Westshore Plaza: Tampa, FL

Florida's retail graveyard is littered with its early malls. Typical built in the 60's and usually only on one level, the cheap, easy to build on land made it difficult for the early malls to compete when so many newer, larger ones sprung up so close by. Tampa's Westshore Plaza was also built in the 60's, 1967 to be exact, and also has a huge, elegant mall nearby. Reason says it should be dead. In fact, the mall is not only not dead but is still thriving as an upscale mall on its own. As Tampa's very first mall, it is a true survivor although millions in expansions have made it much larger than the simple mall it was when it opened. It is also a beautiful mall, capturing the Florida experience in a retail center that is now 45 years old.

While only one one level, Westshore Plaza was a smashing success from the start. The mall, however, started out more humble as a simple two-anchor mall with 38 tenants anchored on the north end by Maas Brothers and the south end by JCPenney. However, Maas Brothers was also Tampa's leading department store and JCPenney also an obvious popular choice, so the mall had no trouble drawing a crowd. Pinellas County across Tampa Bay had already joined the mall race then as well with DeSoto Square leading the pack, but competition was far enough away not to affect the center. Still, the mall would face significant competition as the years went on, and the owners never took that threat lightly.

The first photo shows the mall along the oldest part of the mall with high windows and high ceilings, which have been decorated to feel like a Spanish courtyard. This is one of the best ideas I have ever seen to take a dated feature common in late 60's malls to make them look contemporary. The photo above and the two below are of the center court, which forms a small tower. It is an awesome feature that is one of the most interesting center court ideas I have seen although the "center" of this mall is not actually part of the mall corridor. All photos here are by id780.

Center court features a faux skylight supported by a pole made to look like a palm tree. Surrounding are arched windows that pay ode to the Spanish colonial roots of the state. Photo by id780.

In the first photo, you see an arched entry in the distance, which is the same center court pictured in the above two photos. Photo by id780.

This view from the parking deck shows the center court from above as well as the positioning of the high windows and overhead skylights. The open wall to the left is JCPenney and the store in the background is Macy's, originally Maas Brothers. Photo by id780.

More detail along the older part of the mall including a couple storefronts. Photo by id780.

The simple two-anchor I-shaped mall changed fairly quickly after the mall opened. By June 1972, plans were announced to expand the mall. The expansion would add, according to the Evening Independent, 20-25 tenants, a three level parking garage (now the north parking deck) and at the east end a Robinson's of Florida department store. Robinson's was a chain based out of California, but was expanding to Florida with a separate division. Stores were primarily in the Tampa Bay market at the time. The entire expansion opened in 1974, and it would certainly not be the last. Obviously, with a mall that started out as small as this one did, action was necessary to keep it from having the fate of Floriland Mall further northeast.

One of the mall entrances along the old part of the mall. Note the original stoneworking on the left that is part of JCPenney. Photo by id780

While I might praise this mall's overhead design, the floor features leave a lot to be desired. No planters, mostly plain flooring and this pitiful excuse for a fountain. I would love to know what kinds of fountains were in the mall originally. I think that with this mall being Spanish-themed, some Spanish looking fountains would suffice as well. Photo by id780

Saks Fifth Avenue's mall entrance. This is quite subdued compared to the Saks Fifth Avenue's mall entrance in Atlanta. Outside, the store is basically identical to the Saks Fifth Avenue at The Summit at Mountain Brook in Birmingham. Photo by id780.

It was a good thing that Westshore expanded when it did, because only a couple years later its first major competition arrived on the scene: Tampa Bay Center. Tampa Bay Center was an elegant Rouse Company mall featuring far more natural lighting, two levels, a more contemporary design and both a Sears and Burdine's as anchors. Fortunately, this new mall would prove more as a complement to Westshore than direct threat. Montgomery Ward would later join the mall proving that for at least the time being the competition was a bit more friendly. This would not always be the case, but Westshore was not the one that needed to be worried.

