Lake Square Mall

Lake Square Mall (formerly known as ViaPort Florida) is an enclosed shopping mall in Leesburg, Florida, United States. Opened on September 24, 1980, it is managed by Exclusive Management and Properties. The malls anchor stores are Belk and an entertainment center named Via Entertainment.

Lake Square Mall
LocationLeesburg, Florida, United States
Coordinates28.824986°N 81.784542°W / 28.824986; -81.784542
Address10401 U.S. Route 441
Opening dateSeptember 24, 1980
DeveloperGeneral Growth Properties
OwnerExclusive Management and Properties, Inc
No. of anchor tenants4 (2 open, 2 vacant)
Total retail floor area559,000 sq ft (51,900 m2)[1]
No. of floors1
Public transit access LakeXpress bus: 1
Websitelakesquaremall.com

History

The mall was built in 1980 by General Growth Properties, with Belk Lindsey, J. C. Penney, and Sears as the anchor stores. An expansion comprising Target was first proposed in 1989,[2] as part of an expansion that added ten new storefronts.[3] Target opened in March 1992.[4]

In 1995, the movie theater complex, owned by AMC Theatres, expanded from six screens to twelve.[5] Also, Belk expanded its store into an adjacent storefront previously occupied by Rite Aid.[6] A year later, the J. C. Penney store was remodeled, and a stage was removed from center court.[7] Simon Property Group and Macerich bought the mall in 1997, just after Books-A-Million was added.[8][9] PetSmart was added in 2011.[10]

The closure of the Target store was announced in November 2013.[11] That same month, Macerich put the mall up for auction, and by March 2014, sold it to Kohan Retail Investment Group.[12] Target ended up closing on February 1, 2014. In January 2014, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing its store by May 2014,[13] and as a matter of fact closed on May 3, 2014. On September 3, 2014, Kohan sold the mall at an undisclosed amount to Via Properties of Istanbul, Turkey, who renovated the mall into ViaPort Florida.[14]

In 2017, ViaPort Florida was purchased by Exclusive Management and Properties, Inc. The new owners changed the name back to Lake Square Mall, and they plan to cut down the vacancy rate and plan to renovate the mall's facade.[15]

On August 31, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location a part of a plan to close 92 stores nationwide. The store closed in December 2019.[16]

References
  1. "Mall profile" (PDF). Macerich. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  2. Van Herik, Ed (4 November 1989). "Talks Under Way To Open Discount Store In Lake Square Mall". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  3. Weber, Dave (12 October 1991). "Construction at mall stays on target". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  4. Jorden Spitz, Jill (11 March 1992). "Target Store Will Open On Sunday". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  5. Coole, Terri (29 January 1995). "Amc Lake Square 6 Planning To Expand To 12 Screens By Fall". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  6. Weber, Dave (5 November 1995). "Remodeled, Expanded Belk Opens At Lake Square Mall". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  7. Sheckler, Sara (29 September 1996). "Lake Square Mall In Leesburg Continuing To Evolve". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  8. Fernandez, Don (30 December 1997). "Lake Square Mall Bought By Debartolo". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  9. "Simon-Macerich buy 12 IBM malls". Shopping Centers Today. January–February 1998. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  10. Show, Christine (26 January 2011). "PetSmart expected to open at Lake Square Mall in Leesburg this summer". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
  11. Ruano González, Eloísa (5 November 2013). "Target at Lake Square Mall, an anchor store, will close Feb. 1". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  12. Ruano González, Eloísa (11 November 2013). "Struggling Lake Square Mall to go on auction block". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  13. "J.C. Penney closing 33 stores, laying off 2,000".
  14. http://www.dailycommercial.com/news/article_547b9097-1538-56b6-9923-7fe9b7483898%5B%5D
  15. Ruiter, Jason. "Via Port Florida mall sold for $23 million, new owners vow to cut vacancy rate".
  16. Tyko, Kelly (August 31, 2019). "Kmart, Sears store closings: More locations to shutter by end of 2019". USA Today. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
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