Miami International 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 ...

Doral, Florida Doral is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. One of 34 municipalities in the county, it is located west of Miami International Airport and west of Downtown Miami. Doral occupies bordered on the west by the Ronald Reagan Tu ...

in southwestern Metropolitan Miami, only half a mile away from the larger Dolphin Mall. The

Miami International Airport Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most c ...

is nearby, thus giving the mall its name. It was built by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corp. in 1982, and is currently managed by Simon Property Group, who owns 47.8% of it. The mall has 4 anchor stores: J. C. Penney,

Kohl's Kohl's (stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain, operated by Kohl's Corporation. it is the largest department store chain in the United States, with 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Haw ...

, and 2

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 ...

locations (just like

Coral Square Coral Square, often referred to as Coral Square Mall, is a regional enclosed shopping mall located northwest of Fort Lauderdale in Coral Springs, Florida, on the northeast corner of Atlantic Boulevard and University Drive; it opened in 1984. Origi ...

). There are 130 shops and eateries as well. From 1982 until 2000, the mall had indoor trees, five fountains to throw pennies in (one in front of each of the anchors), a children's train, and a large cascading floor level fountain in center court. The large center fountain was shut off and sat unused through most of the 1990s. It was later completely removed and the circular space was used for cart vendors. Being near

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...

, it is a popular hang-out place for students.

History

Built in 1982 and similar to Broward Mall four years earlier and Town Center at Boca Raton two years afterwards, the mall's original anchors were

Burdines Burdines (} ) was an American chain of department stores operating in the state of Florida, headquartered in Miami. The original store opened in Bartow, Florida in 1896 as a carriage-trade shop. Over its nearly 110-year history, Burdines grew ...

Jordan Marsh Jordan Marsh (officially Jordan Marsh & Company) was an American department store chain that was headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and operated throughout New England. It was founded by Eben Dyer Jordan and Benjamin L. Marsh in 1841. The ...

, and

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 ...

(the latter opened in July 1983 followed by Aventura Mall the next month).

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 ...

was added in 1985 (likewise done at Boynton Beach Mall). Mervyn's, which replaced Lord & Taylor in 1991, was sold to Dillard's in 1997. Jordan Marsh was also husbanded and refashioned as a Burdines men's, home, and furniture location. J. C. Penney built a store in 1992 (as with

Pembroke Lakes Mall Pembroke Lakes Mall, often referred to as Pines Mall or Pembroke Lakes, is an enclosed shopping mall located in Pembroke Pines, Florida, a suburb of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Located on the intersection of State Road 820 (Pines Boulevard) and ...

). In 2000, Miami International Mall underwent an extensive renovation and celebrated its "Grand re-opening" in 2001 when the nearby Dolphin Mall opened with an international theme. Just like the Boynton Beach Mall, the renovation included removing its old features (the trees, fountains, etc.), and making it a more modern looking mall. Burdines also added a second floor to their original store, now used for their women’s and children’s departments. Both Burdines stores became Macy's in 2005 as part of a nationwide transaction, and the Lord & Taylor/Mervyn’s/Dillard's building became Kohl’s, September 28, 2011 (just like at Coral Square). In 2015,

Sears Holdings Sears Holdings Corporation was an American holding company headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. It was the parent company of the chain stores Kmart and Sears and was founded after the former purchased the latter in 2005. It was the 20th- ...

spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Miami International Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties. On August 23, 2018, it was announced that

would be closing as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide, making it the last original anchor to close. The store closed in November 2018.
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References

External links

Miami International Mall
{{Greater Miami Shopping malls in Miami-Dade County, Florida Simon Property Group Shopping malls established in 1982