Tuscaloosa's University Mall is celebrating a milestone--today marks the 35th anniversary of the shopping center's grand opening.University Mall opened for business on August 20, 1980, and was Tuscaloosa's largest retail attraction at the time. Here's a quick look at the mall's origins from Bhamwiki:

The property where the mall now stands was previously home to the World War II-era Northington Naval Hospital. On June 161977, Aaron Aronov Realty of Montgomery announced that it secured a lease on the 72 acres of the former hospital to develop a regional shopping center. At the time of its announcement, the mall was estimated to cost between $17 and $22 million to complete, have 75 stores and contain approximately 600,000 square feet of leaseable space. As part of the terms of the lease, Aronov was to pay the Alabama Department of Mental Health 20 percent of its net profits gained in operating the mall over the period of its 61-year lease. After relocation of a fire station and mental health center on-site, demolition of the former hospital complex commenced on April 7, 1978, by the T.M. Burgin Company of Birmingham.

Following demolition, site preparation commenced by S.T. Bunn of Cottondale began in February 1979. By May, the first three anchor tenants were announced as J.C. Penney, Pizitz and Sears, and their leases stated they would be open by October 1, 1980. Construction of the physical mall structure would begin in July 1980 by the Georgia based West Point Construction Company. By October 1979, Aronov stated the mall would draw customers from across west Alabama and eastern Mississippi and employ and estimated 1,000 to 1,500 people. The mall would celebrate its grand opening on August 201980, with four anchor tenants (J.C. Penney, Sears, Pizitz and Parisian) and 86 other tenants... After eighteen years of operations, in 1998 Aronov completed a multi-million dollar renovation of the mall. Major components of the project involved the creation of a fountain, stage and seating area in the center court, the replacement of over 5,200 ceiling and 45,000 floor tiles and placement of fountains in front of all of the anchor tenant entrances.

University Mall's original tenants included:

  • Adrians
  • Art Works
  • Baker Shoes
  • Barrell of Fun
  • Baskin-Robbins
  • Body Shop
  • Bon Appetit
  • Bookland
  • Bottom Half
  • Bromberg's
  • Brooks
  • Budd's
  • Burch & Hatfield
  • Buster Brown
  • Carlyle & Co.
  • Casual Corner
  • Chess King
  • Chick-fil-A
  • Chocolate Chip Co.
  • City Shoe Repair
  • Cobblestone
  • Coffee, Tea & Thee
  • Doll House
  • Fanfare
  • Fashion Conspiracy
  • Fig Leaf
  • First National Bank
  • First State Bank
  • Flagg Brothers
  • Foot Locker
  • Foxmoor
  • Gallery of Gifts
  • Gee Whiz
  • General Nutrition
  • Giovanni's
  • Great Hot Dog Experience
  • Harco
  • Hibbett's
  • House of Clocks
  • It's
  • Jarman's
  • Jeans West
  • Kay Jewelers
  • Kinney Shoes
  • Korn Dog
  • Kropp's Coins
  • Lerner's
  • Lorch's
  • Love Shop
  • Lynn's Hallmark
  • McCroy's
  • Memory Lane
  • Merle Norman
  • Morrison's
  • Mothercare
  • Motherhood Maternity
  • Musicland
  • Pair Tree
  • Park Lane
  • Peanut Shack
  • Pearle Vision
  • Pizitz Bake Shop
  • Pretty Things
  • Radio Shack
  • Ruby Tuesday
  • Ruth's Shoes
  • Schweitzer's
  • Solomon's
  • Sound Shop
  • South Central Bell
  • Spencer Gifts
  • Stein's
  • Super Tees
  • Susie's Casuals
  • Swiss Pretzel
  • Taco Casa
  • Tator Junction
  • Thom McAm
  • Thomas Jewelers
  • Tobacco Express
  • Wagner's
  • Webb's Music
  • Wet Pets & Pups
  • Wild Pair
  • Worths
  • Your Fathers Mustache

Want to take a look at University Mall as it looked on opening day? Check out this amazing post from SkyCity2 for photos and more by clicking HERE.

Do you remember any of the mall's original stores and restaurants? What are your favorite memories of shopping at University Mall?

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