Memorial City Mall History

[GrandLakes]

I can tell you one thing - that mall has been around for a long time. My mom is 56 years old and she went there when she was growing up. During the most recent re-model (a few years ago now) you could see where they were cutting into the walls...it looked like each re-model over the years they had just added a new facad (sp?) on top of the old one. So, during this remodel, they went in and ripped out three or four layers of old store fronts, walls, etc. and really opened the place up. It was amazing. There were even old windows in some of the hallways that had been covered in the past and they uncovered. They have done a great job with this mall. The only part they did not remodel was Sears. Supposedly Sears owns their building and land so the mall could not force them to renovate.

[tomv]

I can tell you it wasn't much when it first opened. Sharpstown Mall was still the place to go for people on that side of town.

My family lived just a few blocks away and we still drove to Sharpstown because they had so much more to offer.

Initially, Memorial City only had one anchor store, Sears, and not that many other stores. It was kind of strange when you walked down to the north end of the mall and it just dead ended into the parking lot. I remember my Dad's underwhelming reaction when we first toured the mall. "Nothing but a bunch of shoe stores".

Later, they built a Wards to anchor the north end. Of course, it's long gone. But what really put the mall on the map was when Foley's came in later.

Anyway that's my early memories. That was a long time ago.

[Pumapayam]

No Photos, but we do have a thread about the history of the mall.

[TexasVines]

No Photos, but we do have a thread about the history of the mall.

it was great.....then it sucked.....then it was ok with Pipe Organ Pizza........then when Town and Country was hot it was ok......then it really sucked......then it and Town and Country both sucked.....then Town and Country closed and MC still sucked......then T&C was knocked down and MC still sucked.......then MC started to improve slowly over time to where it is today while T&C land sits vacant and in line for its 20th redevelopment idea

T&C might take longer to redevelop than the old chain store building that was at the south west of Beltway 8 and I-10 (now freeway drainage I think) or the chain store building that was at the south west corner of Gessner and I-10.....same location to MC as the other empty building was in location to T&C

one used to be a Globe I can't remember what the other was.......both were vacant 20+ years

[stan the man]

T&C might take longer to redevelop than the old chain store building that was at the south west of Beltway 8 and I-10 (now freeway drainage I think) or the chain store building that was at the south west corner of Gessner and I-10.....same location to MC as the other empty building was in location to T&C

one used to be a Globe I can't remember what the other was.......both were vacant 20+ years

The decrepit "Bazaar" across from T&C?

[N Judah]

Prior to the most recent renovation, it had a completely different demographic. It was where a lot of legitimate gangbangers used to shop, too.

[TexasVines]

The decrepit "Bazaar" across from T&C?

yes, but it was some store in the way way back and was vacant for about 10+ years before the bazaar crept in

it was to T&C what the globe was to MC

[IronTiger]

Hmm...interesting. What I was really hoping for is perhaps photos or old mall directory or accurate descriptions of the old decor.

Thanks, though!

[TJones]

Good and Bad about Memorial City. My wife had a VERY rotten experience this weekend over there. Saturday, my 6 yr. old daughter begged to go to the Castle playground there. My wife and my mother took her over there with the 2 yr. old in tow. They get there and some stupid tells my wife that my 6 yr. old can't come in because she was "too tall" ? They broke out the measuring stick apparently, and she was 1/8 of an inch "too tall". SHE IS 6, for cryin out loud ! My daughter, of course, didn't understand at first and was completely CRUSHED ! She sees all these other kids going in, REALLY close to her size, and she just keeps asking, "WHY ?" My wife and mother then take her over to some other part of the mall that is some kind of play area also, and she had a good time none the less. They are then set to leave, and have to walk by the Castle again, and lo and behold there are kids, WAY bigger than my daughter, in there playing in there and that same OLD FART holding the fort. My wife asks him about the kids and he proceeds to tell her to "go complain to information?" My wife then called him a oldman, and he just shrugged. I am very glad I wasn't there to witness ANY of this as I probably would have been hauled off to jail in front of my family, which would have been the cherry on top.

The best part is when I got home, I asked my daughter about it and if she was feeling better now. I asked her if the oldman was mean to her ? She said, "No, the oldman liked me, he was nice to me." I said but he wouldn't let you in the Castle ? She said ,"No, I was too tall to get in because I am a big girl now, and the Castle is for babies." All I could do is agree and give her one of the BIGGEST hugs ever, because she had figured it out, where as I would have been the typical BRUTE about the whole situation and got myself in a tizzy for no reason at all. My wife felt bad about what she had done, but I know I would ahve been 10 times worse in that situation.

But I digress, MCM was a great mall when it first opened,The mall was built so the rich kids would have a place to hang out but they eventually migrated back to the Galleria, then went into a steady decline until the late 90's when they got an infuse of money from somewhere ? They have been steadly building, but I don't think that Roger Clemens restaurant is gonna make it in there.

[N Judah]

I think it's an understatement to say that it went into decline until the late 90's. I went in there in the late '90s and was consistently startled by the swarthiness of the clientele. It is so much nicer now. I think the hoodlums migrated to the Edwards Cinema plex at Silber and I 10.

Edited May 28, 2008 by N Judah

[memebag]

I think it's an understatement to say that it went into decline until the late 90's. I went in there in the late '90s and was consistently startled by the swarthiness of the clientele. It is so much nicer now. I think the hoodlums migrated to the Edwards Cinema plex at Silber and I 10.

swarthy:

1. tawny, dusky, dark

2. dark-skinned

3. evil, malicious

4. weathered, rough

[N Judah]

The last definition.

