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Tri-County Mall

January 08, 2023

Tri-County Mall was a shopping mall located on State Route 747 (Princeton Pike) just south of Interstate 275 in the city of Springdale, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Originally known as Tri-County Shopping Center, it opened in 1960 and has been expanded several times in its history. The original shopping center was an open-air property featuring H. & S. Pogue Company (Pogue's) and John Shillito Company (Shillito's) as the anchor stores. An enclosed wing anchored by Sears was added in 1969, followed by the enclosure of the rest of the mall. Shillito's was later known as Shillito-Rike's, Lazarus, Lazarus-Macy's, and then just Macy's; Pogue's was consolidated with L. S. Ayres and then converted to JCPenney. A mall expansion begun in 1990 and finished in 1992 added a second level of stores and McAlpin's (sold to Dillard's in 1998) as a fourth anchor store. The mall underwent a slow decline in the 21st century, owing mainly to the center's age and increased competition and lost all of its anchors. Both JCPenney and Dillard's relocated to newer shopping centers in the 2010s, while Sears closed in 2018 and Macy's closed in 2021. The mall itself closed on April 15, 2022. It is owned by MarketSpace Capital and Park Harbor Capital.

Tri-County Mall
A wing of Tri-County Mall in 2018.
LocationSpringdale, Ohio, U.S.
Coordinates39°17′24″N 84°27′52″W / 39.29°N 84.4644444°W / 39.29; -84.4644444Coordinates: 39°17′24″N 84°27′52″W / 39.29°N 84.4644444°W / 39.29; -84.4644444
Address11700 Princeton Pike
Opening dateJuly 21, 1960 (1960-07-21)
Closing dateApril 15, 2022 (2022-04-15)
DeveloperJoseph Meyerhoff
ManagementMarketSpace Capital and Park Harbor Capital
ArchitectKenneth C. Miller
No. of stores and services130
No. of anchor tenants4
Total retail floor area1,300,000 square feet (120,000 m2)
No. of floors2 (3 in former Dillard's, 4 in former Macy's)
Websitetricountymall.com

History

Joseph Meyerhoff, a businessman who had developed several shopping and residential properties in Baltimore, Maryland, announced plans for the Tri-County Center in 1959. The plans called for a shopping center with two Cincinnati-based department stores as the anchor stores: John Shillito Company (Shillito's) and H. & S. Pogue Company (Pogue's), positioned at the north and south ends respectively of an open-air mall concourse. Other tenants announced for the center included an S. S. Kresge Corporation dime store, a Kroger supermarket, and Gray Drug. Kenneth C. Miller was the mall's architect.[1] Consulting firms helped select the mall's site, at the northeastern corner of Princeton Pike and Kemper Road in the suburb of Springdale, just south of the then-under construction Interstate 275 beltway, after determining that the area had the greatest potential for future suburban growth.[2] Groundbreaking for the 75-acre (30 ha) site began in July 1959.[3]

The mall officially opened to the public on July 21, 1960. Opening ceremonies included performances by the Princeton High School band and a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Meyerhoff and the mayor of Springdale. At the time of opening, it consisted of 51 stores in 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of shop space, with parking for up to 4,000 cars. A 1960 article in The Cincinnati Enquirer described the mall as "landscaped to give the appearance of a park", while also noting that it was the largest center built by Meyerhoff at the time.[4] Shillito's added a fourth level to its store in 1962, allowing for the store's lowest level to be dedicated to discounted merchandise; this concept, called the "basement store", also existed at their location in downtown Cincinnati.[5]

Sears opened as the mall's third anchor store in May 1967.[6] The 142,300-square-foot (13,220 m2), two-story store was a prototype for the chain, featuring a larger variety of merchandise and services than its typical stores of the era, including automotive repair and a restaurant.[7] The new Sears was built to the east, and was connected to the rest of the mall by a new wing of stores. Unlike the rest of the mall at the time, the expansion wing was enclosed, featuring palm trees, tropical plants, and fountains, along with antique lights and skylights. Tenants in this section of the mall included Casual Corner, Lane Bryant, Spencer Gifts, Hickory Farms, and Waldenbooks.[8] In Mid 1968, the rest of the formerly open-air mall was enclosed as well, featuring décor similar to the 1967 expansion. The firm of Baxter, Hodell, Donnelly, and Preston served as architects on the enclosure project.[9]

1970s and 1980s

Throughout the first several years of the mall's existence, the common mall space was used to host many annual events. This included the Outdoor Living Show, which allowed mall patrons to view campers, boats, patio furniture, and outdoor grills for purchase in the summertime;[10] Safety Town, a five-day program hosted by Springdale's police and fire department to educate young children on traffic safety;[11] and symphony concerts every August.[12] All of these were included in the mall's tenth-anniversary festivities in 1970, along with a number of mall-wide sales and a teen fashion show held by Shillito's.[13]

In 1974, the Pogue's store was expanded and remodeled, featuring circular patterns on the ceilings, and different color schemes in each department. The store also gained a third story in this remodel, creating space for home furnishings and a beauty salon.[14] Further renovations came in 1976 when the main mall entrance was redecorated in earth tones, while also adding decorative fountains and eight kiosk shops.[15] Also in 1976, original tenant Hader Hardware moved out of the mall to a bigger store on the periphery, which had originally been a tire and automotive department for Pogue's.[16] Monumental Properties, the name which Meyerhoff's real estate division had assumed in 1970, sold the mall to Equitable Life Insurance (now AXA Equitable Holdings) for $34 million in 1979.[17]