Detail of one of the later-installed overhead skylights. Photo by id780

A couple views of the food court. It definitely looks like a dark, depressing afterthought. I think food courts should be inviting to be competitive with the cheaper options on the street. Atmosphere definitely helps, so maybe they should have included the food court on the second level as well. Photos by id780

It is not really known if any remodeling was done on Westshore between 1974 and the late 1990's, but it is assumed that there was probably a late 1980's remodel. All that is known in that time span was the shaking up of anchor tenants. The first came in 1987 when Robinson's of Florida sold all of their stores to Maison Blanche of New Orleans, LA. A short time later in 1991, Maison Blanche turned around and sold the stores again, this time to Dillard's. The sale created Dillard's second major expansion into the Florida market following the purchase of Ivey's of Charlotte, NC a year before. That very same year, the dust was also settling from a very volatile period for Allied Stores, which were merged and drained of resources from the Campeau takeover. Maas Brothers, once the largest regional store in the market, was combined into Burdine's. This meant that Tampa Bay Center and Westshore Plaza suddenly both had Burdine's locations in very close proximity. Amazingly, the two stores would co-exist until 1999 when Burdine's closed at Tampa Bay Center. However, that Burdine's was closed not to consolidate with Westshore but to move to the new Citrus Park Town Center that had just opened.

How do you handle adding a 14 screen theater to a mall on a very small footprint? Stack it on top. The fact that a mall that once had only 38 inline stores has morphed to over 1,000,000 square feet on a very small footprint is impressive. Photo by id780.

JCPenney is visible in the distance. While the rest of the mall has been altered to the point where it bears no resemblance to the original mall, JCPenney has been here ever since 1967 with the only change being a switch from the "Penney's" to JCPenney logo. Photo by id780.

Obviously JCPenney's mall entrance facade has been updated, too. Photo by id780.

In 1998, Westshore Plaza moved from the realm of mid-market mall to upscale mall when they scored the exclusive Saks Fifth Avenue department store. Tacked onto the west side of the mall on what appeared to be a mall entrance wing previously, this established Westshore Plaza as a truly upscale mall far from its origins as a small, basic mid-market mall. This was a wise move, because it was around this same time that it was announced that Westshore Plaza would have its hardest test yet. A mega mall was planned less than five miles away known as International Plaza and Bay Street. This mall would feature upscale stores and a hotel including three anchors with room for more. With a threat like this, it seemed that older, smaller Westshore Plaza would struggle. This was not the case for the invincible Westshore boasting its perfect location right next to I-275.

Here is the beginning of the 1974 wing that originally ended in Robinson's (now Sears) where the mall transitions from a former mall entryway in the old part to the newer part. This is close to Macy's. Photo by id780.

Along the 1974 wing in the transitional area. Photo by id780.

Once free of the constraints of the original mall structure, the Robinson's/Sears wing opens up a bit, but lacks the high ceilings of the original mall, only overhead skylights. Photo by id780

While this photo does not show much detail, the Sears mall entrance is visible enough to show it has been modified quite a bit since this was Robinson's. Photo by id780.

Westshore did not take the news of the new mall without a fight. They aggressively expanded taking the L-shaped mall and reworking it into a square completing the expansion in November 2000. The new wing tied the JCPenney wing of the mall to the Dillard's wing adding a food court and a new 14 screen, stadium seating AMC theater on a second level above the new wing. Westshore Plaza did, however, lose one anchor to International Plaza. Dillard's, which had anchored the mall for a decade, still left for the new mall. The mall, however, had no trouble filling that spot as Sears was looking to leave failing Tampa Bay Center, quickly snapped up the empty anchor. This change has resulted in four total anchors filling the building that originally housed Robinson's. Also, you can add as a side note that Burdine's, which was originally Maas Brothers, became Macy's in 2005. Are you confused?

