Malls · South Carolina

Ashley Plaza Mall

Imported, unreviewedOperatingCharleston, SC

Ashley Plaza Mall opened 1964, became West Ashley’s first indoor mall by 1972, remains operating under Sumar Corporation ownership in Charleston today. · summary, model-written

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Ashley Plaza Mall — Exterior view of a shopping center with Publix sign and parking lot filled with cars. · verified by a vision model. Photo: See below, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Site profile8 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place

30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent road

This site: 47,900 on SAM RITTENBERG BLVD fhwa-hpms · all sites with this

County typical rent $2,000+

This site: $2,150/mo zillow · all sites with this

Grocery within 800 m

This site: 1 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this

High earthquake risk

This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this

High hurricane risk

This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this

Tract house prices doubled in 10 years

This site: +142% fhfa · all sites with this

Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)

This site: …index 15.5 epa-walkability · all sites with this

New use

Retail (continued)

This site: …a shopping center extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

Status	Operatingextracted, unreviewed documented Ashley Landing is a shopping center in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. en.wikipedia.org
What is there now	a shopping centerextracted, unreviewed documented Ashley Landing is a shopping center in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. en.wikipedia.org

Site context

FEMA flood zone	no NFHL polygon at point (unmapped or outside coverage)FEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m	7: AMOCO OIL SS#6213; CLASSIC LINCOLN MERCURY INCORPORATED DEACTIVATED; OLMSTEAD MOTOR CARS; PARKER LINCOLN MERCURY; PRESSING CLUB CLEANERS INCORPORATEDEPA FRS
Census tract 45019002605	3,377 people, 2,343 per sq mi; median household income $62,656; median gross rent $1,146; 36% renters; 11.9% vacant units; 0.0% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)	index 15.5 of 20; 110 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 1,086 m; land-use mix 0.8; 65,702 jobs within 45 min by car, 540 by transit; 4% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)	4 of 6 daily needs: 1 grocers, 0 schools, 8 parks or playgrounds, 0 health, 1 civic, 9 food and drink; 0 cycleway segments, 30 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity Zone	noHUD
Housing permits, Charleston County (SC), 2024	857 units in 5+ unit buildings, 244 in 2–4, 3,052 single-family; 2023: 1,300 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)	overall percentile 0.68; socioeconomic 0.62; housing and transport 0.87; 24% below 150% of poverty; 5% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby	1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: Charles Towne Square (7.2 km)computed
Overture Maps	no place match; building footprint 16,685 m², 5.662150859832764 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Attention: Wikipedia page views	11,291 since 2015; 1,223 in the last 12 months (-10% vs the prior 12); peak 2025-05 with 260Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023	population -12% (3,815 → 3,377); median income +50% ($41,830 → $62,656); renters 38% → 36%; median home value +114% ($188,400 → $403,900)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)	relatively moderate overall (score 83.3); expected annual loss $3.4M; high: hurricane, earthquake; community resilience very highFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km	noneHUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)	30,188 jobs in 2,250 establishments; average annual pay $45,241; employment location quotient 1.08; employment -0.3% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 2022	2,129 jobs; 332 in retail trade, 119 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 45019002605)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)	children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 36th income percentile as adults; 1.8% incarcerated at the 2010 count (372 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)	not a low-access tract at 1 mile; 2% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 12.2%; median family income $63,000; 82 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
Schools	Charleston County School District (PK-12); 1 public school within 1 mile: Orange Grove Charter SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation	17 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025	405 county-logged events: 201 thunderstorm wind, 94 flash flood, 56 hail, 25 lightning; $1,106,500 property damage reported; 1 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 29407, 2026-09	median list price $575,000 (-4.1% on the year); 123 active listings; median 47 days on market; 35% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023	2,084 establishments (+7%); 29,490 jobs (+12%)Census CBP
Housing market in the county	typical home value $609,591 (+2% 1 yr, +39% 5 yr); typical rent $2,150/mo (+4% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2025	633 (2000 = 100); +6.1% 1 yr, +74% 5 yr, +142% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)	47,900 vehicles a day on SAM RITTENBERG BLVD (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 2,146 trucks; 37 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Ashley Plaza Mall opened in 1964 with J.M. Fields and a Pantry Pride supermarket. It was fully completed by 1972, becoming the first indoor mall in West Ashley, after Condon's Department Store joined as a third tenant in 1970. The center survived Hurricane Hugo's destruction of its neon pylon sign in 1989 and continues to operate as a shopping center.

