Plaza Las Américas is 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 ...

in Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico, located at the intersection of Routes 18 and 22. "''Plaza''", as it is known to many

Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants. Overview The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...

, was the first indoor shopping mall built in Puerto Rico. It is the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean and the second largest in Latin America. Anchor stores are

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 ...

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 ...

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...

, Sears Brand Central,

Forever 21 Forever 21 is a multinational fast fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. Originally founded as the store Fashion 21 in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1984,Forever 21History & Facts, n.d. Retrieved 27 April 2014 ...

Old Navy Old Navy is an American clothing and accessories retailing company owned by multinational corporation Gap Inc. It has corporate operations in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The largest of the Old Navy stores are its ...

Caribbean Cinemas Caribbean Cinemas is a chain of movie theaters in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. It is the only major chain in Puerto Rico following CineVista's bankruptcy. The chain has expanded into Dominican Republic, Panama, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. M ...

and

Marshalls Marshalls is an American chain of off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico, and 61 stores in Canada. Mar ...

History

In 1918, siblings Jerónimo, Rosa, Gerardo, and Jaime Fonalledas acquired of land previously known as "Las Monjas". This land was property of Don Pablo Ubarri Capetillo, the Count of Santurce. By 1920, little by little cane harvesting was eliminated with the intention of using the land for the creation of a milk company, eventually known as " Vaquería Tres Monjitas". In 1950, the metropolitan area of San Juan was growing rapidly. The planning board began to build the project and ordered the development of the lands. It is then that the Fonalledas brothers came up with the idea of establishing a regional shopping center in the "Las Monjas" property. The planning board included a space of 15 acres of land for a shopping center in its development plan. In 1962, the plans for the construction of a shopping center and the negotiations with tenants began. In April 1967, construction of Plaza Las Américas began under the direction of engineer Peter Jacobson. On September 3, 1968, Plaza Las Américas held its grand opening. It was the first enclosed shopping center in Puerto Rico and the largest in Latin America at the time. The project was inaugurated with a total of 79 establishments, a twin cinema and parking for 4,000 vehicles. One hundred percent of the space was rented and nearly 2,000 people were employed in the new mall. The primary anchor store was a three-level (261,500 square foot) J. C. Penney. It was the chain's first location outside the fifty states and its largest operation between 1968 and 1971. The mall also housed two San Juan-based department stores as its second and third anchors: a two-level (76,500 square foot) González Padín and (22,000 square foot) Velasco. Inline stores included Martha Washington Ice Cream,

Gordon's Jewelers The Zale Corporation is an American jewelry retailer, Delaware corporation, incorporated in Delaware in 1993. The principal executive offices are located in Coppell, Texas. History The company began in 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas, when the two ...

, Florsheim Shoes, La Esquina Famosa (men's clothing), Bakers (shoes),

Zales The Zale Corporation is an American jewelry retailer, incorporated in Delaware in 1993. The principal executive offices are located in Coppell, Texas. History The company began in 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas, when the two Russian-Jewish immig ...

, Clubman, Marianne Shops,

Singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Sewing Center,

Lerner Shops New York & Company, Inc. (NY&C) is an American workwear retailer for women. New York & Company apparel and accessories are sold through a nationwide network of retail stores, and through its e-commerce site. New York & Company was founded i ...

Thom McAn The surname Thom is of Scottish origin, from the city of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Angus, and is a sept of the Clan MacThomas. Thom is also a first name variant of the abbreviation " Tom" of "Thomas" that holds the "h". People with the surnam ...

, La Favorita and First Federal Savings Bank, along with an

F. W. Woolworth Company The F. W. Woolworth Company (often referred to as Woolworth's or simply Woolworth) was a retail company and one of the pioneers of the five-and-dime store. It was among the most successful American and international five-and-dime businesses, se ...

