El Con Center
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedEl Con Center is an open-air shopping center in Tucson, Arizona, and the city's oldest major mall development.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
El Con Center is an open-air shopping center in Tucson, Arizona, United States. It opened in 1960–61 as El Con Mall and is generally regarded as the first shopping mall in metropolitan Tucson. The center was developed by Joseph Kivel and the Papanikolas brothers near the former El Conquistador Hotel, whose proposed integration into the original project was ultimately abandoned. At opening, the center combined a group of smaller stores with department-store and supermarket anchors, including Levy’s, Montgomery Ward, Skaggs Drug Centers, Kresge’s, El Rancho Market, and Woolworth. Its early tenant mix reflected the department-store and neighborhood-shopping model common in mid-century American retail: apparel, shoes, fabrics, jewelry, banking, groceries, pharmacy goods, and casual dining were all represented. During the late 1960s and 1970s, the property expanded beyond its original outdoor configuration. The former hotel site was redeveloped, a new Levy’s store opened in 1969, and J. C. Penney joined the center in 1971. Goldwater’s opened in 1978, while a six-screen cinema and additional retail space helped connect portions of the complex. The center was later enclosed, creating a more conventional enclosed-mall environment even though much of its surrounding retail development remained accessible from exterior parking areas. El Con’s department-store identities changed repeatedly as retail chains consolidated. Levy’s became Sanger-Harris in 1985, Foley’s in 1987, and Robinsons-May in 1997. Goldwater’s became Dillard’s in 1989. Montgomery Ward was renamed Wards in 1997 before closing in 2001 as part of the retailer’s bankruptcy. Skaggs’ pharmacy operation was eventually replaced by Osco Drug. These changes occurred while the center faced stronger competition from larger Tucson shopping destinations, particularly Park Place. A major redevelopment effort began in the late 1990s. In 1998, much of the original wing, connecting mall space, and the former AMC El Con 6 theater were demolished. Century El Con 20 Theatres was subsequently built and later became Cinemark El Con 20. The redevelopment also created a food-court area, although the planned restaurant component did not become a lasting operating food court. Big-box retailers were added on the eastern side of the property: The Home Depot opened in 2001 and Target in 2003. Their introduction was controversial among some nearby residents because the stores were not directly connected to the enclosed mall and represented a shift away from the traditional department-store format. The enclosed mall continued to lose conventional tenants in the 2000s. Dillard’s closed in 2000, and Macy’s, which inherited the Robinsons-May operation through the acquisition of May Department Stores, closed its El Con location in February 2008 after the store was judged unprofitable. Ross Dress for Less was added around this period, while Burlington opened in the former Dillard’s space in 2010. Walmart later developed a new store within the footprint associated with the former Macy’s site rather than simply occupying the existing building. By 2011, most of the remaining enclosed mall space and numerous small-store areas had been demolished or converted into access paths, leaving a predominantly open-air, big-box-oriented center. J. C. Penney remained one of the center’s final traditional department-store anchors until its announced 2020 closure, part of the retailer’s nationwide restructuring. After that closure, El Con Center’s principal tenants included Cinemark, Target, The Home Depot, Walmart, Ross Dress for Less, Burlington, and Marshalls, with the former J. C. Penney space vacant. In May 2014, following the property’s sale for a reported $81.7 million to sports and real-estate investor Stan Kroenke, the center adopted the El Con Center name. Today, it functions less as a conventional enclosed mall than as a hybrid open-air shopping center combining national big-box retailers, off-price apparel stores, entertainment, and surrounding peripheral retail.