Federated Department Stores (now Macy's, Inc.) merged the John Shillito Company and the Rike Kumler Co. (Rike's) under the singular name Shillito-Rike's in 1982. This was done because executives felt that combining the two names would increase the profitability of both chains, due to Rike's having been based in nearby Dayton.[18] Four years later, all of the Shillito-Rike's stores were further consolidated with Columbus, Ohio-based Lazarus.[19] Another anchor change ensued in 1984 when Pogue's parent company, Associated Dry Goods, merged the chain with L. S. Ayres of Indianapolis.[20] A food court opened off the main entrance in 1985, with nine restaurants including Baskin-Robbins, Great Steak, and Pizza Hut. The opening of this food court coincided with 25th anniversary festivities, including a raffle with a grand prize of $7,000, a candle-lighting ceremony, and a sock hop. At the time, the mall consisted of over 983,862 square feet (91,403.8 m2) of shop space and over 94 tenants. A 1985 Cincinnati Enquirer article also noted that the mall's existence helped to draw more business and industry to the Springdale area.[21] Throughout the 1980s, many more shopping centers were built along the intersection of Princeton Pike and Kemper Road, including Princeton Plaza, Cassinelli Square, and Beltway Plaza, the last of which was converted from an abandoned factory that formerly manufactured candy for the Kroger corporation.[22]

Late 1980s and 1990s

In 1987, shopping mall developers Shopco Advisory Group submitted plans to the city of Springdale to develop another mall called Springdale Town Center directly across Interstate 275, at the southwest corner of Princeton Pike and Crescentville Road. Under these plans, Springdale Town Center would include 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m2) of mall space, with JCPenney and McAlpin's as proposed anchors. Shopco had also undergone negotiations with Elder-Beerman, Marshall Field's, and Jacobson's as prospective anchors; Shopco also agreed to a stipulation that Springdale Town Center could not have Lazarus, Sears, or L. S. Ayres as an anchor until 1999.[23] City council rejected the plans for this mall due to concerns over heavy traffic and market saturation, but JCPenney was able to enter the Springdale area only one year later when it purchased the L. S. Ayres store at Tri-County, along with two others at Kenwood Towne Centre and Northgate Mall.[24] The May Department Stores Company, which had acquired Associated Dry Goods in 1986, chose to close these three L. S. Ayres stores along with one in downtown Cincinnati and all locations in Kentucky due to unprofitability.[25] JCPenney had previously conducted market research which determined the need for more shopping mall-based stores in the Cincinnati market, and analysts concluded that the acquisition of the former L. S. Ayres stores at the three malls would be strategic to the chain's expansion there.[26] The Tri-County Mall location of JCPenney opened in mid-1988, resulting in the closure of an existing store in Hamilton.[27]

The mall underwent an expansion in 1990, which doubled the number of shops by adding a second level atop the existing portion of the mall. The second level was connected to the existing mall by three staircases and a glass elevator. Also, a fountain was added to center court, and the food court was relocated to a larger location on the newly built upper level by Sears. The new food court was the first part of this expansion to open, doing so in May 1990. In order to attract business from nearby office workers, Tri-County's food court became the first in the United States to accept food orders by fax. Original food court tenants Pizza Hut, Great Steak, and Spinning Fork relocated to the newer food court, which also included Arby's and several local restaurants.[28] Also as part of the expansion and renovation projects, Lazarus remodeled their store in mid-1991, creating a more open floor plan with wider aisles and less division between departments, as opposed to the previous trend of using different décor in each department. The wider floor plan was achieved by eliminating several stockrooms and nearly all of the furniture department. Following these renovations, the store's manager noted that the store was the most profitable in the chain for August and September 1991.[29] The final part of the expansion, a two-story, 240,000-square-foot (22,000 m2) McAlpin's department store, opened as the mall's fourth anchor store one year later. It was the 100th department store to be opened by parent company Mercantile Stores Company, Inc., and it was designed by the same architectural firm that handled the mall's enclosure in the late 1960s.[30] To add McAlpin's, mall developers had to seek approval from the Lazarus chain, which under the terms of its lease had to approve the addition of any anchor stores to the mall.[31]

Late 1990s and onward

 
A mall entrance in 2018.

