Town Center at Boca Raton

infobox shopping mall
shopping_mall_name = Town Center at Boca Raton

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caption = The shopping center's main entrance with bus stop
location = Boca Raton, Florida, United States of America
opening_date = 1979 - 1980 (officially)
developer = [RTKL|RTKL International Ltd.] (redevelopment)
owner= Simon Property Group
operator =
building_costs =
number_of_stores = ≈ 220
number_of_anchors = 6
floors = 1 (mall), 2-3 (anchors and parking)
parking =
website = [http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=144 Simon website]

Town Center at Boca Raton (also known as Town Center Mall or Town Center) is a super-regional shopping center located in Boca Raton, Florida. It is the largest enclosed shopping mall within Palm Beach County and third largest in the South Florida metropolitan area, behind Sawgrass Mills and Aventura Mall.

History

In the 1960s and 70s it became evident that shopping destinations for cultural and leisure purposes were needed for the rapidly growing area west of Boca Raton, when IBM opened a major manufacturing facility in the area, creating thousands of jobs. The nearest major shopping venues were the small and outdated Boca Raton Mall, and the Palm Beach Mall in West Palm Beach, over twenty miles north.

Construction on the Town Center Mall started in 1979 with Florida-based retailer, Burdines, followed shortly thereafter by two more anchors Sears, Roebuck and Company and Jordan Marsh. A small cafeteria-like food court was also included in the development (now occupied by Mayors Jewelry). A T.G.I. Friday's and pier-style seafood joint (now the Stir Crazy cafe) were situated adjacent to the main entrance west of Burdines. Also developed in conjunction with the mall was a small shopping center out-parcel on the southwest corner of the property, which included a Publix grocery store (now a Publix GreenWise Market) and Eckerd Pharmacy (now CVS/pharmacy). An office tower with an upscale restaurant (now The Cheesecake Factory) was also built on the northeast corner of the lot.

The name "Town Center" is derived from its position at the time of construction. While it was not within the city limits of Boca Raton, the neighborhoods surrounding it including Boca Del Mar and Boca Pointe possess the mailing address of Boca Raton, and are situated in the middle of the area having one. This region between Interstate 95 and Florida's Turnpike is collectively referred to as "Central Boca Raton."

Heyday

Town Center officially opened with grand opening ceremonies and celebrations in 1980. The concourse featured New York City decor including a round, black station clock (relocated outside for the "Terrace at Town Center" lifestyle addition in 2008), living vegetation below a series of atriums throughout the mall, floor-bound water fountains, one including imported lion sculptures that discharged the water, and brown mexican tile.

Throughout the 1980s, many snowbirds began wintering in the Boca Raton area. In order to remain competitive, Town Center focused on the affluent snowbirds by adding a significant expansion in 1989 to connect the ending mall concourse past Burdines to the center court. More shops were added, including three new anchors—a three floor Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and apparel-focused chain Mervyns, which occupied the former Jordan Marsh location. The expansion provided a new food court to replace the small old one. The corridors of the new shopping center contained identical imported fountains, a large atrium hallway between Bloomingdale's and Saks, and repetitively curved fluorescent light arches next to the food court.

Decline

By the late-1990s, business at Town Center was beginning to slow. Newer shopping malls with more variety such as the Boynton Beach Mall and a revitalized downtown created more competition. Between Burdines and Saks, the fairly new mall concourse was plagued with vacancies, despite new and upscale retailers like Tiffany & Co.; traffic suffered particularly after Mervyn's closed down their operations in Florida. The original ownership of Town Center eventually sold the complex to the Simon DeBartolo Group of Indianapolis, Indiana, which is today known as the Simon Property Group.

Resurrection

The DeBartolo Group owned the majority of the mall properties in Florida, including Town Center's main rivals, Palm Beach Mall and Boynton Beach Mall. The group embarked on a plan to renovate the mall. Saks Fifth Avenue moved to the former Mervyn's outlet, while Burdines underwent extensive interior renovations, splitting the furniture department off-site several miles west.

