HAMILTON PLACE (MALL)
Gunbarrel Road and Hamilton Place Boulevard
Chattanooga, Tennessee
CBL & Associates, Incorporated came into being in 1978. The Chattanooga-based company was formed by five executives from the shopping center division of New York City's Arlen Realty & Development Corporation. In 1993, the CBL concern morphed into CBL & Associates Properties, Incorporated; a tax-sheltered Real Estate Investment Trust.
The first CBL-built shopping mall, Del Rio, Texas' PLAZA DEL SOL, had been dedicated in March 1979. By 1982, the corporation was in the process of acquiring 210 acres located 8 miles east of Chattanooga's Central Business District. The land, which was adjacent to the Interstate 75 expressway, had been annexed into the City of Chattanooga in 1968.
Plans were soon underway for a five-anchor superregional shopping center with 2 levels of retail and over 100 inline stores. Construction of the HAMILTON PLACE mall was originally scheduled to get underway in 1984, but was delayed until 1986. Anchoring the fully-enclosed complex would be a 2-level (130,800 square foot) Loveman's (Chattanooga), 2-level (128,800 square foot), Charlotte-based Belk and 2-level (92,500 square foot), Birmingham-based Parisian.
The 180 million dollar HAMILTON PLACE was officially dedicated on August 5, 1987. Encompassing approximately 703,700 leasable square feet, the center housed 125 stores and services. Among these were County Seat, J. Riggings, Regis Hairstylists, Maryville Jewelers, The Bombay Company, a Ruby Tuesday restaurant, Morrison's Cafeteria and Dawahares ["Daw-hairz"] . Fast-food eateries were located in The Oasis, an 11-bay Food Court. Vendors included Arby's, Frank & Stein, Taco Bell, Sbarro the Italian Eatery, Steak Escape and Boardwalk Fries.
The other major shopping venues in Chattanooga were EASTGATE CENTER-MALL (1962) {4 miles southwest, in Chattanooga} and NORTHGATE MALL (1972) {7 miles northwest, also in Chattanooga}. The EASTGATE complex was quickly outpositioned by the newer and larger HAMILTON PLACE. However, the NORTHGATE property persevered.
Knoxville-based Miller's had announced plans for a 2-level (115,000 square foot) HAMILTON PLACE store. However, in June 1987, the chain was acquired -via hostile takeover- by Allentown, Pennsylvania-based Hess's. When the HAMILTON PLACE store opened, on July 27, 1988, it sported a Hess's nameplate. Alcoa, Tennessee-based Proffitt's bought the Loveman's (Chattanooga) chain in May 1988 and rebranded all stores as Proffitt's later in the year.
The basic footprint of HAMILTON PLACE was completed in May 1988, with a 2-level (151,500 square foot) Sears and United Artists Movies at Hamilton Place 9. The mall now encompassed approximately 1,000,200 leasable square feet. It surpassed West Tennessee's 885,600 square foot MALL OF MEMPHIS, becoming the largest shopping mall in the Volunteer State.
HAMILTON PLACE grew even larger with the completion of a sixth anchor store. A 2-level (157,700 square foot) J.C. Penney welcomed first shoppers on February 28, 1992. The mall now spanned approximately 1,157,900 leasable square feet. The year 1993 brought the reconfiguration of two mall anchors. Tennessee Hess's stores were acquired by Proffitt's in October 1992. Proffitt's already had a store in operation at the mall. It was converted to a Proffitt's for Women, with the newly-acquired Hess's becoming a Proffitt's For Men, Kids & Home.
A face lift of the mall's interior got underway in January 1998 and was completed in September. New flooring, seating areas, landscaping and handicapped access were installed. The Food Court was also expanded by 6,000 square feet. A refurbished mall entrance accessed new Big Apple Diner, Software, Etc. and Atlanta Bread Company stores.
The Belk and Dillard's chains performed a store swap; this due to Dillard's acquisition of the Mercantile Stores holding company. Dillard's traded seven Gayfer's and J.B. White locations for nine Belk stores. Hence, the Belk at HAMILTON PLACE morphed into a Dillard's in July 1998.
With these modifications, HAMILTON PLACE spanned approximately 1,163,900 leasable square feet and housed 162 stores and services. Greater Memphis' WOLFCHASE GALLERIA opened, in February 1997, with 1,267,000 leasable square feet. It bumped HAMILTON PLACE down to the second-largest mall in Tennessee position. Knoxville's WEST TOWN MALL completed a major expansion in November 1998. This complex, which now encompassed 1,330,000 leasable square feet, moved into the largest shopping mall in Tennessee position. HAMILTON PLACE was now the state's third-largest.
Belk acquired the Proffitt's chain in mid-2005. The Proffitt's for Women at HAMILTON PLACE was rebranded as a Belk Women's, with the Proffitt's Men, Kids & Home store becoming a Belk Men, Home & Kids. Store nameplate changes were completed on March 8, 2006.
Continuing on their buyout bonanza, Belk absorbed the Parisian chain in August 2006. With two stores already in operation at HAMILTON PLACE, Belk shuttered the Parisian in February 2007. It re-opened, as a Dillard's Men, Kids & Home, in the summer of 2007. The existing Dillard's was refashioned into a Dillard's Women's.
In September 2007, the mall's cinema, operating under the Regal banner since 1991, was shuttered. The building was demolished and replaced with a 1-level (29,700 square foot) Barnes & Noble, which made its debut on November 12, 2008.
Belk performed a 4 million dollar remodeling of their HAMILTON PLACE stores between May and October 2010. The Men, Home & Kids store was downsized into a (57,500 square foot) Belk Men & Home, which occupied the lower level of the building. Children's merchandise was incorporated into the Belk Women's. The vacant upper level of the Belk Men & Home was leased to Los Angeles-based Forever 21, who opened for business on March 16, 2011.
A second HAMILTON PLACE renovation was performed between March and November 2011. Flooring and signage were replaced, surfaces painted, and restrooms refurbished. As with the 1998 renovation, a new mall logo was commissioned. The shopping hub now contained 130 stores and services.
Sears, a charter anchor, shuttered their HAMILTON PLACE store on January 6, 2019. The building was acquired by CBL Properties, who plotted a redevelopment of the structure. Its Lower Level was reconfigured as a (46,000 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods. The Upper Level would house a (29,700 square foot) Dave & Buster's Grand Sports Cafe and (35,000 square foot) Crunch Fitness. These opened for business in 2020 and 2024.
Two structures were also built on the periphery of the former Sears. The Cheesecake Factory welcomed first diners on December 4, 2018. A 145-room Aloft By Marriott boutique hotel opened its doors on June 28, 2021.
Sources:
The Chattanooga News-Free Press
The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
https://www.chattanooga.com
Southern Accent / September 3, 1987 / "Hamilton Place Mall Becomes A Favorite Place for Students" / Gene Krushinger
http://mallmanac.blogspot.com
http://www.chattanooga.com
https://www.nreonline.com / National Real Estate Investor
https://www.cblproperties.com / CBL & Associates Properties
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.businesswire.com
"Hamilton Place Mall" article on Wikipedia
