Seminole Towne Center
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.jpg) Atrium and food court in July 2017, taken from 2nd floor | |
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| Address | 200 Towne Center Cir. Sanford, Florida, United States |
|---|---|
| Opening date | September 22, 1995 |
| Closing date | January 31, 2025 |
| Developer | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | 4th Dimension Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 84 (83 soon) |
| No. of anchor tenants | 6 (2 vacant), originally 5 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,136,579 square feet (105,591.6 m2)[1] |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Public transit access |  LYNX: 46W |
| Website | seminoletownecenter.com (2024 archive) |
Seminole Towne Center is a super-regional enclosed shopping mall in Sanford, Florida. The mall is located at the interchange between Interstate 4, Seminole County Expressway (SR 417), and Wekiva Parkway (SR 429), approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Orlando.
The 1.14-million-square-foot (106,000 m2) structure opened in 1995 as an upscale mall targeting shoppers from Seminole, Lake, and Volusia counties, but it experienced significant decline during the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] The mall is set to close at the end of January 2025 for demolition and redevelopment, though the mall's anchor stores (JCPenney, Dillard's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Elev8 Fun) will remain open.[3]
History
[edit]Under Simon Property Group
[edit]In the late 1980s, three separate proposals were made for a mall in northern Seminole County near the intersection of Interstate 4 and State Road 46.[4] One of the proposals, made by Melvin Simon & Associates, was for a 1.2-million-square-foot (110,000 m2) structure which would serve as the first phase of a larger development, including a hotel and office complex.[5] In September 1990, Simon announced that Dillard's (which had recently entered the Central Florida area through its purchase of Ivey's) had agreed to serve as an anchor store for the mall, which had been named Seminole Towne Center.[6]
Sanford city government approved $6.3 million in municipal bonds to improve road infrastructure near the proposed site, which would be paid for through a tax increment financing district.[7] Simon also agreed to pay $500,000 to the neighboring city of Lake Mary to widen a road near the site.[8]
Simon initially planned to begin construction of the mall in 1991[6] with an opening date of summer 1993.[9] However, due to the early 1990s recession, the company was unable to obtain the necessary financing until 1993.[10] The mall's groundbreaking was held on September 9, 1993.[11] The anchor stores JCPenney and Burdines opened on September 1, 1995,[12] and the mall itself would hold its grand opening ceremony three weeks later on the 22nd.[13]
The mall's most notable opening-day tenant was the upscale department store Parisian, which opened its first Central Florida location. Other notable tenants included Aéropostale, Ann Taylor, Brookstone, The Disney Store, Everything But Water, Franklin Quest, The Gap, The Limited, Littman's, and Talbots.[14] Television advertisements for the mall featured the jingle "shop a new mall, mall".[15][16] An estimated 200,000 people visited the mall on its opening weekend.[17]
The mall initially competed with Altamonte Mall, located 10 miles (16 km) south on I-4,[18] as well as Lake Square Mall[19] and Volusia Mall.[18] Another Seminole County-based competitor, Oviedo Marketplace, opened in 1998.[20]
In 1999, the mall's parking lot hosted the inaugural Seminole County Fair, a carnival midway operated by James E. Strates Shows.[21] The mall would continue to host the fair annually until its closure.
In 2004, Saks, Inc. announced plans to convert its two Orlando-area Parisian locations (namely at Seminole Towne Center and West Oaks Mall) to its midscale McRae's nameplate.[22] This move was in response to four other upscale department stores opening locations in the greater Orlando area. The store at Seminole Towne Center was closed on August 29th and reopened in early October.[23]
McRae's was converted to Belk in 2006. After Belk closed in 2010, it was divided between Burlington and Dick's Sporting Goods.
On May 8, 2009, Orlando Business Journal reported the coming addition of a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) H&M store, which was the second in Florida, with the first being at The Florida Mall.[24] Additionally, Sears closed the lower level of its anchor store at the center in 2012 and that space is yet to be filled. Also in 2012, Disney Store shuttered its doors at the mall.
