Eastgate Towne Center

Eastgate Towne Center is a mixed-use commercial complex on Brainerd Road in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The property began as Eastgate Center, an open-air shopping venue developed by Independent Enterprises, a predecessor of CBL & Associates, on the site of a former drive-in theater. Construction began in September 1961 and the initial center was completed in August 1962. Its original tenant mix included a two-level, 60,000-square-foot Miller Brothers department store, a Winn-Dixie grocery store, and a Morrison's Cafeteria. The center was designed by Toombs, Amisano & Wells. A second development phase completed in 1965 expanded the complex to approximately 550,000 square feet of leasable space, making it one of the largest shopping centers in Tennessee at the time. The expansion added a single-screen cinema and department-store anchors Loveman's and JCPenney. A food court was subsequently introduced with a variety of quick-service and casual dining tenants, including Baskin-Robbins, Mr. Cookie, Glen Gene Deli, Chocolate Sunday, A&W Hot Dogs & More, Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chinese Combo King, and Cozzoli's. The opening of Northgate Mall in 1972 increased competitive pressure, while a damaging fire in 1971 created an additional need for repairs and modernization. In response, the older open-air center was converted into an enclosed mall and became known as Eastgate Mall. Its anchor and tenant roster changed over time: Loveman's became Proffitt's in 1986, Miller Brothers became Hess's that same year, and a freestanding Sears Outlet was added. The major department stores remained associated with the property through the late 1980s, although Proffitt's continued in the former Loveman's location until 1992. Eastgate also had a localized media role. During the late 1980s and 1990s, radio stations WBDX and WFXS operated studios within the mall. WBDX used visible glass-fronted spaces in the center of the mall before moving away in 1998, while WFXS shared space with WBDX from 1993 until 1996. From approximately 1990 onward, the property experienced repeated physical, commercial, and branding changes. It received cosmetic restoration and was renamed Eastgate Town Center or Eastgate Towne Center as its role shifted from a conventional regional mall toward a mixed-use office, public-service, education, and retail complex. Following a change of ownership in late 2005, the property underwent an extensive conversion intended to reposition it as a more contemporary town center. The current complex combines remaining retail activity with offices and institutional uses. Reported occupants and users have included Tennessee state agencies, satellite college campuses, a Convergys call center later associated with Concentrix, medical and insurance-administration offices, Chattanooga State Community College, Merastar, the county One Stop Career Center, Tennessee Department of Children's Services and Department of Human Services offices, the Partnership for Families, Children, and Adults' Elder Services office, and a senior citizens' activity center. The property has been described as having approximately 74 percent occupancy in the referenced material. BlueCross relocated to a new downtown facility in 2009, leaving a substantial amount of space vacant. The continuing redevelopment concept has been to create a downtown-style streetscape while retaining a mixed-use function.

Eastgate Towne Center originated as Eastgate Center, an open-air shopping venue developed by Independent Enterprises on a former drive-in-theater site in Chattanooga. The initial construction period ran from September 1961 to August 1962. Designed by Toombs, Amisano & Wells, the first phase included a large Miller Brothers department store, Winn-Dixie, and Morrison's Cafeteria. The property expanded in 1965 with a second phase that added a single-screen cinema and the Loveman's and JCPenney department stores. With roughly 550,000 square feet of leasable area, Eastgate was for a time the largest shopping mall in Tennessee. Food-service uses were later consolidated in a food court containing a mixture of national and local brands. The complex faced new competitive conditions after Northgate Mall opened in March 1972. A fire in 1971 also prompted repairs and helped accelerate the decision to enclose the center. After enclosure, the property operated as Eastgate Mall. Its retail identity continued to evolve as Loveman's became Proffitt's and Miller Brothers became Hess's in 1986. A freestanding Sears Outlet was also added, but the major department-store presence diminished substantially by the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. In addition to retail, Eastgate accommodated local broadcasting operations. WBDX maintained visible studios in the mall during the late 1980s and 1990s, and WFXS shared office space with WBDX for part of the 1990s. These operations later moved to other Chattanooga-area locations. Beginning around 1990, the property underwent successive physical and commercial changes, including cosmetic restoration and a transition in naming from Eastgate Mall to Eastgate Town Center or Eastgate Towne Center. The repositioning reflected the decline of the traditional enclosed-mall model and an effort to use the site for a broader combination of retail, office, institutional, and community functions. After a change of ownership in late 2005, Eastgate underwent an extensive conversion intended to establish a more contemporary town-center identity. The resulting tenant and user base included Tennessee state agencies, education providers, a call center, medical and insurance offices, and community-service organizations. Chattanooga State Community College and other institutional users became part of the site's identity, while county and state offices occupied space formerly associated with conventional mall operations. BlueCross moved to a new downtown facility in 2009, creating a notable vacancy at Eastgate. The property's ongoing strategy has been to develop a downtown-like streetscape while maintaining a mixed-use campus serving Chattanooga's eastern and central neighborhoods. Its location on Brainerd Road, a major east-west Chattanooga corridor, and access via Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority bus route 4 support its continuing role as a local commercial and civic destination.