Equitable Life Insurance put Tri-County and several other mall properties up for sale in December 1996,[32] due to concerns over saturation in the American retail market.[33] It was sold to the O'Connor Group in July 1997 for $147 million. At the time of sale, the mall was 90 percent leased.[33][34] In 1998, Dillard's acquired the Mercantile Stores Company, which resulted in all of the McAlpin's stores being rebranded as Dillard's.[35] Blackstone Group, a real estate company based out of New York City, announced negotiations to buy the mall from O'Connor Group in 2002.[36] Blackstone then sold the mall to Thor Equities in 2005. At the time of the sale, the mall faced increased competition from a then-recently revamped Cincinnati Mills (now Forest Fair Village), and had not received exterior renovations since the early-1990s expansion was completed, two factors which had a negative impact on the mall's value and tenancy.[37]

Two further anchor changes occurred under Thor Equities' ownership. Lazarus, which had been dual-branded by Federated Department Stores as Lazarus-Macy's in 2003, became just Macy's in 2005.[38] Also, JCPenney closed its Tri-County location in 2005, and returned to the city of Hamilton with a store at the then-newly built Bridgewater Falls shopping center.[39] One year later, the former JCPenney building underwent a major renovation, in which a new mall hallway was run through the lower level of the building, leading to a new mall entrance. The hallway was to include several new mall shops, including an Ethan Allen furniture store and a location of BJ's Restaurants. Also part of this renovation plan was new signage along Interstate 275.[40] A joint venture of Coventry Real Estate and Developers Diversified Realty (now SITE Centers) bought the mall in May 2006.[41]

2010s-2020s: Decline and possible redevelopment

After losing JCPenney, the Tri-County Mall and surrounding retail developments continued to suffer a decline in tenancy. One factor was the Great Recession, which impacted a large number of retailers that had locations in or nearby the mall. Among these were Borders Books & Music, Value City, CompUSA, and Circuit City, all of which went out of business entirely.[22] Also, population growth had shifted northerly from the mall since the 1990s, resulting in newer retail developments which drew away tenants and shoppers from the older developments.[22][42] These factors also impacted Northgate and Forest Fair malls, creating a surplus of retail space in the area.[42] Another factor cited by analysts in the mall's decline was a curfew enacted in 2010, requiring patrons under the age of 18 to be escorted out of the mall by 4 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.[43]

In July 2013, the mall was purchased by SingHaiyi Group, a real estate company based in Singapore.[44] Dillard's downgraded its store to an outlet store in 2013,[45] and then closed it in 2015 in favor of a new store at Liberty Center in Liberty Township.[46] To counter the decline in tenancy, SingHaiyi announced a renovation project in 2015, which included the addition of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Outback Steakhouse, and Men's Wearhouse on outparcels, while Shoe Dept. Encore and new food court restaurants were added.[42] Other proposals to help maintain tenancy at the mall included a plan to convert portions to offices or other non-retail uses, while replacing the former Dillard's with a dine-in theater.[47]

On June 4, 2018, Sears announced that its Tri-County store would close in September 2018.[45] Despite the closure of other anchors, Macy's opened a division of its discount format Backstage at its Tri-County location in 2018.[48] A 2017 article noted that, despite promises of renovation from the mall's developers, Tri-County had a large number of inline vacancies at the time, primarily on the main level and near the food court. The same article noted that retail analysts considered the mall "vulnerable" due to its numerous vacancies and an ongoing trend in the 21st century in the decline of shopping malls.[49] Among the major chains to vacate the mall in the 2010s are The Limited, which closed in 2016,[50] plus Victoria's Secret,[51] Charlotte Russe,[52] and Things Remembered,[53] all in 2019.

On January 5, 2021, it was announced that Macy's would be closing on March 21, 2021, as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide which left the mall with no anchors left.[54] The city of Springdale approved a redevelopment plan in December 2021, which will call for the demolition and reconfiguration of the mall into a series of ten-story buildings featuring retail, offices, and residences. The plan is estimated to cost $1,000,000,000 and require re-zoning of the land.[55] The mall was sold in March 2022 to MarketSpace Capital and Park Harbor Capital, a pair of developers from Texas.[56] As part of their re-development plans, the mall owners announced that the building would close permanently on April 15, 2022.[57]