History
El Con Center began as El Con Mall in 1960–61, becoming Tucson’s first major shopping mall and one of the city’s most important early suburban retail projects. Joseph Kivel and the Papanikolas brothers developed the property beside the El Conquistador Hotel. The original open-air center contained numbered stores and two anchor spaces, with Levy’s serving as the principal local department store and Montgomery Ward, Skaggs Drug Centers, Kresge’s, El Rancho Market, and Woolworth providing national or regional anchors. Smaller tenants included fashion, footwear, fabric, jewelry, banking, grocery, and food-service businesses. The center expanded substantially after its opening. The hotel’s former space was redeveloped in the late 1960s, with a new Levy’s store opening in 1969 and J. C. Penney arriving in 1971. Goldwater’s opened in 1978, followed by a six-screen movie theater and additional connecting retail space. The complex was eventually enclosed. Its anchor history reflects the consolidation of American department-store retail: Levy’s became Sanger-Harris, then Foley’s and Robinsons-May; Goldwater’s became Dillard’s; and Montgomery Ward became Wards before closing during the parent company’s 2001 bankruptcy. Osco Drug eventually replaced the earlier Skaggs pharmacy operation. After Joseph Kivel died in 1995, his interest in the property and the related Park Place development passed to his sons. The Papanikolas interests likewise remained with descendants. During the late 1990s, the owners pursued a major physical transformation. In 1998, the original wing, portions of the connecting mall, and the AMC El Con 6 theater were demolished. Century El Con 20 was built and later rebranded as Cinemark El Con 20. A food-court area was also created, although it did not develop into a sustained restaurant destination. The redevelopment was shaped by competition from larger Tucson malls, especially Park Place. Rather than restoring the property as a conventional enclosed mall, later projects introduced exterior-access national retailers. The Home Depot opened in 2001 and Target in 2003. The two stores were not directly accessible from inside the mall, and the arrival of large-format retailers generated opposition from some local residents. As the smaller enclosed tenants disappeared, the center’s retail identity shifted toward practical, high-volume shopping. Dillard’s closed in May 2000. The former Montgomery Ward operation ended in 2001, while Macy’s closed the inherited Robinsons-May location on February 29, 2008. Ross Dress for Less was added during this period. Burlington announced a store in the former Dillard’s space in 2009 and opened it in March 2010. Walmart developed a new building in the footprint associated with the former Macy’s property. By September 2011, most mall space and many numbered store areas had been demolished, leaving paths and exterior access arrangements in place of the earlier enclosed configuration. The property changed ownership in 2014 when Stan Kroenke acquired it for a reported $81.7 million. The El Con Mall name was changed to El Con Center in May of that year. J. C. Penney, one of the remaining legacy department-store anchors, announced in June 2020 that its location would close as part of a nationwide program connected to the chain’s restructuring. With that departure, the center’s principal anchors and major tenants became Cinemark, Target, The Home Depot, Walmart, Burlington, Marshalls, and Ross. El Con Center therefore represents a long-running retail transition: from Tucson’s first open-air mall, to an enclosed department-store complex, and ultimately to a hybrid open-air center organized around big-box, discount, home-improvement, general-merchandise, and entertainment uses.
- 2020
J. C. Penney closure announced
[1]J. C. Penney announces that its El Con store will close as part of a nationwide store-reduction plan.
- 2014
Property sold and renamed El Con Center
[1]Stan Kroenke acquires the property and the El Con Mall name is changed to El Con Center.
- 2011
Most enclosed mall space is removed
[1]By September, most mall and store space outside a limited remaining area has been demolished or converted to access infrastructure.
- 2010
Burlington opens
[1]Burlington opens in the former Dillard’s space on March 5.
- 2008
Macy’s closes
[1]The Macy’s location closes on February 29 after the store is deemed unprofitable.
- 2006
Century El Con 20 becomes Cinemark El Con 20
[1]The center’s large multiplex changes from the Century name to Cinemark.
- 2003
Target opens
[1]Target opens as part of the center’s big-box-oriented redevelopment.
- 2001
Wards closes and Home Depot opens
[1]The Montgomery Ward/Wards operation closes amid the company’s bankruptcy, while The Home Depot opens on the eastern side.
- 1998
Major demolition and redevelopment begins
[1]The original wing, connecting mall areas, and former AMC El Con 6 theater are demolished as part of a major redevelopment.