This mall directory deserves significant explaining. The corridor between JCPenney and Macy's is the original 1967 mall with Maas Brothers and later Burdine's filling the current Macy's space. Saks Fifth Avenue was tacked onto the west side of the original mall in 1998. The east-west corridor from Macy's to Sears opened in 1974 with Sears previously occupied, respectively, by Robinson's of Florida, Maison Blanche and Dillard's. The southeast corner was added in 2000, including the food court. This portion of the mall has no natural light, because the theaters was built over the top of that portion. The North Parkade was also added in 1974 with the other two parking decks added in the 2000's. Photo by id780.

Not having a direct photo of this mall entrance is more disappointing since this was one of the original two anchors: Maas Brothers. Macy's has been here since 2005 although the store operated as Burdine's-Macy's from 2003-2005 (with no external sign changes). Photo by id780.

At least we got a peek into what was once Maas Brothers. A photo of Maas Brothers exterior was also posted on Wikipedia from 1991. Google Street View also has a modern view. Unfortunately, I do not have an updated image of this of my own since these were not my photos. Photo by id780.

A couple more shots of the newer part of the mall extending from near Sears to near JCPenney. Photos by id780.

Westshore Plaza is very similar to another mall covered in this blog, Oglethorpe Mall in Savannah, in several ways. First, the mall very aggressively expanded to fend off competition resulting in it morphing from a standard suburban mall into a premier mall. Second, both malls had Maas Brothers at anchors at different points in their history. In addition, both have not only survived but transformed simple 60's malls into beautiful, thriving malls. Both have also done numerous expansions and still continue to do so despite being on small footprints that make such expansion difficult. Westshore now has three parking decks and even then found the room to squeeze in five nice restaurants including Seasons 82. The mall also received yet another remodel in 2002.

The photographer took substantial photos of storefronts, but this one stood out because for some reason they included the city name on it. Is this the only New Balance store in Tampa?

Old Navy, which sometimes functions as a full junior anchor, holds a place in the mall. It is located near the food court. Photo by id780.

One of the original mall entryways near JCPenney. Why did 60's malls have these LONG corridors coming in like this? Also, note what's on the right, which is also in the next photo.

While they did a swanky job covering this up, this is very spooky. Clearly a store used to have outside access to this mall entry corridor, but has been permanently closed. I wish I knew exactly what was on the other side.

Another way that Westshore Mall is impressive (and similar to Oglethorpe) is how the mall has a very distinctive appearance and theme appropriate to the area. It is not known which renovation did this, but the mall was upgraded from a conventional 60's mall look to a very elaborate Spanish Colonial look with wrought iron, elegant light fixtures, shutters on the high windows (and additional windows with panes) and detailed ceiling treatments with a tasteful mix of aqua blue, tan and brown. While each addition is not exactly the same in design (the high ceilings are only found in the original mall), the improvements made to the oldest part of the mall were exceptional. Best of all is the center court, which features a tower similar to what you would find in a Spanish courtyard. It is truly one of the prettiest remodels I have seen, and one of the reasons I wanted to feature this mall over many others in the area. It is, after all, the way an upscale mall should look: distinctive and elegant. While I am certain this theme could have been made even more elaborate had this mall been open-air, I believe that the way this mall looks is one big reason that this mall has survived competition from many malls that are within a short driving distance.

The anchor likely to carry five names sits in the background behind the restaurant addition to Westshore Plaza. This view is from the South Parkade parking deck. Photo by id780.

AMC 14 Cinemas is visible with the mall hidden underneath from this vantage point. Photo by id780.

JCPenney has a curious (and rather ugly) design that has open-faced walls along a portion of the store. Apparently the building was originally designed to house three levels, but the third level did not cover the entire footprint. Considering the danger of collapse from hurricanes, apparently this wall was opened up (or maybe it was always this way?)

JCPenney built some extraordinarily strange, but distinctive stores in the 60's, but this is one of the least attractive I've ever seen. I wonder if it looked any better originally when the Penney's logo graced the front? Note the fake stone facade at the base. Photo by id780.

