Opening
The mall opened in 1980 as Shannon Mall, with anchor stores Sears, Rich's, and Davison's. Mervyns joined the mall in 1986, and became JCPenney in 1998. JCPenney lasted until 2000. The wing ultimately lost so many tenants, that management required the remaining ones to move elsewhere in the mall. The wing was blocked off in late 2004 up to late 2006. City officials required the mall to at least build a fire escape door on the side of the boarded up wall leading to the mall entrance/exit within that wing for emergencies. The building then became an entertainment complex named Maxx-Funn in 2006. Maxx-Funn lasted until fall 2009 and left the mall with two vacant anchors again. Maxx-Funn envisioned on taking over the entire wing by adding a bowling alley, comedy club and other entertainment venues in the vacant store fronts. Construction was started then abruptly halted as one of the investors died and the owner of the mall, Lee Najjir, wanted out of the deal (he was also an investor by providing free rent and owning part of the business). The former Davison's (Macy's) building remained vacant since 1998. The mall during the tenure of Orlando Allen sought to reopen the Maxx-Fun and sought entertainment based tenants for the empty Macy's building. Several firms showed interest in the Macy's building but no one moved beyond initial conversations. Maxx-Fun had a website in Summer 2010 announcing their return to Union Station Mall. They have since removed their fixtures and signs from the property. The website is no longer functioning.
Read more about this topic: Union Station (Shannon Mall)
Famous quotes containing the word opening:
“With two sons born eighteen months apart, I operated mainly on automatic pilot through the ceaseless activity of their early childhood. I remember opening the refrigerator late one night and finding a roll of aluminum foil next to a pair of small red tennies. Certain that I was responsible for the refrigerated shoes, I quickly closed the door and ran upstairs to make sure I had put the babies in their cribs instead of the linen closet.”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)
“Just opening up the door, having this ordinary person fly, says a lot for the future. You can always equate astronauts with explorers who were subsidized. Now you are getting someone going just to observe. And then you’ll have the settlers.”
—Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986)
“But every insight from this realm of thought is felt as initial, and promises a sequel. I do not make it; I arrive there, and behold what was there already. I make! O no! I clap my hands in infantine joy and amazement, before the first opening to me of this august magnificence, old with the love and homage of innumerable ages, young with the life of life, the sunbright Mecca of the desert.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)