Phillips Place

Phillips Place is an open-air shopping and dining center in the SouthPark neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. It is located next to SouthPark Mall and forms part of the area's concentration of upscale retail, restaurants, hospitality, and residential uses. The center is a lifestyle-oriented development rather than a conventional enclosed regional mall, using a pedestrian streetscape with brick walkways, landscaping, street furniture, and inward-facing storefronts to create a village-like environment. The project was conceived in the mid-1990s by Charlotte developer Lincoln Harris as one of the city's early purpose-built mixed-use lifestyle centers. Its plan combined retail and restaurants with residential units, a hotel, entertainment, and public gathering spaces. Because Charlotte did not yet have a formal mixed-use zoning category when the development was planned, the project required special zoning approvals to place residences directly above commercial space. This made Phillips Place an early local example of integrating multiple uses within a walkable commercial setting. Phillips Place opened in June 1997 with approximately 133,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Its initial complex also included a movie theater, a 124-room Hampton Inn and Suites, and luxury apartments. Early restaurant and retail occupants included The Palm and P.F. Chang's, alongside boutique stores. Over the following two decades, the center operated as an upscale destination combining fashion, specialty retail, dining, entertainment, and hospitality, while benefiting from its location beside SouthPark Mall. In 2019, Lincoln Harris announced a major modernization program estimated at $50 million. The redevelopment was intended to update the public realm, improve the streetscape, and reconfigure parking and access. Its most prominent addition was a 41,000-square-foot RH Restoration Hardware Design Gallery with expanded showroom space and a rooftop restaurant. Other announced or associated tenants included Alice + Olivia, Ralph Lauren, Hill House Home, and LoveShackFancy. The project represented the first major physical transformation of the center since its 1997 opening. Phillips Place's ownership changed over time. Lincoln Harris consolidated ownership around the period of the redevelopment, while the hotel component was acquired separately by Simon Property Group in 2024. In 2025, Simon Property Group acquired the Phillips Place retail center, bringing the adjacent center and hotel interests under the same broader ownership group. Simon stated that it intended to continue investing in tenant mix, public spaces, and the visitor experience. The center has approximately 134,000 square feet of gross leasable area and about 28 tenants.

Phillips Place was developed during Charlotte's expansion of upscale retail and mixed-use real estate in the 1990s. Local developer Lincoln Harris conceived the project as a lifestyle center that would complement the nearby SouthPark Mall while offering a more intimate, pedestrian-oriented environment. The plan combined retail, restaurants, lodging, apartments, entertainment, and shared public areas in a village-style setting. The project required special zoning treatment because Charlotte did not have a formal mixed-use zoning category when planning began. The approvals allowed residential units to be integrated above street-level commercial space, making the development an early local example of combining housing and retail within a single coordinated project. Its physical design emphasized brick pedestrian paths, landscaping, street furniture, and storefronts arranged around walkable internal areas rather than relying solely on an enclosed mall format. Phillips Place opened in June 1997. At opening, the complex contained roughly 133,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a movie theater, a 124-room Hampton Inn and Suites, and luxury apartments. Early occupants included The Palm, P.F. Chang's, and boutique retailers. During the 2000s and early 2010s, the center continued as an upscale shopping and dining destination, with a tenant mix spanning fashion, specialty retail, and restaurants. In 2019, Lincoln Harris announced the center's first significant redevelopment since its opening. The estimated $50 million program addressed the streetscape, public areas, parking configuration, and access. The most prominent new element was a 41,000-square-foot RH Restoration Hardware Design Gallery, designed with expanded showroom space and a rooftop restaurant. The updated tenant mix also included brands such as Alice + Olivia, Ralph Lauren, Hill House Home, and LoveShackFancy. The changes reinforced Phillips Place's positioning as an upscale lifestyle destination rather than simply a collection of conventional retail units. Ownership evolved alongside the redevelopment. Lincoln Harris consolidated ownership of the retail center around 2019. The Hampton Inn and Suites within the complex was acquired separately by Simon Property Group in 2024. Simon then purchased the Phillips Place retail center in 2025. After the acquisition, Simon indicated that it would maintain active investment in the center's tenant mix, common areas, and overall visitor experience. The center now spans approximately 134,000 square feet of gross leasable area and contains about 28 tenants, operating as a component of the broader SouthPark commercial district.