Saks Fifth Avenue boasts a simple, plain design that looks stately but boring. I do think, though, that this anchor being here is very important, because it is a major factor in how International Plaza did not destroy this mall in 2001. Photo by id780.

It will be interesting to see how things progress in the future with Westshore Plaza. It is clear that its popularity and expensive, frequent modifications have made it the oldest and probably the most successful mall in all of Tampa. International Plaza obviously feels the heat as they have never filled their empty anchor pads, which were undoubtedly intended for any anchors they could steal from Westshore. It will be curious to see if the inevitable failure of Sears results in Dillard's wanting to return to the store they originally snapped up 20 years ago. At International Plaza, it is the odd man out sitting between Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Meanwhile, the party has never stopped at Westshore Plaza. Let us hope that party continues into their 50th anniversary!

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Clearwater Mall: Clearwater, FL

Shopping options in Pinellas County, FL are pretty limited compared to what they once were.  This was because northern Pinellas County had too many malls, plain and simple.  Eventually, some mall was going to take the fall and ultimately multiple malls went down.  In all, three malls have have met a date with the wrecking ball in the area starting with Sunshine Mall followed by Clearwater Mall and finally Crossroads Mall.  Formerly located at US 19 and Gulf-To-Bay Blvd (FL 60), Clearwater Mall itself met its demise in 2002 following a relatively rapid decline that started in the 1990's.  So many factors came into play killing this mall, and this post provides an in-depth picture into a mall that has been gone for almost a decade now.

One thing for certain about Clearwater Mall is that even though it seemed like a solid mall at the time, it was not the best positioned for long-term survival.  When the mall arrived on November 8, 1973, it was one of only two malls in the northern end of the county.  At the time, there was only one other mall in the vicinity, Sunshine Mall.  The anchor roster was also solid for the time featuring Gayfer's, Ivey's and Montgomery Ward, but none of those anchors were local to the market at all.  Gayfer's was from Mobile, AL; Ivey's from Charlotte, NC and Montgomery Ward was less popular than either Sears or JCPenney.  The mall also featured a rather unique design feature in that although the mall itself was mostly one level, the center of the mall was two-levels anchoring Ivey's on one end.  This rather interesting design feature was mimicked in the 1990's at University Square Mall across the bay, and I'm sure it was always fun for shoppers.

The first photo features center court with its two-level atrium stretching from the main entrance to Dillard's, formerly Ivey's.  The photo above is a typical scene througout the rest of the mall featuring a domed skylight and fairly basic court areas.  This and all photos here were taken by id780 on July 1, 2001 unless otherwise indicated.

Short entrance wing.  Photo by id780.

Typical mall scenes.  Photos by id780.

A view of the main entrance wing from the lower level.  Photo by id780.

Clearwater Mall found its first real competition in 1975 when Countryside Mall opened to the north.  This put the mall in a difficult position being located between the new mall to the north and Sunshine Mall to the west.  Countryside Mall also nailed down better anchors with Maas Brothers, Sears and JCPenney in addition to Robinson's of Florida.  Clearwater Mall responded to the mall's arrival by bringing in Burdine's as the mall's fourth anchor.  This sparked an intense rivalry between the two malls that was highlighted by a lawsuit filed by Clearwater Mall against Countryside Mall for requiring tenants to sign lease agreements that forbade them from opening a second location at Clearwater Mall.  Sadly, this would only be the beginning of their troubles.

Here is a better view of center court and the two-level wing.  Upstairs apparently was already closed off by this time.  You can see the end of the upper level opposite from Dillard's in this photo.  Photo by id780.

The Ward's court was rather interesting in that it included this small ramped area in front of it.  Since Pinellas County is completely flat, this design feature was intriguing.  Photo by id780.

Another view of Ward's court.  Photo by id780.

Here are a couple angles of the Montgomery Ward mall entrance.  Photos by id780.

