Northgate Station (formerly Northgate Mall) is an enclosed

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 ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington, United States. It is located in the Northgate neighborhood on

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

, adjacent to Northgate Way and Northgate station, a light rail station. The mall is anchored by Barnes & Noble,

Bed Bath & Beyond Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is an American chain of domestic merchandise retail stores. The chain operates many stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Bed Bath & Beyond was founded in 1971. It is counted among the Fortune 5 ...

, and

Nordstrom Rack Nordstrom Rack is an American off-price department store chain founded in 1973. It is a sister brand to the luxury department store chain Nordstrom. As of 2021, Nordstrom Rack operates 352 stores in 41 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces ...

. Northgate opened in 1950 as one of the first modern shopping centers to be built in the post-war United States. The mall was developed by

Allied Stores Allied Stores was a department store chain in the United States. It was founded in the 1930s as part of a general consolidation in the retail sector by B. E. Puckett. See also Associated Dry Goods. It was the successor to Hahn's Department Stor ...

and was initially an open-air facility until being renovated in the 1970s. Now under

Simon Property Group Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in India ...

ownership, it is currently undergoing redevelopment into a

mixed-use Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to som ...

complex that includes operational and practice facilities for the

Seattle Kraken The Seattle Kraken are a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle. The Kraken compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference and began play during the league's 2021–22 season. ...

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

team.

History

Northgate started as an open-air retail hub in the northern environs of Seattle. It was one of the first post-war, suburban mall-type shopping centers in the United States and originally went by the name of "Northgate Center", in light of its location at the north edge of Seattle (and being beyond the city limits at the time). It began business with 18 stores in April 1950, anchored by

The Bon Marché The Bon Marché, whose French name translates to "the good market" or "the good deal", was a department store chain launched in Seattle, Washington, United States, in 1890 by Edward Nordhoff. The name was influenced by Le Bon Marché, the note ...

. By 1952, the fully leased structure housed over seventy tenants, and also included an adjoined four-story Northgate Building medical/dental center and Northgate Theatre, which had seating for over 1,300 guests. Northgate was the first of three malls in the

Puget Sound region The Puget Sound region is a coastal area of the Pacific Northwest in the U.S. state of Washington, including Puget Sound, the Puget Sound lowlands, and the surrounding region roughly west of the Cascade Range and east of the Olympic Mountains. ...

to be developed by Allied Stores (the parent company of

) and designed by Seattle architect John Graham Jr. The development was built over part of

Thornton Creek Thornton Creek is of urban creeks and tributaries from southeast Shoreline through northeast Seattle to Lake Washington. Its watershed, the largest in Seattle, exhibits relatively dense biodiversity for an urban setting;Brokaw it is home to f ...

, on land that had been a

cranberry Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus '' Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species '' Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry ...

bog in the

Maple Leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is the most widely recognized national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by the French Canadians along th ...

neighborhood. "NN-1030S", "NN-1040S".jpg dated June 17, 2002. Northgate was the first regional shopping center in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to be described as a mall, in this instance a double row of stores facing each other across a covered pedestrian walkway. It was also the first mall to have public restrooms. In 1952, Redmond sculptor Dudley C. Carter designed and carved the cedar totem pole that decorated the grand entrance to the central retail corridor, known as the "Miracle Mall". The shopping center was originally anchored by The Bon Marché (which was acquired by

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 ...

in 2003; it went by the name ''Bon-Macy's'' before the ''Bon'' name was retired in 2005). There was also a

J.J. Newberry J. J. Newberry's was an American five and dime store chain in the 20th century. It was founded in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, United States, in 1911 by John Josiah Newberry (1877–1954). J. J. Newberry learned the variety store business by working ...

5 and 10, a Butler Brothers variety store and an A & P Supermarket. Other tenants who signed on early included the National Bank of Commerce (eventually bought by

Norwest Corporation Norwest Corporation was a banking and financial services company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. In 1998, it merged with Wells Fargo & Co. and since that time has operated under the Wells Fargo name. History Early formation Th ...

and renamed

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...

) and locally-owned Nordstrom's Shoes, which was expanded into a full line clothing store in 1965. Opened as a Best's Apparel, a division of the Nordstrom Company since 1963, it was rebranded as Nordstrom Best in 1967 and

Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original Wallin & Nordstrom store operated exclusively as a shoe store, a ...

in 1973. The 1965 expansion that added the Best's Apparel store also included an extension of the south end of the complex. This was anchored by a new

JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Gir ...

and QFC (Quality Food Center) grocery. The "Miracle Mall" concourse had been partially enclosed within a "SkyShield" structure added in 1962. This was replaced in 1973 and 1974, with the mall corridor becoming fully enclosed. The official name of the shopping complex was changed to Northgate Mall at this time. Seattle-based department chain

Lamonts Lamonts was a chain of department stores founded in Seattle, Washington. The chain was started in 1970 when Pay 'n Save renamed its suburban branches of Rhodes, a department store chain the company acquired in 1965. Lamonts remained a division o ...

