Shopping Is a Feeling

Peter: 14th Jan 2009 - 04:24 GMT

WOW again... these are absolutely great. totally classic.

this post makes me forget everything i hate about shopping malls... i especially love both the parade through the mall on opening day as well as the antique (even antique in 1960 no less!) automobile display. wait... and a zoo?! gtfo... maybe if im really good, someday after i die, ill go to southdale for eternity. yup. you can find me in Owl Lot, thanks.

Franny Wentzel: 14th Jan 2009 - 04:49 GMT

Southdale does have an entrance to the underworld...

Peter: 14th Jan 2009 - 05:11 GMT

awesome! please tell me that it doesnt open to the denver airport on the other side, hahaha...

Franny Wentzel: 14th Jan 2009 - 05:24 GMT

A good article on Victor Greun and the real reason there are some many shopping malls in the USA...

http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/03/15/040315fa_fact1?printable=true

Tyfoid Kid: 14th Jan 2009 - 21:48 GMT

This is the mall I went to as a kid. It's still there. There four "Dales" Southdale, Rosedale (in a suburb north of St.Paul called Rosedale,) Brookdale (in a suburb called Brooklyn Park) and Ridgedale. They were all anchored by the big retailer in the town at the time Daytons. Daytons started that little discount store called Target. Daytons bought Marshall-Fields (out of Chicago) in the 80s and decided in the 90's to rename all they Daytons stores to Marshall-Fields (they also owned Mervyns.) Target being the larger of the two entities then took over as the name of the company and then they sold Marshall-Fields to May who then was bought by Macys so now all the Dales (except Brookdale which is a rough part of town now) are anchored by a Macys. Southdale was completely redone inside and out in the 90's so all this bird cages and goldfish ponds are gone (I remember them being there.) The one Wing of the projected medical building complex near the top is still there but there was nothing else added. There is a hospital across the street. Hey the high today was -5, they figured way not have a shopping street inside.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Southdale&sll=45.004798,-93.43439&sspn=0.012592,0.02547&g=2320+Kirkwood+Ln+N,+Minneapolis,+MN+55441&ie=UTF8&ll=44.882923,-93.327484&spn=0,359.97453&z=16&layer=c&cbll=44.882985,-93.327385&panoid=aWoyAAlbd8C8WzwAU19LCQ&cbp=12,341.31370650915034,,0,9.886374747599572

Cartlegger: 15th Jan 2009 - 16:33 GMT

Its great to see Shopping malls looking modern and attractive and relevant. It goes back to the original mall concept! Now, I suppose their age is over. But they were captured at their most fresh in this images.

Having grown up in the 80's, i missed this era, but you brought it back to us! Thanks!

George Riemer: 1st Mar 2009 - 23:38 GMT

Southdale was the original Climate Controled, Two Level Modern Shopping Mall,
Opened in Oct.1956 near Minneapolis. This was created by Victor Gruen and many
of his fine Associates and Partners like Herman Guttman and fellow Austrian
Architect/Designer Rudy Baumfeld. This original mall has created a new modern
concept for Shopping Centers around the Globe. Today they are hundreds or thousands
malls are all over the world.

anon (c-98-239-31-232.hsd1.ms.comcast.net): 13th Dec 2010 - 06:34 GMT

A lot of great memories growing up in the 60's snd 70's going to Southdale. I can still smell, hear and see it all. Always got ice cream at Woolworth's and sat by the bird cage or fish pond while we ate it.

Franny Wentzel: 26th Jan 2012 - 22:54 GMT

Such is the passage of time that the cars in the parking lot of 1960s Southdale are older now than the antique cars on display were then.