Riverchase Galleria

The Riverchase Galleria is a large super–regional shopping mall in Hoover, located on Montgomery Highway (U.S. Highway 31) between Interstate 459 and Alabama State Route 150. The center is Alabama's largest enclosed shopping center, as well as one of the state's most popular tourist attractions, second only to the Alabama Gulf Coast beaches. The mall also draws many vistors from neighboring states.

The name "Riverchase" comes from the subdivision on the southern end of the city of Hoover which was annexed in September of 1980.[1]

History

"The Galleria," as it is locally known, opened in 1986 by owner Jim Wilson & Associates, at some 1.2 million square feet with anchor stores JC Penney, Parisian, Pizitz, and Rich's. Not long after the mall opened, Pizitz was acquired by McRae's of Jackson, Mississippi. In 1987, the mall saw its first Macy's store. The Galleria is contiguous with a 330-room hotel called the Wynfrey Hotel and a 17-story, 285,000 square foot (26,000 m²) office builing located in the mall's center court. The style of this center is modeled after the Houston Galleria, but at a smaller scale.

The mall was expanded in 1996 to include Sears, with the new wing making Riverchase Galleria total 1.7 million square feet (160,000 m²) in size. The expansion made it the largest mixed-use project in the Southeast and one of the top 10 largest mixed-use projects in the United States. It was later renovated in 1998 and again in 2001. In 2003, the mall began to worsen when it lost its Macy's anchor store, as it consolidated with Rich's (the store was the only Macy's that operated in the state of Alabama prior to the merger). The former Macy's location then sat empty while various department stores chains attempted to fill in the void. Then in 2004, the location was extensively renovated and reopened as a Proffitt's, by that time a part of Saks Incorporated. One year later in 2005, the mall saw the Macy's name returning in full with the renaming of the former Rich's-Macy's back to Macy's on March 6, 2005. By March 8, 2006, the mall's Proffitt's store was converted to Belk. Currently, the former McRae's location sits empty with rumors that perhaps Dillards may purchase the location and enter the Birmingham market. (Currently, Dillards and Macy's in Alabama have an unofficial non-compete pact, which is why Birmingham has Macy's and no Dillards locations, and the reverse is true in the rest of the state.)

In the center of the Grand Atrium/food court, sits a full-size, authentic 19th Century Dentzel Carousel. In the past, the carousel was dismantled for part of the year, with foilage and a fountain in its place, and reassembled for the holiday season. Currently, the carousel has remained in place for several years. Occasionally, the traditional carousel animals are replaced with reindeer for the holiday season as well. The cost of rides is currently $2 per person.

The Galleria Today

Currently, the Galleria has 200 stores and restaurants (and is anchored by 5 major department stores [see section below]). There was also a 10-screen Regal Cinemas movie theater known as the Galleria 10 nearby, but it was closed in 2006. There are two parking decks located on the property (attached to Belk and various mall entrances) of The Galleria, giving the center some 5,000 total parking spaces.

In late 2003, Jim Wilson & Associates entered an agreement to allow General Growth Properties to manage the leasing and operation of the center as well as another JW&A property, the Mall of Louisiana, while they retain ownership over the two properties.

On May 5, 2006, the mall opened the state's first Sephora store.

Anchor Stores

Current

• J.C. Penney (opened 1986)
• Parisian (opened 1986)
• Belk (formerly Proffitt's)
• Macy's (formerly Rich's)
• Sears (opened 1996 as part of mall expansion)

Former

• McRae's (opened as Pizitz in 1986, McRae's soon acquired Pizitz and renamed the Pizitz stores as McRae's in 1987, closed in 2005)
• Rich's (opened 1986, became Rich's-Macy's in 2003; renamed Macy's in 2005)
• Proffitt's (opened 2004 in the space vacated by Macy's; store purchased by Belk in 2005 and converted to Belk in 2006)
• Macy's (opened 1987, first and only Macy's store in Alabama, closed 2003 to merge with Rich's)

Trivia

• The Riverchase Galleria is home to the world's longest skylight at some 200 feet.
• Taylor Hicks, the 2006 winner of American Idol, worked at the Riverchase Galleria, where he dressed as an Easter Bunny.
• An easily overlooked monument is on the second level in front of the escalator. A floor tile is engraved with an inscription identifying it as the final tile installed in the mall's 2001 renovation.
• The Galleria is serviced by Exit 13B "Galleria Boulevard" from Interstate 459. The Patton Creek Shopping Center, built adjacent to the Galleria in 2003 is also serviced by this interchange.

References

"Riverchase Galleria." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 3 July 2006, 13:07 UTC [2]. Accessed 18 July 2006.

External links

• Official Website