32 MARCH 2018 ArcAd A News FASHION SQUARE SCOTTSDALE Popular area mall has a rich history that is still growing By Nick Smith P eople get used to their surroundings. What was unique and interesting about a place can quickly become just the background to our day-to-day experiences. One can drive the same route to work hundreds of times, past the same buildings and areas over and over, and not realize the interesting stories all around. Take Scottsdale Fashion Square for example. The nearby mall is one of the most well-known entities in the area, a place where all kinds of people gather to eat, shop or just spend time walking around away from the heat. But did you know that the upscale, luxury shopping center used to be the site of a dusty rodeo ground? It may seem hard to believe, but what is now the intersection of Camelback and Scottsdale Roads wasn’t always looked at as a centerpiece of the city, with endless dining and shopping options abound. In the years before and immediately following World War II, the land that would one day become the mall was actually thought of as too far from the main hubs of Phoenix and Scottsdale to be considered valuable. If you ventured out that far, you would stumble across the site of the Scottsdale Jaycees’ Parada Del Sol rodeo arena. In the 1950s, as the area known as Old Town Scottsdale began to become popular, retail began popping up around the nearby Camelback and Scottsdale Road location, including a drug store, barber shop and a steakhouse. But in order to turn the land into a true shopping center, there would have to be a big store to anchor it. The solution would arrive in the form of Goldwater’s department store. Originally founded in 1860 by Barry Goldwater’s grandfather Michael, the first Scottsdale location was in the Ranch House Shops on the northeast corner of First Avenue and Scottsdale Road in 1950. In 1961, the store moved north to establish a flagship location at the new Scottsdale Fashion Square. The original version of the mall looked nothing like the massive structure it is today. It was originally an open-air shopping center, which included an AJ Bayless supermarket and 15 smaller stores to go along with Goldwater’s. Fashion Square began to grow in the 70s, adding Diamond’s department store to the north section of the mall, and finally getting rid of the heat by throwing on a roof. In 1977, Camelview Plaza was built right next to Fashion Square, just to the west of what is now Goldwater Boulevard. The competing mall had two department stores, and perhaps most importantly, the soon to be iconic Harkins Camelview Theatre. The malls battled it out for shoppers for a few years, until they agreed to join forces and connect the two properties in the early 80s. The 80s and 90s were all about expansion, for both the entire Valley and for Scottsdale Fashion Square. Dillard’s replaced AJ Bayless and Diamond’s, and Arizona’s first Neiman Marcus opened. Westcor purchased both the 2Msf Scottsdale Fashion Square covers nearly 2,000,000 square feet of shopping area.

33 MARCH 2018 ArcAd A News original and adjacent mall, officially combining all 1.3 million square feet. Building began for an expansion south across Camelback Road. Stores like Nordstrom, H&M, and Barney’s New York were opened, and Scottsdale Fashion Square became an iconic centerpiece of the city. While many malls have faced declining sales in the new millennium, this doesn’t seem to be the case with Fashion Square, which continues to expand as it has for the past fifty plus years. In late 2016, Macerich announced plans that include a renovation of the luxury wing of the mall, which is anchored by Neiman Marcus and Dillard’s, to be followed in the coming years by the addition of residences, office space and a new hotel. 46,000 cars travel along Goldwater Boulevard each day, and one of the biggest goals of the first phase of the renovation was to reimagine the north entrance in order to give those drivers easier access to the mall. The new luxury entrance will become a two- story structure that will be easily visible from the busy road, and flagship stores on the north side will have external entrances for customers to enter directly from the parking lot. The exterior renovations will also include a grand promenade, with new-to-market, high profile restaurants set to open in the fall of this year. Surrounding the new food hub will be gardens, palm trees and a newly built fountain. The interior of Fashion Square is also part of the first renovation phase. A new ceiling treatment, modern handrails and straightened walking bridges will be aiming to give the mall a more modern look. Other new amenities will include new escalators and elevators, tile and columns, and a fresh seating vignette for customers who need a rest. Phase one is expected to be completed in late 2018. From a dirt covered rodeo arena, to the ever-expanding epicenter for shopping in our area, Scottsdale Fashion Square is an evident example of the incredible growth of the city over the past half centur y. Goldwater’s department store (top left) was the anchor that brought Scottsdale Fashion Square together in the early 1960s (bottom left). What started as an open air mall (bottom right) eventually expanded into the city’s signature shopping center, with the latest expansion coming in late 2018 (top right). PHOTOS COURTESY OF SCOTTSDALE HISTORICAL SOCIETY/SCOTTSDALE FASHION SQUARE