 The shopping center's logo on a sign |
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| Location | Bal Harbour, Florida United States |
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| Coordinates | 25°53′18″N 80°07′31″W / 25.88825°N 80.12519°WCoordinates: 25°53′18″N 80°07′31″W / 25.88825°N 80.12519°W |
| Address | 9700 Collins Avenue |
| Opening date | 1965 |
| Developer | Stanley Whitman |
| Owner | Whitman Family |
| Architect | Herbert H. Johnson & Associates |
| No. of stores and services | 100+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) |
| Parking | Parking lot, parking garage |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Website | Official website |
Bal Harbour Shops is an upscale open-air shopping mall in Bal Harbour, a wealthy suburb of Miami, Florida, known internationally for its collection of luxury retail.[1] Bal Harbour Shops is one of the few remaining family-owned malls in the nation.[2] For a business that is willing to lease, there is a two year waiting list at the mall, which has operated at 100% occupancy for more than two decades.[3]
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History
The conceptual plan of the open-air shopping center was envisioned by Stanley Whitman on the site of a former United States Army barracks and World War II prisoner of war camp. He abandoned the conventional enclosed air-conditioned mall concept, firing architect Victor Gruen, and hiring local the South Floridian architectural firm Herbert H. Johnson & Associates. Whitman paid a pricey $2 per square foot for the land.
Bal Harbour Shops officially opened in 1965 with its first tenant being toy retailer, FAO Schwarz, which operated a store in the mall until its bankruptcy in 2000.
While classified as a mall, the retail center discourages comparisons to traditional malls. There are no enclosed walking paths or kiosks, and the main anchor, Saks Fifth Avenue, has a sidewalk entrance on one of the town's main streets.
Anchors
References
- ^ Bal Harbour Shops listing at WhereTraveler.com [1]
- ^ Brookins, Laurie. "A Family Affair, Bal Harbour Shops founder, Stanley Whitman, has often been compared to the visionary Walt Disney—they both looked at a desolated plot of land and envisioned magic.". Retrieved on 2009-06-23.
- ^ Burke, Leslie. "Hotel, theater, spa considered in Bal Harbour", South Florida Business Journal, 2005-08-19. Retrieved on 2009-06-23.
External links
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