East Towne Mall (Knoxville, Tennessee)

East Towne Mall, formerly known as Knoxville Center; was a dead shopping mall located in North Knoxville, Tennessee. It was in operation from 1984 to January 2020.[1]

East Towne Mall
Exterior view of East Towne Mall, March 2018
Location3001 Knoxville Center Drive, near Exit 8 on Interstate 640, Knoxville, United States
Opening dateJuly 1984
Closing dateJanuary 31, 2020
ManagementKnoxville Partners LLC
OwnerKnoxville Partners LLC
No. of stores and services0
No. of anchor tenants5 (all vacant)
Total retail floor area964,000 square feet (89,600 m2)
(GLA)
No. of floors2
Websiteeasttowneknoxville.com


History

The mall opened in 1984,[2][3] The mall was located at Exit 8 on Interstate 640, and closed in 2020 despite once being described as the fastest growing area in its heyday.[4] In 1998, Sam’s Club opened its doors for the first time on the southeast corner in the mall’s outlot area. The mall was sold to Simon Property Group spin off Washington Prime Group (now under the name WP Glimcher) On May 29, 2008, Dillard's announced their plans to close due to declining sales. The store closed in September 2008. [5] On February 18, 2016 it was announced that the mall had been placed up for sale once again.[6] The mall was sold in August 2016 to Knoxville Partners LLC.[7] By August 2017, Knoxville Partners LLC had changed the name of the mall back to East Towne Mall. Signage at the mall remained unchanged, and the mall was still marketed as Knoxville Center. JCPenney announced on March 17, 2017 that they would be closing as a plan to close 138 stores nationwide. The store closed on September 17, 2017. [8] Sears announced on May 31, 2018 they would also be closing as part of a plan to close 72 stores nationwide. The store closed September 2, 2018.[9] As of October 2019, the mall had only 12 stores, a dentist's office, an event center and 2 restaurants. The largest of those stores, Belk, announced that they would be closing in mid-November, leaving the mall with no remaining anchor department stores. The store closed on November 16, 2019. [10] On October 31, 2019, Knoxville Center Mall's owners announced that the entire mall would close and all tenants' leases would end on January 31, 2020. The Regal Cinema theatre location closed without any prior warning the same day as the mall's planned closure was announced.[11]

Anchors
  • Vacant Anchor Space; September 2008-present (former Dillard's (Opened as Miller's, later Hess's, 123,601 sq ft.)
  • Vacant Anchor Space; September 17, 2017-present (former JCPenney, 133,431 sq ft.)
  • Vacant Anchor Space; September 2, 2018-present (former Sears, 179,628 sq ft.)
  • Vacant Anchor Space; November 16, 2019-Present (former Belk; (Opened as Proffitt's, became Belk, 108,048 sq ft.)

Former anchors
  • Dillard's (closed in September, 2008)
  • JCPenney (closed on September 17, 2017)
  • Proffitt's (Closed due to corporate realignment, reopened as Belk)
  • Service Merchandise (two story store near Sears which closed to become The Rush Fitness Complex, 54,000 sq ft.)
  • The Rush Fitness Complex (Re-branded as Gold's Gym)
  • Gold's Gym (former The Rush Fitness Complex, two level store 54,000 sq ft., closed on May 16, 2018)
  • Sears (closed on September 2, 2018)
  • Regal Cinemas; (closed on October 31 2019 (Original anchor)
  • Belk; (closed on November 16, 2019)

Services

East Towne Mall opened with a food court in the center of the mall located on the upper level of the Center Court. By October 2019, the food court only had one restaurant, which was a Chinese takeout. There was also a Chinese buffet on the lower level. The food court was located directly next to the 10-screen Regal Stadium Cinema location.[12]

Renovation and name change

East Towne Mall received a major renovation by its owner Simon Property Group in 1997. The outside was left unchanged aside from a new entrance. The inside was renovated with new tile, paint, trim, and other features. The mall adopted a Tennessee mountain theme. Once the renovation was completed, the name Knoxville Center was adopted. As of August 2017, Knoxville Partners LLC had internally changed the name of the mall to East Towne Mall. With the mall in decline, its owner had hopes of turning the mall into a mixed-use facility with added office space, retail, dining, and entertainment, however by 2020 this plan had failed.

References
  1. https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/knoxville-center-mall-to-announce-it-will-close-at-the-end-of-january/51-ca6d04ae-5a18-436e-adeb-ce2531b1c7a8
  2. http://www.simon.com/Mall/LeasingSheet/0906_KnoxvilleCenter_SCO2033MasterOverview.pdf%5B%5D
  3. "Our History". East Towne Mall. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  4. http://www.simon.com/mall/LeasingSheet/Knoxville.pdf Archived 2012-02-08 at the Wayback Machine Market Target
  5. http://archive.knoxnews.com/business/dillards-to-close-knoxville-center-store-ep-411582636-359883131 Dillard's Closing
  6. Knoxville Center Mall up for sale again
  7. http://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/2016/08/19/knoxville-center-mall-sold/91046394/
  8. https://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/business/2017/03/17/jc-penney-knoxville-center-mall-close/99302832/ JCPenney Closing
  9. https://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/business/2018/05/31/sears-knoxville-center-mall-close/661073002/ Sears Closing
  10. https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/Belk-closing-at-Knoxville-Center-Mall-in-November--549596781/ Belk Closing
  11. https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/knoxville-center-mall-to-announce-it-will-close-at-the-end-of-january/51-ca6d04ae-5a18-436e-adeb-ce2531b1c7a8
  12. http://www.regalcinemas.com/movies/locations.jsp?state_id=TN Regal Stadium 10

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