Roebuck Marketplace

Roebuck Marketplace (originally Roebuck Plaza Shopping Center, later Roebuck Shopping City) is a 167,140-square-foot shopping center located at U.S. Highway 11 just northwest of the Roebuck Municipal Golf Course and near the Parkway East exit of I-59. The original strip was addressed at 9116-9176 4th Avenue South.

The center was first proposed in 1955. The Birmingham City Commission held a public rezoning hearing at which numerous residents of the area objecting to the plans. R. E. Lindbergh voted against re-zoning, but was over-ruled by Jimmy Morgan and Wade Bradley. State law required a 3/4ths majority to rezone land where more than 20 percent of owners of properties within 500 feet objected, but the matter was shown as approved in the minutes and, though Lindbergh refused to sign them, did not have the support to win a vote to change them. The result was approval of the rezoning without the required majority.

The original shopping center opened on March 14, 1957. It was developed by the National Plazas Company of New York at a cost of $2.5 million. The grand opening ceremony was presided over by Mayor Jimmy Morgan with music from the Woodlawn High School marching band conducted by Gerald Smith. It opened with 21 tenants and parking spaces for 1,200 cars.

Pizitz Roebuck Plaza and a Liberty Super Market opened adjacent to the center in 1960, along with a second phase of construction to accommodate seven more retail tenants, including S. S. Kresge.

Architect's rendering for the 1961 addition

Nine more tenants were accommodated in a third phase of development in 1961. The new $250,000 building was developed by Barco, Inc., headed by Mervyn Barstein. It was designed by Harry Hester and built by the Brice Building Company. It featured air conditioning, fire sprinklers, and piped-in mood music. A Bowl-O-Bama 48-lane bowling center was added just west of the Roebuck Drive-In Theater the same year.

From March 15-19, 1967 the shopping center hosted a display of life-size replica dinosaurs from the 1964 World's Fair presented by Sinclair Oil.

The center was renovated in 1995 as the "Roebuck Marketplace" by Real Estate Southeast LLC of Prattville. A Super Wal-Mart opened near the shopping center in 2004. Cohen Commercial Properties purchased the center later that year and placed it under the management of American Commercial Realty. American Commercial Realty itself owns the 64,000-square-foot former Pizitz building.

In September 2010 Cohen announced a full redevelopment of the shopping center with new outparcel sites.

Tenants

• 9118: Pizitz Roebuck Plaza (opened 1960, converted to McRae's in 1986, closed 2006)
  • • Suite 102: former location of Utopia Cleaners (1957-1959)
    • Suite 104: Nu Wear For Men
    • Suite 108: Planet Fitness
    • 9116: Dollar Tree, former location of Western Auto Supply Co. (1957-1959)
• 9120–9130: former location of W. T. Grant Co. department store (1957-1959), enlarged in 1966, Cinema City 8 (1978-1992), Winn-Dixie supermarket (1990s-2004)
  • • Suite 100: Harbor Freight Tools
    • Suite 200: It's Fashion Metro
    • Suite 300: Citi Trends
• 9122: former location of Kroger supermarket (1957-1959)
• 9126: former location of First National Bank of Birmingham Roebuck Plaza Branch (1957-1959)
• 9128: former location of Roebuck Barber Shop (1957-1959)
• 9130: former location of Johnny Ray's barbecue (1957-1959)
• 9134: Shoe Time, former location of ABC Store No. 70 (2000)
• 9136: former location of Amy's Hallmark (2000), China Buffet
• 9138: former location of Roger's Toy Shop (1957-1959), Friedman's Jewelers (2000), Weaves Etc.
• 9140: Motors Acceptance Corporation, former location of Terry Town children's clothes (1957-1959), Bessemer Emergency Physicians (2000), Sally Beauty Supply
• 9142: Hibbett Sports, former location of Lane-Rexall Drug Store (1957-1959), Medical Consultants billing & accounting (2000)
• 9146: Abbey Carpet & Floor, former location of G. R. Kinney Co. shoes (1957-1959), Kay-Bee Center toys (2000)
• 9148: former location of Three Sisters ladies' clothes (1957-1959), Terrific Promotions business services (2000)
• 9150: former location of J. C. Penney department store (1957-1959), Goody's Family Clothing (2000)
  • Suite 100: Beauty Town (2015–2018)
  • Suite 200: U.S. Post Office (2018)
  • Suite 300: DTLR (2015–2018)
• 9156: former location of Bell Bros. shoes (1957-1959)
• 9158: Rainbow clothing, former location of Stein Stores men's clothes (1957-1959), Shoe Carnival (2000)
• 9160–9164: former location of F. W. Woolworth Co. (1957-1959), Golbro
  • 9160: City Gear clothing, former location of Fashion Bug (2000)
  • 9162: ABC Store (2015–2018)
  • 9164: Superior for Men (2018), former location of Associates Financial Services Co. (2000), Simply Fashion (2015)
• 9166: former location of Sikes & Bratton Shoe Co. (1957-1959), Roebuck Dental Center (2000), Check Into Cash (2015)
• 9168: The Mature Man (2015–2018), former location of Lawless Shoppe clothing (1957-1959), Jones-Lawless, Little Professor Book Center (1972), Watkins Book Shop (1973-1994), GTE Wireless (2000)
• 9170: Pizza Hut, former location of Plaza Gift Shop (1957-1959), Sneaky Pete's hot dogs (2000)
• 9172: GNC (2000–), former location of Marsh Bakers (1957-1959)
• 9174–9176: former location of A & P Supermarket (1957-1959), Rite-Aid pharmacy (2000)

Phase Two (1960)

• Liberty Super Market (1960–1984)
• Baker's Shoes
• Birmingham Trunk Factory
• New Williams
• Gordon Jewelers
• Dewberry Drug
• Olan Mills Photo Studio

Phase Three (1961)

• Pay Less Family Shoe Store
• Stag Men's Shop
• Peter Pan Children's Shop
• Fred Sington Sporting Goods
• Perfection Laundry
• Roebuck Beauty Salon
• Jim Chism Barber Shop
• Perkins Pancake House
• Tony's Roebuck Shoe Rebuilders

Later

• Famous Shoe Bar
• Goodyear Tires
• Lorch's Diamond Shop
• Marty's Menswear
• Roebuck Barber Shop
• Shoe Carnival
• Simply Fashions

References

• "Snag on rezoning area—Developers to proceed on Roebuck shopping center The Birmingham News via Birmingham Rewound
• "Roebuck Marketplace shopping center sold to Cohen Commercial" (December 23, 2004) Birmingham Business Journal
• Cooper, Lauren B. (September 28, 2010) "Cohen plans redevelopment of Roebuck Marketplace." Birmingham Business Journal

External links

Locate with
Google Maps

• Roebuck Plaza Shopping Center at Birmingham Rewound