Governor's Square is a super-regional shopping mall located on Apalachee Parkway in Tallahassee, Florida. Its two-level design was a first for northern Florida when it opened in 1979,[3] and was for many years the newest of two enclosed malls in the Tallahassee area, the other being The Centre of Tallahassee, formerly the Tallahassee Mall. The anchor stores are currently JCPenney and Dillard's along with two vacant spaces last occupied by Macy’s and Sears.

Governor's Square
Map
LocationTallahassee, Florida, United States
Coordinates30°26′13″N 84°15′13″W / 30.436937°N 84.253561°W / 30.436937; -84.253561
Opening dateAugust 16, 1979; 44 years ago (1979-08-16)[1]
DeveloperThe Rouse Company
ManagementBrookfield Properties
OwnerBrookfield Properties
No. of stores and services116
No. of anchor tenants4 (2 open, 2 vacant)
Total retail floor area1,032,342 square feet (95,907.7 m2)
No. of floors2
Parking5,200 free on-site spaces (surface and garage)
Websitegovernorssquare.com
[2]

Built into a hillside, the mall can be entered either on the first or second level, depending on where a particular entrance is located. The mall's original anchors stores were J. C. Penney,[4] Sears,[5] and Maas Brothers.[6] Maas Brothers was converted to Burdines in 1991.[7] In March 2005, the Burdines store was converted to a Macy's.[8]

A 1993 expansion included an additional wing as well as Dillard's becoming the fourth anchor.[9][10]

In 2015 the Governor's Square Mall received a $10 million interior and exterior renovation.[11]

On December 28, 2018, Sears announced that it would be closing its Governor's Square anchor store as part of a plan to close 80 stores nationwide. The store closed in March 2019.[12] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the vacant store served as a Florida Department of Health monoclonal antibody treatment site.[13]

On January 18, 2024, it was announced that Macy's would be closing as part of a plan to close 5 stores nationwide. The store closed permanently on March 26, 2024 and left the mall with JCPenney and Dillard's as the only remaining anchors.[14]

The center court of Governor's Square in 2011.

The mall lies within a relatively affluent trade area less than two miles (3 km) east of downtown.

References edit

  1. ^ Television/radio age, Volume 27
  2. ^ "Governor's Square". Brookfield Properties.
  3. ^ Gold, Allan (August 17, 1979). "30,000 visitors greet new mall". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 1. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Gold, Allan (October 30, 1979). "Penney's to take its place at mall". Tallahassee Democrat. p. B1. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Gold, Allan (July 26, 1979). "15,000 shoppers stop to ogle new Sears". Tallahassee Democrat. p. D1. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Pudlow, Jan (September 5, 1979). "Maas Brothers arrives with a touch of class". Tallahassee Democrat. p. C1. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Schneyer, Fred A. (October 18, 1991). "Burdines will refurbish, rename Maas Brothers". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 1B. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Linn, Allison (March 5, 2005). "Bye-bye to Burdines and more". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 1E. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Schneyer, Fred A. (May 19, 1991). "Mall Expansion: Dillard's to join Governor's Square". Tallahassee Democrat. p. 1. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Schneyer, Fred A. (March 7, 1993). "Mall's final phase: Build customer base". Tallahassee Democrat. p. B1. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Stores: the bulletin of the N.R.D.G.A., Volume 73, Issues 7–12
  12. ^ Thomas, Lauren (2018-12-28). "Sears is closing 80 more stores in March, faces possible liquidation". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
  13. ^ Cann, Christopher (November 10, 2021). "Governor's Square Mall monoclonal treatment site to close Friday". Tallahassee Democrat. p. A3. Retrieved April 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Macy's to Cut About 2,350 Jobs, Close Five Stores". Wall Street Journal. January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.

External links edit