• 2025

  Simon acquires Phillips Place retail center

  [1]Phillips Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Simon Property Group purchased the retail center and became responsible for its continued leasing and investment strategy.

• 2024

  Simon acquires the complex's hotel component

  [1]Phillips Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Simon Property Group acquired the Hampton Inn and Suites located within the Phillips Place complex in a separate transaction.

• 2019

  Major renovation announced

  [1]Phillips Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Lincoln Harris announced a broad modernization of the center, including public-space, streetscape, parking, and access improvements.

• 2019

  RH Design Gallery added to redevelopment plan

  [1]Phillips Placeen.wikipedia.org

  A 41,000-square-foot RH Restoration Hardware Design Gallery with a rooftop restaurant became the central architectural and tenant addition of the redevelopment.

• 1997

  Phillips Place opens

  [1]Phillips Placeen.wikipedia.org

  The center opened in June in Charlotte's SouthPark neighborhood with retail and restaurant space, a movie theater, a hotel, and luxury apartments.

• 1990

  Mixed-use lifestyle-center concept developed

  [1]Phillips Placeen.wikipedia.org

  Lincoln Harris conceived Phillips Place as an early Charlotte lifestyle center combining retail, restaurants, residential space, lodging, entertainment, and public gathering areas.

An upscale, pedestrian-oriented lifestyle center combining fashion, specialty retail, restaurants, home design, hospitality, and public gathering spaces in Charlotte's SouthPark district.

• Retail · 1997

  Upscale fashion and specialty retail

  Phillips Place's retail offer includes upscale apparel, accessories, specialty merchandise, and boutique shopping. The center's tenant examples have included Ralph Lauren, Alice + Olivia, Hill House Home, and LoveShackFancy, supporting its positioning within Charlotte's premium SouthPark retail district.

• Food and beverage · 1997

  Restaurants and dining

  Dining is a central part of Phillips Place's lifestyle-center format. The original tenant mix included The Palm and P.F. Chang's, while later redevelopment plans continued to emphasize restaurants and shared outdoor areas. The RH Design Gallery also includes a rooftop restaurant.

• Home furnishings · 2019

  RH Restoration Hardware Design Gallery

  The RH Restoration Hardware Design Gallery is a major anchor of the center's modernization. The planned 41,000-square-foot facility provides expanded home-furnishings showroom space and incorporates a rooftop restaurant, adding a destination-oriented design and dining component.

• Real estate and hospitality · 1997

  Mixed-use hospitality and residential complex

  Phillips Place was designed as more than a retail center, incorporating luxury apartments, a movie theater, and a 124-room Hampton Inn and Suites alongside commercial uses. The hotel component is separately operated within the wider Phillips Place complex.

• 2025

  Simon Property Group acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Phillips Place operated beside SouthPark Mall, which is also owned by Simon Property Group, while ownership of the Phillips Place retail center had previously been associated with Lincoln Harris.

  Action taken

  Simon Property Group purchased the Phillips Place retail center after separately acquiring the complex's hotel component in 2024.

  Aftermath

  Simon stated that it planned continued investment in the tenant mix, public spaces, and guest experience.

  Source

• 2019

  Comprehensive center modernizationStrategy

  Background

  Phillips Place had not undergone a major physical transformation since opening in 1997, while the SouthPark area continued to evolve as an upscale retail and dining destination.

  Action taken

  Lincoln Harris announced an estimated $50 million redevelopment covering the streetscape, public spaces, parking, access, and tenant composition.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment added the RH Design Gallery and new upscale tenants, reinforcing the center's lifestyle and destination-shopping positioning.

  Estimated redevelopment budget. $50 million (2019 announcement)

  Source

1. 1Phillips Placeen.wikipedia.org