Oakwood Center is a major shopping mall in Terrytown, Louisiana, on the West Bank of the Mississippi River in the New Orleans metropolitan area. It was originally named "Oakwood Mall", and some signage and local usage continue to call it that. It is geographically in Terrytown, but the mailing address is adjacent Gretna, Louisiana. The anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, Old Navy, Shoe Dept. Encore, JCPenney, and Dillard's. There is 1 vacant anchor store that was once Sears.

Oakwood Center
Oakwood Center logo
Main entrance is seen from Terry Parkway
Map
LocationGretna, Louisiana, United States
Coordinates29°55′17″N 90°02′18″W / 29.92138°N 90.03831°W / 29.92138; -90.03831
Opening date1966; 58 years ago (1966) (original)
2007 (new mall)
ManagementBrookfield Properties
OwnerBrookfield Properties
No. of stores and services81[1]
No. of anchor tenants6 (5 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area907,145 sq ft (84,276.5 m2)[1]
No. of floors1 (2 in anchors)
Parking4,600 spaces
Websitewww.oakwoodcenter.com

History

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"Oakwood Mall" opened in 1966, taking advantage of the increased development on the West Bank following the opening of the Crescent City Connection.[2] One of the former anchor stores was D. H. Holmes. It was replaced by a Dillard's store in 1992, and then by Marshalls.

Oakwood Center fell victim to significant damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The mall was heavily looted and set on fire on August 31, 2005. Nearly 80% of the stores experienced fire or water damage.[3] The main shopping area was closed during demolition and construction. Two department stores, Sears and Dillard's, along with Dollar Tree, Foot Locker, and the Bank of Louisiana reopened before the entire mall reopened. Oakwood Center completely reopened on October 19, 2007, except for the Mervyns wing.

Forever 21 and Shoe Department Encore replaced the Marshalls.

In 2013, it was confirmed that the Mervyn's wing would be torn down for Dick's Sporting Goods.[4]

After renovations, the center includes three sit-down restaurants; over 360,000 square feet (33,000 m2) of floor space boasting over 80 specialty shops (regional and national retailers); and a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) food pavilion.

On January 5, 2017, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 104 stores nationwide. The store closed in March 2017.[5]

Anchors

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Current

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Former

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  • D. H. Holmes (Converted to Dillard's in 1989, Moved to a new building in 1991)
  • Mervyn’s (Closed in 2005, Never reopened after Hurricane Katrina, became Dick's sporting goods in 2013)
  • Sears (189,600 square foot) (Closed in 2017)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Oakwood Center". Brookfield Properties.
  2. ^ "Lakeside Shopping Center; Metairie, Louisiana". 15 November 2007.
  3. ^ "Oakwood mall on fire". The Times-Picayune. September 1, 2005.
  4. ^ Shaw, Andrea (December 17, 2012). "Oakwood, Terrytown welcome reuse of dormant properties". The Times-Picayune.
  5. ^ LaRose, Greg. "Kmart closing in Elmwood; Sears to leave Gretna store". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2021-08-18.
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Interior, April 2009