Mall of America, Bloomington (Minneapolis), MN

     I know you saw that I was heading to Minnesota and thought something. You've heard the rumors, and they were sorta true. And this is what you have been waiting for. The biggest fish. And as you skip ahead to find the unpicked meat, I will tell you something. This is it. This is the crown jewel of my trip. This is the crown jewel of that reading you knew you would do that night. This is everything you wanted. Everything. Everything will be good after reading this article on this mall. Now let's not get carried away here.
    
     The Mall of America. Even the name sounds like something found out while daydreaming in the shower. And it's something pretty ironic, given that Mall of America truly sounds like a dank one-story mall with a couple of anchor vacancies, dead Radio Shacks, and elderly mall walkers. Along with this is an Amazon distribution center next door. Maybe fidget spinner kiosks would be located down the central mallway (this will be great to look at ten years later). In the food court, there would be plenty of vaporwave playing with 80's mall commercials only seen in drunken dreams or Dan Bell videos. But instead of the living 2010's American mall, we have America's largest mall, a practical (for being large, it's pretty walkable) four-anchor mall surrounded by office buildings.

We start this one off with a directory photo. Electronic directories in these megamalls are making this job a little harder. That "End" store is the Nike Store, knowing you were curious about that. While this is only one floor, it shows the general layout and anchors.

     Despite being such a large mall, the history is pretty simple. In 1956, Metropolitan Stadium was constructed in the undeveloped suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota, to be used by the Twins and later the Vikings. The Beatles, minor league baseball, and pro soccer would come later. The stadium was sadly closed in 1981, and operations were moved to downtown Minneapolis' Hubert H. Humphrey MetroDome, which would be destroyed thirty years later. Further operations for the Vikings were at the US Bank Stadium and the "Twinkies" would move to Target Field. The Met was demolished in 1985.

     News first surfaced in 1985 of the proposed Fashion Mall of America. The Ghermezian brothers, creator of North America's largest mall, West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Canada, were to be the mallmaker of America's largest. Of course, two brothers couldn't do all of the designing, so they would make the regrettable move of snagging Indy-based Melvin Simon and Associates to help out. Pairing these news was a meeting between the brothers and the Bloomington Port Authority. Another meeting was done a year later with the folks of Niagara Falls, New York, thirteen miles north of Buffalo. Niagara Falls authorities couldn't piece an economic package, and the mall was given to Bloomington, MN. To much excitement, groundbreaking was accomplished June 14, 1989.

     Original plans included a 65-screen moviehouse, a 5-star hotel, 125 restaurants, waterpark, saltwater aquarium, and a submarine ride. The original name was to be Fashion Mall of America, but most started calling it the Mall of America. These plans were all scaled back, and only some are in the planning process.

     Quite the scare happened when it was found out that parts of the mall were being constructed as others were being planned. The project kept going on, and continued to do so. Further planned had already decided the proposed four anchors. Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and Carson Pirie Scott were penciled in as anchors. These anchors were slightly altered, with Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Sears, and Macy's being the final plans. Dedication was done August 11, 1992.

     At its opening, the center had 4.2 million square foot mall had four Sunglass Huts, and two Taco Times, Sam Goody's, Panda Expresses, and Cajun Cafes. The mall also had its own zip code and 18-hole mini golf course. The mall was divided into four "streets" and three floors, with four on the east and south wings. The four streets were the South Avenue, West Market, North Garden, and East Broadway. Each had their own niche, from catering to the youth, upscale, Times Square, and middle-market. In the center was then-Knott's Camp Snoopy, a park based on Charles Schultz' comic characters.

     Even though competition was high and the economy was not, MoA had a very strong start. By then, locals had a lil' fun with the mall. Plenty of nicknames were thrown around, including "Hugedale," as a homage to the Gruen dales of Minneapolis. This was a laugh for the locals, as MoA was the epitome of "tourist trap."

     Proverbial trouble in paradise would come in 1999. A dispute was started when Simon purchased TIAA's stock in the mall, giving them majority. The brothers were never informed, and a court battle ensued. Federal court favored the brothers, and they won. The brothers won back planning and management control. The Ghermezians would later win full control of the mall by spending $1 billion dollars. Only shortly after the court case, Knott's Camp Snoopy was ousted because of licensing problems. Nickelodeon Universe would take over shortly after, and changed the rides to fit their characters.

     Expansion talk came in 2007, attempting to utilize an IKEA built across Lindau Lane. A dinner theatre, waterpark, three hotels, an ice rink, and two anchor stores with Bass Pro having already been signed. So far, a new food court leading with a stub into the proposed expansion has only been done, completed in 2015. Bloomingdales was closed in 2012, with LL Bean, Forever 21, and Crayola Experience taking up the space. If all goes well, Sears will be a Von Maur by 2020.

Here's the aforementioned food court. Tenants are still filling up.

     One thing I love about this mall is the attention to detail. Bordering the mall to the south is Killebrew Drive, which was renamed for the late Twin and Baseball Hall of Famer. On other Killebrew terms, there is a lone seat on the inside wall of the theme park. This marks where the longest home run at the Met was hit, by Harmon Killebrew. Near Nordstrom on the first floor is a Flight 93 memorial. Also in the theme park, there is a home plate marking where the Met's was.

