Georgia Square Mall

Georgia Square Mall is an enclosed shopping center in Athens, Georgia, United States. It opened on February 11, 1981, after permits had been issued in 1979 for an approximately 850,000-square-foot retail complex. The original anchor lineup consisted of JCPenney, Belk, Sears, and Davison's, with roughly 100 stores opening at launch. Davison's, although present as an anchor at the opening, held its formal grand opening later in April 1981. The mall was developed as a substantial regional retail destination for Athens and surrounding communities. Its design emphasized a landscaped and polished suburban shopping environment, including approximately 500 trees in the parking lot, a two-level interior, elevators, and escalators. The center's principal customer base has historically been local and regional residents rather than students from the nearby University of Georgia. This distinction is important to the mall's identity: it functioned primarily as a conventional community and regional shopping center rather than as a student-oriented retail district. Entertainment was an early part of the property. General Cinemas opened four indoor screens shortly after the mall's launch. Five additional, larger theaters were added outside the mall in 1984. Theater operations later passed to Carmike Cinemas in 1996. The indoor cinemas closed in 2001, while the exterior theaters reopened as a discount venue in 2002 and ultimately closed in December 2015. Georgia Square Mall reached reported occupancy of 98.5 percent in July 1983, compared with 88 percent on opening day. At that time, locally owned businesses reportedly represented approximately 11 percent of occupied space, illustrating the center's combination of national department stores and smaller local tenants. The property underwent an exterior and interior renovation beginning in 2007, including refreshed rear entrances and an updated interior appearance, although descriptions of the mall indicate that much of its basic configuration remained recognizable from its opening period. The anchor history reflects broader changes in American department-store retailing. Davison's became Macy's in 1986, was renamed Rich's in 1998, became Rich's-Macy's in 2003, and returned to the Macy's name in 2005. Macy's closed its Georgia Square Mall location by February 2017. Sears announced in August 2019 that its store would close as part of a broader national closure program, and the store shut during the fall of that year. JCPenney announced in June 2020 that its location would close under a nationwide reduction plan; the store closed in October 2020. Belk consequently became the mall's only remaining anchor identified in the available historical material. In early 2022, an Athens construction syndicate proposed replacing much of the existing mall with a mixed-use project. The proposal called for more than 1,000 apartments and nearly 100,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space, while retaining some existing retail facilities, including Belk. The available material does not establish whether the proposal was approved, built, or abandoned. Accordingly, the mall's present operating and ownership status requires verification.

Georgia Square Mall was planned as a major enclosed retail center for Athens, Georgia. Building permits for the approximately 850,000-square-foot complex were issued in 1979. The initial anchor plan included JCPenney, Belk, Sears, and Davison's. Although an agreement with Davison's was reportedly delayed during the planning period, the department store was present when the mall opened. The official opening took place on February 11, 1981, with approximately 100 stores and all four planned anchors. The opening ceremony included Athens mayor Lauren Colle, CBL Associates project manager Eugene Schimpf, CBL president Charles Lebovitz, representatives of the anchor retailers, and Georgia titleholders Crystal Lynn Smith and Amy Hettdrecks. Davison's held its formal grand opening on April 24, 1981. The property was designed as a landscaped, two-level suburban mall. Its stated design features included roughly 500 parking-lot trees, interior elevators, and escalators. Entertainment expanded soon after opening. General Cinemas established four indoor screens in 1981, and five larger exterior screens were added in the summer of 1984. Cinema operations moved to Carmike Cinemas in 1996. The indoor theaters closed in 2001, while the exterior theaters reopened as a discount cinema in 2002 before closing permanently in December 2015. During its early years, Georgia Square Mall attracted a broad local and regional customer base. In July 1983, manager John Jolley reported occupancy of 98.5 percent, up from 88 percent on opening day. Local businesses were said to account for approximately 11 percent of occupancy. Although the University of Georgia is nearby, the mall's clientele was characterized as consisting relatively few students and primarily local Athens-area residents. The mall's physical appearance was refreshed through a renovation beginning in 2007. Work included improvements to rear exterior entrances and an updated interior presentation. The underlying arrangement remained substantially similar to the original mall, however, and the property's subsequent history was shaped more by anchor-store contraction than by major physical expansion. Davison's underwent several corporate and naming transitions. It became Macy's in 1986, changed to Rich's in 1998, adopted the Rich's-Macy's name in 2003, and returned to Macy's in 2005. Macy's closed its location by February 2017. Sears announced in August 2019 that the mall store would close under a national program affecting 26 stores, and the location closed in the fall. JCPenney announced in June 2020 that it would close the Georgia Square Mall store as part of a nationwide plan involving 154 stores; the location shut in October 2020. Belk was consequently identified as the only remaining anchor. In early 2022, an Athens construction syndicate proposed a substantial mixed-use redevelopment of the mall property. The concept included more than 1,000 residential apartments and nearly 100,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space. Some existing retail, including Belk, was intended to remain, while most of the mall would be demolished. The available reference material does not confirm the proposal's final approval, construction, or completion, so the property's current status remains unresolved.

