Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall explained

Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall
Location:Anchorage, Alaska, United States
Coordinates:61.2172°N -149.8886°W
Address:320 West 5th Avenue
Opening Date:[1]
Owner:Simon Property Group
Number Of Stores:81
Number Of Anchors:2 (1 open, 1 vacant)
Floor Area:447000square feet[2]
Floors:5

Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall is a 447000square feet regional shopping mall located in Downtown Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It has five levels with the only JCPenney store in Alaska as its sole anchor.[3] It also boasts Alaska's only Victoria's Secret, Apple Store, Coach, and Michael Kors locations, The website describes it as a “distinctive, five level shopping center surrounded by the buzz of Anchorage’s downtown core.” There was also a Nordstrom as a second anchor store until it closed in September 2019.[4]

The mall is owned by Northwestern Simon Inc. and is administered by the Simon Property Group.

History

The mall opened in 1987,[5] covering a city block previously occupied mostly by small, two-story commercial buildings and parking lots. The original developers were JCPenney and The Rainier Fund.[6] As the mall opened during an economic slowdown in Alaska, its occupancy rate hovered in the 20 to 30 percent range for most of its early years. It was later sold to Northwestern Simon Inc. in 1994, and it has been operated by Simon Property Group ever since. On June 26, 2019, it was announced that Nordstrom would be closing on September 13, 2019.[7]

The mall was closed for 2 weeks in March, 2020 as part of an attempt to curb the spread of the COVID-19.[8]

Facilities

Interior

Compared to other malls in Alaska, The 5th Avenue Mall integrates many more aesthetic designs inside its buildings. Some examples are the sky-lit roof above the main "Arcade", and features galleria-style wide, open spaces. The top floor of the Arcade is exclusively a food court. Most of the mall's elevators have glass panels, and are decorated with neon lights. The mall uses skybridges to provide indoor access between buildings and parking, contributing to the streetscapes of 5th and 6th Avenues. The ground floor of the galleria functions as an indoor pedestrian extension of "D" Street.[9]

Parking

There is significant parking available at the mall, which is owned and operated by ACDA via EasyPark. The 5th Avenue Parking garage is one of the largest parking garages Downtown, offering six levels of parking. The JCPenney parking garage, recently under renovation, offers additional parking Downtown and the first hour is free to park in that garage.

List of anchor stores

Name
of floors
Year
opened
Year
closed
Notes
JCPenney41987
Nordstrom19872019

Notes and References

  1. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1987-09-27/business/8703140379_1_building-houses-and-shopping-anchorage-oil Overbuilding In Alaska Makes Boom Go Bust
  2. http://www.simon.com/Mall/LeasingSheet/0115.pdf Simon Mall Leasing Sheet
  3. Web site: Simon Malls: Anchorage 5th Avenue Information. May 8, 2011.
  4. Web site: About Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall - A Shopping Center in Anchorage, AK - A Simon Property. www.simon.com. en-us. 2018-03-15.
  5. News: Mall loan approved . . October 29, 1986 . February 23, 2010.
  6. TRF, https://trfpac.com/
  7. Web site: Nordstrom will close its downtown Anchorage store .
  8. Web site: March 19, 2020 . Alex . DeMarban . Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall will temporarily close doors to help curb spread of coronavirus . 2022-07-14 . Anchorage Daily News . en.
  9. News: New York Times, Downtown Anchorage Walking Tour. October 2, 2007 . The New York Times . November 20, 2006.