Under Washington Prime Group
[edit]Simon sold the mall to Washington Prime Group in May 2014.[25] In 2015, 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) of retail space near Macy's was cleared and converted into an Athletic Apex health club, which opened in 2016.
On May 31, 2018, Sears announced that its store would be closing as part of a plan to close 63 stores nationwide. The store closed on September 2, 2018.[26] On January 7, 2020, it was announced that Macy's would be closing in April 2020 as a part of a plan to close 125 stores nationwide, The store permanently closed in March 2020, a month before its official date due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.[27]
Under Kohan Retail Investment Group
[edit]Washington Prime Group transferred the mall's ownership to Kohan Retail Investment Group in March 2020.[28] Victoria's Secret closed in June 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
A&W Restaurants, H&M & Chick-fil-A all permanently closed from January to April 2021. And in June 2021, the former Macy's was purchased by The Altman Companies as part of redevelopment plans. The former Sears has been converted into a 2-story amusement center, operated by Elev8 Fun, which opened in January 2022.[29]
Aeropostale, AT&T, Burlington, Claire's, Hollister Co., LensCrafters, PacSun, Taco Bell, Talbots, The Children's Place, T-Mobile, and Tillys all closed in 2022.
In mid-2023, it was reported that the mall owed over $800,000 in property taxes to Seminole County.[30]
Champs Sports, Express, Journeys, and Yankee Candle all closed in 2023. The remaining small chain tenants at the mall during the mall's decline include Finish Line, Hot Topic, Rack Room Shoes, and Zumiez. All are still open.
In late February 2024, electricity to the mall was disconnected by Florida Power & Light due to delinquent bills. The mall's anchor stores were not affected.[31] Power was restored two days later.[32]
In May 2024, 4th Dimension Properties acquired the Seminole Towne Center, and plans to add new businesses.[33] On June 1, 2024, it was announced that the music store next to Dillard’s would be closing. It closed on June 30, 2024.
Bath and Body Works, Spencer's, Sunglass Hut, The White Barn Candle Company and Zales Jewelers closed in 2024. Kay Jewelers relocated to a nearby strip mall.
On January 8, 2025, it was reported that the mall would close by the end of the month. Demolition of the mall is expected to begin in March, but the anchor stores will remain during the demolition.[34]
Anchors
[edit]Seminole Towne Center was constructed with five two-level anchor buildings. A sixth, to be located across from the former Sears building, was planned but never built.[35] In 2010, the former Parisian building (last occupied by Belk) was subdivided into two one-level stores.
| Anchor | Opening year | Former tenants |
|---|---|---|
| Dillard's | 1995 | |
| JCPenney | 1995 | |
| Vacant (1st floor only) | N/A |
|
| Dick's Sporting Goods (2nd floor only) | 2012 | |
| Elev8 Fun (a family entertainment center) | 2022 |
|
| Vacant | N/A |
References
[edit]- ^ "Form 10-K for Simon Property Group, Inc., Fiscal Year 2006". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ Comas, Martin E.; Wilkins, James (January 9, 2025). "Seminole Towne Center, a once tony mall, will soon shutter its doors". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Silver, Catherine (January 2, 2025). "Seminole Towne Center in limbo as Sanford waits for a done deal". ClickOrlando (WKMG-TV). Graham Media Group. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ Benedick, Robin (December 8, 1988). "3 mall ideas are probably 2 too many". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. D1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ McBreen, Sharon (September 10, 1990). "Mall road separates 2 cities: Widening is paved with controversy". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. B1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ a b Snyder, Jack; Suris, Oscar (September 7, 1990). "Sanford mall gets Dillard's as lead store". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. C1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Imperiale, Nancy (June 26, 1990). "Sanford OKs deal for mall roads, offers same bargain to others". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. D3 – via NewsBank.
