Dimond Center

Dimond Center is a shopping mall in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. At 728,000 ft² (67,000 m²), it is the largest mall in the state of Alaska^[1]. It is located at the intersection of East Dimond Boulevard and the Old Seward Highway.

The mall is anchored by Best Buy, and Old Navy, and contains over 200 stores, restaurants, and offices, the latter located in a six-story office tower. Other facilities include the Samson-Dimond Branch Library, the Regal Dimond 9 Cinemas, and a lower level containing a small food court, a bowling alley, and an athletic club, arrayed around an ice skating rink.

History

The road from Anchorage to the Potter section of the Alaska Railroad became the Seward Highway in the early 1950s and the Old Seward Highway about 20 years later with the construction of a 4-lane freeway slightly to the east. The Old Seward Highway formed the backbone of what became south Anchorage, both in terms of access to residential subdivisions and homesteads, as well as businesses which catered to both nearby residents and highway travelers.

As south Anchorage began to grow, the intersections of the Old Seward Highway with Dowling Road and with O'Malley Road originally began to develop as commercial hubs. This began to change as Larry Carr and Barney Gottstein acquired and subsequently developed large amounts of acreage throughout Anchorage, mostly with intent to expand the Carr's grocery chain. Their initial foray into south Anchorage occurred at the corner of Dimond and Old Seward, just north of the Dimond Center. This turned what was originally intended as industrial land into retail land, no doubt helped by the development boom associated with the trans-Alaska pipeline.

Dimond Center opened in 1977 with Safeway and Pay 'n Save as its anchor stores.^[2] It underwent a major expansion in 1981, adding a replacement Pay 'n Save drug store and other stores.^[3] A refrigerant leak in 1991 resulted in the death of a maintenance worker. 1996 saw the addition of a movie theater.^[4]

Anchors

• Best Buy
• Forever 21

References

1. ^ Dimond Center store directory
2. ^ Anchorage Daily News, Alaska, Business Question and Answer Column (Brief article)
3. ^ This Week in Alaska Business History July 08, 2001
4. ^ DIMOND CENTER TO ADD THEATER ACT III PLANS NINE-SCREEN COMPLEX IN SOUTH ANCHORAGE MALL (brief article)

External links

• Dimond Center official site

Coordinates: 61°08′35″N 149°52′05″W / 61.143116°N 149.86815°W / 61.143116; -149.86815