Why. The record does not specify causes such as anchor loss, competition, debt, or demolition that affected the mall.

Where it stands. Ashley Plaza Mall remains operating and is owned by Sumar Corporation of South Carolina.

For a planner

First indoor mall in West Ashley (opened 1964, completed 1972) serves as an early retail precedent.
No policy tools or redevelopment plans are mentioned in the record; open questions include potential zoning changes, future ownership shifts, and site adaptation.
The record lacks detail on current tenant mix, lease terms, or any planned infrastructure improvements.

For a developer

Site size and exact parcel boundaries are not provided in the record.
Control lies with Sumar Corporation of South Carolina; entitlement stage and any pending approvals are unspecified.
Context-layer constraints such as flood risk, transit access, or environmental conditions are not described.
Market signals indicate the surrounding county grew 5.1% from 2018‑2023 and median rent is $1,506 per month.

What we do not know yet

Exact site dimensions, parcel count, and current tenant roster are missing.
Financial performance, debt load, and lease expiration details are not stated.
Environmental or flood‑zone risks, transit proximity, and zoning entitlements are unknown.
The record is marked as "draft" verified status, indicating possible unreviewed or model‑extracted information.
Condition of structures after the 1989 hurricane sign loss and any subsequent repairs are not detailed.

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

Charles Towne Square, North Charleston, SC · Malls · also in SC; 7 km away
McAlister Square, Greenville, SC · Malls · opened 1968; also in SC

Elsewhere on the web

Retail history: Ashley Plaza Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and city; nothing copied here

Pages with photos

Sky City: Retail History: Ashley Plaza Mall: Charleston, SC skycity2.blogspot.com
Overlay of original Ashley Plaza Mall on Ashley Landing Shopping Center ... reddit.com

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

county grew 5.1% 2018–23
median rent $1,506

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	1964extracted, unreviewed
Original developer	Gate City Realty Company of Fort Lauderdale, Floridaextracted, unreviewed documented The center, located at 1401 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard at the fork of Old Towne Road was developed by Gate City Realty Company of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. en.wikipedia.org
Anchors	Pantry Pride, J.M. Fields Department Stores, Pantry Pride supermarket, Condon's Department Store
County	Charleston County
Census division	5 · South Atlantic
Notes	Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Ashley Landing is a shopping center in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It was the first indoor shopping mall in the West Ashley area of Charleston when the complex was fully completed in 1972. The center, located at 1401 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard at the fork of Old Towne Road was developed by Gate City Realty Company of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ground was broken for the complex in 1962 with Ashley Plaza opening on April 16, 1964. At its opening the shopping center consisted of J.M. Fields Department Stores joined to a Pantry Pride supermarket, built at a cost of $1.75 million and owned by Sumar Corporation of South Carolina. The locally owned Condon's Department Store, constructed adjacent to Pantry Pride as a freestanding building, became the third tenant when it opened in 1970. The center, originally known as "Ashley Plaza" was noted for its large red and white neon pylon "Ashley Plaza" sign in the center of the parking lot that remained until 1989 when it was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

1962 Ground broken for the complex
1964 Ashley Plaza opens
1970 Condon's Department Store opens as third tenant
1972 Complex fully completed as first indoor mall in West Ashley
1989 Neon pylon sign destroyed by Hurricane Hugo

Sources

Wikipedia: Ashley Plaza Mall · supports: after notes, original developer, status, year opened
9 quoted sentences
Ashley Plaza opening on April 16, 1964.
The center, located at 1401 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard at the fork of Old Towne Road was developed by Gate City Realty Company of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Ashley Landing is a shopping center in Charleston, South Carolina, United States.
Ashley Landing is a shopping center in Charleston, South Carolina, United States.

Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Ashley Plaza Mall, Charleston, SC." Record m-98b3a7af9a, imported, unreviewed. Built on the public Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/sc/charleston-ashley-plaza-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

BibTeX

@misc{retrofitatlas_charlestonashleyplazamall,
  title = {Ashley Plaza Mall, Charleston, SC},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/sc/charleston-ashley-plaza-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-98b3a7af9a, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}

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