Before Meadowood Mall, before outlet centers, and long before lifestyle centers became fashionable, Reno had Park Lane Mall (originally, Park Lane Centre).
Opened in phases between 1965 and 1967, Park Lane was Northern Nevada's first true regional shopping center. Anchored by Sears and later Weinstock's, it brought together more than 50 stores in a single destination and helped shift retail activity away from downtown Reno.
This post features a rare 1967 Park Lane Mall directory and mall map, capturing the center during its first year of operation.
Mall map & directory
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| Park Lane mall map from the Nevada State Journal, March 9, 1967. |
Reno's first regional shopping center
Park Lane Mall didn't open all at once.
The project unfolded in three major phases:
Sears opened in September 1965, relocating from downtown Reno.
The main shopping center debuted in March 1967 with dozens of specialty stores and parking for 3,000 automobiles.
Weinstock's-Hale completed the project when it opened on July 31, 1967.
At the time, this was one of the largest retail developments ever built in Northern Nevada. For many Reno residents, Park Lane represented the future of shopping.
The 1967 directory map proudly advertised "Parking for 3000 cars" and promised more than 50 stores serving the growing community.
Anchor stores
In 1967, Park Lane Mall was anchored by:
- Sears
- Weinstock's-Hale
Notable stores
The directory includes many retailers that were once familiar sights in shopping malls across America:
- Joseph Magnin
- Thom McAn
- Roos/Atkins
- Swiss Colony
- Music City
- Woolworth
- Singer Sewing Machine
- Kinney Shoes
- Motherhood Maternity
- House of Fabrics
- World of Toys
- Anita
A snapshot of 1960s shopping
What makes this directory especially interesting is how clearly it reflects its era.
Department stores still dominated American retail. Specialty chains were expanding rapidly. Shopping centers were designed around convenience, with huge parking lots replacing the traditional downtown shopping district.
Park Lane wasn't enclosed when it first opened. Like many shopping centers of the period, it was designed as an open-air complex. Shoppers moved between stores beneath Nevada skies rather than beneath a roof.
That would change in 1979, when the center was enclosed to compete with newer malls, particularly Meadowood Mall across town.
More than a store list
Today, Park Lane Mall is gone. The mall closed in 2007 and was demolished shortly afterward, ending more than four decades of retail history.
But in 1967, none of that was imaginable.
The directory captures Park Lane at its most optimistic moment: a brand-new shopping center, two major department stores, dozens of specialty retailers, and a vision of suburban shopping that seemed destined to last forever.
Comments
I know little of the Reno market, but it would appear that Park Lane probably should have disappeared a long time ago and probably would have had Gottschalks not stepped in. (I'm assuming they took over the Sears spot)
Yes, it would have been great to see them pick up stores like Old Navy, Ross, and the like. But those retailers and any smaller tenants attracted to them are likely going to want visibility from the parking lot, making the existing design impratical.
Had the mall remained an outdoor faclity, it would have been much easier to renovate via a partial teardown.
I wonder what will happen with Shopper's Square across the street and the dead mall, Reno Town Mall, just down the street.
Scott
I'd love to know why Sears left. Sears stores quite often stay put no matter what happens to the rest of the mall. (Florin Mall is an example) In fact, I know of a mall in Houston, TX(Westwood) that was converted entirely to an office complex EXCEPT FOR SEARS which is still there to this day.
With TWO anchors,(Sears and Gottschalks) Park Lane could have stood a better chance, though it wouldn't have gotten the theatre.
Which brings me to this question. We see a lot of older malls acquiring multiplexes as anchors, yet they very often wind up separate and across the parking lot from the main mall. You'd think that these theatres could attract restaurants and other tenants to the adjacent mall spaces if they were actually PART of the mall itself.
Is it a security issue, or the theatres wanting parking lot frontage? Either way, those don't sound like insurmountable design challenges to me.
Park Lane did the same thing... and yes, taking the old Sears land. I once found a picture showing a plan for an expanded Park Lane, with the mall being pushed out, and curved, to the cinema. Although, the expansion may not have been enclosed. It probably would have had the usual power center restaurants (Texas Roadhouse, etc). In fact, we may still see something similar in a new shopping center that may replace Park Lane.
One place where the cinema was done properly: Eastridge Mall. The lines for movies stretches into the mall, which gives lots of exposure to nearby shops and the food court.
Sometimes they do it right, sometimes not.
Scott
Did you know back in 1999, that Max Baer Jr.(that's right, Jethro!) looked into buying Park Lane to develop a Casino/Hotel on the property? I can just see it now....
JETHRO: Hey Uncle Jed, I just done bought me a SHOPPIN' MALL
JED: Welllll Doggies! Now don't you go tearin anything down until we talk to Mr. Drysdale.
Unfortunately, Uncle Jed is no longer around to talk the new owners out of tearing down Park Lane.