The Town Center at Aurora (formerly known as Aurora Mall) is an enclosed, two-level regional shopping center located in

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, and covers a leasable area over 1 million square feet. It lies at the center of the commercial and retail district in the area, adjacent to Aurora

City Square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

, Aurora City Place, and Aurora Park Shopping Center, a

strip mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

. The commercial district itself is located in central

, and the mall's primary trade area includes a mostly suburban, middle-income demographic. Anchor stores and major tenants at the mall are Dillard's (originally The Denver, became May-D&F in 1987, then Foley's in 1993),

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 ...

(originally May-D&F, became May-D&F Men's in 1987, then Foley's Men's in 1993, then a full-line Foley's in 2005),

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

Century Theatres Century Theatres is a movie theater chain that operates many multiplexes in the western United States, primarily in California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. In its later years, it had expanded into the inter-mountain states, t ...

with one vacant anchor last occupied by

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 ...

History

Aurora Mall was developed in 1974, and was fully opened a year later in 1975. The mall is set in a typical sprawling, suburban environment, and the demographics mostly reflect that trend. In 2003, the mall announced a major two-part renovation with a cost of approximately $100 million. The first part consisted of a remodeling of the

Foley's Foley's was a chain of department stores owned by May Department Stores and headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas. On August 30, 2005, the division was dissolved and operation of the stores was assumed by Federated's Macy's West and Macy's ...

department store, to a Dillard's that replaced the former anchor. Dillard's a
Buckingham Square Mall
also in Aurora, closed, and moved into the newly renovated space. The second part involved the rest of the mall, including the construction of a new food court, re-pavement, and other site upgrades. The renovation project was completed in 2005, and the mall reopened under its new name as Town Center at Aurora. During the renovation project, a controversy arose regarding one of mall management's new focus on attracting a white-only clientele. A top leasing agent was recorded in a conversation with a tenant, who served food that apparently catered to an ethnic minority. The conversation seemed to provide the mall's new direction after renovations were complete: to discourage people of an ethnic minority from shopping there. City officials quickly condemned the "racist" views, and demanded an apology from Simon's management; no apology has yet been given. In June 2005, a 19-year-old girl was killed when trying to break up a fight at the mall. On August 31, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location a part of a plan to close 92 stores nationwide. The store closed on December 15, 2019.

2012 shooting

Memorial outside Aurora Century movie theater where shooting occurred

On July 20, 2012, a

mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...

occurred at the Century 16 at Town Center at Aurora, during a midnight screening of the film ''

The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...

''. A gunman, dressed in tactical clothing, set off

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. The gunman, James Holmes, was arrested outside the cinema minutes later. On August 24, 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Community

Due in part to the Town Center's suburban environment and demographic, the Aurora Public Schools (APS) system and Aurora's PTO are heavily involved in the mall's events and activities. The mall sponsors a "Cash for Class" program, which awards schools within the district based on a points system. Schools can get points for submitting report cards, attendance records, and even mall purchases. All rewards are provided directly to the schools. In 2011, Town Center at Aurora awarded a total of $13,000 to nine schools. In 2009, APS announced a new computer system in a joint venture with the mall. Several kiosks were installed throughout the mall. The system allows parents to view grades, assignments, and other resources regarding their child's education, as well as to browse the mall's various shopping events.

Current Anchors

* Century Aurora and XD (periphery) * Dillard's (frmr Foley's) * Fieldhouse USA (Coming Soon, former Sears) * Hobby Lobby (periphery, former Gordman's) * JCPenney * Macy's

Former Anchors

* Sears * Gordmans (periphery) * Foley's Department Store

Gallery

File:Aurora Cinema 16.jpg, Century 16 Theatre later the same year of the 2012 shooting File:Aurora Metro Center Station.JPG, Aurora Metro Center Station across the street from the mall on the east side

References

External links

Town Center at Aurora official website
{{Aurora, Colorado Washington Prime Group Shopping malls in Colorado Tourist attractions in Arapahoe County, Colorado Buildings and structures in Aurora, Colorado Shopping malls established in 1974 Attacks on shopping malls Attacks on buildings and structures in the United States 1974 establishments in Colorado