     While I apologize for no real commentary on the mall, there is truly not much to say about this mall. It's huge and full of tourists. Imagine your normal successful mid-market mall but make it four times the size. hat's really all I have to say, and these photos.

There is the very famous logo welcoming forty-some dads with Hawaiian shirts.

Nordstrom court is my personal in-mall favorite court. 

And now we whisk back to the much more familiar Southern malls of mine.

Aventura Mall, Aventura (Miami), FL

     Located in the heart of Aventura, Florida, Aventura Mall, 17 miles northeast of the downtown Macy's store, Aventura Mall was one of the first "megamalls" of the US. Soon to be the second largest mall in the US, the mall has had quite a history and *slightly* humble beginnings. Truly a "tourist trap", Aventura Mall mixes elegance, practicality, and wealth, forming a massive, upscale "supermall". Now before I sound like the mall website, let's get into the history.

The only way to describe the size and shape of the mall is Shopping Mall Museum site plans.

Wikipedia logos of the original anchors

     Aventura Mall opened up shop with over one million square feet, 154 stores, and four anchors. A 252,000 sq. foot Macy's was the Cincinnati chain's first Florida venue. A large 18-bay food court was at the center of the original mall.  In its early years, the mall was a hotbed of wealth and celebrities. This would propel the center above the large number of nearby shopping centers. The Mall at 163rd Street, Omni Int'l Mall, and then-Midway Mall would be knocked out after Aventura's opening. The man who started the mall, Donald Soffer, broke off from his original employer and created Turnberry Associates, a Miami-based unit who owned and still owns the center.
     Life went on for the center for another ten years before the first major changes. The area surrounding the mall became Aventura, Florida, an incorporated city, in November 1995. DeBartolo Realty, an original minority investor, merged with Simon, and Simon became the minority investor. Shortly afterward, a $90 million dollar renovation was planned and happened. Baltimore's RKTL Associates and ATL's Cooper Carry Associates would double the size of the mall, adding Miami's Burdines chain and Macy's more upscale sister Bloomingdales.

The new anchors of Miami's Aventura Mall. Wikipedia

A year 2000 plan of the megamall. All in gray is new. Shopping Mall Museum

     Other results of the expansion were a 24-screen AMC operation, an expanded L&T, and new parking garages. Opening with it was a 2-story Rainforest Café, which closed 3 years later, becoming a Zara clothing store. Aventura Mall encompassed 2.1 square feet at the time. Bloomingdales first opened in 1997, with Burdines finally joining the mix in 1999. The expanded L&T became their "Florida Flagship." JCPenney expanded vertically two stories. There was now a grand total of 250 stores. The mall surpassed the 1.3 mil sq. feet Dadeland Mall, becoming Miami-Dade's largest mall. It would be Florida's largest until Sawgrass Mills underwent expansions.

     Lord and Taylor retreated from Florida between 2003 and 2006, only leaving it's Plaza Real store open. Aventura's operation closed in Fall 2003, and would never be replaced, being demolished with a later expansion. Shortly afterward, hometown -and very loved- Burdines was merged with Macy's, forming Burdines-Macy's, then full Macy's. This created a Macy's "double-header", or even a "triple-header", if you count Bloomingdales.

     $44 million dollars were dropped on the mall in 2005-2006, with an expansion and renovation. Nordstrom demolished the vacant L&T, creating a Northwest Wing, with thirty stores and Nordstrom.

Shopping Mall Museum's 2010 view. Gray is new. 

Nordstrom wing with adjacent court. Personal photo.

     Shortly after, the rest of the mall was fitted in with the new wing, in the form of a renovation. The center now contained 2.7 million square feet. The mall wasn't big enough though. In 2014, a new three-story corridor was planned between the existing Penney's and original Macy's. Construction started that year, and will be finished by Winter 2017. When it is dedicated, the mall will hold a whopping three-hundred and forty tenants. Yet that was not enough for the mega center.

TOP : Construction of the new wing.

BOTTOM : Closing Sears with a play area in front. 

    Sears announced the closing of its store in 2017. When I visited, the store was closing in a week. The oft-renovating center announced plans for the vacancy. The store would see the wrecking ball, and become a lifestyle center containing a hotel. These expansions would turn the former one million square foot center into the US's second-largest, with over three million square feet.

A contemporary site plan of the massive center. Shopping Mall Museum

     Today's Aventura Mall has something for everyone. The famous have a Nordstrom, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Unknown - a designer shoe store -, and more, at their disposal. Apple and Microsoft are there for electronics. Sportswear and shoe enthusiasts have Unknown, Champs, Adidas, Nike, Foot Locker, and other shops for their trade. And your traditional person still has Banana Republic, J. Crew, Kay Jewelers, Penney's, and the Federated Triplets for their wardrobe.

     As you view these photos, note the elegance, architecture, shops, and art the mall has to offer.

Donald Baechler's Walking Figure

Penney's court.

Only at Aventura Mall would Lambo's be displayed.

To the right is Jaume Plensa's Florida's Soul. Koi fish are in the pool around the statue.

Reads "Acquired , I play within the scope possible"

The stars that come down from the roof : Jorge Pardo's Untitled.

Directory photos.

Ugo Randinone's Moonrise, East. Two other art pieces are in mall proper, but aren't photographed.