The Mall of San Juan
 | |
| Location | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 18°24′44″N 66°01′31″W / 18.4121°N 66.0254°W |
| Address | 1000 The Mall of San Juan Blvd |
| Opening date | March 26, 2015 |
| Developer | Taubman Centers |
| No. of stores and services | 100 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 (2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 650,000 sq ft |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Parking | 3,000 spaces |
| Website | themallofsanjuan |
The Mall of San Juan is a 650,000 sq ft (60,000 m2) upscale shopping mall located across from the San José Lagoon at the south end of the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge, near the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It opened its doors on March 26, 2015 and it was anchored by the now-vacant Nordstrom, being the first store in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The mall also had a Saks Fifth Avenue until September 20, 2017 when it was destroyed by Hurricane Maria and on October 30, 2018, Saks announced that it would not reopen at the mall.[1] Original plans included the construction of an office tower and a hotel and casino and was originally set to begin construction later in 2015 and to be completed by 2017. However, it was never built.[2][3] The mall was constructed at a cost of $475 million by Taubman Centers.[4]
History
The land where the mall now is was once a building complex which originally served as housing for the 1979 Pan American Games. The buildings were demolished in 1998 in what was a world record for most buildings to be demolished simultaneously with explosives.[5]
Originally, the project was called Nueva Puerta de San Juan[6] when it was first planned in the 90s. In the 2000s, it was renamed Plaza Internacional.[7] Construction of the mall had been paralyzed for several years due to financing issues and a lawsuit by the owners of the nearby Plaza Las Americas. New Century Development would later file a lawsuit of their own when Plaza Las Americas announced plans for an expansion.[8] The project was later given its current name and finally broke ground in 2012.
Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, severely damaging anchor stores Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. Nordstrom reopened on November 9, 2018, while Saks Fifth Avenue announced on October 30, 2018 that it will not reopen at the mall.
In March 2020, the mall closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 7, 2020, Nordstrom announced that it would not reopen at the mall. The mall reopened in June 2020, with limited capacity as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Anchor stores
Current Anchors
- Two vacant anchor tenants
Former Anchors
- Saks Fifth Avenue (closed in 2017)
- Nordstrom (closed in 2020)
See also
References
- ^ "Saks Fifth Avenue's Exit Underscores Puerto Rico Retail Woes". news.bloomberglaw.com.
- ^ "Datos curiosos de The Mall of San Juan". 26 March 2015.
- ^ "The Mall of San Juan | Puerto Rico's Premier Shopping Destination". themallofsanjuan.com.
- ^ Pleven, Liam. "Mall Owners, Retailers Bullish on Debt-Ridden Puerto Rico". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
- ^ "Villa Panamericana & Las Orquideas". Controlled Demolition.
- ^ "Comienza una nueva era comercial". 22 March 2015.
- ^ admin (17 May 2012). "Construction starts on $ 405M 'The Mall of San Juan,' formerly known as Plaza Internacional". newsismybusiness.com.
- ^ http://m.cb.pr/mobile_news/pr-shopping-center-duel-revived-88277.html