References

  1. ^ Dick Havlin (February 1, 1959). "Center is a 'giant' with 50 stores". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. 8A. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  2. ^ "The Tri-County Center". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 1, 1959. pp. 2H. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  3. ^ "Tri-County work starts next week". The Cincinnati Enquirer. July 18, 1959. pp. 6B. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  4. ^ "'Opening Day' festivities at Tri-County". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 6, 1960. p. 50. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  5. ^ "A store within a store, Tri-County lower level". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 23, 1962. p. 34. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  6. ^ "Sears opens at Tri-County". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 21, 1967. p. 5. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  7. ^ "Cincinnati 'model city' for Sears". The Cincinnati Enquirer. April 9, 1967. pp. 7D. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  8. ^ "Enclosed, air-conditioned wing opened at T. C." The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 24, 1967. p. 2. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  9. ^ "Tri-County's versatile mall enclosure now ready". The Cincinnati Enquirer. March 31, 1968. p. 4. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  10. ^ "8th outdoor living show lifestyle on the mall". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 27, 1970. Retrieved April 7, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Ninth annual Safety Town simulates traffic hazards for preschoolers". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 27, 1970. p. 8. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  12. ^ "Symphony under the stars". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 27, 1970. p. 19. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  13. ^ "Fashion-wise teens on Tri-County board". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 27, 1970. p. 6. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  14. ^ "New Tri-County Pogue's is glamorous, colorful, exciting!". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 26, 1971. p. 4. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  15. ^ "New main entrance for Tri-County". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 30, 1976. p. 2. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  16. ^ "New location for Hader Hardware". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 30, 1976. p. 10. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  17. ^ "Tri-County bought by Equitable". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 30, 1979. pp. G9. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  18. ^ Wayne Buckhout (April 6, 1982). "Federated combines Shillito's, Rike's". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. C9. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  19. ^ Mary Kay Culpepper, Sara Pearce (February 9, 1986). "Hello Columbus: Lazarus shows Cincinnati shoppers what's in store". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. E1. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  20. ^ Rosemary Munsen (October 29, 1984). "Recalling the name about to change". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  21. ^ "Tri-County Mall celebrates 25 years of success". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 14, 1985. pp. B5. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  22. ^ a b c Laura Baverman (February 15, 2009). "With retailers closing, Tri-County faces trying times". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. G1, G2. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  23. ^ Jon Newberry (July 22, 1987). "New mall awaits consent". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. F1. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  24. ^ "Penney's negotiating on Ayres locations". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 25, 1988. pp. B5. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  25. ^ "Penney purchases Ayres sites". The Cincinnati Enquirer. June 29, 1988. pp. A1, A10. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  26. ^ Ronnie Agnew (June 30, 1988). "Studies guided Penney's to expand". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. B8. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  27. ^ Gina M. Gentry (June 30, 1988). "Closing of store brings to an end a retailing era". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. B8. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  28. ^ Richard Green (May 3, 1990). "More food for shoppers". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. C9, C12. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  29. ^ John J. Byczkowski (September 17, 1991). "Lazarus knocking down the walls". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. B5. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  30. ^ "Tri-County McAlpin's offers convenience, quality service". The Cincinnati Enquirer. August 6, 1992. pp. D2. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  31. ^ "Lazarus gets nod for work". The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 25, 1990. pp. C7. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  32. ^ Lisa Biank Fasig (December 15, 1996). "Tri-County's biggest sale?". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. I1. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  33. ^ a b Leah Beth Ward (July 8, 1997). "Tri-County Mall sold for $147M". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. B10. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  34. ^ Dan Monk, Andy Hemmer (July 7, 1997). "Mall deal richest in decade". Cincinnati Business Journal. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  35. ^ Lisa Biank Fasig (May 19, 1998). "Dillard's buys Mercantile". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. A1, A9. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  36. ^ Ken Alltucker (October 13, 2002). "NY firm seeking to buy Tri-County Mall in $425M deal". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. D1. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  37. ^ Mike Boyer (February 9, 2005). "Tri-County Mall purchased". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. D1, D2. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  38. ^ John Eckberg (February 26, 2005). "Lazarus upgrading more than its name". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. D1, D2. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  39. ^ Mike Boyer (May 6, 2005). "J. C. Penney leaving Tri-County". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. D1, D2. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  40. ^ Mike Boyer (March 12, 2006). "Tri-County remake keys on new entrance". The Cincinnati Enquirer. pp. E2. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  41. ^ "Coventry, Developers Venture Pays $226Mln for 3 Retail Properties". CR News. May 18, 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  42. ^ a b c Bowdeya Tweh (June 4, 2015). "Tri-County Mall launching $35M improvement project". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  43. ^ "No consensus on future of Tri-County Mall". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 12, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  44. ^ "SingHaiyi to buy 100% of Tri-County Mall for US$45 mil". The Edge Markets. September 30, 2013. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  45. ^ a b Eric Schwartzberg (June 8, 2018). "Tri-County Mall continues re-development efforts as another anchor retailer prepares to close". The Journal-News. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  46. ^ Bowdeya Tweh (August 19, 2015). "Dillard's closing Tri-County clearance center". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  47. ^ Mary Bresnahan (April 25, 2017). "Tri-County Mall retools retail plan". Cincinnati Business Courier. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  48. ^ Dan Monk (March 23, 2018). "Tri-County Mall lands Cincinnati's first Backstage store by Macy's Inc". WCPO. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  49. ^ "Cincinnati malls' death spiral: Will yours survive?". Cincinnati.com. June 28, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  50. ^ Bowdeya Tweh (December 29, 2016). "The Limited closes Tri-County, Liberty Center stores". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  51. ^ Holly Shively (March 7, 2019). "1 Victoria's Secret store in region to close; no impact to Kettering". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  52. ^ Holly Shively (February 5, 2019). "Charlotte Russe files for bankruptcy, plans 94 store closures". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  53. ^ Holly Shively (January 28, 2019). "Things Remembered reportedly prepares to file bankruptcy, close stores". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  54. ^ "Macy's Inc. Will close Tri-County Mall store by April". 6 January 2021.
  55. ^ "Springdale approves plan for massive redevelopment of Tri-County Mall". Fox 19. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  56. ^ "Tri-County Mall sale finalized, hurdle cleared for $1B massive redevelopment". Cincinnati.com. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  57. ^ "Tri-County Mall announces closing date ahead of redevelopment project". WLWT. March 29, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.

