Six Flags Mall

Six Flags Mall was a shopping mall that opened in August 1970 in Arlington, Texas. Arlington's first enclosed shopping center, it was named after the nearby Six Flags Over Texas theme park. When it opened, it was the largest shopping center in Tarrant County and the area's first regional shopping facility.[3] A new owner acquired roughly one-third of the mall in December 2012 and announced plans to redevelop it as a Hispanic-oriented shopping mall called "Plaza Central" and, after resolving legal issues, reopened in October 2014, but closed again in February 2016. Demolition began in summer of 2016, but was slowed by a lawsuit filed by Cinemark.[4] Two separate two-alarm fires occurred on February 6 and March 2 during demolition.[5][6] The site was rebuilt as industrial space to accommodate suppliers to the GM auto assembly plant.[7]

Six Flags Mall
LocationArlington, Texas, United States
Coordinates32.741779°N 97.057616°W / 32.741779; -97.057616
Address2915 E Division St
Opening dateAugust 1970[1]
Closing dateFebruary 2016
DeveloperMonumental Properties Trust
OwnerG.L. "Buck" Harris[1]
No. of stores and services40 [1]
No. of anchor tenants0 (4 at peak)
Total retail floor area1,049,000 sq ft (97,500 m2)[2]
No. of floors1

History

Six Flags Mall opened in August 1970 at 2831 East Division Street (SH 180) and SH 360 in Arlington, Texas, between Fort Worth and Dallas. The mall flourished through the 1980s until The Parks at Arlington, a new regional mall, opened in South Arlington in 1988. It struggled into the 1990s; the JC Penney anchor store closed in 1997.[8][9]

Decline

Both Dillard's and Sears closed in 2002.[8][9] Foley's (originally a Sanger-Harris location), the fourth and final anchor, closed in January 2005, but the Dillard's anchor reopened as Dillard's Clearance Center in March 2005 after the closure of Forum 303 Mall.[10][11][12][13]

By 2008 when the mall fell into foreclosure, only a dozen stores remained in its interior. When the property was placed up for auction in December 2011, the only remaining stores were the Dillard's Clearance Center and a Cinemark movie theater named Cinemark Tinseltown 9 which showed first-run movies at bargain rates.[14] As of January 2012, American Motorcycle Trading Co. continues to operate on one of the out-lots.

End of the mall

In early December 2012, private investor G.L. "Buck" Harris purchased the former JC Penney anchor store and announced plans to redevelop it into a Hispanic-oriented shopping center named Plaza Central.[15] He revealed plans to bring new tenants into the mall and return it to profitability over the following two years then donate the property to Youth With A Mission, a Christian outreach organization.[1] However, the project was put on hold due to zoning issues with the City of Arlington; Harris filed a lawsuit in federal court against the city.[16] On September 20, 2013, the Arlington Planning and Zoning Commission approved plans to overhaul the 22.5 acre property.[17] The mall reopened as Plaza Central in October 2014, but closed a year-and-a-half later. Demolition began in 2016; the mall was completely demolished by mid-year 2017, around which time the city announced that the property would become an automobile parts supplier park to serve the nearby GM Arlington Assembly plant.

See also

References
  1. Carlisle, Candace (December 5, 2012). "Investor buys Six Flags Mall, saying 'God led me' to the property". Dallas Business Journal. Dallas, TX. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  2. "Directory of Major Malls". International Council of Shopping Centers. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 24, 2008.
  3. "Opening of Six Flags Mall In Arlington". WFAA. SMU Jones Film. 1970. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  4. Cadwallader, Robert (January 17, 2017). "Site of defunct, nearly demolished Six Flags Mall has industrial future". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  5. "Firefighters Battle 2-Alarm Fire at Old Six Flags Mall". CBS News. 6 February 2017.
  6. Osborne, Ryan (March 2, 2017). "Firefighters battle another blaze at the old Six Flags Mall site". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  7. Cadwallader, Robert (June 12, 2017). "GM suppliers planned for new industrial buildings at Six Flags Mall site". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  8. McLinden, Steve (January 25, 2002). "Sears Exits Arlington, Texas, Mall". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  9. Halkias, Maria (June 1, 2002). "Dillard's Plans to Close Anchor Store in Dallas Shopping Mall". The Dallas Morning News.
  10. Quinn, Steve (December 3, 2004). "Arlington, Texas, mall losing its last anchor store". The Dallas Morning News.
  11. "Six Flags Mall; Arlington, Texas". Labelscar. December 29, 2006.
  12. White, Bobby (March 1, 2005). "Dillard's discount store moving". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  13. "Mall on the rebound, Festival Marketplace's demise provides an unexpected boost to Six Flags Mall". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. July 2, 2005. p. C1.
  14. Baker, Sandra (November 23, 2011). "Six Flags Mall in Arlington to be sold at auction Dec. 10". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  15. Shlachter, Barry (December 5, 2012). "Portion of old Six Flags Mall bought". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, TX. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  16. Nicholson, Eric (August 1, 2013). "Developer Says Arlington Killed Plans to Turn Six Flags Mall Into Hispanic Shopping Center". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013.
  17. Baker, Sandra (September 20, 2013). "Arlington gives OK on replatting at Six Flags Mall". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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