JULIE BENNETT
Dead and struggling malls of Montgomery
While many shopping centers in Montgomery continue to expand and thrive, there are also several malls within the city's limits that struggle to keep tenants and attract business.
Most long-time Montgomery residents remember the days when the Montgomery Mall, Normandale Shopping Center and Cloverland were at their height in popularity.
However, those days are long gone as these older complexes fell into disrepair and lost business due to the opening of new shopping areas.
With that in mind, here's a look at the history of some of the dead and struggling malls on Montgomery.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Montgomery Mall
The Montgomery Mall opened on East South Boulevard in 1970.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Montgomery Mall
The Montgomery Mall's original anchor stores were Montgomery Fair and JC Penney.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Montgomery Mall
Prior to its decline, the Montgomery Mall was once home to a variety of stores over the years, including Gayfers, Dillard's, Parisian and more.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Montgomery Mall
In addition to stores, the Montgomery Mall also included restaurants, water features and a carousel before its closure.
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Montgomery Mall
The Montgomery Mall ultimately closed in 2008. This photo, taken in April 2016, shows the mall as it is today.
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Montgomery Mall
Since its closure, there have been several attempts to give new life to the mall by the city of Montgomery.
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Montgomery Mall
In 2015, the city of Montgomery announced the mall would be renamed as the One Center and began looking for non-retail business interested in leasing space within the building.
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Montgomery Mall
Construction is currently ongoing at the mall so the Loveless Academic Magnet Program and the Montgomery Technical Education Center may move onto the property.
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Montgomery Mall
Loveless Academic Magnet Program, or LAMP High School, is expected to move into the former Parisian building pictured above.
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Montgomery Mall
The Montgomery Mall is also now the home of Montgomery's Fire Station No. 9 as well as Montgomery Police Department offices.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Normandale Shopping Center
Montgomery's Normandale Shopping Center opened on East Patton Avenue on Sept. 10, 1954.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Normandale Shopping Center
On its opening day, Normandale Shopping Center attracted crowds of Montgomery residents, pictured above, eager to shop at its new stores.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Normandale Shopping Center
Normandale Shopping Center's anchor stores included the Kwik Chek grocery store and Loveman's.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Normandale Shopping Center
Normandale Shopping Center was originally home to the Kwik Chek food store, shown above in 1954, before it became a Winn-Dixie location. It is now a Mega Meats.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Normandale Shopping Center
Prior to its decline, Normandale Shopping Center's stores included Norman Jewelers, Dad 'n' Lad, Thom McAn and more. This photo showcases those stores in 1957.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Normandale Shopping Center
Normandale Shopping Center was home to the first branch location of Loveman's. The store was two levels and encompassed 93,400 square feet, according to the Mall Hall of Fame.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Normandale Shopping Center
The Normandale Shopping Center originally consisted of a strip mall complex before several expansions took place throughout its years.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Normandale Shopping Center
The Normandale Shopping Center was expanded to include an open-air section of small retailers, aW. T. Grant Company store and a new two-story location for F.W. Woolworth's, according to the Mall Hall of Fame.
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Normandale Shopping Center
Following the opening of the Montgomery Mall and Eastdale Mall, the popularity of Normandale Shopping Center steadily declined.
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Normandale Shopping Center
The Loveman's location, pictured above in its current state, closed in 191, according to the Mall Hall of Fame. Woolworth's store closed shortly after.
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Normandale Shopping Center
Loveman's has remained unoccupied and its deterioration is visible.
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Normandale Shopping Center
The original location of the Kwik Check is now a Mega Meats grocery outlet.
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Normandale Shopping Center
In 1995, the open-air portion of the mall, which was already unoccupied, was damaged by a tornado, according to the Mall Hall of Fame. It has since been fenced off and left unrepaired.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Cloverland Shopping Center
Cloverland Shopping Center is a strip mall complex located on South Court Street.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Cloverland Shopping Center
Cloverland Shopping Center was once home to a variety of stores, including Cloverland Grocery, Dixie Rexall Drugs, Tully Andrews Cleaners, Cloverland Hardware, Cloverland Beauty Shop, Sherwin-Williams, Freckles and Frills, Ben Franklin, and Four Seasons.
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Photo courtesy of: Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Ala.
Cloverland Shopping Center
Cloverland Hardware, which is still located at the shopping center, pictured in the 1950s.
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Cloverland Shopping Center
Cloverland Shopping Center is still home to some stores, but the complex's deterioration and need for repairs is visible.
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