External links

  • Early view of the mall

January 08, 2023
county, mall, shopping, mall, located, state, route, princeton, pike, just, south, interstate, city, springdale, ohio, suburb, cincinnati, ohio, united, states, originally, known, county, shopping, center, opened, 1960, been, expanded, several, times, history,. Tri County Mall was a shopping mall located on State Route 747 Princeton Pike just south of Interstate 275 in the city of Springdale Ohio a suburb of Cincinnati Ohio United States Originally known as Tri County Shopping Center it opened in 1960 and has been expanded several times in its history The original shopping center was an open air property featuring H amp S Pogue Company Pogue s and John Shillito Company Shillito s as the anchor stores An enclosed wing anchored by Sears was added in 1969 followed by the enclosure of the rest of the mall Shillito s was later known as Shillito Rike s Lazarus Lazarus Macy s and then just Macy s Pogue s was consolidated with L S Ayres and then converted to JCPenney A mall expansion begun in 1990 and finished in 1992 added a second level of stores and McAlpin s sold to Dillard s in 1998 as a fourth anchor store The mall underwent a slow decline in the 21st century owing mainly to the center s age and increased competition and lost all of its anchors Both JCPenney and Dillard s relocated to newer shopping centers in the 2010s while Sears closed in 2018 and Macy s closed in 2021 The mall itself closed on April 15 2022 It is owned by MarketSpace Capital and Park Harbor Capital Tri County MallA wing of Tri County Mall in 2018 LocationSpringdale Ohio U S Coordinates39 17 24 N 84 27 52 W 39 29 N 84 4644444 W 39 29 84 4644444 Coordinates 39 17 24 N 84 27 52 W 39 29 N 84 4644444 W 39 29 84 4644444Address11700 Princeton PikeOpening dateJuly 21 1960 1960 07 21 Closing dateApril 15 2022 2022 04 15 DeveloperJoseph MeyerhoffManagementMarketSpace Capital and Park Harbor CapitalArchitectKenneth C MillerNo of stores and services130No of anchor tenants4Total retail floor area1 300 000 square feet 120 000 m2 No of floors2 3 in former Dillard s 4 in former Macy s Websitetricountymall com Contents 1 History 1 1 1970s and 1980s 1 2 Late 1980s and 1990s 1 3 Late 1990s and onward 1 4 2010s 2020s Decline and possible redevelopment 2 References 3 External linksHistory EditJoseph Meyerhoff a businessman who had developed several shopping and residential properties in Baltimore Maryland announced plans for the Tri County Center in 1959 The plans called for a shopping center with two Cincinnati based department stores as the anchor stores John Shillito Company Shillito s and H amp S Pogue Company Pogue s positioned at the north and south ends respectively of an open air mall concourse Other tenants announced for the center included an S S Kresge Corporation dime store a Kroger supermarket and Gray Drug Kenneth C Miller was the mall s architect 1 Consulting firms helped select the mall s site at the northeastern corner of Princeton Pike and Kemper Road in the suburb of Springdale just south of the then under construction Interstate 275 beltway after determining that the area had the greatest potential for future suburban growth 2 Groundbreaking for the 75 acre 30 ha site began in July 1959 3 The mall officially opened to the public on July 21 1960 Opening ceremonies included performances by the Princeton High School band and a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Meyerhoff and the mayor of Springdale At the time of opening it consisted of 51 stores in 500 000 square feet 46 000 m2 of shop space with parking for up to 4 000 cars A 1960 article in The Cincinnati Enquirer described the mall as landscaped to give the appearance of a park while also noting that it was the largest center built by Meyerhoff at the time 4 Shillito s added a fourth level to its store in 1962 allowing for the store s lowest level to be dedicated to discounted merchandise this concept called the basement store also existed at their location in downtown Cincinnati 5 Sears opened as the mall s third anchor store in May 1967 6 The 142 300 square foot 13 220 m2 two story store was a prototype for the chain featuring a larger variety of merchandise and services than its typical stores of the era including automotive repair and a restaurant 7 The new Sears was built to the east and was connected to the rest of the mall by a new wing of stores Unlike the rest of the mall at the time the expansion wing was enclosed featuring palm trees tropical plants and fountains along with antique lights and skylights Tenants in this section of the mall included Casual Corner Lane Bryant Spencer Gifts Hickory Farms and Waldenbooks 8 In Mid 1968 the rest of the formerly open air mall was enclosed as well featuring decor similar to the 1967 expansion The firm of Baxter Hodell Donnelly and Preston served as architects on the enclosure project 9 1970s and 1980s Edit Throughout the first several years of the mall s existence the common mall space was used to host many annual events This included the Outdoor Living Show which allowed mall patrons to view campers boats patio furniture and outdoor grills for purchase in the summertime 10 Safety Town a five day program hosted by Springdale s police and fire department to educate young children on traffic safety 11 and symphony concerts every August 12 All of these were included in the mall s tenth anniversary festivities in 1970 along with a number of mall wide sales and a teen fashion show held by Shillito s 13 In 1974 the Pogue s store was expanded and remodeled featuring circular patterns on the ceilings and different color schemes in each department The store also gained a