Scottsdale Fashion Square
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Scottsdale Fashion Square is an upscale luxury shopping mall located in the downtown area of
Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...
. It is the largest
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 Arizona with approximately of retail space, and is among the top 30 largest malls in the country. It has consistently been one of the most profitable malls in the United States, being ranked in 2016 as the second highest sales per square foot mall in the country, and as of 2016, it was ranked in the top 25 most visited malls in the country by '' Travel + Leisure'' magazine. The mall is located on the northwest corner of Scottsdale Road and
Camelback Road Many arterial roads in the Phoenix metropolitan area have the same name in multiple cities or towns. Some roads change names or route numbers across town borders, resulting in occasional confusion. For example, the road known as Apache Boulevard ...
in
Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...
, and has been owned by
Westcor Westcor was a subsidiary of The Macerich Company and a large developer of shopping malls in the Southwestern region of the United States. It was founded in 1964 by entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic val ...
, a subsidiary of
Macerich Macerich ( ) is a real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers. It is the third-largest owner and operator of shopping centers in the United States. As of December 31, 2020, the company owned interests in 52 properties comprisi ...
, since 2002.


History

During the 1930s and 1940s, the land which would become the Scottsdale Fashion Square was too far from the established Scottsdale and Phoenix business areas to be considered valuable. A Ryan-Evans drug store was the only retail establishment on the site. During the 1940s the 40-acre site was purchased by Harry Lenart. In the 1950s he began to plan for a small shopping center. In 1959, the center opened consisting of four stores in addition to the existing drug store: a grocery store, barber shop, liquor store, and camera store. In 1960 a steakhouse, built by Joe Hunt, Sr. was added. Scottsdale Fashion Square was originally built as a 3-story open-air structure in 1961. The structure was designed by Edward L. Varney Associates, and built by Kitchell Contractors. It was anchored by two local Phoenix stores,
department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
Goldwater's Goldwater's Department Store was a department store chain based in Phoenix, Arizona. History Michael Goldwater, the grandfather of U.S. Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, established a trading post in 1860 in Gila City, A ...
and supermarket AJ Bayless. At the time, the primary competitor was the Los Arcos Mall, a fully enclosed mall built in 1969, also located in Scottsdale. Its early financial success led to an expansion of the west-side of the mall in 1974, which nearly doubled the square-footage of the mall. This expansion also added an additional department store,
Diamond's Diamond's was a department store chain headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Originally named The Boston Store, it was founded in 1897 by Nathan and Issac Diamond, Jewish immigrants who had earlier begun a dry-goods mercantile in El Paso, it was rena ...
, to the northern section of the mall. In 1977, a competing mall, the fully enclosed Camelview Plaza, was built just west of Scottsdale Fashion Square, on the other side of North 70th Street. The competing mall was developed by
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
business-man John F. Cuneo. Belli & Belli also of Chicago were the architects of the new mall. Camelview Plaza boasted
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
department store
Bullock's Bullock's was a chain of full-line department stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered in Los Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscale Bullocks Wilshire specialty ...
and Sakowitz. The shopping center also included a Harkins Camelview Theatre on an outparcel. For several years, the two malls competed for shoppers and tenants. In 1982 after Westcor's purchase of the mall, the owners agreed to connect the malls by building a two-story retail bridge across North 70th Street, replacing the shuttle service that ran between the two malls. In the process, the street separating the two malls was sunk below grade-level, widened to four lanes, and renamed North Goldwater Boulevard. The two malls were largely gutted and completely renovated. Dillard's took over the former AJ Bayless and
Diamond's Diamond's was a department store chain headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Originally named The Boston Store, it was founded in 1897 by Nathan and Issac Diamond, Jewish immigrants who had earlier begun a dry-goods mercantile in El Paso, it was rena ...
spaces to create a new department store, while
Goldwater's Goldwater's Department Store was a department store chain based in Phoenix, Arizona. History Michael Goldwater, the grandfather of U.S. Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, established a trading post in 1860 in Gila City, A ...
was expanded to .Mall Hall Of Fame: October 2007
/ref> A ground-level food court, anchored by a 7-screen
Harkins Theatres Harkins Theatres is an American movie theater chain with locations throughout the Southwestern United States. Harkins Theatres is privately owned and operated by its parent company, Harkins Enterprises, LLC. The company currently operates 33 t ...
cinema, was also added. The redevelopment was completed in 1991, closely followed by the addition of
Neiman Marcus Neiman Marcus Group, Inc. is an American integrated luxury retailer headquartered in Dallas, Texas, which owns Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Last Call. Since September 2021, NMG has been owned by a group of investment compani ...
(in the former Sakowitz) in 1992.
Goldwater's Goldwater's Department Store was a department store chain based in Phoenix, Arizona. History Michael Goldwater, the grandfather of U.S. Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, established a trading post in 1860 in Gila City, A ...
became J. W. Robinson's in 1989, only to be converted into
Robinsons-May Robinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, from 1993 until 2006. It was created when May Department Stores combined two of its chains, May Company California and J. W. Robinson's cha ...
in 1993. Bullock's closed its doors at Camelview Plaza in 1996, and remained vacant for several years. That same year,
Westcor Westcor was a subsidiary of The Macerich Company and a large developer of shopping malls in the Southwestern region of the United States. It was founded in 1964 by entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic val ...
purchased Camelview Plaza and renamed the entire shopping plaza, Scottsdale Fashion Square. The new ownership brought major changes to the mall, the largest being the addition of a new wing anchored by Arizona's first
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 ...