, Farmacias González (pharmacy), La Cosa (curios), La Tienda Sin Nombre (shoes), Benny's Toys, Pueblo Supermarket, a barbershop, a travel agency and a full-sized hardware store. A small section had a second floor where medical and business offices were accessible. The following year, the architectural design of Plaza Las Américas won the URBE Award for Best Commercial Architecture In 1979, the first expansion of the shopping center was completed. Fifty-five new stores were added in a three-level North Wing. This was anchored by a 3-level (329,000 square foot)

. The "Terraza de Plaza", the first food court to be established in the island, comprises the third level of the addition, along with three additional movie theater halls, nicknamed Plaza III, Plaza IV, and Plaza V. In 1992, the new development plan for the second great expansion of Plaza Las Americas is published. In 1994, the expansion of Plaza Las Américas and also the remodeling of "La Terraza" were completed. The number of restaurants was increased from 19 to 24 and the movie theater halls from 5 to 10. The construction of the "Torre de Plaza" is finished at a cost of $15 million. The Tower added of profitable space to the shopping center. In 1996, Plaza Las Americas announced its largest expansion and remodeling at a cost of more than $246 million. In 1997, the advertising campaign of Plaza Las Américas ("Menos mal que está Plaza") is awarded the Maxi Award which is granted by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). The following year, the first phase of the center's three-year-long expansion and renovation is dedicated. This consists of a newly built four-level (350,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, replacing the three-level store that had opened at the mall in 1968. The new Penney's at Plaza Las Américas is the chain's largest store. The original location was subdivided into new retail spaces. In 1999, the overpass bridge on the De Diego Expressway was inaugurated, offering better access to the shopping center. In 2000, the remodeling and expansion of the shopping center was completed, offering a new facade occupied by over 300 stores. A three-level (255,000 square foot)

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 ...

opened as the third anchor of the shopping center on October 25, making it the chain's first location outside the fifty states. Local movie theater chain

opened a thirteen-screen movie theater in 2005 and is the busiest and highest-grossing of the entire chain. A concept of "public" art was created in the shopping center, which includes pieces by local artists. In 2012, Plaza Las Américas invested $12 million in remodeling the mall's north entrance facade. The remodeling work began on May 23, 2012, and was completed by mid November 2012, just before the holiday season. In addition, between July–August 2012, expansion began on the multistory parking, located in the southern area of the mall. The expansion extended the five floors of multistory to add over 300 parking spaces. All parking areas of the mall were also repaved while new landscape gardens designs where developed in front of the main entrance. On August 28, 2013, Plaza opened the first ever

Cheesecake Factory The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is an American restaurant company and distributor of cheesecakes based in the United States. The company operates 219 full-service restaurants: 206 under The Cheesecake Factory brand and 13 under the Grand Lux C ...

in Puerto Rico.

Sports Authority Sports Authority, Inc. (formerly The Sports Authority) was an American sports retailer. At its peak, Sports Authority operated 463 stores in 45 States and Puerto Rico. The company's website was on the GSI Commerce platform and supported the reta ...

opened in mid-2014, along with an expansion in parking. It closed in 2016 after the company declared bankruptcy and was replaced by

in February 2018, according to ''

El Nuevo Dia EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...

''. Also, in early 2018, a

Red Lobster Red Lobster Hospitality LLC is an American casual dining restaurant chain headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company has operations across most of the United States (including Puerto Rico, Guam) and Canada, as well as in China, Ecuador, Hong ...

restaurant opened. In September 2018, the mall celebrated its 50th anniversary. In December 2019, it was announced that Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar will be constructed in the mall, originally set to open by January 2021, but due to economic loss caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, this project’s current state is unknown As of December 2019, the mall is in size.https://infogram.com/1p1r7xlr7p1m3zcmylnlkmwejwi6kr7vrm2 infogram In March 2020, the mall closed until further notice due to the

. Following the announcement of a new executive order on May 21, the mall reopened on June 1 with security measures, including new hours, mandatory face masks and social distancing. Reservations were now required to visit the mall and were originally limited to 2 people. On June 9, reservations were changed to allow up to 4 people. On July 1, it was announced that the reservations would no longer be required to visit the mall starting July 3, though face masks were still a mandatory requirement. As of January 2022, masks are still mandatory for everyone regardless of vaccination status The

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 ...

chain said it would open its stores within the Macy's Department Store and that its

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

store will be at Plaza Las Américas, in 2022. In November 2021, it was reported that Macys Backstage will be taking over the second floor of the former Borders Books and it would be opening in time for the 2021 holiday season. On October 15, 2022, it was announced that the Kmart store, the last in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

, would be closed by the end of that month.