third story in this remodel creating space for home furnishings and a beauty salon 14 Further renovations came in 1976 when the main mall entrance was redecorated in earth tones while also adding decorative fountains and eight kiosk shops 15 Also in 1976 original tenant Hader Hardware moved out of the mall to a bigger store on the periphery which had originally been a tire and automotive department for Pogue s 16 Monumental Properties the name which Meyerhoff s real estate division had assumed in 1970 sold the mall to Equitable Life Insurance now AXA Equitable Holdings for 34 million in 1979 17 Federated Department Stores now Macy s Inc merged the John Shillito Company and the Rike Kumler Co Rike s under the singular name Shillito Rike s in 1982 This was done because executives felt that combining the two names would increase the profitability of both chains due to Rike s having been based in nearby Dayton 18 Four years later all of the Shillito Rike s stores were further consolidated with Columbus Ohio based Lazarus 19 Another anchor change ensued in 1984 when Pogue s parent company Associated Dry Goods merged the chain with L S Ayres of Indianapolis 20 A food court opened off the main entrance in 1985 with nine restaurants including Baskin Robbins Great Steak and Pizza Hut The opening of this food court coincided with 25th anniversary festivities including a raffle with a grand prize of 7 000 a candle lighting ceremony and a sock hop At the time the mall consisted of over 983 862 square feet 91 403 8 m2 of shop space and over 94 tenants A 1985 Cincinnati Enquirer article also noted that the mall s existence helped to draw more business and industry to the Springdale area 21 Throughout the 1980s many more shopping centers were built along the intersection of Princeton Pike and Kemper Road including Princeton Plaza Cassinelli Square and Beltway Plaza the last of which was converted from an abandoned factory that formerly manufactured candy for the Kroger corporation 22 Late 1980s and 1990s Edit In 1987 shopping mall developers Shopco Advisory Group submitted plans to the city of Springdale to develop another mall called Springdale Town Center directly across Interstate 275 at the southwest corner of Princeton Pike and Crescentville Road Under these plans Springdale Town Center would include 1 000 000 square feet 93 000 m2 of mall space with JCPenney and McAlpin s as proposed anchors Shopco had also undergone negotiations with Elder Beerman Marshall Field s and Jacobson s as prospective anchors Shopco also agreed to a stipulation that Springdale Town Center could not have Lazarus Sears or L S Ayres as an anchor until 1999 23 City council rejected the plans for this mall due to concerns over heavy traffic and market saturation but JCPenney was able to enter the Springdale area only one year later when it purchased the L S Ayres store at Tri County along with two others at Kenwood Towne Centre and Northgate Mall 24 The May Department Stores Company which had acquired Associated Dry Goods in 1986 chose to close these three L S Ayres stores along with one in downtown Cincinnati and all locations in Kentucky due to unprofitability 25 JCPenney had previously conducted market research which determined the need for more shopping mall based stores in the Cincinnati market and analysts concluded that the acquisition of the former L S Ayres stores at the three malls would be strategic to the chain s expansion there 26 The Tri County Mall location of JCPenney opened in mid 1988 resulting in the closure of an existing store in Hamilton 27 The mall underwent an expansion in 1990 which doubled the number of shops by adding a second level atop the existing portion of the mall The second level was connected to the existing mall by three staircases and a glass elevator Also a fountain was added to center court and the food court was relocated to a larger location on the newly built upper level by Sears The new food court was the first part of this expansion to open doing so in May 1990 In order to attract business from nearby office workers Tri County s food court became the first in the United States to accept food orders by fax Original food court tenants Pizza Hut Great Steak and Spinning Fork relocated to the newer food court which also included Arby s and several local restaurants 28 Also as part of the expansion and renovation projects Lazarus remodeled their store in mid 1991 creating a more open floor plan with wider aisles and less division between departments as opposed to the previous trend of using different decor in each department The wider floor plan was achieved by eliminating several stockrooms and nearly all of the furniture department Following these renovations the store s manager noted that the store was the most profitable in the chain for August and September 1991 29 The final part of the expansion a two story 240 000 square foot 22 000 m2 McAlpin s department store opened as the mall s fourth anchor store one year later It was the 100th department store to be opened by parent company Mercantile Stores Company Inc and it was designed by the same architectural firm that handled the mall s enclosure in the late 1960s 30 To add McAlpin s mall developers had to seek approval from the Lazarus chain which under the terms of its lease had to approve the addition of any anchor stores to the mall 31 Late 1990s and onward Edit A mall entrance in 2018 Equitable Life Insurance put Tri County and several other mall properties up for sale in December 1996 32 due to concerns over saturation in the American retail market 33 It was sold to the O Connor Group in July 1997 for 147 million At the time of sale the mall was 90 