It seemed in so many ways that the mall was cursed.  The next major crisis came in 1988 when the mall was found to have asbestos, which had to be removed prior to the commencement of the mall's first major renovation.  The mall's renovation was completed in late fall of 1989, and it would also be the last one as a mall.  Clearwater Mall would survive competing with three other malls, but aside from this one renovation the mall never evolved any after Countryside Mall opened.  Soon after the paint dried on the renovations, Dillard's purchased Ivey's in 1990 marking the beginning of the mall's decline.  This was because Dillard's also had previously bought the Robinson's of Florida location at Countryside Mall meaning they had two stores less than five miles apart.  By the mid-90's, the mall was beginning to struggle with vacancies, but the worst was yet to come.  Two basic factors would cause its downfall: the lack of further expansion and department store consolidation.  Big problems were soon to follow.

This map was sent to me by Radio0023 showing the exact layout and stores in Clearwater Mall as they were in 1988-1989 around the time of the first renovation.  It looks like the mall was having vacancy problems even then.  Pier 1 Imports is listed, which made it to the redevelopment.

Vacant store fronts abounded, including stores that have long since disappeared.  Smoke & Snuff, apparently a local smoke shop is bordered by Occassions.  Photos by id780.

Is Paul Harris even still around?  Photo by id780.

This appears to be an older American Eagle.  Am I wrong?  Photo by id780.

Sunglass Hut is shut.  It also features a very 90's logo.  Photo by id780.

Here is a banking name I have not seen in many years on this ATM machine located next to the escalator to the abandoned second floor.  Photo by id780.

Victoria's Secret?  Photo by id780.

This one frustrates me, because I cannot figure it out.  Interesting kiosk on the left, by the way.  Photo by id780.

I think all of us nostalgic about old malls cannot get enough of these classic Foot Locker designs with their diagonal wood trim.  Photo by id780.

Here is a glimpse inside the old Foot Locker that looks to be pretty trapped in the 70's as well.  Photo by id780.

The first significant blow came to the mall when Dillard's exited the mall on October 11, 1998.  This was especially problematic since they bought Gayfer's less than a month later.  The Gayfer's location at the mall was the only location in the county, but it became a liability the second the ink dried on the bill of sale.  The store was very briefly converted to a Dillard's Clearance Store, but Dillard's announced that in January that store, too, would be closed on the heels of an expansion of their store at Countryside Mall.  Dillard's was so determined to close that store that they never bothered to even change the Gayfer's sign still prominently mounted on the building long after it had closed.  As a result, Clearwater Mall lost two anchors within a very short time span leaving the mall in crisis in early 1999.  It was clear by then that Clearwater Mall, though better located, had finally lost the war with the newer, larger Countryside Mall.

Here, I have two separate images of Burdine's both after it closed and just before.  The second photo was taken on December 3, 2000...one of three un-Merry Christmases for the mall.  Photo by id780.

Here is a glimpse inside Montgomery Ward, which probably was not any busier when it was open.  Photo by id780.

Due to famine, the food court had to close indefinitely.  That's about the lie you would expect about why this food court will leave you famished.  Of course, there is always McDonald's down the street.  Photo by id780.

Are you imagining the taste of a slice of Sbarro Pizza melting in your mouth?  Sorry, you'll have to keep imagining it.  Photo by id780.

Chick-Fil-A is always closed Sunday...and Monday-Saturday.  Photo by id780.

Mall Chinese restaurants: the canary in the coal mine.  This one is dead, so go figure.  Photo by id780.

Flipper jumps over a neon atomic bomb at the Food Court entrance in the middle of a tiled enclosure next to the Food Court entrance.  What on earth does this have to do with food?  Photo by id780.

