ViaPort Florida
Coordinates: 28°49′30″N 81°47′04″W / 28.824986°N 81.784542°W
| Location | Leesburg, Florida |
|---|---|
| Address | 10401 U.S. 441 |
| Opening date | 1980 |
| Developer | General Growth Properties |
| Owner | Via Properties |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 559,000 square feet[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 |
ViaPort Florida (formerly known as Lake Square Mall) is an enclosed shopping mall in Leesburg, Florida. Opened in 1980, it is managed by Lake Square Mall Realty Management and Via Properties. Anchor stores are Belk, Sears, and Via Entertainment
History
The mall was built in 1980 by General Growth Properties, with Belk Lindsey, J. C. Penney, and Sears as the anchor stores. An expansion comprising Target was first proposed in 1989,[2] as part of an expansion that added ten new storefronts.[3] Target opened in March 1992.[4]
In 1995, the movie theater complex, owned by AMC Theatres, expanded from six screens to twelve.[5] Also, Belk expanded its store into an adjacent storefront previously occupied by Rite Aid.[6] A year later, the J. C. Penney store was remodeled, and a stage was removed from center court.[7] Simon Property Group and Macerich bought the mall in 1997, just after Books-A-Million was added.[8][9] PetSmart was added in 2011.[10]
The closure of the Target store was announced in November 2013.[11] That same month, Macerich put the mall up for auction, and by March 2014, sold it to Kohan Retail Investment Group.[12] Target ended up closing on February 1, 2014. In January 2014, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing its store by May 2014,[13] and as a matter of fact closed on May 3, 2014. On September 3, 2014, Kohan sold the mall at an undisclosed amount to Via Properties of Istanbul, Turkey, and as of now, Via Properties is currently renovating the mall.[14]
References
- ↑ "Mall profile" (PDF). Macerich. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Van Herik, Ed (4 November 1989). "Talks Under Way To Open Discount Store In Lake Square Mall". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Weber, Dave (12 October 1991). "Construction at mall stays on target". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Jorden Spitz, Jill (11 March 1992). "Target Store Will Open On Sunday". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Coole, Terri (29 January 1995). "Amc Lake Square 6 Planning To Expand To 12 Screens By Fall". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Weber, Dave (5 November 1995). "Remodeled, Expanded Belk Opens At Lake Square Mall". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Sheckler, Sara (29 September 1996). "Lake Square Mall In Leesburg Continuing To Evolve". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Fernandez, Don (30 December 1997). "Lake Square Mall Bought By Debartolo". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ "Simon-Macerich buy 12 IBM malls". Shopping Centers Today. January–February 1998. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Show, Christine (26 January 2011). "PetSmart expected to open at Lake Square Mall in Leesburg this summer". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ↑ Ruano González, Eloísa (5 November 2013). "Target at Lake Square Mall, an anchor store, will close Feb. 1". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ Ruano González, Eloísa (11 November 2013). "Struggling Lake Square Mall to go on auction block". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
- ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/01/15/jc-penney/4495963/
- ↑ http://www.dailycommercial.com/news/article_547b9097-1538-56b6-9923-7fe9b7483898[]