Fiesta District (Chandler, Tempe: daycare, theater, college)

[erinmitbaren]

It seems like the Fiesta Village center across from Fiesta Mall has been sitting there boarded up for at least 10 years. I remember working at the Forever 21 at the mall in 2008 and even at that time it was pretty much abandoned. Can somebody tell me what used to be at the shopping center? I know there was an AMC theater at one time and a K-MOMO but I'm curious about what else was there. I've seen some urban exploration videos of it and it looks like maybe a daycare and possibly a restaurant were inside it too. Anybody remember what might have been there before it was abandoned?

[ArtJen]

Bennigans was on the corner. I worked there for about 6 years starting in 1996 and then it was thriving. I can't remember all the other stores that were there. It's so strange how the whole area became empty. I feel sad whenever I drive by.

[TempeAZnative]

Superstition Springs and AZ Mills knocked them down and Chandler Fashion Center was the deathblow.

[Valley Native]

The area definitely needs revitalization. It's too bad the Fiesta District has gone to pot because in a way it's like an extension of Tempe ... it tends to attract a younger college age crowd. I think what TempeAZNative said is true: the larger suburban malls took a lot of business away from what used to be a thriving area. That was a trend we saw a lot of during the latter part of the 20th Century.

Now that it's the 21st Century, there is more of a push to be more centralized and revitalize older areas. Why there hasn't been much interest in revitalizing the Fiesta District is beyond me. It definitely has potential to be something similar to the Mill Avenue District.