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I thought I would share an image of MetroCenter from close to when it opened. The image is looking east, you can still recognize that oddly shaped building that I think is Souper Salad location today. You can also see the aforementioned Rhodes and Broadway anchors in this image.
Nice picture!!
I believe that the odd shaped building was originally(and still at that time) a Western Savings (a major casualty of the S and L crisis back in the day). They had a few buildings around town that had unusual architecture.
I believe that the odd shaped building was originally(and still at that time) a Western Savings (a major casualty of the S and L crisis back in the day). They had a few buildings around town that had unusual architecture.
Thank you! I didn't know that. I love unusual buildings. I love the modern style former Valley National Bank building (a Chase bank now) on 44th St and Camelback, with the stone walls and the "dendriform columns" according to this wonderful link I found on that building. LINK HERE.
I thought I would share an image of MetroCenter from close to when it opened. The image is looking east, you can still recognize that oddly shaped building that I think is Souper Salad location today. You can also see the aforementioned Rhodes and Broadway anchors in this image.
Such a nice mall it was at the time. It would be so cool to see it that way again. I also wonder if the new Wal Mart is going to be 2 floors with an elevator and the cart escalators. It would be cool to see a 2 floor Wal Mart in Phoenix. I just hope and pray that they preserve the Rhodes Building or another store like Nordstrom or Belk moves in. But like I said, having been to Phoenix tons of times and knowing the city well, it's likely that Best Buy or Dicks would want to move into that space.
In El Paso where I live, they actually preserve old buildings, unlike in Phoenix and in Las Vegas where they like to demolish old buildings. However, I have seen some cool places go in El Paso. Montgomery Ward at Cielo Vista Mall got demolished immediately after it closed for a new Foley's, but that demolition was worth it, because the current Macy's is really nice. A sad demolition I saw was the demolition of Dillard's at Bassett Place for a 1 story Costco. That Dillard's used to be The Popular Dry Goods. The farthest I ever got to see was the entrance of the store back in 2001 when I was 8 years old. I bet it might have either had a glass elevator or it was all brown inside with 4 doors. City Hall was a pretty sad demolition at first, but the new ballpark was worth it. I like our ballpark we have. The demolition of ASARCO was happy for all of us, because all of us hated ASARCO, even though I never experienced its pollution. I moved right after ASARCO closed forever.
But yea, El Paso is more known for preserving historic places and buildings than Phoenix. But still, I prefer living in Phoenix anytime. It's actually my dream city. If I don't get there for graduate school, I'm moving there after I get my Masters.
I thought I would share an image of MetroCenter from close to when it opened. The image is looking east, you can still recognize that oddly shaped building that I think is Souper Salad location today. You can also see the aforementioned Rhodes and Broadway anchors in this image.
Wow, that's a great picture. It's odd to see all those dirt fields just east of I-17, which are now occupied with various types of buildings. About the only thing that has not changed that much since the picture was taken are Shaw Butte and North Mountain, from a distance anyways. I remember when I was a kid my parents were taking us to Flagstaff and we drove by the construction site, this was in March of 1973, my father wondered what they were building out in the middle of "nowhere"..
The oddly-shaped building is indeed Souper Salad now.
Someone has to remeber a part of the mall in Metro Center named The Alley! It used to freak me out as a kid and now I am seriously intrigued by it. It was dark, musky and covered in bricks and neon! I belive Lotions and Potions was one of the stores in The Alley.
I remember the Alley, there was one place in the Alley where you can have your picture taken with old clothing to make it look like it was from the 1800s or early 1900s.
I also remember the Metro Lounge bar that used to be above the ice-skating rink by the southwest entrance of the mall that was shaped like an airplane.
Last edited by Magnum Mike; 10-19-2015 at 12:50 PM..
They looks really cool in old department stores. But I sure wish that the Rhodes Building could have been used right now, but nobody wants to work in that area. I wonder if any Tucson stores has or have had glass elevators.
The Galleria extension to the Tucson Mall, later an American Home Furnishings, had a glass elevator. It was kind of odd to see it in a two-story furniture showcase; the main mall and department stores had old-school interior elevators, not sure if there was any one inside the corridor. I left Tucson before the remodels of all three malls, and since Park Mall was on the east side and I was a Westsider, I rarely went there, but except for the anchors it was one level, and El Con is now an open-air center, was single-level as well.
In 1988 Tucson had 4 malls. Tucson was the largest, at Oracle and Wetmore. Park Mall, now Park Place, was at Broadway between Craycroft and Wilmot. The El Con Center, which was aging when I first was stationed in Tucson for training in 1983, was at Broadway and Alvernon; it reminded me of the old Tri-Cities Mall in Mesa on Main (near Dobson?). Finally, Foothills Mall was at Ina and La Cholla, and was supposed to be an upscale mall servicing the expanding NW Tucson area, but it folded in the mid 90s and became an outlet center. It was always empty of foot traffic.
Reference Tri-Cities for old East Valley residents: did it have a movie theater there? I'm trying to remember where I saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High, it was in West Mesa somewhere.
Last edited by SluggoF16; 10-19-2015 at 12:47 PM..
None of the other stores you are asking about, to my recollection, had glass elevators. I don't find a glass elevator in a two or even three story building to be that interesting, but that's just me. If I want to use an elevator in a department store for its intended purpose of going to another floor, I don't need a view.
Metrocenter is, over time, being redeveloped. (It was, as others have indicated, THE mall in the 70's and 80's.) The Wal-Mart going in, and some other development around the outside, will change the look and hopefully bring some revitalization to the mall and the area.
For those of us who remember Fashion Square as an open air mall like Biltmore Fashion Park, the present megamall might as well be in a completely different location.
