The Town Center at Aurora (formerly known as Aurora Mall) is an enclosed, two-level regional shopping center located in

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, and covers a leasable area over 1 million square feet. It lies at the center of the commercial and retail district in the area, adjacent to Aurora

City Square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rel ...

, Aurora City Place, and Aurora Park Shopping Center, a

strip mall A strip mall, strip center, strip plaza or simply plaza is a type of shopping mall, shopping center common in North America and Australia where the stores are arranged in a row, with a footpath in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a ...

. The commercial district itself is located in central

, and the mall's primary trade area includes a mostly suburban, middle-income demographic. Anchor stores and major tenants at the mall are

Dillard's Dillard's, Inc. is an American department store chain with approximately 267 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The company a ...

(originally The Denver, became May-D&F in 1987, then

Foley's Foley's was a regional chain of department stores owned by Federated Department Stores (1947–1988, 2005–2006), later owned by May Department Stores (1988–2005) and headquartered in Downtown Houston, Texas. On August 30, 2005, the divisi ...

in 1993),

Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...

(originally May-D&F, became May-D&F Men's in 1987, then Foley's Men's in 1993, then a full-line Foley's in 2005),

JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC , Trade name, doing business as JCPenney (colloquially Penney's and abbreviated JCP) is an American department store chain store, chain with 649 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. It is managed as part of the Catalys ...

Century Theatres Century Theatres is a movie theater chain that operates many multiplexes in the western United States, primarily in California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. In its later years, it had expanded into the inter-mountain states, ...

, and Fieldhouse USA (originally

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co., commonly known as Sears ( ), is an American chain of department stores and online retailer founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosen ...

History

Aurora Mall was developed in 1974, and was fully opened a year later in 1975. The mall is set in a typical sprawling, suburban environment, and the demographics mostly reflect that trend. In 2003, the mall announced a major two-part renovation with a cost of approximately $100 million. The first part consisted of a remodeling of the

department store, to a

that replaced the former anchor. Dillard's a
Buckingham Square Mall
also in Aurora, closed, and moved into the newly renovated space. The second part involved the rest of the mall, including the construction of a new food court, re-pavement, and other site upgrades. The renovation project was completed in 2005, and the mall reopened under its new name as Town Center at Aurora. During the renovation project, a controversy arose regarding one of mall management's new focus on attracting a white-only clientele. A top leasing agent was recorded in a conversation with a tenant, who served food that apparently catered to an ethnic minority. The conversation seemed to provide the mall's new direction after renovations were complete: to discourage people of an ethnic minority from shopping there. City officials quickly condemned the "racist" views, and demanded an apology from Simon's management; no apology has yet been given. In June 2005, a 19-year-old girl was killed when trying to break up a fight at the mall. On August 31, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location a part of a plan to close 92 stores nationwide. The store closed on December 15, 2019. It then became Fieldhouse USA on August 26, 2021. AURORATOWNCENTER1

2012 shooting

Memorial outside Aurora Century movie theater where shooting occurred

On July 20, 2012, a

mass shooting A mass shooting is a violent crime in which one or more attackers use a firearm to Gun violence, kill or injure multiple individuals in rapid succession. There is no widely accepted specific definition, and different organizations tracking su ...

occurred at the Century 16 at Town Center at Aurora, during a midnight screening of the film ''

The Dark Knight Rises ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the final instal ...

''. A gunman, dressed in tactical clothing, set off

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

grenades and shot into the audience with multiple firearms, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. The gunman, James Holmes, was arrested outside the cinema minutes later. On August 24, 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Community

Due in part to the Town Center's suburban environment and demographic, the Aurora Public Schools (APS) system and Aurora's PTO are heavily involved in the mall's events and activities. The mall sponsors a "Cash for Class" program, which awards schools within the district based on a points system. Schools can get points for submitting report cards, attendance records, and even mall purchases. All rewards are provided directly to the schools. In 2011, Town Center at Aurora awarded a total of $13,000 to nine schools. In 2009, APS announced a new computer system in a joint venture with the mall. Several kiosks were installed throughout the mall. The system allows parents to view grades, assignments, and other resources regarding their child's education, as well as to browse the mall's various shopping events.

Current anchors

* Century Aurora and XD (periphery) * Dillard's (former Foley's) * Fieldhouse USA (former Sears) *

Hobby Lobby Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., formerly Hobby Lobby Creative Centers, is an American retail company. It owns a chain of arts and crafts stores with a volume of over $5 billion in 2018. The chain has 1,001 stores in 48 U.S. states. The Green family fo ...

(periphery, former Gordmans) * JCPenney * Macy's

Former anchors

* Sears *

Gordmans Gordmans (stylized as gordmans) was a retailer founded in Omaha, Nebraska. The chain is owned by BrandX as of May 2022. In 2019, Stage Stores began converting other retail chains it owned into Gordmans stores, with the goal of having 700 Gordman ...

(periphery) * Foley's Department Store

Gallery

File:Aurora Cinema 16.jpg, Century 16 Theatre later the same year of the 2012 shooting File:Aurora Metro Center Station.JPG, Aurora Metro Center Station across the street from the mall on the east side

References

External links

Town Center at Aurora official website
{{Aurora, Colorado Washington Prime Group Shopping malls in Colorado Tourist attractions in Arapahoe County, Colorado Buildings and structures in Aurora, Colorado Shopping malls established in 1974 1974 establishments in Colorado 2012 Aurora theater shooting