart and Target have grown on

451-475: A threat to the mall's success, and consequently Frank Sharp decided to donate a 300 ft (91 m) wide strip of land to build the Southwest Freeway ( Interstate 69 / U.S. Route 59 ) through his development. Because it was Houston's first air conditioned mall—a luxury given Houston's historically unpredictable weather, many Houston residents residing in the central part of the city wanted to experience

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492-509: The Houston Chronicle said that the mall's decline began in the late 1980s. The mall's decline began as many of the nearby apartment complexes, once dominated by young professionals and single adults, became notorious as residential arrangements for low-income dwellers, which in turn resulted in an increase in criminal activity. This was accelerated by the 1980s oil glut which affected Houston's economy. Sam Wisialowski, president of

533-533: The 1980s oil glut , demand for upscale retail declined sharply and by the spring of 1990, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor closed their West Oaks locations, replaced respectively by Sears and JCPenney (both stores of which would fill a large gap in Greater Houston ) as part of a repositioning of the mall as a mainstream middle-class suburban regional mall. Macy's intended space at West Oaks would eventually be filled by Dillard's in 1991, making it

574-460: The "mall of the future", hence the traffic concerns. Another unique aspect of the mall within its corridors was the Clock of Texas diorama , an animated look at the history of Texas through the centuries. Sharp would also place a time capsule in the cornerstone of the mall. When Sharpstown Center opened, it was located on the edge of Houston's southwest suburbs. As the Houston area grew rapidly over

615-549: The CityCentre and LaCenterra lifestyle centers in the Memorial area of Houston and Cinco Ranch, respectively, also further contributed to the mall's decline in prominence. In 2009, the property's value was in steep decline. Pacific Retail Capital Partners bought the mall from LNR Partners Inc. for $ 15 million – $ 87 million less than it did when it was sold four years earlier. In 2011, Regal Entertainment Group agreed to open

656-504: The Galleria. The 15-month project concluded in May 1980 when the second floor opened to the public. Also during this time, a third anchor in JCPenney was added as well as a food court in the former Battelstein's department store. The mall was also re-branded as Sharpstown Mall , and would be referred to as such until reverting to the original name in 1993. By February 1989, Sharpstown Mall

697-714: The Sharpstown State Bank—later shuttered in the wake of the Sharpstown scandal which significantly involved Sharpstown developer Frank Sharp and many members of the Texas Legislature. The former bank building would later become home to the Jewelry Exchange Center, with three "motor bank" drive-throughs in the middle of the front parking lot as the only present-day reminder of the former bank. Early on, transportation concerns became

738-601: The Sharpstown and Westwood malls in Southwest Houston (the latter of which would close over one year later), the new mall drew away many of West Oaks' customers from rapidly growing Fort Bend County, but still continued to draw some shoppers from this area due to the presence of stores that did not have locations at the new mall including Sears and some specialty stores which did not open locations at First Colony Mall. To compete with First Colony, West Oaks underwent

779-555: The Y'alls Texas Store chain, stated that sales were declining annually by about 25 to 30 percent at its Sharpstown store when the chain decided to close said store in 1990. While Sharpstown managed to gain back some shoppers after the addition of the Cineplex Odeon movie theater, Sharpstown would suffer its most significant blow within the decade. In 1996, First Colony Mall opened in the suburb of Sugar Land , which resulted in Sharpstown losing many of its national retailers and

820-409: The crime rate in the area surrounding the mall increased in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to white flight and urban decay . Consequently, customers even within the surrounding area were deterred, and major retailers who desired a low crime, middle class , and wealthy area for profitable support began to leave. Oshman's Sporting Goods closed its store in 1997, around the same time it opened

861-412: The fate of Westwood Mall, which closed in 1998 and converted to a technology-focused office center, and eventually would impact West Oaks Mall as well. Finally, Sharpstown also had to compete with a redeveloped Meyerland Plaza , whose remodeled JCPenney location would serve as an anchor for the reborn shopping center. The aforementioned crime issues also continued to take their toll on Sharpstown Center, as

