The Falls (mall)
Encyclopedia
The Falls is an open-air shopping mall
in Kendall
, Florida
. The mall has over 100 upscale stores; its anchor stores are Macy's, Bloomingdale's
, and Regal Entertainment Group
, and is currently managed and partially owned by the Simon Property Group
.
featuring numerous pools, waterfalls and bridges accented with modern sculpture pieces and decorative lighting. In 1984 the first anchor store, Bloomingdale's
, was added, bringing the center to 450,000 ft². Bloomingdale's closed temporarily in September 1992 after the store was severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew
, but it later re-opened in late 1993. Macy's
opened a store in 1996 during an expansion that doubled the size of the shopping center. In 2005, The Falls opened the only Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
in the Miami area. The center features an iconic tower sign on the southwestern corner of South Dixie Highway and S.W. 136th Street (Howard Drive). The success of the center has led to the surrounding Howard, Briar Bay and Colonial Palms neighborhoods to be encompassed by the generic "The Falls" name.
The center was sold in December 1997 to Taubman Centers
, which transferred ownership in 1998 to the GM Pension Trust. Taubman continued to manage the center until 2004, when the GM Pension Trust sold a half-interest in The Falls to The Mills Corporation, which also assumed management. In 2007, Simon Property Group
and Farallon Capital Management acquired The Mills and subsequently assumed management of The Falls.
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 Kendall
Kendall, Florida
Kendall is a suburban neighborhood of metropolitan Miami, Florida, United States. As of the 2000 census, the area had a total population of 75,226....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The mall has over 100 upscale stores; its anchor stores are Macy's, 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...
, and Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group
Regal Entertainment Group also known as REG is a movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. Regal operates the largest and most geographically diverse theater circuit in the United States, consisting of 6,775 screens in 548 locations in 39 states and the District of Columbia as of...
, and is currently managed and partially owned by the Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
.
History
The Falls opened in 1980 as an upscale, open-air plaza. As its name implies, the center is designed around a lushly-landscaped man-made lagoonLagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
featuring numerous pools, waterfalls and bridges accented with modern sculpture pieces and decorative lighting. In 1984 the first anchor store, 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...
, was added, bringing the center to 450,000 ft². Bloomingdale's closed temporarily in September 1992 after the store was severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...
, but it later re-opened in late 1993. Macy's
Macy's East
Macy's East, New York, New York is a division of Macy's, Inc.. It is the operating successor to the original R.H. Macy & Co., Inc. and operates the Macy's department stores in the northeast U.S. and Puerto Rico. Over the years it has been known as Macy's New York and Macy's Northeast...
opened a store in 1996 during an expansion that doubled the size of the shopping center. In 2005, The Falls opened the only Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is an international franchisor, confectionery manufacturer and retail operator in the United States, Canada and the United Arab Emirates. The Company is based in the town of Durango located on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado...
in the Miami area. The center features an iconic tower sign on the southwestern corner of South Dixie Highway and S.W. 136th Street (Howard Drive). The success of the center has led to the surrounding Howard, Briar Bay and Colonial Palms neighborhoods to be encompassed by the generic "The Falls" name.
The center was sold in December 1997 to Taubman Centers
Taubman Centers
Taubman Centers is an owner of United States upscale regional malls and has headquarters in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The Taubman Asia subsidiary is headquartered in Hong Kong. It has the highest selling portfolio of malls in any mall company in the United States.Taubman was founded in 1950 by...
, which transferred ownership in 1998 to the GM Pension Trust. Taubman continued to manage the center until 2004, when the GM Pension Trust sold a half-interest in The Falls to The Mills Corporation, which also assumed management. In 2007, Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
and Farallon Capital Management acquired The Mills and subsequently assumed management of The Falls.