• 2009

  BlueCross relocates

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  BlueCross moved to a downtown facility, leaving a significant portion of Eastgate's space unoccupied.

• 2005

  Ownership changes and redevelopment begins

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Following a change of ownership in late 2005, the property underwent a major conversion toward a mixed-use town-center model.

• 1998

  WBDX leaves the mall

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  WBDX moved its studio operations from Eastgate to a location in East Ridge.

• 1986

  Anchor-name changes

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Loveman's became Proffitt's and Miller Brothers became Hess's as the property's department-store lineup changed.

• 1972

  Northgate Mall opens

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The opening of Northgate Mall increased competition and added pressure for Eastgate to modernize and reposition itself.

• 1971

  Fire damages the center

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A damaging fire created a need for repairs and contributed to the later decision to enclose the shopping center.

• 1965

  Second development phase completed

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A cinema and the Loveman's and JCPenney department stores were added, bringing the complex to approximately 550,000 square feet of leasable space.

• 1962

  Eastgate Center opens

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The initial open-air shopping center was completed in August with Miller Brothers, Winn-Dixie, and Morrison's Cafeteria among its principal occupants.

• 1961

  Construction begins

  [1]Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the original open-air Eastgate Center began in September on the site of a former drive-in theater.

A Chattanooga commercial property repositioned from a traditional enclosed shopping mall into a mixed-use town center combining retail, offices, education, government services, and community facilities.

• Commercial real estate · 1962

  Eastgate Towne Center mixed-use complex

  The core offering is a multi-use commercial property combining retail areas with office, institutional, educational, government, call-center, medical, and community-service uses. Its current identity derives less from department-store shopping than from accommodating a varied set of public and private tenants.

• Shopping center · 1962

  Original Eastgate retail center

  The original open-air center provided department-store, grocery, cafeteria, cinema, and food-court services. It was later enclosed and operated for decades as Eastgate Mall before being repositioned as a broader town-center property.

• 2005

  Repositioning as a mixed-use town centerStrategy

  Background

  The conventional enclosed-mall model had weakened, and the property had experienced substantial changes in retail occupancy and tenant mix.

  Action taken

  After a late-2005 ownership change, Eastgate underwent extensive conversion for offices, public agencies, education, call-center activity, and community services alongside remaining retail uses.

  Aftermath

  The property was renamed Eastgate Town Center or Eastgate Towne Center and became a mixed-use local destination rather than a conventional department-store mall.

  Source

• 1972

  Conversion from open-air center to enclosed mallStrategy

  Background

  Competition from the newly opened Northgate Mall and the need to repair damage from a 1971 fire challenged the older open-air format.

  Action taken

  The shopping center was fully enclosed and subsequently operated under the Eastgate Mall name.

  Aftermath

  The conversion extended the property's traditional regional-mall phase before later redevelopment toward a mixed-use town center.

  Source

1. 1Eastgate Towne Centeren.wikipedia.org