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902-428: The first Alamo Drafthouse in Houston opened in the mall after Alamo Drafthouse's Austin-based owners granted the franchise location in the former Cineplex Odeon cinema. In 2004, the mall was renovated at a cost of ~$ 9.3 million in a "Texas ranch style" to compete with recent renovations at the Galleria and Memorial City Mall, as well as the impending expansion of First Colony Mall (which completed in 2006).The interior

943-505: The first such store in Houston to be built as a Dillard's (the rest having been converted from the former Joske's in 1988). By the early 1990s, West Oaks emerged as one of Houston's top performing regional malls, in large part due to the decline of Town & Country and rapid suburban growth in the aforementioned areas. The mall would receive its first serious challenge in 1996 when First Colony Mall opened in nearby Sugar Land . Though First Colony's opening had done more economic damage to

984-624: The former JCPenney anchor space (which closed in 2005) and Dillard's converting its store to a clearance center only utilizing the first floor in 2010. Palais Royal opened one of the anchor slots in November of 2011 and closed it along with the rest of the chain on September 5, 2020. On January 4, 2017, Macy's announced it would close its West Oaks Mall store after 35 years. The store closed on March 27, 2017. On January 4, 2018, Sears announced it would close its West Oaks Mall store after 28 years. The off-site Auto Center closed in late-January 2018 and

1025-463: The last remaining original anchor from the mall's 1961 opening. After the conclusion of its liquidation sale on March 15, 2008, employees were moved to other Macy's stores. Mere days after the Macy's announcement, on January 9, 2008, Finger Furniture announced that it would also be closing its Sharpstown location. By January 11, 2008, Sharpstown was operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and

1066-399: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=West_Oaks_Mall&oldid=806272346 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages West Oaks Mall (Houston) West Oaks Mall is

1107-423: The loyalties of customers who used to frequent shopping malls. Online shopping began and started to take away from mall shoppers as well. Shopping center developer Ed Wulfe, whose Wulfe & Co. redeveloped Meyerland Plaza as well as Gulfgate Mall , said that the loss of the major tenants negatively affected Sharpstown Center. As 2000 dawned, a New York investment group named Sharpstown Center Associates owned

1148-535: The majority of interior corridors closed to the public. PlazAmericas It was built in Sharpstown Industrial Park Section 12. The mall opened as Sharpstown Center , on September 14, 1961, mere days after Hurricane Carla affected Houston, with future United States Senator Ted Kennedy appearing during the opening ceremony as the main speaker. A 1970 Houston Chronicle article stated that Frank Sharp decided not to delay

1189-475: The mall as a joint venture with Square Mile Capital Management, and was managed by PRCP Management. In 2017, it was sold to Mehta Investments, Ltd. West Oaks Mall has its roots in the opening of a branch of Houston-based department store chain Foley's in 1982 – two years before the mall opened. In the foyer of the north entrance to the store, on both walls, there are handprints of children on terra-cotta tiles with

1230-554: The mall knows that it's been distressed for a number of years." Chumley also stated that the mall would cater to the Hispanic population (which now constituted 52% of the population of the mall's three-mile trade area), would undergo a $ 10 million renovation to boost its appeal to Hispanic shoppers, and would have 350 stores by the time renovations were completed. The property would include an 83,000 square feet (7,700 m ) "mercado" (marketplace) that would have many smaller businesses,

1271-483: The mall's 1961 opening. Burlington Coat Factory would move from an adjacent shopping center to fill the former Montgomery Ward space. In 2006 the Houston Press alternative weekly newspaper awarded Sharpstown Center "Best Hip-hop Mall," and Sharpstown began to bill itself as "Houston's Premiere Urban Mall" on its website. By May 2007, Sharpstown was nearly 75% occupied, mostly local tenants which now dominated

