Malls · Texas
Big Town Mall
Opened 1959. Owner of record Mountain Mesquite LLC.
Status nowDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
documented
In early 2006, the decision was made to tear down the mall. The demolition project started on the week of May 22, 2006, and was completed in September of that year.
Owner of recordMountain Mesquite LLCcounty assessor, 2026-10-15 reported
Retrofit yearNot yet retrofittedstatus reported
Walkability5.7 of 20 · 15-minute 4 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNoOpenStreetMap, HUD
Reach the owner Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this recordhttps://retrofitatlas.org/malls/tx/mesquite-big-town-mall/
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. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile14 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Former anchors
JCPenney
This site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with thisMontgomery Ward
This site: Montgomery Ward wikipedia · all sites with thisFinance and pipeline
Closed or demolished, no retrofit recorded
This site: …demolished extraction · all sites with thisOn Facebook
This site: …https://www.facebook.com/129864733722115 overture · all sites with thisWebsite alive
This site: …http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Town_Mall overture / http check · all sites with thisOwnership
Single-purpose entity
This site: MOUNTAIN MESQUITE LLC county-parcels · all sites with thisPlace
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent road
This site: 82,722 on a counted road fhwa-hpms · all sites with thisCar-dependent block group (EPA < 6)
This site: …index 5.7 epa-walkability · all sites with thisCounty permitting 2,000+ apartment units a year
This site: 6,824 units, Dallas County census-bps · all sites with thisHigh heat wave risk
This site: Very High fema-nri · all sites with thisHigh tornado risk
This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with thisInterstate or freeway within 600 m
This site: fhwa-hpms · all sites with thisTract house prices doubled in 10 years
This site: +117% fhfa · all sites with thisNew use
Entertainment and sports
This site: As of September 13, 2011, the Big Town Bowling Lanes were demolished. The only remaining structure on the extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed documentedIn early 2006, the decision was made to tear down the mall. The demolition project started on the week of May 22, 2006, and was completed in September of that year. |
|---|---|
| What is there now | As of September 13, 2011, the Big Town Bowling Lanes were demolished. The only remaining structure on the property is the Exhibition Hall. The Exhibition Hall was remodeled in 2013 to retain current use for shows and conventions. In 2016, the remainder of the site was purchased by FedEx to develop a major distribution hub.extracted, unreviewed documentedAs of September 13, 2011, the Big Town Bowling Lanes were demolished. The only remaining structure on the property is the Exhibition Hall. The Exhibition Hall was remodeled in 2013 to retain current use for shows and conventions. In 2016, the remainder of the site was purchased by FedEx to develop a major distribution hub. |
| Owner of record | Mountain Mesquite LLCcounty assessor reported |
Parcels, tax and title
| Parcel | Owner of record | Acres | Use · zoning | Value (appraised · assessed · taxable) | Last sale · deed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
all 32 county fields
| Mountain Mesquite LLC | — | Commercial | — (appraised) assessed $32.0M | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | $32.0M |
Securitised debt and public filers
Filings (2001 to date) that name “Big Town Mall” and “Mesquite” (1 hits, first 1 sampled). 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) | MONMOUTH REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT CORP | 1 | 2017-06-26 to 2017-06-26 | 8-K 1 |
Site context
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
|---|---|
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 4: FEDERAL EXPRESS ZMES; FEDEX GROUND - MESQUITE; MCINTYRE TRUCK & TRAILER; THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANYEPA FRS |
| Census tract 48113017805 | 5,812 people, 1,753 per sq mi; median household income $59,888; median gross rent $1,320; 49% renters; 1.4% vacant units; 1.4% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 5.7 of 20; 58 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.5; 313,442 jobs within 45 min by car; 10% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 4 of 6 daily needs: 0 grocers, 1 schools, 3 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 1 civic, 0 food and drink; 0 cycleway segments, 5 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| Housing permits, Dallas County (TX), 2024 | 6,824 units in 5+ unit buildings, 232 in 2–4, 5,655 single-family; 2023: 7,855 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.72; socioeconomic 0.79; housing and transport 0.24; 33% below 150% of poverty; 14% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 10 within 25 km: Former Sears property at Town East Mall (7.5 km)computed |
| Overture Maps | place Big Town Mall (shopping_mall, confidence 0.59, from Overture, meta); building footprint 31,629 m², 6.862394332885742 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Website and social | en.wikipedia.org (alive); archived 2003–2025 (Wayback) · social: facebookOverture / Internet Archive |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 56,756 since 2015; 4,647 in the last 12 months (-14% vs the prior 12); peak 2023-10 with 783Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population -11% (6,519 → 5,812); median income +42% ($42,058 → $59,888); renters 48% → 49%; median home value +112% ($105,500 → $223,100)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | relatively moderate overall (score 80.2); expected annual loss $2.7M; high: tornado, heat wave, hail, cold wave; community resilience very lowFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | noneHUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 144,905 jobs in 8,234 establishments; average annual pay $51,455; employment location quotient 0.80; employment -1.