Severance Towne Center

USA / Ohio / Cleveland Heights /
 place with historical importance, shopping mall
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Severance Town Center's relatively brief history reflects the sweep of bold beginnings, gradual decline and multiple reinventions that characterize much of the history of the American shopping mall. Ground was broken for the Severance Center, Ohio's first fully-enclosed shopping mall, in February 1962 and its grand opening took place October 17, 1963. The complex was anchored by a three level Higbee's and two level Halle's, Cleveland's leading department stores. Two levels of spacious indoor shopping with a dazzling array of shops connected the two anchor stores.

The mall received a facelift renovation in 1972 and then was expanded in 1981. Another renovation was completed in 1985. Throughout these make-overs many stores opnened and closed, including the replacements for the original anchors. By the mid-1980's Severance Center had become well known for criminal incidents. In a move to minimize the negative perceptions of the mall, the Cleveland Heights City Hall, jail and court complex relocated to new buildings at the corner of the mall site in 1986. The civic center and retail hub was renamed the Severance Town Center.

The mall struggled to keep anchor tenants through the 1990s. Finally, the shuttered anchor stores were razed in the summer of 1996, with the remainder of the mall being bulldozed two years later. It was replaced in 2000 by a new and much smaller center anchored by Home Depot and Wal-Mart. Long gone were the early glory days of higher end shopping in a novel, sleek indoor environment drawing shoppers from the far reaches of Cleveland's eastern suburbs. For now local shoppers have a mix of super big box anchors and smaller discount stores with a municipal public safety complex nearby to provide a measure of reassurance that all's well.
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Coordinates:   41°31'1"N   81°33'4"W

Comments

  • They used to have a Gold Circle, and Halle's here in the early 80's. Halle's went under in 1982 while Gold Circle went under in 1988.
  • there is no mention of the 14 screen Regal Cinemas theatre which opened in the early part of 2000
  • I learned driving in and around the parking lot of Severene Center. That was in 1987!
  • I worked at La Petite Cafe at Severance in the mid and late 60's way before food courts. It was a classy place in the early days. Lots of good memories there.
This article was last modified 14 years ago