# Colonial Plaza

Orlando, FL · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-c0ba87a890` · release 2026-10-20

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/fl/orlando-colonial-plaza/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-c0ba87a890.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-c0ba87a890.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-c0ba87a890

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | operating | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | reinhabit | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | retail | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | A renovation between 1995 and 1996 restructured the complex into an open-air power center. | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1956 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 1995 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Acres | 20.0 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | R. M. Thompson Co. | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_opened**: “Colonial Plaza opened for business on January 31, 1956.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Plaza
- **acres**: “Overall, the center had a total of 20 acres (8.1 ha) of shop space at the time” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Plaza
- **original_developer**: “development, construction, contracting, and engineering were handled by the R. M. Thompson Co. of Clearwater.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Plaza
- **after_notes**: “A renovation between 1995 and 1996 restructured the complex into an open-air power center.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Plaza
- **status**: “Colonial Plaza is a shopping mall in Orlando, Florida, United States.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Plaza
- **strategy**: “A renovation between 1995 and 1996 restructured the complex into an open-air power center.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Plaza

## Anchors

Dillard's, Belk, Jordan Marsh, Ivey's

## Parties

- Weingarten Realty — owner (from text) (2001–)

## Timeline

- 1954: Groundbreaking began
- 1956: Opened for business
- 1961: First expansion
- 1973: Second expansion
- 1983: Ivey's added
- 1990: Ivey's sold to Dillard's
- 1991: Vacancy increase and anchor closures
- 1995: Renovation to open-air power center
- 2001: Weingarten Realty ownership

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

Colonial Plaza is a shopping mall in Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened in 1956, it was the largest retail development in the state of Florida at the time of its construction. The original complex included two supermarkets and two variety stores, plus a Belk department store. It underwent multiple expansions in its history, the first of which added a Jordan Marsh department store and an enclosed mall concourse. Further expansion in 1973 added a second enclosed wing and a relocation of Belk, while Ivey's was added in 1983 and sold to Dillard's in 1990.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Plaza

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_opened — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Plaza

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Colonial Plaza, Orlando, FL." Record m-c0ba87a890, release 2026-10-20, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/fl/orlando-colonial-plaza/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_orlandocolonialplaza,
  title = {Colonial Plaza, Orlando, FL},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/fl/orlando-colonial-plaza/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-c0ba87a890, release 2026-10-20, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}
```

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.