Malls · Florida
University Mall (Pensacola)
Opened 1974. Closed 2013. Redeveloped in 2013.
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from.
Site profile16 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Belk
This site: Belk wikipedia · all sites with thisJ. C. Penney
This site: J. C. Penney wikipedia · all sites with thisJCPenney
This site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with thisSears
This site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with thisOn Facebook
This site: …https://www.facebook.com/120295954698623 overture · all sites with this30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent road
This site: 90,000 on I-10 fhwa-hpms · all sites with thisBike network nearby
This site: 43 ways openstreetmap · all sites with thisHigh hurricane risk
This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with thisHigh social vulnerability tract (SVI ≥ 0.75)
This site: 0.89 cdc-svi · all sites with thisInterstate or freeway within 600 m
This site: I-10 fhwa-hpms · all sites with thisLower-income tract (< $50k)
This site: $45,801 census-acs · all sites with thisRenter-majority tract
This site: 56% census-acs · all sites with thisTract house prices doubled in 10 years
This site: +125% fhfa · all sites with thisWalkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)
This site: …index 14.2 epa-walkability · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: Anchor stores of the outdoor complex are J. C. Penney, Burlington, BJ's Wholesale Club, Conn's and Academy Sports + Outdoors. extraction · all sites with thisRetail (continued)
This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Operatingextracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed |
| New uses | retailextracted, unreviewed |
| What is there now | Anchor stores of the outdoor complex are J. C. Penney, Burlington, BJ's Wholesale Club, Conn's and Academy Sports + Outdoors.extracted, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2013extracted, unreviewed |
Securitised debt and public filers
Filings (2001 to date) that name “University Mall” and “Pensacola” (216 hits, first 100 sampled, 4 other filers such as tenants left out). Common name: these matches are unreliable. No commercial-mortgage trust names this mall in the sample, which does not rule out a securitised loan. Text matches, not a title search. Open the search · all trusts.
| Kind | Filer | Filings | Dates | Forms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public owner (weak) | SIMON PROPERTY GROUP INC /DE/ (SPG, SPG-PJ) | 54 | 2002-05-17 to 2011-07-26 | 8-K 39, 10-K 14, 8-K/A 1 |
| Public owner (weak) | Brixmor Property Group Inc. (BRX) | 10 | 2015-02-19 to 2018-04-30 | 8-K 6, 10-K 4 |
| Public owner (weak) | Brixmor Operating Partnership LP | 10 | 2015-02-19 to 2018-04-30 | 8-K 6, 10-K 4 |
| Public owner (weak) | NEW PLAN EXCEL REALTY TRUST INC | 6 | 2003-05-08 to 2006-11-02 | 8-K 6 |
| Public owner (weak) | EQUITY ONE INC | 5 | 2003-03-31 to 2004-02-19 | 8-K 4, 10-K 1 |
| Public owner (weak) | SIMON PROPERTY GROUP L P /DE/ | 2 | 2001-03-30 to 2002-04-01 | 10-K 2 |
| Public owner (weak) | KONOVER PROPERTY TRUST INC | 2 | 2001-04-02 to 2001-04-12 | 10-K/A 1, 10-K 1 |
| Public owner (weak) | GLIMCHER REALTY TRUST | 1 | 2001-03-16 to 2001-03-16 | 10-K 1 |
Site context
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
|---|---|
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 10: AMOCO SERVICE STATION #60054; BJS WHOLESALE CLUB #382; BJS WHOLESALE CLUB #382 GAS STATION; JIM N NICKS PENSACOLA #2003; PHOTO WORLDEPA FRS |
| Census tract 12033001202 | 3,888 people, 2,071 per sq mi; median household income $45,801; median gross rent $1,171; 56% renters; 15.1% vacant units; 0.2% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 14.2 of 20; 53 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 433 m; land-use mix 0.82; 33,034 jobs within 45 min by car, 27,660 by transit; 8% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 2 of 6 daily needs: 0 grocers, 0 schools, 0 parks or playgrounds, 0 health, 2 civic, 17 food and drink; 43 cycleway segments, 75 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| Housing permits, Escambia County (FL), 2024 | 0 units in 5+ unit buildings, 16 in 2–4, 1,446 single-family; 2023: 0 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.89; socioeconomic 0.89; housing and transport 0.86; 34% below 150% of poverty; 10% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Overture Maps | place University Mall (shopping_mall, confidence 0.77, from Foursquare, Overture); building footprint 6,556 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Website and social | no website listed · social: facebookOverture / Internet Archive |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 20,962 since 2015; 1,764 in the last 12 months (+3% vs the prior 12); peak 2015-07 with 311Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population +2% (3,813 → 3,888); median income +42% ($32,132 → $45,801); renters 59% → 56%; median home value +67% ($114,300 → $191,200)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | relatively moderate overall (score 72.0); expected annual loss $2.7M; high: hurricane, lightning; community resilience relatively lowFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | 1 LIHTC properties, 93 units: Lucas Creek (93 units)HUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 1,120 establishments (-1%); 17,089 jobs (+14%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $280,027 (+1% 1 yr, +18% 5 yr); typical rent $1,646/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2025 | 313 (2000 = 100); +13.5% 1 yr, +60% 5 yr, +125% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 90,000 vehicles a day on I-10 (Interstate, 6 lanes); 7,290 trucks; 31 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Opened in 1974 as an indoor mall with anchors J. C. Penney, Sears, and McRae's, University Mall operated until 2013 when it closed. In 2013 the mall was partially demolished and rebuilt as an outdoor complex retaining J. C. Penney and adding Burlington, BJ's Wholesale Club, Conn's, and Academy Sports + Outdoors. The site is now operating as an outdoor retail center.