percent leased 33 34 In 1998 Dillard s acquired the Mercantile Stores Company which resulted in all of the McAlpin s stores being rebranded as Dillard s 35 Blackstone Group a real estate company based out of New York City announced negotiations to buy the mall from O Connor Group in 2002 36 Blackstone then sold the mall to Thor Equities in 2005 At the time of the sale the mall faced increased competition from a then recently revamped Cincinnati Mills now Forest Fair Village and had not received exterior renovations since the early 1990s expansion was completed two factors which had a negative impact on the mall s value and tenancy 37 Two further anchor changes occurred under Thor Equities ownership Lazarus which had been dual branded by Federated Department Stores as Lazarus Macy s in 2003 became just Macy s in 2005 38 Also JCPenney closed its Tri County location in 2005 and returned to the city of Hamilton with a store at the then newly built Bridgewater Falls shopping center 39 One year later the former JCPenney building underwent a major renovation in which a new mall hallway was run through the lower level of the building leading to a new mall entrance The hallway was to include several new mall shops including an Ethan Allen furniture store and a location of BJ s Restaurants Also part of this renovation plan was new signage along Interstate 275 40 A joint venture of Coventry Real Estate and Developers Diversified Realty now SITE Centers bought the mall in May 2006 41 2010s 2020s Decline and possible redevelopment Edit After losing JCPenney the Tri County Mall and surrounding retail developments continued to suffer a decline in tenancy One factor was the Great Recession which impacted a large number of retailers that had locations in or nearby the mall Among these were Borders Books amp Music Value City CompUSA and Circuit City all of which went out of business entirely 22 Also population growth had shifted northerly from the mall since the 1990s resulting in newer retail developments which drew away tenants and shoppers from the older developments 22 42 These factors also impacted Northgate and Forest Fair malls creating a surplus of retail space in the area 42 Another factor cited by analysts in the mall s decline was a curfew enacted in 2010 requiring patrons under the age of 18 to be escorted out of the mall by 4 pm on Fridays and Saturdays 43 In July 2013 the mall was purchased by SingHaiyi Group a real estate company based in Singapore 44 Dillard s downgraded its store to an outlet store in 2013 45 and then closed it in 2015 in favor of a new store at Liberty Center in Liberty Township 46 To counter the decline in tenancy SingHaiyi announced a renovation project in 2015 which included the addition of Chipotle Mexican Grill Outback Steakhouse and Men s Wearhouse on outparcels while Shoe Dept Encore and new food court restaurants were added 42 Other proposals to help maintain tenancy at the mall included a plan to convert portions to offices or other non retail uses while replacing the former Dillard s with a dine in theater 47 On June 4 2018 Sears announced that its Tri County store would close in September 2018 45 Despite the closure of other anchors Macy s opened a division of its discount format Backstage at its Tri County location in 2018 48 A 2017 article noted that despite promises of renovation from the mall s developers Tri County had a large number of inline vacancies at the time primarily on the main level and near the food court The same article noted that retail analysts considered the mall vulnerable due to its numerous vacancies and an ongoing trend in the 21st century in the decline of shopping malls 49 Among the major chains to vacate the mall in the 2010s are The Limited which closed in 2016 50 plus Victoria s Secret 51 Charlotte Russe 52 and Things Remembered 53 all in 2019 On January 5 2021 it was announced that Macy s would be closing on March 21 2021 as part of a plan to close 46 stores nationwide which left the mall with no anchors left 54 The city of Springdale approved a redevelopment plan in December 2021 which will call for the demolition and reconfiguration of the mall into a series of ten story buildings featuring retail offices and residences The plan is estimated to cost 1 000 000 000 and require re zoning of the land 55 The mall was sold in March 2022 to MarketSpace Capital and Park Harbor Capital a pair of developers from Texas 56 As part of their re development plans the mall owners announced that the building would close permanently on April 15 2022 57 References Edit Dick Havlin February 1 1959 Center is a giant with 50 stores The Cincinnati Enquirer pp 8A Retrieved March 31 2019 The Tri County Center The Cincinnati Enquirer February 1 1959 pp 2H Retrieved March 31 2019 Tri County work starts next week The Cincinnati Enquirer July 18 1959 pp 6B Retrieved March 31 2019 Opening Day festivities at Tri County The Cincinnati Enquirer October 6 1960 p 50 Retrieved March 31 2019 A store within a store Tri County lower level The Cincinnati Enquirer September 23 1962 p 34 Retrieved April 1 2019 Sears opens at Tri County The Cincinnati Enquirer May 21 1967 p 5 Retrieved March 31 2019 Cincinnati model city for Sears The Cincinnati Enquirer April 9 1967 pp 7D Retrieved March 31 2019 Enclosed air conditioned wing opened at T C The Cincinnati Enquirer September 24 1967 p 2 Retrieved March 31 2019 Tri County s versatile mall enclosure now ready The Cincinnati Enquirer March 31 1968 p 4 Retrieved April 1 2019 8th outdoor living show lifestyle on the mall The Cincinnati Enquirer September 27 1970 Retrieved April 7 2019 via Newspapers com Ninth annual Safety Town simulates traffic