Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Aerial view, circa 1980 (courtesy Pat Richardson)Eastland Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina, was in full bloom when these pictures were taken. I would estimate the date to be either 1979 or 1980, because Sears opened in 1979 and is featured in the photos. Many thanks to frequent LiveMalls contributor Pat Richardson who supplied the photos.
Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Exterior view showing Ivey's, JCPenney and the Sears roof sign, circa 1980 (courtesy Pat Richardson)
Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior view, circa 1980 (courtesy Pat Richardson)
Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior view of Center Court and the Ice Capades Chalet ice rink facing Sears, circa 1980 (courtesy Pat Richardson)
Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina. Interior view of Center Court and the Ice Capades Chalet ice rink facing Ivey's, circa 1980 (courtesy Pat Richardson)Previously on LiveMalls
Eastland Mall, Charlotte, North Carolina
Belk, Eastland Mall
Dillard's, Eastland Mall
Awesome interior shot of Ivey's, I'd love to see more of those.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Ivey's, I snapped some pics of the Dillard's in Jacksonville that remains completely unrenovated from when it was Ivey's, I'll send them along as soon as I find the wire that synchs my phone and my laptop.
It looks like a beautiful mall.
ReplyDeleteThese are some of the best quality interior mall shots from that era that I've seen.
ReplyDeleteBrian: Thanks man. Looking forward to seeing the Ivey's pictures from Jacksonville.
ReplyDeleteBilly: It was truly a beautiful mall back then. I never got to see it like this, but the pictures tell the story.
Anonymous: The were shot by a professional photographer, per Pat. He or she was quite good.
Just a little tidbit I heard on the 10:00 news tonight...Eastland will close the mall on Mondays to save on operating costs. The anchors will be open as usual, but the rest of the mall won't.
ReplyDeleteSigh...compared to these wonderful pictures, it's rather sad how quickly and how far Eastland has fallen.
Sorry to clog up the ol' comment board, but I thought up another remark.
ReplyDeleteLooking at these pictures from c. 1980, the only thing I can think of in them that is still unchanged today is Sears. I'm not 100% sure on the exterior as a whole, but I *am* 99.999% sure that the "SEARS" sign atop the middle of the mall in the first picture is still there. I wonder if they had to pay extra for that, although it was (and still is, probably more importantly today) pretty much the only way you'd know it were there aside from driving behind the mall. (You can't see that side from Central or Albemarle.)
Matt: I guess they figure if they cut the hours slowly enough no one will notice.
ReplyDeleteThe Sears sign is still there, and I think its installation was part of the deal that got the store to locate there. Sears was a big deal back then, and developers were bending over backwards to get Sears into their malls.
I agree--can't wait for the Ivey's-Jacksonville photos!
ReplyDeletelove the pics. the highlight for me was seeing the old style lighting...
ReplyDeletePat: I imagine Brian will send them pretty soon...
ReplyDeletecantnot: I agree. The globe lights in Center Court were my favorite part.
I've just got to get the phone, the connector, and the laptop with the sync software at the same place, at the same time. Soon, I promise...
ReplyDeleteI sent the pics to the gmail address in your profile last night, so they should be good.
ReplyDeleteBrian: The pictures are wonderful...got any others? :-)
ReplyDeleteSteven - Wow, an absolutely beautiful set. This is the way I thought malls would always be! I particularly like the wide outdoor view. Is that a General Cinema theatre to the lower left? Extra points if so!
ReplyDeleteThis mall did have a theater, but it was inside the mall. I think that is the Sears or JC Penney (most likely) auto center.
ReplyDeleteDave: It's like Pat said. The General Cinema at this mall was inside near Belk. The freestanding building in the photo was the JCPenney Auto Center, now Firestone.
ReplyDeletePat: Thanks for the information.
Are there any non-anchor stores left inside that mall anymore, now that the owners have decided to close the mall on Mondays to save money? Sad to see Eastland Mall in Charlotte has fallen as much as it has.....
ReplyDeleteYes, there are (or were) a number of tenants inside the mall, including a few chains. I think closing evenings and Mondays will drive many of those stores out of business.
ReplyDeleteI love the gorgeous lamps-inside and out.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The lighting is awesome! Those exterior lamps are some of my all-time favorites.
ReplyDeleteThe movie theater was near the food court, off the parking deck entrance between Sears and Belks.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Sears was coming soon, and they had windows in the construction wall at different heights so everyone could look in.
I don't remember when the Harris Teeter went in near the Albemarle/Central corner, but it could be the first picture.
My mom was on the drill team that practiced there, and my sister and I took lessons as well, though she stuck with it a lot longer than I did. It was quite the place back then, and lament the current state of the "home away from home" of my youth.
Thanks for sharing the memories. I didn't realize Eastland Mall played such a role in your childhood.
ReplyDeleteLOOKING for past ice skaters from Ice Capades Chalet Ice Rink/Eastland Mall in Charlotte, NC....I have actually just set up a Facebook/Group page for a way to find old friends to reconnect from the good old days!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks
Oh my gosh! That is me sitting on the bench in my plaid shirt and that is my mom in Kirklands! This is so special to me whoever took this photo. My mom passed 2 yrs ago and this is the only photo of us doing our favorite thing ever, shopping at Eastland Mall:)
ReplyDeleteThe other girl is me Janet Green. I went to Cochrane Jr high and Independence high school... We live on forever in the mall ��
DeleteAnon 7/29: Keep an eye out. There are eastland fans on here all the time.
ReplyDeleteAnon 4/27: That was you? Thanks for the mention. You often wonder who is in these photos. Hope that this brought back all kinds of good memories of shopping with your Mom.