New Orleans Centre was a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, United States. The mall opened in 1988 with

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was the oldest brick and mortar department store in the United States, in business from 1826 to 2020. The brand was purchased during former owner Le Tote's 2020 liquidation bankruptcy and relaunched by new owner, Saadia Group, as ...

and

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

as the two anchors. It had space for 150 stores, opened with 50, and had about 100 at its peak. It had three stories and a huge glass

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Open ...

over its main concourse. It had a large

food court A food court (in Asia-Pacific also called food hall or hawker centre) is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dinner. I ...

, with several restaurants facing the

Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

(later known as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, now known as Caesars Superdome). It never had full occupancy and struggled financially shortly after it opened.

Tribune Broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television and radio stations throughout the United Sta ...

took advantage of the nearly-empty third floor of the structure and leased it out in 2005 to provide studios for the city's

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

affiliate,

WGNO WGNO (channel 26) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside CW owned-and-operated station WNOL-TV (channel 38). Both stations share studios at The Galleria ...

(Channel 26). Lord & Taylor closed in the early 2000s (decade), shutting off the

Poydras Street Poydras Street (french: Rue Poydras) is a street that serves as the main artery of the New Orleans Central Business District, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The street is named for Julien de Lallande Poydras. Many of the city of New Orleans' and the st ...

mall entrance. In 2005, the mall was flooded during

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

and did not reopen, with WGNO moving to Metairie's Galleria building. It was used in the movie ''

The Final Destination ''The Final Destination'' (also known as ''Final Destination 4'') is a 2009 American 3D supernatural horror film written by Eric Bress and directed by David R. Ellis. It is the fourth installment in the ''Final Destination'' film series and t ...

'' for the scene where the women were shopping and the

escalator An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the step tread horizo ...

s fell apart. One part of that scene shows the nearby Benson Tower from the angle that was seen through the skylights. 2001 National Lutheran Youth Gathering - New Orleans Centre

2001 National Lutheran Youth Gathering - New Orleans Centre

The mall-and-tower complex was purchased by

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

owner

Tom Benson Thomas Milton Benson (July 12, 1927 – March 15, 2018) was an American businessman, philanthropist and sports franchise owner. He was the owner of several automobile dealerships before buying the New Orleans Saints of the National Football Leagu ...

in 2009, when it was quoted at 400,000 sq ft. It was partially torn down, and that area is now called

Champions Square Champions Square is an outdoor festival plaza located adjacent to Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is known as the premier tailgating space for sports events held at the stadium and the nearby Smoothie King Center. The plaza also ...

and has several Saints and Louisiana sports-related murals. It is mostly used for sports events, and the former Macy's has partially been turned into a

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...

area.

References

{{Shopping malls in Louisiana Shopping malls in Louisiana Buildings and structures in New Orleans Defunct shopping malls in the United States Demolished shopping malls in the United States Shopping malls established in 1988 Shopping malls in the New Orleans metropolitan area