added a store to the northern end of the concourse in 1977. The mall was renovated again in 1997, with

Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us is an American toy, clothing, and baby product retailer owned by Tru Kids (doing business as Tru Kids Brands) and various others. The company was founded in 1957; its first store was built in April 1948, with its headquarters loc ...

opening a store there in October that year. The food court also underwent renovations, and

Sam Goody Sam Goody was a music and entertainment retailer in the United States and United Kingdom, operated by The Musicland Group, Inc. It was purchased by Best Buy in 2000, sold to Sun Capital Partners in 2003, and filed for bankruptcy in 2006, clo ...

and

Foot Locker Foot Locker Retail, Inc. is an American sportswear and footwear retailer, with its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and operating in 28 countries. Although established in 1974, and founded as a separate company in 1988, Foo ...

also opened stores around this time. The new interior was completed in 1998.

Gottschalks Gottschalks (former NYSE ticker symbol GOT) was a middle-tier American department store that operated 58 department stores and three specialty apparel stores in six western states (California, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada); some ...

acquired the Lamonts chain in 2000 and had a location at the mall until September 2006, before having to close due to underperforming sales. Their former location is currently home to

Bed, Bath and Beyond Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is an American chain of domestic merchandise retail stores. The chain operates many stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Bed Bath & Beyond was founded in 1971. It is counted among the Fortune ...

. The

store closed in January 2012 when its lease expired. Their place was taken by

the following year. Capitalizing on Northgate's success, Allied Stores commissioned Graham to design the fully enclosed

Tacoma Mall The Tacoma Mall is the largest shopping center in Tacoma, Washington, and is owned and operated by the Simon Property Group. Anchor tenants include Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney (originally two levels, but added a third level in 1986), Macy's ...

(opened 1964) and Tukwila's

Southcenter Mall Westfield Southcenter, formerly known as Southcenter Mall, is a shopping mall located in Tukwila, Washington, United States. Owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, it is the largest shopping center in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest. The ...

(opened 1968). By 1980, there were 123 stores at Northgate Mall. Construction began in the summer of 2006 on a lifestyle-type addition to the mall. It was completed in early 2008.Wilma (2005) The mall is anchored today by Nordstrom Rack, DSW, and Bed Bath and Beyond. On October 8, 2018, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing in 2019. Macy's subsequently announced in January 2019 that it would also close its store in 2020; the closure was ultimately moved up to July 2019, allegedly at the request of Simon Property Group. Nordstrom closed its Northgate store on August 9, 2019, though the Nordstrom Rack remained open. Approximately 40 stores and restaurants at Northgate will remain open through the redevelopment project.

Anchor stores

Current

: since 2008, opened as Lamonts in 1977, renamed Gottschalks in 2000 * Barnes & Noble: since fall 2007 *

: since 2012

Former

* DSW: since 2008, opened as Lamonts in 1977, renamed Gottschalks in 2000, closed in 2021 *

: since 1950, closed in 2019 *

Toys R Us A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include Toy block, toy blocks, Board game, board games, and Doll, dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed sp ...

: since 1997, closed in 2012 *

: since 2005: opened as The Bon-Marche, renamed Bon-Macy's in 2003, then converted into Macy's in 2005, closed in 2019

Criminal incidents

In 1973, the serial-killer

Ted Bundy Theodore Robert Bundy (Name change, born Cowell; November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989) was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped and murdered numerous young women and girls during the 1970s and possibly earlier. After more th ...

reportedly apprehended a purse-snatcher late at night in the Northgate Mall parking lot, a few weeks before his first documented murder. Many of his subsequent victims were approached in parking lots. On September 12, 1983, Tracy Ann Winston was abducted from Northgate Mall and murdered by

Gary Ridgway Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949), also known as the Green River Killer, is an American serial killer and sex offender. He was initially convicted of 48 separate murders. As part of his plea bargain, another conviction was added, brin ...

, the Green River Killer. The following year, on April 23, 1984, a seven-man force of The Order attacked an armored car at the mall, after first staging a diversionary bombing.

Redevelopment

In 2006, Simon Properties embarked on an expansion of Northgate Mall, in part because of the city's plan for revitalizing the Northgate neighborhood. The expansion plans included a new outdoor "urban-village" on the western end of the mall facing Interstate 5. This village opened in November 2007. A new five level parking garage at the south end of the mall provides parking for mall users and additional transit parking. The totem pole at the north entrance of the mall was removed in September 2007. Around the same time, the original Northgate Theatre and 4-story Northgate Building were demolished to make space for new tenants. Kraken Community Iceplex east entrance, Sept

Kraken Community Iceplex east entrance, Sept

In 2018, Simon Property Group announced their intention to redevelop the mall into a

center with hotels, housing, offices and the headquarters and practice facility for the

franchise, in addition to retail space. The redevelopment will replace several parking lots adjacent to a nearby

light rail station A tram stop, tram station, streetcar stop, or light rail station is a place designated for a tram, streetcar, or light rail vehicle to stop so passengers can board or alight it. Generally, tram stops share most characteristics of bus stops, b ...

