The mall that started it all: 70 years later this U.S. icon is still going strong

Nearly 70 years ago, the Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota, opened its doors for the first time welcoming around 75,000 curious people for its gala grand opening. The concept was a first-of-its-kind, a completely enclosed space in which to shop with storefronts facing inward instead of the street.

The project was the brainchild of Austrian-born architect Victor Gruen. He had been asked by Donald Dayton, head of Dayton’s department store, to come up with a way to get more people to come out shopping on cold days, the Minneapolis suburb only had 126 ideal shopping weather days annually.

The final creation has continued to influence suburban shopping mall construction ever since. And the facility itself has adapted to changing consumer trends to avoid the ‘zombie mall’ fate of many of its peers.

Southdale was envisioned to be more than a shopping mall

The original plans for Southdale were created “to reflect and serve changing patterns of suburban living,” explains the Minnesota Historical Society Library. “The master plan combined elements of the village green of European city centers, with elegant arcades and gallerias, in a constantly temperature-controlled enclosure.”

A press release from the mall in 1956 to announce its opening said of the shopping center that it “could be called in psychological terms ‘an introvert center.’ On the outside it presents a quiet and dignified appearance, inviting the shopper to enter through one of ten huge all-glass entrances into the interior.”

Once inside those shoppers would find themselves “in an atmosphere of unparalleled liveliness, colorfulness, and beauty.” The original space wasn’t just dedicated to consumerism but was an area where there was “an opportunity for rest in the sidewalk cafe and on the many rest benches… a chance to amble and promenade, to window shop, to chat with friends,” shared the Minnesota Monthly newsletter.

The $20 million Southdale Mall opened on 8 October 1956 with 80,000 square feet occupied by 72 tenants. It was anchored at either end by two department stores, had a grocery store and a post office.

It also contained several features to “arouse interest and invite contemplation” like a “trees, tropical plants, flowers, a bird cage, sculptures, and other work of important artists, a pond, a fountain.”

The shopping center has expanded greatly since then. Now owned by Simon Property Group, it has nearly 1.3 million square feet and over 120 specialty stores.

Like many malls dealing with the shift to more online shopping, Southdale has employed under-utilized property around the mall to add apartments as well as other features to help keep the community in its proximity vibrant while staying at the center of social interactions.

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