Western Plaza Shopping Center

Western Plaza Shopping Center was a shopping mall in Amarillo, Texas, United States. It opened in 1968 with a construction cost of approximately US$13 million.cite news |url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/082699/new_ge.shtml |title=GE forecloses on Western Plaza mall |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2006-07-18] Western Plaza was once a main shopping point in Amarillo, but from the 1980s to 2000s has suffered stores leaving its complex. It is demolished and a new shopping center is being built. The Western Crossings shopping center is estimated to cost US$40 million. [cite news |url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/072307/new_8006012.shtml |title=Western Plaza debris more than junk |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2007-09-03]

History

The mall opened with White & Kirk (a local department store), Woolco, and Montgomery Ward as its anchor stores. In the 1970s, White & Kirk was converted to Sakowitz, which in turn was converted to Dunlaps before closing in the 2000s. Woolco closed in the early 1980s and was replaced with Wilson's, a catalog showroom that later became Service Merchandise. After Service Merchandise closed. The mall was also home to the first Hastings Entertainment store in the chain.Fact|date=December 2007 In addition, Western Plaza also had a business college, Academy of Professional Careers.

Brian Deneke (March 9, 1978 – December 12, 1997) a punk rock fan from Amarillo whose homicide galvanized the punk community was deliberately struck with a Cadillac, run over, and was killed there during a parking lot brawl in 1997.Fact|date=August 2008

elling and demolishing

On August 1, 2001, Triple Net Properties of California officially announced the purchase of the run down mall. They announced plans to rejuvenate Western Plaza., including bringing in new anchor stores. Cathy Derr, the leasing representative for Western Plaza was quoted in the Amarillo Globe news saying she hopes to have the mall up to 65 to 85 percent occupancy within the year. [cite news |url=http://amarillo.com/stories/080301/new_nowofficial.shtml |title=Purchase Now Official |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2007-09-04]

By late 2005 plans had been altered significantly. On November 29, 2005, The Sietz Group of Plano, a developer hired by Triple Net Properties, announced plans for a new retail center called Western Crossing to be built in place of Western Plaza. "We're going to completely redo it. We're going to tear it down," said Carmen Dominguez, in-house counsel for The Seitz Group of Plano. [cite news |url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/112905/new_3357004.shtml |title=New shopping center set for Western Plaza |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2007-09-03] Negatiations began to relocate the remaining tenants.

In 2006, several problems arose. A tax abatement sought from the city to help with costs was unsuccessful. Asbestos problems increased projected demolition cost to $29 million from $27 million. [cite news |url=http://amarillo.com/stories/062706/new_4993116.shtml |title=Developers rethink mall; Asbestos costs boost price of Western Plaza project |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2007-09-03] And a former tenant, Texas Panhandle Mental Health Mental Retardation, sued the owners of Western Plaza for the more than $50,000 the local community mental health mental retardation center said it had incurred since being evicted to make way for a $29 million shopping center makeover. [cite news |url=http://amarillo.com/stories/082406/bus_5397072.shtml |title=State agency sues plaza owners |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2007-09-03]

In June 2006, the signs of the mall were taken down. [cite news |work=Amarillo Globe-News |url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/060606/new_4837877.shtml |title=Sign coming down |accessdate=2006-07-18] On June 7, 2007, demolition began and was scheduled to be done in 60 days. [cite news |url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/060807/new_plaza.shtml |title=Western Plaza razing begins |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2007-09-03]

As of June 2008 Rudy's BBQ and a Starbucks location are the only two things currently open.
Burlington Coat Factory, Petco, and the other stores should be open by the end of the year.

Future

The new retail center will include 10 buildings for retail, restaurant and office use. Some of the stores that will be moving to Western Crossing are Petco, Michaels Craft Store, and Burlington Coat Factory, plus the restaurant Cheddar's along with a separate building for Graham Central Station and an office building. [cite news |title=New shopping center set for Western Plaza |url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/112905/new_3357004.shtml |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2006-07-18]

The mall and its land have been owned by Santa Ana, California-based company, Triple Net Properties since 2001. [cite news |url=http://amarillo.com/stories/072701/new_plazato.shtml |title=Western Plaza to be sold |work=Amarillo Globe-News |accessdate=2006-07-18] Western Plaza's past owners include: Mattie Hedgecoke Properties, Southmark Corporation of Dallas, Texas, Spigel Properties of San Antonio, Texas, and General Electric Capital Corporation, the financial arm of General Electric.

Notes

External links

*cite web |url=http://www.deadmalls.com/malls/western_plaza.html |title=Western Plaza Shopping Center |publisher=DeadMalls.com