• 2022

  Mixed-use redevelopment proposed

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A proposal called for extensive demolition and construction of apartments, retail, and restaurants while retaining selected existing retail.

• 2020

  JCPenney closes

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney closed its mall store in October after announcing the location's inclusion in a nationwide closure program.

• 2015

  Exterior discount theater closes

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The exterior theaters, which had operated as a discount cinema since 2002, closed in December.

• 2007

  Renovation begins

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The property began updates to its rear entrances and interior appearance.

• 1996

  Cinema operations transferred to Carmike

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Carmike Cinemas assumed operations of the mall's cinema facilities.

• 1984

  Five exterior cinema screens added

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A larger outdoor cinema complex was added outside the mall during the summer.

• 1983

  Reported occupancy reaches 98.5 percent

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Management reported a sharp rise in occupancy compared with opening day, alongside a meaningful presence of locally owned businesses.

• 1981

  Mall opens

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Georgia Square Mall opened on February 11 with approximately 100 stores and four department-store anchors.

• 1979

  Building permits issued

  [1]Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Permits were issued for an approximately 850,000-square-foot enclosed mall in Athens, Georgia.

A conventional regional enclosed shopping center focused on residents of Athens and surrounding Northeast Georgia communities, with a tenant mix historically combining national department stores, local businesses, specialty retail, dining, and cinema entertainment.

• Retail property · 1981

  Enclosed shopping mall

  The core offering is a two-level enclosed shopping environment containing department stores, specialty retailers, local businesses, food outlets, and customer circulation facilities such as escalators and elevators. The original complex was approximately 850,000 square feet and was designed to serve Athens-area residents and the wider Northeast Georgia market.

• Entertainment · 1981

  Cinema facilities

  General Cinemas opened four indoor screens shortly after the mall's launch. Five larger exterior screens were added in 1984. The indoor theaters closed in 2001, while the exterior complex later operated as a discount cinema before closing in December 2015.

• Department stores · 1981

  Department-store anchors

  The original anchor lineup was JCPenney, Belk, Sears, and Davison's. Davison's later passed through Macy's, Rich's, Rich's-Macy's, and Macy's naming phases. Macy's and Sears subsequently closed, followed by JCPenney in 2020, leaving Belk as the only remaining anchor identified in the reference history.

• 2022

  Mixed-use redevelopment proposedStrategy

  Background

  After the loss of several department-store anchors, an Athens construction syndicate proposed a new use for much of the mall site.

  Action taken

  The proposal envisioned demolishing most of the existing mall and developing more than 1,000 apartments plus almost 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, while retaining selected existing retail including Belk.

  Aftermath

  The available source does not establish whether the proposal received final approval or was completed.

  Source

• 2007

  Refresh the mall's physical presentationStrategy

  Background

  The property began renovation work after many years of operation, including changes to rear exterior entrances and the interior appearance.

  Action taken

  Georgia Square Mall updated selected exterior and interior areas while retaining much of its established physical configuration.

  Aftermath

  The renovation provided a visual update, but the mall continued to resemble its original layout according to the available historical account.

  Source

1. 1Georgia Square Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Georgia Square Mall official websitegeorgiasquaremall.com