Edited May 30, 2008 by N Judah

[IronTiger]

OK. Thanks. What I've got so far is Sears opened in 1962, Montgomery Ward opened later (196?), Foley's opened later (196? or 197?), and Lord & Taylor opened in 1977, Frost Brothers opened somewhere (I have never figured out where, but apparently they closed in the late '80s), then Mervyn's came into the former Lord & Taylor after they bolted, Wards closed, then in the remodel, Foley's was torn down, and a new Foley's, Dillard's, Lord & Taylor opened, and Target opened (former Wards). Then Lord & Taylor left (again) and became JCPenney. Then Mervyn's closed and was razed for...a Cold Stone? Still, I haven't figured out what the ice rink used to be, or the food court, or the former remodels...

[Blender]

OK. Thanks. What I've got so far is Sears opened in 1962, Montgomery Ward opened later (196?), Foley's opened later (196? or 197?), and Lord & Taylor opened in 1977, Frost Brothers opened somewhere (I have never figured out where, but apparently they closed in the late '80s), then Mervyn's came into the former Lord & Taylor after they bolted, Wards closed, then in the remodel, Foley's was torn down, and a new Foley's, Dillard's, Lord & Taylor opened, and Target opened (former Wards). Then Lord & Taylor left (again) and became JCPenney. Then Mervyn's closed and was razed for...a Cold Stone? Still, I haven't figured out what the ice rink used to be, or the food court, or the former remodels...

The Frost Brothers store was inside the mall, next door (or very close) to Foley's. I was only 8 or so when the store was open, but my great aunt loved to go there when she visited us from CA.

[moni]

http://www.memorialcitymall.com/storedirect.htm - looks pretty good to me!

[IronTiger]

Well, yeah, today.

Back 10-15 years ago, well...not so much.

[NenaE]

The mall theater that was by the Sears lasted longer than most in this city. It had the old design where you "walked-down the sloped ramps to your seats". I like that type of design much better than the new stadium seats with the stair steps.

[RhinoVP]

I believe that where the ice rink is, was part of the most recent expansion project, so it would have been parking lot. Now, where the food court is, is what used to be York's steak house years ago, and was then vacant for several years. The wall's were knocked out to make this an open area.

Back in the 70's this was a nice mall. It had nice fountain areas at each intersection in the mall with seating areas. It was also very clean, somewhat sterile even. The stores I remember were a hobby place called "LeeWard's??" not sure if thats the right name or not, a pet store, and an arcade located on the back side of the mall by where the Army recruiting office was.

This wasn't a mall with alot of flash to it, aside from the fountains. The decor was mostly white with red carpeting in these rather odd sunken floor sections that now would certainly be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Thats probbably why they're gone now!

[Alpha]

Foley's opened in 1973. I remember when Ward's opened up, probably in the late 60s. I got my first credit card from there in 1972 when I bought my first color TV.

We moved out to that area in 1966 and I believe the mall was new then. I didn't know that Sears had opened in 1962.

The store across the street from Town & Country was Sage. It was similar to Globe.

[Disastro]

My favorite places in the old Memorial City Mall were EJ's Model Shop and the theater...this would've been '74-76...

However, I remember the place as far back as 66-67 or so...

Edited May 31, 2008 by Disastro

[memebag]

My favorite places in the old Memorial City Mall were EJ's Model Shop and the theater...this would've been '74-76...

However, I remember the place as far back as 66-67 or so...

Whoa, I forgot about EJ's! My dad bought me an AMT Klingon D-7 Battle Cruiser kit there when I was young. That was a great store.

[RhinoVP]

Wasn't EJ's the place that had the HO train models set up in the windows and inside the store? I think that's where my model railroading hobby started as a kid.

[TexasVines]

The store across the street from Town & Country was Sage. It was similar to Globe.

thanks I remember shopping there they had a cotton candy machine up front I believe

it was the true location of death it had nothing for 20+ years after Sage....longer than Globe

[TJones]

The ice rink used to be a parking lot. Somebody forgot to mention Mars music went in when Monkey Ward's left. The whole MW side was razed to build the ice rink and Target.

[artzi]

yes, but it was some store in the way way back and was vacant for about 10+ years before the bazaar crept in

it was to T&C what the globe was to MC

Even earlier before the bazaar it was Sage. Sage was like Target or Walmart. There was an ice skating rink where the T&C post office is now. That was in the early 70's. T&C was the upscale area with individual stores. At one time Sakowitz had a freestanding store and then there was Neiman Marcus and the mall was added to Neimans. The mall went down when MC renovated. I am so happy to see T&C coming back strong. This area of town needs more unique shopping, dining and entertainment not another boring cookie cutter mall like MC.

[Ptarmigan]

I remember Memorial City Mall before it remodeled. Kinda liked it as it was before they changed it.

[IronTiger]

I remember Memorial City Mall before it remodeled. Kinda liked it as it was before they changed it.

Do tell.

[Ptarmigan]

Wow, that mall has changed quite a bit. Here

Edited June 2, 2008 by Ptarmigan

[memebag]

I remember Media Play and Mars being next door to each other. I also remember Media Play's pricing system didn't correctly distinguish between movie-only laserdiscs and special editions, which I exploited to get cheap special edition laserdiscs. Oh, I was so savvy.

[kayzer]

The mall theater that was by the Sears lasted longer than most in this city. It had the old design where you "walked-down the sloped ramps to your seats". I like that type of design much better than the new stadium seats with the stair steps.

Better for disabled folks too, I guess.