Throughout 1999 and 2000, the older portions of the mall were redeveloped. The original Saks location was demolished to construct a new concourse featuring Seattle-based department store Nordstrom. The food court's seating configuration was also changed to accommodate more people, and a Waldenbooks opened at the southern side. Externally, excluding the anchors, mall entrances were remodeled with newer automatic doors. Sun canopies and decorative towers were also constructed to add curb appeal, and parking layouts were rearranged to allow a three story parking garage at the future Nordstrom, and a two story garage at the recently refurbished Burdines.

The mall second grand opening kicked off in 2000 with its new appearance, expansion, and over fifty new stores. A several years after small changes occurred to improve onto the 1999-2000 renovation:

* In 2001, the city of Boca Raton changed its municipal boundaries to include Town Center. While still governed by the city, there is a different department that handles the annexation zone. This allows the Boca Raton Police Department to work with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in handling affairs at Town Center.
* Lord & Taylor renovated the center court anchor in 2002, but closed in 2005. Dallas, Texas department store Neiman Marcus currently occupies the space.
* The "Burdines" name was eliminated by its parent company, as all stores became Macy's. In 2007, a third floor was added to the store, and the lower levels were reorganized.
* In 2005, T.G.I. Fridays closed and deconstructed from the mall. The Cheesecake Factory rolled out an experimental restaurant called the Grand Lux Cafe on the site. Unlike The Cheesecake Factory, Grand Lux features a broad choice of international foods.
* In 2007, a new three story parking garage was constructed adjacent to Bloomingdale's.
* In 2008, Sears absorbed the JiffyLube auto center as the company's own. Sears has also opened a boutique within the store selling Lands End apparel.

Future

In 2007 a mom and her 8 year old daughter were killed by a possible serial killer who may be connected to a kidnapping and robbery of a mom and her infant son, and the murder of another woman.

The mall is currently finishing a construction project called "The Terrace," an open air wing that backs on to the Nordstrom parking garage. Construction is not completed indoors, but all tenants have been decided.

Anchors

*Bloomingdale's (264,550 sq. ft.)
*Macy's (220,329 sq. ft.)
*Neiman Marcus
*Nordstrom (170,200 sq. ft.)
*Saks Fifth Avenue (147,324 sq. ft.)
*Sears (167,564 sq. ft.)

Additional Major Retailers

*Armani Exchange
*Abercrombie and Fitch
*Aldo
*American Apparel
*American Eagle Outfitters
*Ann Taylor
*Ann Taylor LOFT
*Anthropologie
*Apple Store
*Arden B.
*Banana Republic
*Bath and Body Works
*bebe
*The Body Shop
*Bose
*Brookstone
*Burberry
*Bvlgari
*Cartier
*Chico's
*The Children's Place
*Club Monaco
*Coach
*Coldwater Creek
*Cole Haan
*Crabtree & Evelyn
*Crate & Barrel
*Express
*Forever 21
*Gap
*Gamestop
*Guess?
*Gymboree
*Henri Bendel
*Hollister Co.
*Hugo Boss
*J. Crew
*J. Jill
*Johnston & Murphy
*Juicy Couture
*Kate Spade
*L'Occitane
*Lacoste
*The Limited
*Louis Vitton
*Luciano
*MAC Cosmetics
*Marciano
*Montblanc
*Motherhood Maternity
*Movado
*Nine West
*Oakley
*Old Navy
*Pacific Sunwear
*Pottery Barn
*Ralph Lauren
*Ritz Camera
*Sephora
*Sony Style
*Swarovski Crystal
*Talbots
*Tiffany & Co.
*Victoria's Secret
*Waldenbooks
*White House Black Market
*Williams Sonoma
*Yankee Candle Company
*Zales

The Town Center at Boca Raton is home to a total of over 200 stores and restaurants.

Restaurants

*California Pizza Kitchen
*Stir Crazy
*Grand Lux Cafe

Including the 3 listed above, TC at BR is home to over 20 restaurants and eating establishments.

External links

* [http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=144 Town Center at Boca Raton's Official Simon Website]
* [http://www.industryclick.com/Microsites/Index.asp?pageid=4376&srid=11053&magazineid=109&siteid=23 Old 1999-2000 Renovation Description]