WestShore Plaza is one of two enclosed shopping malls located in the Westshore business district of Tampa, Florida, developed by Albert L. Manley of Boston, MA. WestShore Plaza was opened in 1967 and was touted as Tampa's first shopping center that was fully air-conditioned. WestShore houses many specialty shops including Francesca's Collection, LOFT, New Balance, H&M, Old Navy, Sunglass Hut, and more. The property is owned and managed by Washington Prime Group.
The mall's anchors are Sears, JCPenney, flagship Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods stores, and an AMC movie theater. Restaurants include P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Grimaldi's Pizzeria, Irish 31, the Bay Area's only Maggiano's Little Italy, Seasons 52, and Mitchell's Fish Market Restaurant and there is also a kids play area near JCPenney. A nursing room can be found in the women's restroom and baby changing stations in all restrooms.
Video WestShore Plaza
History
Westshore Plaza opened in 1967 as the Tampa Bay area's first enclosed shopping mall.
The mall's first anchor was Maas Brothers, which actually opened a year before the rest of the mall on October 28, 1966 featuring the Suncoast Room Restaurant on the third floor. The store, which was built to compliment their flagship store in downtown Tampa, became their second to be located in a shopping mall a year later (their first was at the Edison Mall in Fort Myers), and they later went on to open more mall stores on Florida's Gulf Coast.
JCPenney opened on September 7, 1967 as a second anchor and only original anchor remaining today. It opened along with the first mall segment between it and Maas Brothers, which was dedicated a month later. Like Edison Mall, the center most notably included a Woolworth's five-and-dime store upon its opening, but also featured Walgreens and a Pantry Pride grocery store.
The mall was expanded for the first time with a northeast wing in 1974 along with the north parking garage and a third anchor, J. W. Robinson's, who sold its Florida stores to Maison Blanche in 1987, which in turn then sold its store and six others on the West Coast of Florida to Dillard's in 1991, and this building in 2001 also in turn was snatched away by the uber upscale International Plaza and Bay Street a mile away, thus leading into Sears taking over the site after moving from Tampa Bay Center in 2002, which closed as a result.,
Also in 1991, Maas Brothers was acquired by Miami-based Burdines, which in turn was renamed Burdine's-Macy's in 2003, dropping the Burdine's name two years later.
Westshore Plaza was acquired by the Grosvenor Group in 1990, which led to a large renovation to the mall. The mall interior was remodeled with a more Spanish-Mediterranean style interior with a three-story bell tower built over the center court.
Saks Fifth Avenue opened on the west end of the mall along with a third expansion on November 12, 1998 along with the west and south parking garages but closed in 2013 and became a flagship Dick's Sporting Goods in 2014 and however should have moved to International Plaza. The fourth and most recent expansion in 2000 involved relocating the food court east into the former Pantry Pride building and a new west wing of mall space with a 14-screen AMC Theatres on the second level.
Maps WestShore Plaza
Anchors
Current:
- AMC WestShore 14 (opened in 2000 as part of fourth mall expansion on an upper level)
- Dick's Sporting Goods (opened in 2014 in former Saks location)
- JCPenney (original anchor to the mall)
- Macy's (former Maas and Burdines location)
- Sears (former Robinson's, Maison Blanche, and Dillard's location)
Former:
- Maas Brothers (became Burdines in 1991)
- Burdines (became Macy's in 2005)
- J. W. Robinson's (became Maison Blanche in 1987)
- Maison Blanche (became Dillard's in 1991)
- Dillard's (closed in 2001 and reopened as Sears in 2002)
- Saks Fifth Avenue (closed in 2013 and reopened as Dick's in 2014)
References
External links
- Westshore Plaza Official Website
- Family-Friendly Tampa Bay
Source of article : Wikipedia
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