Oak Ridge City Center
Encyclopedia
Oak Ridge City Center, formerly known as Oak Ridge Mall, is a shopping mall
in Oak Ridge
, Tennessee
.
The site currently occupied by Oak Ridge City Center was selected by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission to establish a permanent shopping center in the years following World War II
. In 1951 the AEC selected a company headed by Guilford Glazer
to build the new shopping center. A shortage of steel resulting from the Korean War
delayed construction, but the Downtown Shopping Center opened in 1955. This shopping area was considered a replacement for the former "townsite" area around Jackson Square.
In the late 1980s Crown American
purchased the property and converted it to an indoor mall by enclosing the walkways around the stores and significantly expanding the floor area.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
The site currently occupied by Oak Ridge City Center was selected by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission to establish a permanent shopping center in the years following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1951 the AEC selected a company headed by Guilford Glazer
Guilford Glazer
Guilford Glazer is an American real estate developer and philanthropist.Glazer was born in and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, one of the seven children of a welder. He grew up in the Fourth and Gill neighborhood and attended Knoxville High School, graduating in 1938...
to build the new shopping center. A shortage of steel resulting from the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
delayed construction, but the Downtown Shopping Center opened in 1955. This shopping area was considered a replacement for the former "townsite" area around Jackson Square.
In the late 1980s Crown American
Crown American
Crown American is a privately held American company that manages and develops commercial real estate. The corporate headquarters is in downtown Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in a building designed by architect Michael Graves....
purchased the property and converted it to an indoor mall by enclosing the walkways around the stores and significantly expanding the floor area.
Anchor stores
- BelkBelkBelk is a department store chain founded in 1888 in Monroe, North Carolina, today part of the Charlotte metropolitan area. After the founding of the first Belk store, the company grew in size and influence throughout the South via the chain in the USA, with its stores primarily located in the...
(originally Miller's Department StoreMiller's Department StoreMiller's Department Store was a chain of department stores based in eastern Tennessee.-History:The company was formed August 1, 1973, from the consolidation by retail conglomerate Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller & Rhoads, Inc. of two related Tennessee-based department stores; Miller Brothers of...
, later Hess'sHess'sHess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
, then Proffitt'sProffitt'sProffitt's was a department store chain based in Alcoa, Tennessee. On March 8, 2006, the Proffitt's and McRae's stores were converted into Belk stores. Belk acquired the two chains in July 2005 from Saks Incorporated.-Beginnings:...
.) - Sears, Roebuck & Company
- JC Penney
- StaplesStaples, Inc.Staples Inc. is a large office supply chain store, with over 2,000 stores worldwide in 26 countries. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, the company has retail stores, serving customers under its original name in Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway,...
Former anchors
- Goody's Family ClothingGoody's Family ClothingGoody's is a brand used for some clothing stores operated by Stage Stores, Inc., of Houston, Texas. It is a successor to Goody's Family Clothing, a chain of clothing retailers based in Knoxville, Tennessee...
(store closed in 2009 due to corporate bankruptcy) - Proffitt'sProffitt'sProffitt's was a department store chain based in Alcoa, Tennessee. On March 8, 2006, the Proffitt's and McRae's stores were converted into Belk stores. Belk acquired the two chains in July 2005 from Saks Incorporated.-Beginnings:...
(occupied a now-vacant anchor space in corner of the ell; moved in the mid-1990s to former Hess'sHess'sHess's was a department store chain based in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania in the United States.- History :The department store known as Hess Brothers was founded on February 19, 1897, by Charles and Max Hess. Max Hess came to Allentown in 1896 on a business trip and envisioned a...
building now occupied by Belk)