Clackamas Town Center

Clackamas Town Center is a large enclosed regional shopping mall in the Clackamas area of Clackamas County, Oregon, within the Portland metropolitan area. Although it uses a Happy Valley mailing address, the property is located on unincorporated land rather than inside the incorporated city. The center is managed and co-owned by Brookfield Properties through its General Growth Properties subsidiary. The mall opened on March 6, 1981, after construction by Ernest W. Hahn, Inc. and design work by Seattle-based John Graham & Company. It was developed as a major suburban retail destination and originally contained approximately 1.218 million square feet of retail space across two levels. Its initial anchor lineup included JCPenney, Meier & Frank, Nordstrom, Sears, and Montgomery Ward. The complex also offered an ice rink, a five-screen cinema, and a branch of the Clackamas County Library. Three large cedar sculptures commissioned from artist and woodsman Dudley C. Carter were another distinctive feature of the original center. Transportation has been central to the property's regional role. TriMet extended or diverted bus service to the mall after its opening and established a transit center on the north side of the parking area in November 1981. In 2009, the Clackamas Town Center Transit Center MAX station opened as the southern terminus of the Green Line, replacing the earlier bus facility and linking the mall directly with Portland's light-rail network. General Growth Properties acquired a 50 percent interest in the property in 2002 and assumed management. A substantial redevelopment began in 2005 and was completed in late 2007. The project added roughly 250,000 square feet, approximately 40 stores and restaurants, a lifestyle-oriented south-side area, and a new 75,000-square-foot, 20-screen Century multiplex. The renovation also modernized common areas with new flooring, lighting, seating, escalators, elevators, handrails, exterior treatments, and landscaped water features. The former ice-rink area was removed during the work, and the Carter sculptures were taken out of the center. The mall has subsequently experienced the same anchor-store turnover affecting many major American shopping centers. Montgomery Ward left after its 2001 bankruptcy; the former space was later adapted for Meier & Frank's home business, Copeland Sports, and eventually Macy's-related operations. The ice rink closed in 2003 and the original cinema closed in 2005. Sears shut its store in November 2018, and Dick's Sporting Goods opened in the former Sears location on October 10, 2020. Nordstrom, which had operated as an original anchor, closed in June 2020 after the retailer announced the location's closure during the COVID-19 period. The former Nordstrom site is being redeveloped for a Sky Zone trampoline park, announced for a planned 2026 opening. Clackamas Town Center remains an active regional retail, dining, entertainment, and transit destination. Its current anchor mix includes JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Macy's, and a separate Macy's Home/Backstage store, alongside the Century movie theater and the planned Sky Zone facility. Its history combines suburban mall development, large-scale renovation, transit investment, anchor replacement, and adaptation to changing retail formats.

Clackamas Town Center was developed as a major enclosed suburban shopping center serving the Portland metropolitan area and opened on March 6, 1981. Ernest W. Hahn, Inc. built the complex, while John Graham & Company of Seattle provided the architectural design. The two-level center initially contained about 1.218 million square feet of retail space. Meier & Frank opened its attached store in October 1980, before the mall's formal opening. The original anchor tenants were JCPenney, Meier & Frank, Nordstrom, Sears, and Montgomery Ward. The first version of the center also included an ice rink, a five-screen movie theater, and a Clackamas County Library branch. Three substantial cedar sculptures by Dudley C. Carter, commissioned in 1979, were installed as artistic features. The rink later became associated with figure skater Tonya Harding, who practiced there during the 1990s. TriMet expanded bus service to the property, opening a transit center in the mall's parking area in November 1981. By 1985, six bus routes used the facility. The property began changing as department-store retail evolved. Montgomery Ward closed after entering bankruptcy in 2001. Meier & Frank took over the former Ward building's upper level for a home store in 2002, while Copeland Sports occupied the lower level. General Growth Properties acquired a 50 percent interest in the mall in 2002 and assumed management. The ice rink closed in 2003, the original cinema closed in 2005, and Copeland Sports departed in 2006. Macy's later reclaimed the Copeland space and expanded the home-store operation. A major expansion and renovation began in 2005. Designed by DLR Group, the redevelopment added approximately 250,000 square feet, around 40 stores and restaurants, and a lifestyle-center component on the south side. A 75,000-square-foot Century multiplex with 20 screens replaced the earlier cinema and opened in December 2007. The project also updated the center's circulation and public spaces with new floors, lighting, furniture, escalators, elevators, handrails, exterior improvements, and tranquility ponds. The former ice-rink area was removed, and the Carter sculptures were taken away. Transit access was further improved in September 2009 when the Clackamas Town Center Transit Center MAX station opened with the Green Line. The station became the line's southern terminus and replaced the mall's original transit center, which had closed in 2006. The property is also served by multiple bus routes. On December 11, 2012, the mall was the site of a shooting in which two people were killed, one person was seriously injured, and the gunman died by suicide. The event occurred near Macy's while the center was crowded, prompting a major emergency response and renewed attention to security at public retail locations. Anchor turnover continued in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Sears, whose property interest had been transferred to Seritage Growth Properties in 2015 as part of a Sears Holdings transaction, announced its closure in 2018 and left the mall in November of that year. Dick's Sporting Goods subsequently redeveloped the former Sears location and opened there on October 10, 2020. Nordstrom announced its own closure in May 2020 and ended operations at the center in June. In 2024, Sky Zone announced plans for a trampoline park in the former Nordstrom premises, with a projected 2026 opening. The mall continues to operate as a regional retail and entertainment destination anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, Macy's Home/Backstage, Dick's Sporting Goods, and the Century cinema.