The biggest problem with Dillard's departure from Clearwater Mall was that its location in the former Ivey's was positioned as the centerpiece of the mall anchoring a two-level wing that did not connect to any other stores in the mall.  This meant that the upper level became completely vacant immediately with no draw.  That wasn't the only thing vacant as major chain stores departed en masse throughout 1999 and 2000.  Plans were to demolish the mall as early as 2000, but the plans were delayed by the owners Wilton Partners and New Plan Excel Realty Trust until 2002 to work out agreements with remaining Burdine's and Ward's.   Burdine's originally stated they would stay until 2002, but they decided to pull out sooner, closing in January 2001.  They had discussed opening a furniture store on the redeveloped site early on. Burdine's, like Dillard's, also had overlap at Countryside Mall after purchasing Maas Brothers a decade before.  However,they kept both stores since the mall was still successful.  Like Dillard's before, they were also waiting to expand their store at Countryside Mall. 

This image from December 3, 2000 gives a slightly different feel to the mall itself.  It was somewhat less dead then at least. Photo by id780.

Looking from the second floor.  Photo by id780 taken December 3, 2000.

A very spooky second floor view here.  Photo by id780 taken December 3, 2000.

A look inside Ivey's/Dillard's.  Photo by id780.

The mall looked very run down from the outside.  Was this the main mall entrance?  Photo by id780.

This secondary entrance is part of what was wrong with 70's malls.  The 1989 modifications did not help here at all.  Photo by id780.

Clearwater Mall main entrance sign.  I am not sure which road this was posted on.

Clearwater Mall also featured this sign fit for an interstate highway nowhere near an interstate.  Photo by id780.

The one major factor that kept Clearwater Mall open longer was that Ward's was still there with no plans to move.  Those plans changed, however, when the chain liquidated in early 2001.  By then, the mall exodus was completed with the mall was simply waiting for demolition.  A few non-retail tenants opened in the mean time, but its life as an enclosed mall was over.  Interestingly, the mall was already gone even before new competition in Tampa arrived on the scene.  In only three years, a once thriving mall went from successful to completely dead.  By February 1, 2002, the doors were locked and the bulldozers arrived soon after.  By April 30th, demolition crews started with Burdine's, which was ironic since it was the newest anchor at the mall.  Wilton Partners had sold their interest to Sembler Company, and redevelopment was underway as a large "power center" strip mall.

Montgomery Ward here just rocks my world.  How can a store look so stately and yet so atrociously ugly at the same time?  It is simply awesome.  Photo by id780.

Included also is a photo of the pattern under the arches.  WHAT is this?  Photo by id780.

Here is Ward's beside one of the non-descript mall entrances.  Photo by id780.

 Ward's again.  Photo by id780.

This is a very first for Sky City having a photo of an actual Gayfer's store after all the former locations I've covered.  Photo by id780.

Another angle of the defunct Southern department store with the peculiar name.  Photo by id780.

Ivey's knew how to make simple stores look pretty elegant from the outside.  Photo by id780.

Burdine's did not remove their signs after their store closed, either.  What was the point, anyway?  Photo by id780.

The Florida Store in all its 1975 glory.  Photo by id780.

Burdine's in relation to Gayfer's.  This is looking southwest.  Photo by id780.

Today, Clearwater Mall is still known as such, although there is no sign of an actual mall there.  Now, big boxes draw customers instead of big department stores.  Lowes, Costco, Ross, Petsmart and Super Target are now the big stores there capitalizing on the trend away from enclosed malls with Linen & Things and Borders Books as former tenants within the original redevelopment.  Sunshine Mall is also long gone as well, closing four years prior to Clearwater.  While the mall is gone, at least unlike Sunshine Mall, a huge retail center took its place.  Nevertheless, the loss of Clearwater Mall represents a larger trend in the whole region with Tampa becoming the dominant shopping destination while Pinellas County is now basically left with only two conventional malls with upscale shopping found across the bay.  If Clearwater Mall had ever tried to attract upscale department stores like Tampa did, would the mall still be alive today?

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More: YouTube video by the original photographers with more photos of Clearwater Mall than I published here.