The Falls is an open-air

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

Kendall, Florida Kendall is a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida. At the 2020 census, the area had a population of 80,241. While the US Census Bureau has set definite boundaries for Kendall as a CDP, the community has a highly ambiguous local ...

. The mall has 111 upscale stores. The mall's anchor store is

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

Bloomingdale's Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain; it was founded in New York City by Joseph B. and Lyman G. Bloomingdale in 1861. A third brother, Emanuel Watson Bloomingdale, was also involved in the business. It became a div ...

was an anchor at this mall, but closed on March 20, 2020. This mall also features a movie theater, which is called

Regal Entertainment Group Regal Cinemas (also Regal Entertainment Group) is an American movie theater chain headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. A division of Cineworld, Regal operates the second-largest theater circuit in the United States, with over 7,200 screens i ...

(United Artists Falls 12), and is currently managed and 50% owned by the

Simon Property Group Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust that invests in shopping malls, outlet centers, and community/lifestyle centers. It is the largest owner of shopping malls in the United States and is headquartered in India ...

History

The Falls opened in 1980 as an upscale, open-air plaza. As its name implies, the center is designed around a lushly-landscaped man-made

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') ...

featuring numerous pools, waterfalls and bridges accented with modern sculpture pieces and decorative lighting. In 1984 the first anchor store,

, was added, bringing the center to 450,000 ft². Bloomingdale's closed their two-story store temporarily in September 1992 after the store was severely damaged by Hurricane Andrew, but it later re-opened in late 1993, as a three-story Bloomingdale’s.

opened a store in 1996 during an expansion that doubled the size of the shopping center. The center features an iconic tower sign on the southwestern corner of

South Dixie Highway Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network of ...

and S.W. 136th Street (Howard Drive). The success of the center has led to the surrounding Howard, Briar Bay and Colonial Palms neighborhoods to be encompassed by the generic "The Falls" name. The center was sold in December 1997 to

Taubman Centers Taubman Centers, Inc. is an American real estate investment trust headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The company invests in shopping centers, and is a subsidiary of Simon Property Group since 2020. History The company was founded in 19 ...

, which transferred ownership in 1998 to the GM Pension Trust. Taubman continued to manage the center until 2004, when the GM Pension Trust sold a half-interest in The Falls to The Mills Corporation, which also assumed management. In 2007,

and

Farallon Capital Management Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C. is an American multi-strategy hedge fund headquartered in San Francisco, California. Founded by Tom Steyer in 1986, the firm employs approximately 230 professionals in eight countries around the world. Farall ...

acquired The Mills and subsequently assumed management of The Falls. On February 7, 2020, Bloomingdale’s parent company,

Macy's, Inc. Macy's, Inc. (originally Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American conglomerate holding company. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito' ...

, announced that they will close 125 locations across the country, including the Bloomingdale’s location at The Falls. This will leave

Macy’s Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

as the only anchor store at the mall, which is currently still open.

closed permanently on March 20, 2020. It was demolished soon after for a new Lifetime Fitness Center.

References

External links

The Falls Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falls (mall), The Shopping malls in Miami-Dade County, Florida Shopping malls established in 1980 Simon Property Group Kendall, Florida