Anderson Towne Center

Anderson Towne Center, formerly Beechmont Mall was a one-level shopping mall 13.8 miles (22.2 km) southeast of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, between Beechmont Avenue, Five Mile Road, Towne Center Way and Wolfangel Road in Forestville, a suburb of Cincinnati. The mall had three anchors which once housed Kmart, Lazarus and Parisian.
== Enclosed Mall ==
On October 5, 1969, Beechmont Mall opened to the public. The mall originally opened with two anchors which were Mabley & Carew and Shillito's. Other original tenants included were Brendamour's Sporting Goods, Casual Corner, Docktor Pet Center, Getz Jewelers, Hot Shoppes Cafeteria, Lerner Shops, Royal Barber Shop, SupeRx Drugs, The Swiss Colony, Thriftway and Woolworth. In January 1977, Beechmont Mall was acquired by the Prudential Insurance Company. In August 1978, Mabley & Carew was converted into Elder-Beerman. In October 1983, the Beechmont Mall went through a major expansion and renovation. As part of the renovation, Thriftway moved to a brand new freestanding building near the mall, a third anchor was also added which was a Gold Circle. The vacant Thriftway space inside the mall was then converted into The Village of Beechmont, with tenants such as Gold Star Chili, Hot Sam, Murray Bros. Old Time Store, Pasta Palace and Quick Wok. On November 16, 1984, the expansion and renovations to the mall were completed and a formal grand re-opening event was held. In March 1986, Shillito's was converted into Lazarus. In September 1987, MetLife acquired the mall. In November 1988, Gold Circle closed down. In March 1989, Hills opened in the former Gold Circle space. In June 1991, Hills closed down. In May 1992, Kmart opened in the former Hills space. In September 1992, Elder-Beerman closed down. In September 1993, Parisian opened in the former Elder-Beerman space. In July 1999, Parisian closed down.
== Decline ==
Beechmont Mall began to decline once Kenwood Towne Centre in Kenwood was expanded in 1988, as well as the expansion of Eastgate Mall in Glen Este was completed in 1992. Also the opening of Rockwood Pavilion in Norwood in 1994 contributed to Beechmont Mall's further decline. In December 1997, Beechwood Mall was sold to George Zamias who attempted to redevelop the mall, unfortunately the plans failed and the mall continued to struggle. In December 2001, the mall was then sold to Victory Real Estate, with plans to redevelop the mall into a lifestyle center.
== Conversion to Power Center ==
On March 10, 2003, demolition began on the enclosed portion of Beechmont Mall. The entire mall was demolished leaving CVS, Kmart, Lazarus and TGI Fridays on the property. During the same time, Beechmont Mall changed its name to Anderson Towne Center, and renovations began on converting the former mall property into a lifestyle center.
Category:Malls that opened in 1969
Category:Malls in Ohio
Category:Malls in the United States
Category:Former Malls
Category:George Zamias
Category:Cincinnati Area Malls
Category:Hamilton County, Ohio
Category:Former Mabley & Carew-anchored Malls
Category:Former Shillito's-anchored Malls
Category:Former Elder-Beerman-anchored Malls
Category:Former Gold Circle-anchored Malls
Category:Former Hills-anchored Malls
Category:Former Kmart-anchored Malls
Category:Former Lazarus-anchored Malls
Category:Former Parisian-anchored Malls