Notable attributes

* It is the largest shopping center in the Caribbean. * Plaza's

was the first one to open in the Caribbean. * Plaza's

Chili's Chili's Grill & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant chain. The company was founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International. History Chili's first location, a converted postal statio ...

is the highest grossing in the world. * It has the world's largest

Romano's Macaroni Grill Romano's Macaroni Grill is a casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. The company claims 41 locations in the U.S. and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado. History Romano's first restaurant was founded by restaura ...

restaurant. * It houses the first

restaurant in the Caribbean, officially opened on August 28, 2013. *

became the sixth largest anchor store, first opened up in mid-2014, followed by an expansion of parking spaces. It closed in 2016 after the company declared bankruptcy and was replaced by a

in February 2018. *

Dave & Busters Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas. Each Dave & Buster's has a full-service restaurant and a video arcade. As of October 2022, the company has 151 locations in the United States and two ...

will be opening at this mall on January 30, 2023, right across from

Olive Garden Olive Garden is an American casual dining restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in Orange County, Florida. As of 2012, Olive Garden restaurants accounted ...

on the third floor.

Current anchor stores

* Sears Brand Central & Home Improvement *

(Third Level, at the food court) *

(Second Level) *

(No indoor connection to the mall) *

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

Current outparcel stores

* A vacant

Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...

store. *

OfficeMax OfficeMax is an American office supplies retailer founded in 1988. It is now a subsidiary of The ODP Corporation, which is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. As of December 2012, OfficeMax operated 941 stores in 47 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S ...

* Rooms To Go * Supermercados Pueblo *

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

* Ashley HomeStore *

Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...

Dave & Buster's Dave & Buster's is an American restaurant and entertainment business headquartered in Dallas. Each Dave & Buster's has a full-service restaurant and a video arcade. As of October 2022, the company has 151 locations in the United States and two i ...

Former stores

* Sears Auto Center - closed 2022 *

Disney Store The Disney Store is a chain of specialty stores selling only Disney related items, many of them exclusive, under its own name and Disney Outlet. It was a business unit of Disney Consumer Products with the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products seg ...

- closed 2021 * Borders Bookstores - closed 2011 *

- closed 2016 *

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 ...

- closed 2018 *

- closed on October 15th, 2022 *

Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...

- closed 2021 * González Padín - closed circa 1994 * Velasco - closed 1970’s * On The Pier Arcade (previously Namco Time Out) - Arcade parlor *

Western Auto Western Auto Supply Company—known more widely as Western Auto—was a specialty retail chain of stores that supplied automobile parts and accessories. It operated approximately 1200 stores across the United States. It was started in ...

- closed 2004

Gallery

File:Plaza Las Américas Interior.jpg, Main lobby File:Plaza Las Américas mall panorama.jpg, Sculptures near JCPenney entrance File:Plaza Las Américas mall gallery.jpg, A hallway of the mall between JCPenney and Macy's File:Plaza Las Américas Interior (02).jpg, Blown glass artwork File:Plaza Las Américas mall (sculptures) 01.jpg, More metallic sculptures File:Plaza Las Américas mall (sculptures) 02.jpg File:Plaza Las Américas mall (sculptures) 03.jpg File:Plaza Las Américas mall (sculptures) 04.jpg File:Plaza Las Américas mall (sculptures) 06.jpg File:Plaza Las Americas Entrance.JPG

References

External links

Plaza Las Américas Official Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaza Las Americas Shopping malls in Puerto Rico Buildings and structures in San Juan, Puerto Rico Shopping malls established in 1968 Tourist attractions in San Juan, Puerto Rico Hato Rey, Puerto Rico 1968 establishments in Puerto Rico Economic history of Puerto Rico