Midtown DeSoto Square Mall

Midtown DeSoto Square Mall (formerly known as DeSoto Square Mall) is an enclosed shopping mall serving Bradenton, Florida, United States. It was built in 1973 and is currently anchored by JCPenney, and Hudson's Furniture.

Midtown DeSoto Square Mall
LocationBradenton, Florida, United States
Coordinates27.4657°N 82.5668°W / 27.4657; -82.5668
Address303 301 Boulevard West
Opening dateAugust 15, 1973 (1973-08-15)
DeveloperEdward J. DeBartolo, Sr.
ManagementDave Marcinko
OwnerMadison Properties
No. of stores and services30+
No. of anchor tenants4 (1 open, 3 vacant by around October 2020)
Total retail floor area678,000 square feet (63,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors1

History

The center was built by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. in 1973. It was originally to be called Bradenton Mall, but the name was determined unacceptable by city officials because the mall was not located within city limits.[2] At the time, the mall included Sears, JCPenney and Maas Brothers as its anchor stores.[3] The mall had its grand opening on August 15, 1973 with about 37 shops open and 47 still moving in.[4] Ronald Reagan would visit the mall on February 26, 1976 while campaigning for president.[5] Belk-Lindsey was added as a fourth anchor in 1979, after having been evicted from a nearby store at Cortez Plaza.[6]

Burdines expressed interest in opening a store at DeSoto Square as early as 1979,[7] but it did not join the mall until taking over the former Maas Brothers in 1991. A year later, Belk sold its store in the mall to Dillard's.[8] Old Navy was added in 2000.[9] Burdines became Burdines-Macy's in 2003, then just Macy's in 2005.

Several stores closed in 2009 due to the declining economy, including Old Navy, Foot Locker, Waldenbooks and the Dillard's anchor.[10] The Old Navy space became a family entertainment center called Saturn 5 in 2010.[11]

In May 2012, Simon Property Group (which bought out DeBartolo in 1996) announced plans to sell the mall.[12] In November of that year, Mason Asset Management acquired the mall for $25 million.[13] Macy's announced the closure of its store at the mall in July 2014, which relocated to the Mall at University Town Center.[14] The theater closed a month later.[15] In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at DeSoto Square Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties.[16] In March 2017 The Mason Asset Management sold the mall for $25.5 million to New York-based Meyer Lebovitz. Lebovitz chose Madison Properties USA LLC for the task of redeveloping and leasing the mall. Jerrell M. Davis, president of the Madison Properties Southeast Region, will oversee the project.[17]

In January 2018, Your Treasure House, a retail store and auction house, opened on the first floor of the former Macy's location.[18] The mall was later renamed "Midtown DeSoto Square Mall" in July 2018.[19]

On October 15, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 142 stores nationwide.[20] After Sears closed, only 30+ shops remained. This included any tenant in the food court.

Your Treasure House closed in late 2019 leaving the former Macy's space vacant again.

On December 13, 2019, it was announced that the former Sears would be converted to a self-storage facility.[21]

On June 4, 2020, JCPenney announced it would be closing by around October 2020 as part of a plan to close 154 stores nationwide which will leave Hudson's Furniture as the only anchor left.[22][23]

Anchors
Store Opened Notes
Anchor stores
JCPenney 1973 One of the mall's original anchors, closing in 2020
Vacant Anchor Space #1 N/A Previously Sears, to be converted to a self-storage facility
Hudson's Furniture 2014 Previously Belk and Dillard's
Vacant Anchor Space #2 N/A Previously Macy's and Your Treasure House

Former anchors
gollark: Observe, my cable runs.
gollark: Thermal Dynamics.
gollark: Nope, TD ducts.
gollark: Basically, there's a complex minigame of placing the right coolers to get heat down enough, when really This Is Not How Reactors Work.
gollark: Yes, probably.

References
  1. "Local Mall Leasing". simon. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  2. "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  3. "Desoto Square Mall tackles economy". bradenton. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  4. Royer, Jackie (August 16, 1973). "DeSoto Square Mall Opens Doors". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 14, 2016 – via Google News Archive Search.
  5. "Ronald Reagan". cdm16681.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  6. Winn, Sherry (April 7, 1979). "Testimony Continues in Eviction Trial". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved December 22, 2015 – via Google News Archive Search.
  7. "Sarasota Journal - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  8. "3 Belk Lindsey stores sold to Dillard". pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  9. "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  10. "Retailers open in Desoto Square". bradenton. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  11. "Hot this week: Family entertainment center officially opens". HeraldTribune.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  12. "DeSoto Square Mall appears set to change hands". HeraldTribune.com. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  13. Salman, Josh (November 20, 2012). "DeSoto Square mall in Bradenton is sold". Bradenton Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  14. "Macy's closing DeSoto Square store in". bradenton. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  15. comments, Movie theater closes in DeSoto Square Mall 0. "Movie theater closes in DeSoto Square Mall". Sarasota News | Mysuncoast.com and ABC 7. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  16. http://www.seritage.com/retail/property/303-us-hwy-301-blvd-w/3312491/landing
  17. O'Dea, Janelle (March 28, 2017). "Plans for DeSoto Square include $7 million investment". Bradenton Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  18. Menderski, Maggie (January 30, 2018). "Old DeSoto Square Macy's reopens as resale store, auction house". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
  19. Finaldi, Laura (July 2, 2018). "A new chapter for DeSoto Square". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  20. https://www.bradenton.com/news/business/article220046975.html
  21. https://www.heraldtribune.com/business/20191213/former-bradenton-sears-being-converted-into-self-storage
  22. "JCPenney Store Closings".
  23. https://www.heraldtribune.com/business/20200605/jcpenney-closing-at-desoto-square-mall-in-manatee-county
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