store and featuring many upscale retailers. At that time, Dillard's took over the former Bullock's store and expanded it to , making the Scottsdale store the largest in the company's fleet. This expansion increased the mall's square footage to and made it the 13th largest enclosed shopping mall in the country. The expansion was completed in 1998 and was designed by Callison Architects Inc. of Seattle the addition was built by the original contractor Kitchell.
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 ...
briefly occupied the former Dillard's store, only to be replaced 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 2002. The merger between
Federated Department Stores Macy's, Inc. (originally Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American conglomerate holding company. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito ...
and
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American department store holding company, formerly headquartered in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. It was founded in Leadville, Colorado, by David May in 1877, moving to St. Louis in 1905. After many c ...
brought the closure
Robinsons-May Robinsons-May was a chain of department stores operating in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada, from 1993 until 2006. It was created when May Department Stores combined two of its chains, May Company California and J. W. Robinson's cha ...
in June 2006, leading the mall to demolish the former department store and build another new wing anchored by
Barneys New York Barneys New York Inc. is an American luxury brand founded in New York City in 1923. It has introduced major designers including Armani, Azzedine Alaïa, Comme des Garçons, Christian Louboutin, and Ermenegildo Zegna to the US market. Barneys ...
. The new wing, which also featured an H&M store, opened in 2009. That same year, the first
Microsoft Store Microsoft Store (formerly known as Windows Store) is a digital distribution platform operated by Microsoft. It started as an app store for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 as the primary means of distributing Universal Windows Platform app ...
opened elsewhere in the mall. Another expansion was added in 2015: a two-level building with Dick's Sporting Goods on the lower level and a new 14-screen
Harkins Theatres Harkins Theatres is an American movie theater chain with locations throughout the Southwestern United States. Harkins Theatres is privately owned and operated by its parent company, Harkins Enterprises, LLC. The company currently operates 33 t ...
cinema on the top level. In early 2016, Barneys New York announced it would close its Scottsdale Fashion Square store. In late 2016 the mall's owner,
Macerich Macerich ( ) is a real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers. It is the third-largest owner and operator of shopping centers in the United States. As of December 31, 2020, the company owned interests in 52 properties comprisi ...
, announced plans of a new renovation, in excess of $100 million, which will include high-end residential units, a hotel, a new luxury entrance, hospitality areas and office space. Construction began in 2017, with the renovation completed in Fall 2018. About a year after the Harkins had moved, a local theater opened in its place. Desert Stages Theater, a community play house for both old and young audiences, has now been an addition of Fashion Square for three years (after their ten-year lease in a lot across the street, they moved right into the mall behind the Jamba Juice). In 2020, the mall was vandalized and looted after protesters violated curfew during the
George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internat ...
. The police made twelve arrests including
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star
Jake Paul Jake Joseph Paul (born January 17, 1997) is an American media personality and professional boxer. He initially rose to fame on Vine, before playing the role of Dirk Mann on the Disney Channel series ''Bizaardvark'' for two seasons. Throughout ...
, who claimed that he did not take part in the looting and was only recording it. Paul was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly on June 4 for entering the mall illegally with the rioters. The first court date began on July 8. On August 5, 2020, the charges were dismissed without prejudice, with the Scottsdale Police Department saying it was "in the best interest of the community" and that a federal criminal investigation would be completed instead. Later in 2021 a fitness center,
Life Time Fitness Life Time, Inc. is a chain of health clubs in the United States and Canada. History The company was founded by chairman and chief executive officer, Bahram Akradi. The company was incorporated in 1990 as FCA, Ltd., a Minnesota corporation, and ...
announced they would be replacing the Equinox outside of the northwest luxury entrance. The 40,000-square-foot, three-level fitness center will be outside the mall's so-called "luxury wing," where Nobu, Tocaya Modern Mexican, Zinque, and other restaurants are located. Previously, Equinox, another luxury fitness brand, was going to open in the space, but those plans ultimately fell through, though it's unclear why. In early October 2022,
Macerich Macerich ( ) is a real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers. It is the third-largest owner and operator of shopping centers in the United States. As of December 31, 2020, the company owned interests in 52 properties comprisi ...
reported they were going to be continuing the luxury renovations from 2018 throughout the exterior and interior of the southern Nordstrom wing. It would include “two-story storefronts and exterior-facing retail buildings at the south entrance, and a porte cochere that will incorporate up to five destination restaurants.” and a luxury valet service.
Macerich Macerich ( ) is a real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers. It is the third-largest owner and operator of shopping centers in the United States. As of December 31, 2020, the company owned interests in 52 properties comprisi ...
also states “Everything will come together to deliver a more cohesive and holistic luxury experience for guests and retailers throughout the property,”


Municipal bond controversy

A parking garage adjacent to the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall (aka the "Nordstrom Garage") was constructed by Scottsdale Fashion Square Partners and leased to the City of Scottsdale in 1998 for 50 years for $31,375,000. In 2012 Scottsdale Mayor Jim Lane and the city council approved a prepayment of the lease, financed by issuance of municipal bonds. However, in 2015 the IRS notified the city that the issuance is being challenged for non-compliance with the federal tax code or rules. One possible basis for such challenges is failure of the "public purpose test".


References


External links


Scottsdale Fashion Square Official Site

Scottsdale Waterfront Residences
* {{Macerich Shopping malls in Arizona Macerich Buildings and structures in Scottsdale, Arizona Shopping malls in Maricopa County, Arizona Shopping malls established in 1961 Tourist attractions in Scottsdale, Arizona