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 8,778 jobs; 116 in retail trade, 481 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 48113017805)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 38th income percentile as adults; 5.3% incarcerated at the 2010 count (621 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | low-income, low-access tract (1 mile urban / 10 miles rural); 27% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 15.5%; median family income $45,313; 315 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Dallas Independent School District (PK-12); 6 public schools within 1 mile: UPLIFT LUNA PREPARATORY PRI; UPLIFT LUNA PREPARATORY H S; UPLIFT LUNA SECONDARY SCHOOL; TRINITY BASIN PREPARATORY INCNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 561 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 481 county-logged events: 196 hail, 140 thunderstorm wind, 113 flash flood, 12 lightning; $3,336,586,500 property damage reported; 8 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 75149, 2026-09 | median list price $252,500 (-6.5% on the year); 169 active listings; median 67 days on market; 29% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 7,783 establishments (+3%); 136,741 jobs (+20%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $304,821 (-2% 1 yr, +12% 5 yr); typical rent $1,653/mo (+1% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2025 | 311 (2000 = 100); -5.6% 1 yr, +43% 5 yr, +117% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 82,722 vehicles a day (freeway or expressway, 4 lanes); 8,921 trucks; 29 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Big Town Mall opened in 1959 as the first enclosed shopping mall in the Southwest. Its last anchor tenant, Montgomery Ward, closed in March 2001, and the mall was demolished in 2006, with the bowling lanes removed in 2011. The Exhibition Hall was remodeled in 2013 for shows and conventions, and the remaining site was purchased by FedEx in 2016 to develop a distribution hub.
Why. The record shows the closure of the anchor tenant Montgomery Ward in 2001 as a key factor leading to the mall's decline and eventual demolition. No explicit mention of competition, debt, or other causes is provided.
Where it stands. Today the Exhibition Hall remains under the ownership of Mountain Mesquite LLC and is used for shows and conventions, while FedEx controls the remainder of the parcel for its distribution hub development.
For a planner
- Adaptive reuse of the Exhibition Hall for shows and conventions
- Conversion of former mall land to a logistics/distribution hub by FedEx
- Open questions about long-term traffic impact, zoning compatibility, and future reuse options
For a developer
- Site assessed at $31,988,180 under commercial land use, owned by Mountain Mesquite LLC
- FedEx has acquired the remainder for a distribution hub, indicating advanced entitlement stage
- Median rent in the tract is $1,469, suggesting surrounding residential market strength
- No flood, transit, or environmental constraints are detailed in the record
What we do not know yet
- Exact site acreage and current zoning classification are not provided
- Floodplain status, transit access, and environmental remediation details are missing
- Specifics of FedEx's distribution hub plan (size, timeline, approvals) are not in the record
- Financial terms of the 2016 purchase and any outstanding liabilities are unknown
- The record's verification status is 'draft' and some fields (origins, opp_reasons) are model‑extracted and unreviewed
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
- Parkdale Plaza, Corpus Christi, TX · Malls · opened 1957; also in TX
- Sanger Harris downtown flagship, Dallas, TX · Other · opened 1965; also in TX; 12 km away
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: Big Town Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and state only, check the city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- Big Town Mall - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia alchetron.com
- Big Town Mall Mesquite,TX | Big Town Mall located at I-30 & … | Fl… flickr.com
- Gallery: Big Town Mall > Daytime Followup > Main concourse uer.ca
- Big Town Mall, Mesquite TX (1959-2001) : r/deadmalls reddit.com
- Hugo Zoom: Big Town Mall-Mesquite,Tx hugozoom.blogspot.com
- Malls of America - Vintage photos of lost Shopping Malls of the '50s ... mallsofamerica.blogspot.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
- median rent $1,469
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 | 1959Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Anchors | JCPenney, Montgomery Ward, Sanger-Harris |
| County | Dallas County |
| Census division | 7 · West South Central |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Big Town Mall was a shopping mall located in the Dallas suburb of Mesquite, Texas. Built in 1959, it was the first enclosed shopping mall in the Southwest. Its last anchor tenant closed in March 2001, and it was demolished in 2006.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1959 Opened (Wikidata)
- 1959 Opened
- 2001 Last anchor tenant (Montgomery Ward) closed
- 2006 Demolition started
- 2006 Demolition completed
- 2011 Bowling lanes demolished
- 2013 Exhibition Hall remodeled for shows/conventions
- 2016 Site purchased by FedEx for distribution hub
Sources
- Wikipedia: Big Town Mall · supports: after notes, status
9 quoted sentences
As of September 13, 2011, the Big Town Bowling Lanes were demolished. The only remaining structure on the property is the Exhibition Hall. The Exhibition Hall was remodeled in 2013 to retain current use for shows and conventions. In 2016, the remainder of the site was purchased by FedEx to develop a major distribution hub.
In early 2006, the decision was made to tear down the mall. The demolition project started on the week of May 22, 2006, and was completed in September of that year.
Built in 1959, it was the first enclosed shopping mall in the Southwest.
Its last anchor tenant (Montgomery Ward) closed in March 2001, and it was demolished in 2006.
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