I doubt you will find anyone here as obsessed with elevators as you are.
"Old historic malls"??? Seriously? I don't consider any of the malls in the Valley to be "historic", nor particularly valuable in terms of architecture, a glass elevator or two notwithstanding.
It is indeed sad to see what the inside of Metro Center has turned into, pretty much a ghost town with all the unoccupied spaces, and not to mention all of the buildings around the beltway of the mall that have been sitting unoccupied for a while, especially on the west side of the mall around where Best Buy used to be, which moved to I-17 and Thunderbird.
I've seen the mall go through the remodeling they did back around 1993 and I really hope Walmart will bring new tenants to the mall once this economic crisis we've been experiencing for the last few years subsides.
I remember Biltmore Fashion Park, and Town & Country Mall around 20th Street & Camelback.
I'm not obsessed with elevators, but Metro Center has always had a glass elevator just a short walk away from the food court.
I was inside MetroCenter a few months ago and I will say if you ever need to buy clothes for babies/toddlers, they have a great store in there, Kids Club I think it's called...it's all the same stuff you see at other stores like Target or Wal Mart or Children's Place (which they Also have at Metrocenter, IIRC), but much cheaper. Some of it is brand names, so maybe it's closeouts they acquired, and some of it is generic/stuff you've never heard of. If you have young kids or grandkids and you're in there, I recommend checking it out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnum Mike
I'm not obsessed with elevators, but Metro Center has always had a glass elevator just a short walk away from the food court.
When there are threads about something very specific like this, I always wonder what amazing memory the OP might have to make them have an undying passion for glass elevators inside commercial buildings, or to make Pink Jazz obsessed with freeway signs, or so forth.
I was speaking with a member of the Phoenix Bonsai club recently and it was pretty fascinating. Man, I wish I had that level of passion about a hobby, but I doubt I'd have the patience to be that good at something like that. Always interesting to see what people are into.
Such a nice mall it was at the time. It would be so cool to see it that way again. I also wonder if the new Wal Mart is going to be 2 floors with an elevator and the cart escalators. It would be cool to see a 2 floor Wal Mart in Phoenix. I just hope and pray that they preserve the Rhodes Building or another store like Nordstrom or Belk moves in. But like I said, having been to Phoenix tons of times and knowing the city well, it's likely that Best Buy or Dicks would want to move into that space.
In El Paso where I live, they actually preserve old buildings, unlike in Phoenix and in Las Vegas where they like to demolish old buildings. However, I have seen some cool places go in El Paso. Montgomery Ward at Cielo Vista Mall got demolished immediately after it closed for a new Foley's, but that demolition was worth it, because the current Macy's is really nice. A sad demolition I saw was the demolition of Dillard's at Bassett Place for a 1 story Costco. That Dillard's used to be The Popular Dry Goods. The farthest I ever got to see was the entrance of the store back in 2001 when I was 8 years old. I bet it might have either had a glass elevator or it was all brown inside with 4 doors. City Hall was a pretty sad demolition at first, but the new ballpark was worth it. I like our ballpark we have. The demolition of ASARCO was happy for all of us, because all of us hated ASARCO, even though I never experienced its pollution. I moved right after ASARCO closed forever.
But yea, El Paso is more known for preserving historic places and buildings than Phoenix. But still, I prefer living in Phoenix anytime. It's actually my dream city. If I don't get there for graduate school, I'm moving there after I get my Masters.
"Old" doesn't mean historic. There is no mall here that would qualify as "historic" or so architecturally interesting as to require preservation. And actually, Phoenix doesn't tear all the historic (or old) buildings down. Downtown is full of examples. You don't have to look hard to see them.
And don't expect a two story Wal Mart (with or without glass elevator ) just because it's going to sit in space at a mall. Why should they change what they have done everywhere, for that? The Wal Mart at Chris-Town Spectrum isn't two story. I don't expect this one to be.
Nordstrom, or similar, at Metrocenter? Ridiculous. Never happen.
The Galleria extension to the Tucson Mall, later an American Home Furnishings, had a glass elevator. It was kind of odd to see it in a two-story furniture showcase; the main mall and department stores had old-school interior elevators, not sure if there was any one inside the corridor. I left Tucson before the remodels of all three malls, and since Park Mall was on the east side and I was a Westsider, I rarely went there, but except for the anchors it was one level, and El Con is now an open-air center, was single-level as well.
In 1988 Tucson had 4 malls. Tucson was the largest, at Oracle and Wetmore. Park Mall, now Park Place, was at Broadway between Craycroft and Wilmot. The El Con Center, which was aging when I first was stationed in Tucson for training in 1983, was at Broadway and Alvernon; it reminded me of the old Tri-Cities Mall in Mesa on Main (near Dobson?). Finally, Foothills Mall was at Ina and La Cholla, and was supposed to be an upscale mall servicing the expanding NW Tucson area, but it folded in the mid 90s and became an outlet center. It was always empty of foot traffic.
Reference Tri-Cities for old East Valley residents: did it have a movie theater there? I'm trying to remember where I saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High, it was in West Mesa somewhere.
There was a movie theatre at Tri City, yes. I forget what it was called or who it was affiliated with.
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It's odd to see all those dirt fields just east of I-17, which are now occupied with various types of buildings. About the only thing that has not changed that much since the picture was taken are Shaw Butte and North Mountain, from a distance anyways. I remember when I was a kid my parents were taking us to Flagstaff and we drove by the construction site, this was in March of 1973, my father wondered what they were building out in the middle of "nowhere".. 
) just because it's going to sit in space at a mall. Why should they change what they have done everywhere, for that? The Wal Mart at Chris-Town Spectrum isn't two story. I don't expect this one to be.
