# University Mall

Little Rock, AR · mall · tier: curated · Retrofit Atlas record `m-539ee169dc` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ar/little-rock-university-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-539ee169dc.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-539ee169dc.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-539ee169dc

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | built | reported · derived from authors' map (retrofit year present) |
| Strategy | redevelop | reported · authors' map |
| What is there now | • Redevelopment: retail and residential, new streets | reported · authors' map |
| Opened | 1967 | reported · Wikidata |
| Closed | 2007 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2013 | reported · authors' map |
| Acres | 28.0 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Melvin Simon & Associates | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_closed**: “operated for approximately 40 years, from 1967 until 2007.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Mall_(Arkansas)
- **acres**: “During the next 15 years, the two managed to acquire the surrounding 28 acres (110,000 m2) for the mall site.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Mall_(Arkansas)
- **original_developer**: “The developer was Melvin Simon & Associates, an Indianapolis-based real estate developer and management company, now known as Simon Property Group Inc.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Mall_(Arkansas)

## Anchors

JCPenney, Montgomery Ward, MM Cohn

## Parties

- Developers Inc. — owner (from text) (1965–2007)
- Strode Property Company — owner (from text) (2007–2018)

## Timeline

- 1965: Plans for the mall were announced
- 1967: Opened (Wikidata)
- 1967: University Mall opened
- 1975: Cosmetic renovations and rename to University Mall
- 1987: $15 million expansion and renovations announced
- 1988: Grand four-day reopening after expansion
- 2001: Montgomery Ward bankruptcy triggers anchor loss
- 2007: Sale to Strode Property Company
- 2013: Retrofit: redevelop
- 2017: Associated buildings razed beginning December 2017
- 2018: Demolition of primary structure begins

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

University Mall, originally The Mall, is a defunct shopping center in Little Rock, Arkansas, which operated for approximately 40 years, from 1967 until 2007. When it closed, University Mall was the oldest enclosed shopping center in the Little Rock metropolitan area. Located in the central part of Little Rock, the site is situated along South University Avenue, north of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Interstate 630. The mall was managed by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Mall_(Arkansas)

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_closed — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_Mall_(Arkansas)
- Retrofitting Suburbia Interactive Mall Map (ArcGIS web map ce33ab26…) — https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=ce33ab2637374aab862b8a23847f620f (2021-01-20)

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "University Mall, Little Rock, AR." Record m-539ee169dc, release 2026-10-21, tier curated. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ar/little-rock-university-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_littlerockuniversitymall,
  title = {University Mall, Little Rock, AR},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ar/little-rock-university-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-539ee169dc, release 2026-10-21, tier: curated. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.