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1312-466: The mall's retail base. Further cementing its status amongst its newfound "urban" clientele, on October 20, 2007, local hip hop radio station KPTY , owned by Univision (whose studio complex is located near the Galleria), opened a broadcast studio called Studio 104.9 where the station broadcast on a regular basis. On December 28, 2007, Macy's announced that it would close its location in Sharpstown,

1353-436: The mall. By 2001, the mall was seized in a foreclosure, and Travelers Insurance took ownership of the mall, whose JCPenney anchor space remained vacant when it was announced that Montgomery Ward would close all its locations, including the Sharpstown store, as part of its liquidation process. The loss of Montgomery Ward would leave Foley's as the mall's only remaining anchor tenant, if not the only remaining original tenant from

1394-457: The next three decades, with Houston itself becoming the nation's fourth-largest city, numerous other developments throughout southwest Houston began to emerge. These developments included countless new apartment complexes home to young professionals in Houston's energy industry, residential developments as far south as Missouri City , the construction of Houston Baptist University , Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital , numerous car dealerships, and

1435-605: The opening; therefore the morale of Houstonians would be increased. Not surprisingly, the first day of business brought only 8,000 shoppers (a number that was affected by the hurricane). At the time of its opening, the mall consisted of 43 stores on one level including the first suburban branch of the Houston-based Foley's department store chain, as well as the first suburban locations of Houston Trunk Factory, Battelstein's and Florsheim Shoes. In addition to Foley's, Montgomery Ward also opened as an anchor, along with

1476-402: The store closed in early-April 2018. In May–June 2018, The Outlet moved in to fill the former Macy's location. The Palais Royale location closed in 2019. The West Oaks Bed Bath and Beyond closed in 2020. In September of 2022, Regal closed at the mall due to Cineworld 's bankruptcy. By June of 2023, only Dillards, The Outlet, Fortis College, Crazy Boss and two inline tenants remained open with

1517-594: Was 97% occupied, making it the mall with the highest percentage of occupied space in the Houston area. In 1993, the mall underwent a $ 50 million renovation, with the largest addition being a new ten-screen Cineplex Odeon movie theater. The renovations effectively deterred Foley's from leaving for nearby Westwood Mall, which prior to the renovation was courting the department store as a third anchor following its own renovation in 1988. During this time, Sharpstown Mall also had to compete with West Oaks Mall for customers out of Fort Bend County. Ralph Bivins and Greg Hassell of

1558-494: Was a more direct competitor to Sharpstown with anchor stores Joske's and Sears , which complemented Sharpstown's aforementioned anchors, and a closer location to rapidly growing Fort Bend County , home to a growing base of upper-middle class suburban shoppers. Beginning in 1979, construction of a second floor began (effectively doubling the mall's store count to over 200) and the mall was extensively renovated from its original 1950s appearance to better compete with Westwood Mall and

1599-408: Was building a fifth Houston store at West Oaks Mall, which would have been located on the mall's last remaining anchor pad directly opposite Lord & Taylor and would have opened in late 1987, a year after the flagship Houston Galleria store (now dubbed "Macy's at Sage" after the 2006 merger) opened. The proposed Macy's ultimately never materialized. As Houston's economy suffered in the aftermath of

1640-589: Was extensively renovated, including the filling of the sunken part of the Park Court with concrete and the addition of a fireplace to the food court, and replacement of the tile from the 1996 renovation with marble, and the mall would be sold again in 2005 to Investment Properties of America, which bought the mall from the Somera/Coastwood partnership. By this time, West Oaks faced increasingly stiff competition from Katy Mills which opened in 1999 with

1681-400: Was up for sale. The then owner of the mall, Urban Mall Houston, was over $ 53 million in debt. In 2009, with the mall under the ownership of Philadelphia -based RAIT Financial Trust , the manager of the mall's interior core, Boxer Property, announced that the mall would be renamed "PlazAmericas." Chris Chumley, a spokesperson for PlazAmericas, stated that "Anybody who knows the back story to

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