WestShore Plaza

WestShore Plaza is one of two enclosed shopping malls located in the Westshore business district of Tampa, Florida, developed by Albert L. Manley of Boston, MA. WestShore Plaza was opened in 1967 and was touted as Tampa's first shopping center that was fully air-conditioned. WestShore houses many specialty shops including Francesca's Collection, LOFT, New Balance, H&M, Old Navy, Sunglass Hut, and more. The property is owned and managed by Washington Prime Group.

WestShore Plaza
The southeast entrance to the mall.
LocationTampa, Florida, United States
Opening dateSeptember 28, 1967 (September 28, 1967)
DeveloperSydney N. Greenberg Jr. and Theodore W. Berenson[1]
ManagementWashington Prime Group
OwnerWashington Prime Group
No. of stores and services115
No. of anchor tenants5 (4 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area1,059,525 sq ft (98,433.1 m2)
No. of floors1 with partial second level (2 in anchors)
ParkingAvailable on-site
WebsiteWestShore Plaza

The mall's anchors are JCPenney, flagship Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods stores, and an AMC movie theater, with one vacant anchor last occupied by Sears. Restaurants include P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Grimaldi's Pizzeria, Irish 31, the Bay Area's only Maggiano's Little Italy, Seasons 52, and Mitchell's Fish Market Restaurant[2] and there is also a kids play area near JCPenney. A nursing room can be found in the women's restroom and baby changing stations in all restrooms.

History

Westshore Plaza opened on September 28, 1967, as the Tampa Bay area's first enclosed shopping mall.

The mall's first anchor was Maas Brothers, which actually opened a year before the rest of the mall on October 28, 1966, featuring the Suncoast Room Restaurant on the third floor. The store, which was built to complement their flagship store in downtown Tampa, became their second to be located in a shopping mall a year later (their first was at the Edison Mall in Fort Myers), and they later went on to open more mall stores on Florida's Gulf Coast.[3]

JCPenney opened on September 7, 1967, as a second anchor and only original anchor remaining today. It opened along with the first mall segment between it and Maas Brothers, which was dedicated a month later. Like Edison Mall, the center most notably included a Woolworth's five-and-dime store upon its opening, but also featured Walgreens and a Pantry Pride grocery store.[4]

The mall was expanded for the first time with a northeast wing in 1974 along with the north parking garage and a third anchor, Robinson's, who sold its Florida stores to Maison Blanche in 1987, which in turn then sold its store and six others on the West Coast of Florida to Dillard's in 1991, and this building in 2001 also in turn was snatched away by the upscale International Plaza and Bay Street a mile away. Sears took over the site after moving from Tampa Bay Center in 2002, which closed as a result and announced on December 28 that the store would be among 80 stores to shutter nationwide in March 2019.[4]

Also in 1991, Maas Brothers was acquired by Miami-based Burdines, which in turn was renamed Burdine's-Macy's in 2003, dropping the Burdine's name two years later.

WestShore Plaza was acquired by the Grosvenor Group in 1990, which led to a large renovation to the mall. The mall interior was remodeled with a more Spanish-Mediterranean style interior with a three-story bell tower built over the center court.[4]

Saks Fifth Avenue opened on the west end of the mall along with a third expansion on November 12, 1998, but closed in 2013 and became a flagship Dick's Sporting Goods in 2014. In March 2014 the Palm restaurant closed after more than a dozen years in business at the WestShore Plaza.[5] The fourth and most recent expansion in 2000 involved relocating the food court east into the former Pantry Pride building and a new west wing of mall space with a 14-screen AMC Theatres on the second level.[4][6]

On June 4, 2020, JCPenney announced that it would be closing as part of a plan to close 154 stores nationwide.[7] However, the store was removed from the list on June 24, 2020 along with 17 other stores so it would be remaining open for now.[8]

Anchors

Current

Former
  • Maas Brothers (became Burdines in 1991)
  • Burdines (became Macy's in 2005)
  • Robinson's (became Maison Blanche in 1987)
  • Maison Blanche (became Dillard's in 1991)
  • Dillard's (closed in 2001 and reopened as Sears in 2002)
  • Sears (former Robinson's, Maison Blanche, and Dillard's location, closed March 2019)
  • Saks Fifth Avenue (closed in 2013 and gutted and redone as Dick's Sporting Goods in 2014)
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References
  1. "Tampa greets West Shore city complex". The Tampa Tribune. September 28, 1967. pp. 4D. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  2. "THE FIVE BEST FAMILY-FRIENDLY MALLS IN THE TAMPA BAY ARE". Family-Friendly Tampa Bay. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  3. Lisicky, Michael J. (2015). Remembering Maas Brothers. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4671-1473-8.
  4. "Mall Hall of Fame: Westshore Plaza". Retrieved 20 March 2017.
  5. Tampa Bay Business Journal, March 17, 2014
  6. Thomas, Lauren (2018-12-28). "Sears is closing 80 more stores in March, faces possible liquidation". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  7. https://companyblog.jcpnewsroom.com/storeclosings/
  8. https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2020/06/24/jc-penney-takes-westshore-plaza-store-off-closing-list/
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