- ^ McBreen, Sharon (January 25, 1991). "Developers will chip in $500,000 to widen Rinehart". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. B3 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Imperiale, Nancy (June 15, 1990). "Official: Deal near for 3 Sanford mall stores". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. p. 11 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Feigenbaum, Nancy (February 5, 1993). "Seminole mall project gets backing: The developer of Seminole Towne Center lines up financing". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. C1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Feigenbaum, Nancy (August 30, 1993). "Mall promises something special: Developer says center will be an inspiration". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. p. 21 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Kuhn, Brad (September 1, 1995). "New mall rehearses its opening: Backstage work is under way at Burdines and J.C. Penney at Seminole Towne Center". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. B1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Kuhn, Brad (September 23, 1995). "Shoppers congregate at new mall: Seminole Towne Center's opening day filled parking lots and the mall's food court". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. C1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Kuhn, Brad (July 18, 1995). "New mall short on surprises: Anchoring retailer Parisian is about as foreign as it gets in the lineup for the upcoming Seminole Towne Center". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. B1.
- ^ Pfeifauf, Nick (September 22, 1995). "It's a new mall, mall: Party last night, stores open today". Sanford Herald. pp. 1A, 2A, 9A – via RICHES Archive of the Sanford Herald (Museum of Seminole County History / University of Central Florida).
- ^ Powell, Jill (December 22, 1996). "Merchants count down: 3, 2, 1... Store sales are expected to blast off in the last days before Christmas because shoppers got a late start on a short season". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. K1.
- ^ Taylor, Gary (September 25, 1995). "Mall grand opening pleases merchants, perturbs police". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. C1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ a b Hurtibise, Ron (October 2, 1996). "New mall brings big changes to Sanford region". Daytona Beach News-Journal. News-Journal Corp. pp. 1A – via NewsBank.
- ^ Shaw, Gwyneth K. (July 20, 1995). "New mall in store for Lake: The manager of Seminole Towne Center in Sanford hopes Lake customers will find the shops worth the drive". Lake Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. p. 1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Wellons, Will (January 30, 1998). "Opening date getting closer for Oviedo mall: Competitors say they aren't worried that the Marketplace will hurt their business". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. D10 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Wersinger, Tammie (February 20, 1999). "Strates Shows to provide centerpiece of Seminole fair". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. D10 – via NewsBank.
- ^ Krueger, Jill (February 4, 2004). "Saks to change Parisian stores to McRae's". Orlando Business Journal. Advance Publications. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017.
- ^ Mercado, Dorimar (October 9, 2004). "Makeover complete, McRae's stores debut: Saks Inc. has finished converting a pair of Parisians into McRae's". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. pp. C1 – via NewsBank.
- ^ "H&M; to open in Sanford - Orlando Business Journal". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "Wp Glimcher". Wpglimcher.com. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ Arnold, Kyle. "Sears closing Sanford mall store, 62 others".
- ^ "Macy's store in Sanford closing, clearance sale set to begin soon". January 7, 2020.
- ^ Rabines, Amanda (March 31, 2020). "Seminole Towne Center owner sells to investment group with plans to revitalize struggling mall". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Rabines, Amanda (June 2, 2021). "The Altman Companies is under contract to purchase part of Seminole Towne Center". GrowthSpotter.
- ^ Ryzewski, Steven (June 27, 2023). "Owner of Seminole Towne Center Mall in Sanford owes more than $800k in property taxes". Orlando Business Journal. Advance Publications. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Wildman, Asher (February 23, 2024). "Power is still out in parts of Seminole Towne Center Mall". Spectrum News 13. Charter Communications. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Langston, Jacob (February 24, 2024). "'Power has been restored:' Seminole Towne Center set to reopen". ClickOrlando (WKMG-TV). Graham Media Group. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Buffamonte, Stephanie. "New owner of Seminole Towne Center says mall makeover in the works: 'I will make this place run again'". pp. Fox 35 Orlando.
- ^ Papantonis, Nick; Jordan, Jake (January 8, 2025). "Seminole Towne Center mall to close at the end of January". WFTV. Cox Media Group. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
- ^ "Seminole Town Center Mall directory, Grand Opening, September 1995". Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. September 16, 1995. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.