. Construction on the hockey facility, named the Kraken Community Iceplex, began in February 2020 and was completed and opened in September 2021. The $80 million facility has 1,000 seats around its main rink and 400 seats at two other rinks primarily for community use. It also has a restaurant and a health clinic.

Location

The mall is bounded on the north by NE Northgate Way (formerly NE 110th Street), on the west by 1st Avenue NE, on the south by NE 103rd Street, and on the east by 5th Avenue NE. The Northgate informal district and Northgate Way were both named after the mall. The original mall has itself become the

anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄ� ...

for development of surrounding apartment buildings, retail and light commercial blocks and community spaces, all now part of a more comprehensive plan for growth such as the opportunities and impacts of transit facilities and the light rail station for the district.

References

Bibliography

*
See heading, "Note about limitations of these data". *
Crowley referenced Walt Crowley, ''Routes, An Interpretive History of Public Transportation in Metropolitan Seattle'' (Seattle: Metro Transit, 1993). * * *
Maps "NN-1030S", "NN-1040S".jpg dated June 17, 2002. * * * * * * * * *
Sources for this atlas and the neighborhood names used in it include a 1980 neighborhood map produced by the Department of Community Development (relocated to th
Department of Neighborhoods
and other agencies),

Seattle Public Library The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is the public library system serving the city of Seattle, Washington. Efforts to start a Seattle library had commenced as early as 1868, with the system eventually being established by the city in 1890. The sys ...

indexes, a 1984-1986 Neighborhood Profiles feature series in the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'', numerous parks, land use and transportation planning studies, and records in th
Seattle Municipal Archives

aps_"NN-1120S",_"NN-1130S",_"NN-1140S".Jpg_[sicdated_June_13,_2002;_"NN-1030S",_"NN-1040S".jpg_dated_June_17,_2002..html" ;"title="ic.html" ;"title="aps "NN-1120S", "NN-1130S", "NN-1140S".Jpg [sic">aps "NN-1120S", "NN-1130S", "NN-1140S".Jpg [sicdated June 13, 2002; "NN-1030S", "NN-1040S".jpg dated June 17, 2002.">ic.html" ;"title="aps "NN-1120S", "NN-1130S", "NN-1140S".Jpg [sic">aps "NN-1120S", "NN-1130S", "NN-1140S".Jpg [sicdated June 13, 2002; "NN-1030S", "NN-1040S".jpg dated June 17, 2002.
Wilma referenced Walt Crowley with Paul Dorpat (Photography Editor), ''National Trust Guide: Seattle'' (New York: John Wiley & Son, Inc., 1998), 209;
HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, "Northgate Beginnings" (by Jim Douglas)
The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History - HistoryLink.org
(accessed August 2001);
L. B. Fussell, "Section To Be Known As 'Northgate'", ''The Seattle Times'', February 22, 1948;
"Features Of Northgate Shopping Area Outlined", ''The Seattle Times'', February 1, 1950; "Polar Bear Cubs And $35,000 Car Vie At Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', May 23, 1950;
"Plenty of Parking Space At Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', May 7, 1950;
"Carter To Carve Totem Pole For Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', February 26, 1952;
"Northgate Stores Fete Completion Of 5-Acre Area", ''The Seattle Times'', February 15, 1952;
"Car Show Planned On Northgate Mall", ''The Seattle Times'', April 30, 1953;
"25 New Stores Opening At Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', August 17, 1965;
"Did You Know?" ''The Seattle Times'', March 18, 1965;
"Northgate's Vast Parking Areas Can Accommodate Up To 50,000 Cars A Day", ''The Seattle Times'', March 21, 1968;
"Eighteen Stores Pioneered Merchandising History At Northgate", ''The Seattle Times'', April 9, 1975;
"Northgate An Instant Success", ''The Seattle Times'', April 9, 1975;
"Northgate Center Will Celebrate 30th Anniversary Next Month", ''The Seattle Times'', March 13, 1980;
"Simoninfo", Simon Properties Website (www.simon.com);
Steve Schoenherr (University of San Diego), "Evolution of the Shopping Center", Steve Schoenherr Home Page accessed on November 4, 2004 (http://home.sandiego.edu/~ses/). *
From Mimi Sheridan and Carol Tobin, ''Licton Springs History'',(Seattle: Licton Springs Community Council, 2001), 8;
Don Sherwood, "Sacajawea P.F.", in "Interpretive Essays of the Histories of Seattle's Parks and Playfields", handwritten bound manuscript dated 1977, Seattle Room, Seattle Public Library.

External links

Northgate Mall Official Site

Mall Hall of Fame article
{{Authority control Simon Property Group Shopping malls in Seattle Shopping malls established in 1950 1950 establishments in Washington (state)