• 2024

  Sky Zone redevelopment announced

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Sky Zone announced plans for a trampoline park in the former Nordstrom space, with a planned opening in 2026.

• 2020

  Dick's Sporting Goods opens

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Dick's Sporting Goods opened in the redeveloped former Sears space on October 10.

• 2020

  Nordstrom closes

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Nordstrom ended operations at the mall in June after announcing the store's closure during a nationwide reduction program.

• 2018

  Sears closes

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Sears closed its Clackamas Town Center store in November after announcing the location's inclusion in a nationwide closure program.

• 2012

  Mall shooting

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A shooting near Macy's resulted in two shopper deaths, one serious injury, and the gunman's death by suicide.

• 2009

  MAX Green Line station opens

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Clackamas Town Center Transit Center station opened as the southern terminus of TriMet's Green Line.

• 2007

  Expansion and renovation completed

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The redevelopment was completed late in the year, and the new 20-screen Century multiplex opened in December.

• 2005

  Major redevelopment begins

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Construction began on a large expansion and modernization program that added retail, dining, lifestyle, and entertainment space.

• 2002

  General Growth Properties takes an ownership and management role

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  General Growth Properties acquired a 50 percent interest in the mall and assumed management.

• 2001

  Montgomery Ward closes

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Montgomery Ward closed its anchor store following the retailer's bankruptcy.

• 1981

  Shopping center opens

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Clackamas Town Center officially opened on March 6 as a two-level regional mall with approximately 1.218 million square feet of retail space.

• 1981

  Original TriMet transit center opens

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  TriMet opened a bus transit center in the mall's north parking area in November, expanding regional public-transport access.

• 1980

  Meier & Frank opens before mall debut

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The attached Meier & Frank department store opened in October 1980, several months before the shopping center's official opening.

• 1979

  Cedar sculptures commissioned

  [1]Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The center commissioned three large cedar sculptures from artist and woodsman Dudley C. Carter for the planned mall.

A large suburban regional shopping center combining department stores, specialty retail, dining, entertainment, and direct light-rail access.

• Shopping mall · 1981

  Regional shopping center

  The core offering is a large enclosed retail environment serving the Portland metropolitan area. It combines department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, services, common areas, parking, and public transportation access. The center's tenant mix has changed over time as traditional department-store anchors have closed or been replaced by sporting-goods and entertainment uses.

• Entertainment · 2007

  Century cinema

  The current cinema is a 20-screen Century multiplex introduced as part of the 2005–2007 redevelopment. It replaced the mall's original five-screen theater and expanded the center's role beyond shopping into movie entertainment.

• Department stores and specialty retail · 1981

  Retail anchor portfolio

  The current anchor lineup includes JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Macy's, and a separate Macy's Home/Backstage store. These tenants represent the center's shift from its original mix of multiple traditional department stores toward a combination of department-store, home, sporting-goods, and entertainment formats.

• Entertainment · 2026

  Sky Zone trampoline park

  Sky Zone is planned for the former Nordstrom premises. The proposed facility is intended to add an active family-entertainment use to the mall's anchor portfolio and was reported as under construction with a targeted 2026 opening.

• 2024

  Sky Zone planned for former Nordstrom siteProduct launch

  Background

  Following Nordstrom's 2020 departure, the former department-store premises became available for a new anchor concept.

  Action taken

  Sky Zone announced plans to build a trampoline park in the former Nordstrom location, targeting an opening in 2026.

  Aftermath

  The project was reported as under construction and would add a family-oriented entertainment use to the mall.

  Source

• 2018

  Replacement of Sears anchorStrategy

  Background

  Sears announced the closure of its store as part of a nationwide reduction in its retail footprint.

  Action taken

  The former Sears premises were remodeled for Dick's Sporting Goods.

  Aftermath

  Dick's Sporting Goods opened in the space on October 10, 2020, preserving a major anchor use while changing the category mix.

  Source

• 2005

  Major expansion and modernizationStrategy

  Background

  The center's owners pursued a substantial redevelopment to refresh the property, expand its retail offer, and strengthen entertainment and lifestyle uses.

  Action taken

  The project added approximately 250,000 square feet, about 40 stores and restaurants, a lifestyle-center section, a 20-screen cinema, and upgraded public spaces and exterior areas.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment was completed in late 2007 and repositioned the property as a broader retail and entertainment destination.

  Source

1. 1Clackamas Town Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Clackamas Town Center official websiteclackamastowncenter.com