Infamously Dead :: Regency Mall, Augusta, GA

     Note : I was unable to capture any interior photos or exterior photos aside from the anchors and the sign. If you would like to fill in the pieces with photos, send them to skymallblog@gmail.com. Any amount, any angles, any date, would all be greatly appreciated. I hope you enjoy the following post.

     As Georgia's second largest city, Augusta has seemingly been avoided by retail metrics. This is especially odd, considering the amount of dead retail or interesting locales across the city. I'm looking to gradually cover all of these places, as I will drive through the city plenty of times in the future. But arguably the most famous of these we will cover today. Regency Mall is something of legendary in the topic, and I find myself proud to say I saw it. It's the perfect mall that mall owners can take notes from. It is an example of everything bad that can happen to a mall, and owners should look at the mall to know right from wrong. Today it is a creepy mall sat abandoned for 14 years. As one may expect, all that didn't come easily. The mall has a roller-coaster history.

Augusta Chronicle photo of JB White and the other anchors on the sign off the road. I find it hilarious that they bothered to put JB White on the sign when it is literally in front of you. 

Another Augusta Chronicle shot of the center court. Note the "Georgia's Largest" sign on the roof, a distinction true until Atlanta malls expanded and so did the Regency rival.

     The Regency Mall opened to both great fanfare and great competition in 1978.. Only 3.3 miles northwest was the Augusta Mall, which operated on a more Atlanta level, with Davison's and Rich's. Of course this wasn't to say the Regency Mall was far less superior. Regency opened with the national Chicago retailer Montgomery Ward, Augusta's JB White, and Belk (Howard). The only problem was, Ward's had been struggling since WW2, JB White was nothing new, and Belk hadn't fallen in love with Georgia yet. Regency also saw the problems most DeBartolo malls had. Poor location, weak anchors, and little fixes weren't helping the mall's cause. The only edge the Regency had over Augusta was that it opened a week earlier, and was larger. Despite this, Regency was successful for a good run.

Retail of Yesteryear. Here we have a photo of the Ward's area during Christmas. 

Augusta Chronicle. JB White mall entrance in much happier times.

     Being the 80's, both malls held their own but nothing lasted forever. Cullum's, a junior anchor, was shuttered in 1983, before being quickly replaced by a Meyers-Arnold. With an anchor pad empty, DeBartolo planned to add JCPenney to the mall. This Penney's instead joined the Augusta Mall with an expansion. Not only did this improve the competitor, it gave a sign that Regency wasn't going to be at the top for long. Still, somehow maybe a miracle, Regency gave its rival mall a run for its money for a decade or so from that point.

Augusta Chronicle photo of the mall presumably near closing. That is most likely the former Belk in the background.

HDImageGallery photo of the mall's MW. This was probably taken around 2000, when Ward's still existed and photos this decent could be taken. The interior looks like a large Kmart. I suppose great stores die alike.

     It was around 1985 when the problems really came to light. Store turnaround was increasing along with the vacancies. By 1982, really only one Augusta store remained in JB White. The location and security began to unravel throughout the decade, and two convincing incidents occurred. In 1986, a teenage girl was abducted from the parking lot, raped, and her body would be discovered some time later in a small town outside of Augusta. A second crime happened in 1989, with the paralysis of a girl during a carjacking in the parking lot. DeBartolo was sued shortly thereafter for security issues. If you were to place a mall near blue-collar inner-city neighborhoods, good security was a must. After all, if one could head to a similar, much safer mall and not risk injury, why wouldn't you go there? 

Eventually, even the cinema abandoned the pit of a mall. This was much larger than what was originally in the mall. FYI, the sign says "Theatre Closed", and doesn't advertise some creepy flick from 2000.

Former White's and Belk from the theatre parking lot. If you wonder for the expansive cinema parking, it's partially due to a small strip center to the right of me. In that strip is a daycare. I wonder what the vibes a parent gets from dropping their kid off next to a dead mall and urban blight.

     From that point onward, the weak anchors put the mall's weight on their back. JB White and Belk were only exclusive to the mall, which helped matters a little. The reason that I don't mention Montgomery Ward is that it was far too similar to Sears, with locations at the Augusta Mall and in kind-of-nearby Aiken. Not every anchor contributed though. Meyers-Arnold became Upton's in 1987, which closed in 1993. Upton's would never be replaced as a tenant. With that, even the anchors started to fail the mall. Belk became a clearance center, and lo and behold, was shuttered in 1996. The three-screen mall cinema was replaced by greener pastures only 2,617 feet away (I enjoy the Google Maps distance tool) in an eight-screen venue. JB White was basically replaced with a sparkling new, more aesthetically pleasing store at the Augusta Mall. The grand opening was combined with the Regency store's death. Montgomery Ward was left alone, and the remnants weren't so good either. Ward's was in ruins at the time, and was closed along with the rest of the once-venerable chain. The mall, now anchorless, lasted for a year longer and then died in early 2002. The mall more appropriately "existed" though, as no one was left looking for a suit, or lost memories during the mourning of yet another dead mall. It was the equivalent of mall garbage time.

Zoom-in of JB White. This store doesn't really invoke memories of another consolidated chain, but more like an industrial park.

Old Belk, with all of its labelscar and glassy entrance removed. In front of that is a truck rest area which also contained an entrance into the mall parking lot. I would have 100% entered the place, but people were sitting around the fenced off area. I needed to spend the night at my Atlanta home and not a jail cell. 

     Unlike maybe a few other dead malls, the reason for its death is pretty clear. The location was questionable, the anchors weren't special, and security couldn't care less. It also seemed that mall owners were against change, which could have turned the tides tremendously late in life. Rents stayed high, so when the powerful national chains left, mom and pops stayed away. If the owners lowered rents, embraced unusual tenants, and looked at the future, I may have gone inside. Such an urban-type mall, with mixed tenants like national chains and small operations could have done something. Security could have been improved, looks renovated, and anchors filled. You may have had a mall that still existed, was loved, and the history wouldn't be so bleak. But.....no. It's far away now from what could have been.

Here is a sweep of the Montgomery Ward. Note the orange accent, which I believe this Ward's is only one of two to have. The other is in NC.

Another Ward's photo with an emphasis on the Deans Bridge Road-facing side. 

Zoom-in of Ward's. Seeing the logo, though partially eroded, was a treat in itself.

     Needless to say, the future of the mall isn't retail. In fact, the mall was gutted in 2013, removing plans for an outlet mall, offices, and possibly a church. The same owners have had control since 2002, yet all that has been done is paying the property taxes. However, demolition is probably a priority for the city, so visit while you can. Something that large doesn't sit unnoticed for 14 years. You may have thought the numerous possibilities for a decent-looking mall, but what killed the mall isn't helping its redevelopment. It's truly a quandary that area politicians are going to have fun solving.

Believe it or not, this sign is original. It was only fitted with leasing signs giving a former mall remnant the boot.

     Because of the length of time since usage, it remains a mystery on what happens to Regency. Recent doings point to demolition, but what comes in its place? All the lot is today is a sad story of memories past. And if the mall weathers for much longer, all that happens is a lengthening of that story. All the mall is guaranteed to live is right now, but how long will "right now" last? All that's in the forecast is what it was on my visit. Clouds and an uncertain shower.