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COLUMBUS SQUARE MALL: COLUMBUS, GA

Eric Hopp's Commentary

Posted September 3, 2006 (user submitted February 7, 2006)

This was the first mall in Columbus Georgia located off of Macon Road in Columbus. It was located approximately three miles from downtown Columbus and as built in 1965.

The mall was a landmark and a focal point for the Columbus Georgia area with Fort Benning being close by. Sears and J.C. Penney were the main anchor stores. I know it was quite popular in 1967/68 due to my mother telling me that my grandmother walked her around the mall when she was in labor with me and it was quite crowded. The demise probably began with the opening and success of Peachtree Mall a few miles away in the 1970's. This I feel was the main reason the mall failed, but some argue that Columbus Square's location near the poorer area of town contributed to the closing as well.

In the 1990's Columbus Square Mall became a "ghost mall" so to speak. Even new ownership couldn't help the mall and by 1995 things were looking very bad:

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA) - December 27, 1995 - A1 FRONT

MORE BAD NEWS FOR MALL

Six stores will close at Columbus Square Mall in the next month, leaving only 18 of its 63 storefronts occupied The Christmas jingle ``It's the most wonderful time of the year'' still broadcast over Columbus Square Mall's loudspeakers Tuesday. But the cheery tune couldn't belie that the holiday shopping season dealt a harsh blow to the ailing shopping center, where six stores will close in the next month.

This same year J.C. Penney also relocated to the more prosperous Peachtree Mall as well.

The following year signaled the end:

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (GA) - November 17, 1996 - B1 LOCAL

COLUMBUS SQUARE FLOUNDERING WITHOUT FOCUS

Vacant store after vacant store killing traffic; retailers unsure of mall's future. It doesn't take long to count the number of stores in Columbus Square Mall that are still open. More than 70 percent of some 60 spaces at the 500,000-square-foot Macon Road mall are vacant, and only two stores along the mall's front -- Sears and a pool and spa store -- remain open. Last week, the mall suffered yet another blow when Hooters of America closed its doors.

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Finally in 2001 the mall closed with Sears departing to the new outdoor "mall" in north Columbus. The city purchased the mall and shortly afterward it was torn down. In it's place a new libary will be built.

   
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