Perimeter Mall
Encyclopedia
Perimeter Mall is a super-regional shopping mall in Dunwoody, Georgia
, just north of Atlanta, near the highway interchange of Interstate 285
(the Perimeter, for which the mall was named) and Georgia 400.
It is at the heart of Perimeter Center
, a modern edge city
and neighborhood of high-rise office buildings, condos, restaurant
s, and shopping
which spans the DeKalb
/Fulton
county line (just a few yards or meters to the west) into the city of Sandy Springs. The mall has a gross leasable area
of 1,554,288 square feet (145,000 m²). This makes Perimeter the second-largest shopping mall in the state of Georgia
. Only the Mall of Georgia
in Gwinnett County is larger.
It is served by MARTA
's Dunwoody station
, which opened at the southwest corner of its parking lot
in 1996. Today, the mall has over 200 stores and 4 major stores include Bloomingdale's
, Dillard's
, Macy's
, and Nordstrom
, and was owned by General Growth Properties
.
in 1964, North DeKalb Mall
in 1965, and South DeKalb Mall in 1968. Its original anchor store
s were Rich's
and JC Penney, which made it very similar in design and layout to Greenbriar Mall
. Perimeter Mall was the first mall in metro Atlanta to be located outside of I-285.
. This gave the mall a T shape. It was renovated in 1993, 1997 and again in 2000. In 1998, Nordstrom
's first Georgia location was opened. JC Penney left the mall around 2002, and the store was demolished to make way for a new Dillard's
, which opened in 2005.
Urban Shopping Centers sold the mall to The Rouse Company
in 2002. It was then sold to General Growth Properties in 2003.
Perimeter Mall is different from other shopping malls in Atlanta in that the front side of the mall includes an area for open-air shops, upscale restaurants, and salons, connected by gardens and paths. It also features valet parking
.
Dunwoody, Georgia
Dunwoody is a city located in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. Dunwoody became incorporated as a city on December 1, 2008...
, just north of Atlanta, near the highway interchange of Interstate 285
Interstate 285
Interstate 285 is an Interstate Highway loop encircling Atlanta, Georgia, for . I-285 is also known as unsigned State Route 407 and is colloquially referred to as the Perimeter. Suburban sprawl has made it one of the most heavily traveled roadways in the United States, and portions of the highway...
(the Perimeter, for which the mall was named) and Georgia 400.
It is at the heart of Perimeter Center
Perimeter Center
Perimeter Center is a neighborhood and major edge city in metro Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is centered on Perimeter Mall, the nucleus around which it has formed. Perimeter Center is located north-northeast of Atlanta proper, and lies within two cities - Dunwoody and Sandy Springs...
, a modern edge city
Edge city
"Edge city" is an American term for a concentration of business, shopping, and entertainment outside a traditional urban area in what had recently been a residential suburb or semi-rural community...
and neighborhood of high-rise office buildings, condos, restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s, and shopping
Shopping
Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....
which spans the DeKalb
DeKalb County, Georgia
DeKalb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population of the county was 691,893 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is the city of Decatur. It is bordered to the west by Fulton County and contains roughly 10% of the city of Atlanta...
/Fulton
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
county line (just a few yards or meters to the west) into the city of Sandy Springs. The mall has a gross leasable area
Gross leasable area
Gross leasable area in the retail development industry is a term applied to shopping malls, lifestyle centers, outlet malls and other retail centers to indicate the amount of floor space available to be rented...
of 1,554,288 square feet (145,000 m²). This makes Perimeter the second-largest shopping mall in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Only the Mall of Georgia
Mall of Georgia
Mall of Georgia is a regional shopping mall located in the Mill Creek District of Gwinnett County, Georgia, near the city of Buford, northeast of Atlanta. Built in 1999, it is currently the largest shopping mall in the state of Georgia, consisting of more than two hundred stores on three levels...
in Gwinnett County is larger.
It is served by MARTA
Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority or MARTA is the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the ninth-largest in the United States. Formed in 1971 as strictly a bus system, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting...
's Dunwoody station
Dunwoody (MARTA station)
Dunwoody is an elevated metro station on the Red Line of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority rail system. It is located at the southwest corner of Perimeter Mall, and also serves the surrounding high-rise office parks in the Perimeter Center business district...
, which opened at the southwest corner of its parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
in 1996. Today, the mall has over 200 stores and 4 major stores include Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
, Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, and Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
, and was owned by General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
.
Opening
Perimeter Mall opened in 1971 and was the fourth mall to open in DeKalb County, after Columbia MallAvondale Mall
Avondale Mall, originally known as Columbia Mall, opened in 1964 as an enclosed mall in the state of Georgia USA. The mall's original name came from its location at the intersection of Columbia & Memorial Drives near Avondale Estates. It was demolished in 2007.-Anchors:The mall's original anchors...
in 1964, North DeKalb Mall
North Dekalb Mall
North Dekalb Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in 1965, the center currently comprises more than eighty-five stores on one level...
in 1965, and South DeKalb Mall in 1968. Its original anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s were Rich's
Rich's
Rich's was a department store retail chain, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated in the southern U.S. from 1867 until March 6, 2005 when the nameplate was eliminated and replaced by Macy's...
and JC Penney, which made it very similar in design and layout to Greenbriar Mall
Greenbriar Mall
Greenbriar Mall is a shopping mall southwest of downtown Atlanta, United States..-Early years:Greenbriar Center opened in August/September 1965 as Atlanta's third totally enclosed mall, after Columbia Mall, in 1964, and North Dekalb Center, in July 1965. The design of the mall was like many of the...
. Perimeter Mall was the first mall in metro Atlanta to be located outside of I-285.
Expansions and renovations
The mall was expanded in 1982 to add an additional wing that included a Davison'sDavison's
Davison's of Atlanta was the major competition to Rich's, once itself an Atlanta shopping institution. The chain took the Macy's name in 1986.-Founding:...
. This gave the mall a T shape. It was renovated in 1993, 1997 and again in 2000. In 1998, Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
's first Georgia location was opened. JC Penney left the mall around 2002, and the store was demolished to make way for a new Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
, which opened in 2005.
Urban Shopping Centers sold the mall to The Rouse Company
The Rouse Company
The Rouse Company, founded by James W. Rouse in 1939, was a publicly held shopping mall and community developer from 1956 until 2004, when General Growth Properties Inc...
in 2002. It was then sold to General Growth Properties in 2003.
Perimeter Mall is different from other shopping malls in Atlanta in that the front side of the mall includes an area for open-air shops, upscale restaurants, and salons, connected by gardens and paths. It also features valet parking
Valet parking
Valet parking is a parking service offered by some restaurants, stores, and other businesses, particularly in North America. In contrast to "self-parking", where customers find a parking space on their own, customers' vehicles are parked for them by a person called a valet...
.
Former Anchors
- JCPenney (closed 2002, demolished for Dillard's in 2005)
- Rich'sRich'sRich's was a department store retail chain, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated in the southern U.S. from 1867 until March 6, 2005 when the nameplate was eliminated and replaced by Macy's...
(closed 2005, converted to Macy's) - Davison'sDavison'sDavison's of Atlanta was the major competition to Rich's, once itself an Atlanta shopping institution. The chain took the Macy's name in 1986.-Founding:...
(Converted to Bloomingdales)