Why. The record does not specify the reasons for closure or redevelopment.
Where it stands. The site is currently operating as an outdoor retail complex owned and managed by Washington Prime.
For a planner
- Redevelopment strategy indicated in record (strategy: redevelop, new_use: retail).
- Retrofit completed in 2013, converting indoor mall to outdoor complex.
- Open question: long-term performance and tenant stability of the outdoor format.
For a developer
- Site size: 715,623 sq ft GLA.
- Controlled by Washington Prime (owner).
- Entitlements appear completed (status operating, year_retrofit 2013).
- Context-layer constraints (flood, transit, environment) not provided in record.
- Market signals from tract data not provided.
What we do not know yet
- Cause of closure and anchor losses not stated in record.
- Flood risk, transit access, and environmental constraints unknown.
- Detailed current tenant mix and lease terms beyond listed anchors unavailable.
- Financial performance and operating costs post‑retrofit not provided.
- Some fields (year_closed, year_retrofit, after_notes) are model‑extracted and marked as unverified (verified: draft).
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Rhode Island Mall, Warwick, RI · Malls · similar GLA (579,499 sq ft); opened 1967; closed 2011
- Centre of Tallahassee, Tallahassee, FL · Malls · similar GLA (965,680 sq ft); opened 1971; same strategy: redevelop
- Century Plaza, Birmingham, AL · Malls · similar GLA (740,000 sq ft); opened 1975; closed 2009
- Euclid Square Mall, Euclid, OH · Malls · similar GLA (632,043 sq ft); opened 1977; closed 2016
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: University Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- University Mall Pensacola Cordova Mall Closes fity.club
- Post by @dead-malls · 6 images tumblr.com
- University Mall - Pensacola, FL : r/deadmalls reddit.com
- DEAD MALL BLOG — University Mall. 1974-2013. … dead-malls.tumblr.com
- University Mall Dollar Movies 8 in Pensacola, FL - Cinema Treasures cinematreasures.org
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- 715,623 sq ft GLA (large site)
- county grew 3.8% 2018–23
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Opened | 1974Esri 2014 layer |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2013extracted, unreviewed |
| Gross leasable area | 715,623 sq ftEsri 2014 layer |
| Stores at peak | 79Esri 2014 layer |
| Anchors | JCPenney, Sears, Belk, McRae's, J. C. Penney |
| Address | Davis Hwy. & Creighton Rd. |
| County | Escambia |
| Census division | 5 · South Atlantic |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, original developer. Know it? Tell us.
Background
University Town Plaza is an outdoor shopping mall in Pensacola, Florida, United States. It is being developed on the site of the former University Mall, which operated from 1974 to 2013. The mall's original anchor stores were J. C. Penney, Sears, and McRae's. In 2013, the mall was torn down except for its anchor stores and rebuilt as an outdoor complex. Anchor stores of the outdoor complex are J. C. Penney, Burlington, BJ's Wholesale Club, Conn's and Academy Sports + Outdoors. The mall is owned and managed by Washington Prime.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1974 Opened
- 2013 Closed
- 2013 Demolished (partial) and rebuilt as outdoor complex
Sources
- Wikipedia: University Mall (Pensacola, Florida) · supports: after notes, status, strategy, year closed
6 quoted sentences
It is being developed on the site of the former University Mall, which operated from 1974 to 2013.
Anchor stores of the outdoor complex are J. C. Penney, Burlington, BJ's Wholesale Club, Conn's and Academy Sports + Outdoors.
The mall is owned and managed by Washington Prime.
In 2013, the mall was torn down except for its anchor stores and rebuilt as an outdoor complex.
- Esri StoryMaps: Closed_US_Malls feature layer (2014) · 2014-10-02