- 1989
Goldwater’s becomes Dillard’s
[1]The Goldwater’s anchor adopts the Dillard’s name.
Products and positioning
A Tucson-oriented open-air retail and entertainment center that evolved from a traditional enclosed department-store mall into a convenience-led property anchored by national big-box, discount, home-improvement, and cinema operators.
Cinema and entertainment · 1998
Cinemark El Con 20
A multiplex cinema serving as one of the center’s principal entertainment anchors. It was developed as Century El Con 20 after the earlier AMC El Con 6 theater was demolished during the late-1990s redevelopment and adopted the Cinemark name in 2006.
General merchandise · 2003
Target
A large-format general-merchandise store added to the eastern side of the property in 2003. Its exterior-access format illustrates the center’s transition away from a fully enclosed department-store mall toward a hybrid open-air retail complex.
Home improvement · 2001
The Home Depot
A home-improvement anchor opened during the early-2000s redevelopment. The store occupies part of the area associated with the demolished northeastern section and operates as an exterior-access big-box tenant rather than as an enclosed mall department store.
General merchandise and grocery
Walmart
A Walmart store was developed within the footprint associated with the former Macy’s site after plans to reuse the existing Macy’s building did not proceed. It became one of the center’s major practical-shopping anchors.
Off-price apparel · 2008
Ross Dress for Less
An off-price apparel and home-goods retailer added during the period when the former enclosed mall was being reconfigured. Ross helped replace some of the value-oriented shopping function previously supplied by traditional department stores.
Off-price department store · 2010
Burlington
Burlington opened in the former Dillard’s space on March 5, 2010. Its assortment of discounted clothing, home merchandise, and seasonal goods fits the center’s later positioning around value-focused national retailers.
Off-price apparel and home goods
Marshalls
Marshalls is one of the center’s current major tenants, contributing an off-price apparel and home-goods proposition alongside Burlington and Ross.
Department store · 1971
J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney opened at the center in 1971 and remained a long-running department-store anchor. The retailer announced in 2020 that the El Con location would close as part of a nationwide store-reduction program.
Brand decisions
2020
J. C. Penney closureOtherBackground
J. C. Penney announced a nationwide plan to close 154 stores during its corporate restructuring.
Action taken
The retailer announced that the El Con location would close around October 2020.
Aftermath
The closure left the former department-store anchor space vacant and further reduced the traditional enclosed-mall component of the property.
2014
Sale to Stan Kroenke and rebrandingM&ABackground
The property had remained with the heirs of its original development interests through years of physical and tenant changes.
Action taken
Stan Kroenke acquired the center for a reported $81.7 million, and the property was renamed El Con Center.
Aftermath
The transaction marked a change in ownership and formalized the center’s post-enclosed-mall identity under a new name.
Reported acquisition price. $81.7 million (2014 acquisition)
2003
Addition of TargetStrategyBackground
The property was continuing to lose enclosed-mall tenants and needed uses capable of generating regular shopping traffic.
Action taken
Target opened on the eastern side of the center, replacing the former Wards area and adjacent mall and parking space.
Aftermath
Target became one of the center’s principal anchors and reinforced the open-air, big-box-oriented format.
2001
Addition of The Home DepotStrategyBackground
The closure of Montgomery Ward created a major vacant area during a period of declining traditional department-store retail.
Action taken
The Home Depot was developed on part of the former northeastern redevelopment area, with access from outside the mall.
Aftermath
The center’s tenant mix shifted toward large-format practical retail, although the use of big-box stores was controversial among some local residents.
1998
Redevelopment from enclosed mall toward mixed-format retailStrategyBackground
The center faced tenant losses and competition from larger Tucson shopping destinations, prompting owners to remove much of the original wing and former small multiplex.
Action taken
The owners demolished major portions of the original mall, developed a larger multiplex, created new access arrangements, and pursued exterior-access retail redevelopment.
Aftermath
The property increasingly operated as a hybrid center anchored by cinema and big-box retailers rather than as a conventional enclosed mall.
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