hazards for preschoolers The Cincinnati Enquirer September 27 1970 p 8 Retrieved April 7 2019 Symphony under the stars The Cincinnati Enquirer September 27 1970 p 19 Retrieved April 7 2019 Fashion wise teens on Tri County board The Cincinnati Enquirer September 27 1970 p 6 Retrieved April 7 2019 New Tri County Pogue s is glamorous colorful exciting The Cincinnati Enquirer September 26 1971 p 4 Retrieved April 7 2019 New main entrance for Tri County The Cincinnati Enquirer September 30 1976 p 2 Retrieved April 7 2019 New location for Hader Hardware The Cincinnati Enquirer September 30 1976 p 10 Retrieved April 7 2019 Tri County bought by Equitable The Cincinnati Enquirer August 30 1979 pp G9 Retrieved April 8 2019 Wayne Buckhout April 6 1982 Federated combines Shillito s Rike s The Cincinnati Enquirer pp C9 Retrieved April 7 2019 Mary Kay Culpepper Sara Pearce February 9 1986 Hello Columbus Lazarus shows Cincinnati shoppers what s in store The Cincinnati Enquirer pp E1 Retrieved April 7 2019 Rosemary Munsen October 29 1984 Recalling the name about to change The Cincinnati Enquirer pp B1 B4 Retrieved April 8 2019 Tri County Mall celebrates 25 years of success The Cincinnati Enquirer August 14 1985 pp B5 Retrieved April 8 2019 a b c Laura Baverman February 15 2009 With retailers closing Tri County faces trying times The Cincinnati Enquirer pp G1 G2 Retrieved April 15 2019 Jon Newberry July 22 1987 New mall awaits consent The Cincinnati Enquirer pp F1 Retrieved April 7 2019 Penney s negotiating on Ayres locations The Cincinnati Enquirer May 25 1988 pp B5 Retrieved April 8 2019 Penney purchases Ayres sites The Cincinnati Enquirer June 29 1988 pp A1 A10 Retrieved April 16 2019 Ronnie Agnew June 30 1988 Studies guided Penney s to expand The Cincinnati Enquirer p B8 Retrieved April 8 2019 Gina M Gentry June 30 1988 Closing of store brings to an end a retailing era The Cincinnati Enquirer p B8 Retrieved April 8 2019 Richard Green May 3 1990 More food for shoppers The Cincinnati Enquirer pp C9 C12 Retrieved April 8 2019 John J Byczkowski September 17 1991 Lazarus knocking down the walls The Cincinnati Enquirer pp B5 Retrieved April 7 2019 Tri County McAlpin s offers convenience quality service The Cincinnati Enquirer August 6 1992 pp D2 Retrieved April 7 2019 Lazarus gets nod for work The Cincinnati Enquirer May 25 1990 pp C7 Retrieved April 8 2019 Lisa Biank Fasig December 15 1996 Tri County s biggest sale The Cincinnati Enquirer pp I1 Retrieved April 8 2019 a b Leah Beth Ward July 8 1997 Tri County Mall sold for 147M The Cincinnati Enquirer pp B10 Retrieved April 8 2019 Dan Monk Andy Hemmer July 7 1997 Mall deal richest in decade Cincinnati Business Journal Retrieved April 8 2019 Lisa Biank Fasig May 19 1998 Dillard s buys Mercantile The Cincinnati Enquirer pp A1 A9 Retrieved April 8 2019 Ken Alltucker October 13 2002 NY firm seeking to buy Tri County Mall in 425M deal The Cincinnati Enquirer pp D1 Retrieved April 8 2019 Mike Boyer February 9 2005 Tri County Mall purchased The Cincinnati Enquirer pp D1 D2 Retrieved April 8 2019 John Eckberg February 26 2005 Lazarus upgrading more than its name The Cincinnati Enquirer pp D1 D2 Retrieved April 8 2019 Mike Boyer May 6 2005 J C Penney leaving Tri County The Cincinnati Enquirer pp D1 D2 Retrieved April 8 2019 Mike Boyer March 12 2006 Tri County remake keys on new entrance The Cincinnati Enquirer pp E2 Retrieved April 8 2019 Coventry Developers Venture Pays 226Mln for 3 Retail Properties CR News May 18 2006 Retrieved April 8 2019 a b c Bowdeya Tweh June 4 2015 Tri County Mall launching 35M improvement project The Cincinnati Enquirer Retrieved April 8 2019 No consensus on future of Tri County Mall The Cincinnati Enquirer February 12 2014 Retrieved April 8 2019 SingHaiyi to buy 100 of Tri County Mall for US 45 mil The Edge Markets September 30 2013 Retrieved September 1 2019 a b Eric Schwartzberg June 8 2018 Tri County Mall continues re development efforts as another anchor retailer prepares to close The Journal News Retrieved April 8 2019 Bowdeya Tweh August 19 2015 Dillard s closing Tri County clearance center The Cincinnati Enquirer Retrieved April 8 2019 Mary Bresnahan April 25 2017 Tri County Mall retools retail plan Cincinnati Business Courier Retrieved April 8 2019 Dan Monk March 23 2018 Tri County Mall lands Cincinnati s first Backstage store by Macy s Inc WCPO Retrieved April 8 2019 Cincinnati malls death spiral Will yours survive Cincinnati com June 28 2017 Retrieved April 18 2019 Bowdeya Tweh December 29 2016 The Limited closes Tri County Liberty Center stores Cincinnati com Retrieved September 2 2019 Holly Shively March 7 2019 1 Victoria s Secret store in region to close no impact to Kettering Dayton Daily News Retrieved September 2 2019 Holly Shively February 5 2019 Charlotte Russe files for bankruptcy plans 94 store closures Dayton Daily News Retrieved September 2 2019 Holly Shively January 28 2019 Things Remembered reportedly prepares to file bankruptcy close stores Dayton Daily News Retrieved September 2 2019 Macy s Inc Will close Tri County Mall store by April 6 January 2021 Springdale approves plan for massive redevelopment of Tri County Mall Fox 19 December 21 2021 Retrieved December 26 2021 Tri County Mall sale finalized hurdle cleared for 1B massive redevelopment Cincinnati com March 8 2022 Retrieved March 26 2022 Tri County Mall announces closing date ahead of redevelopment project WLWT March 29 2022 Retrieved April 2 2022 External links EditEarly view of the mall Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tri County Mall amp oldid 1105334248, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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