THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 22, 1995 TAG: 9512220414
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
The city's long-deferred dream of a major regional shopping mall in downtown Norfolk will officially get under way with a groundbreaking set for Jan. 26, the mall's developer said Thursday.
Backed by a blue MacArthur Center banner speckled with five stars, the city's leaders announced their plans to move ahead with the mammoth building project, filling a spot that has been left vacant for four decades.
Mayor Paul Fraim, addressed a host of city leaders and other officials in the MacArthur Memorial Theater on Thursday, predicting the mall would become a ``center for retail activity'' in ``the undisputed heart of Hampton Roads.''
MacArthur Center, city officials have said, is one of the final pieces of a push to revitalize downtown Norfolk - a once-bustling area that had lost its energy over the decades. The renewal began with The Waterside Festival Marketplace and has continued with the Norfolk Waterside Marriott and Convention Center and Nauticus.
``Norfolk needs and deserves a five-star shopping experience,'' said William S. Taubman, executive vice president with The Taubman Co., the mall's developer.
The groundbreaking date is, by no coincidence, the birthdate of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, he said.
The 1.2 million-square-foot upscale mall, anchored by Seattle's elite Nordstrom's and Arkansas powerhouse Dillard, will have a ``timeless design,'' Taubman said.
The Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based developer said the three-story mall will have lush interior landscaping, as well as a system of walkways and escalators designed for easy access throughout the mall. The variety and display of merchandise in the mall will make the shopping center unlike any other in the region, Taubman said.
At Thursday's press conference in Norfolk, Taubman also announced that Chesapeake-based Armada/Hoffler Construction Co. and Hoar Construction of Birmingham, Ala., will build the mall in a joint venture.
Hoar is reknown for its work on large complexes. Locally, the company has built the Virginia World Trade Center, the Norfolk Airport Hilton, and Pembroke and Greenbrier malls.
Armada/Hoffler, which built the Norfolk Waterside Marriott and Convention Center, will be in charge of local contractor selection.
The design architect will be Brown/McDaniel Inc. of San Francisco, which has worked with Taubman on many projects. The construction architect has not yet been named.
Brown/McDaniel Inc. has designed upscale shopping centers like Cherry Creek Mall in Denver, which boasts Neiman-Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor as its anchors.
In Columbus, Ohio, the architect penned plans for the three-story Columbus City Center, which has Marshall Field's and Jacobson among its anchors.
Officials with Brown/McDaniel expect to have preliminary sketches completed in mid-1996. They will work with the other architects, including those with Nordstrom and Dillard, said Sanjiv Bhandari, the company's senior vice president.
Developers and city economic officials are still looking for a third anchor, preferably an upscale department store.
MacArthur Center, which is expected to open in 1998, will cost an estimated $300 million. Taubman Co. will put up $200 million, and the city of Norfolk will pay the remaining $100 million, mostly withloans that are expected to be repaid with parking fees and mall-generated revenues.
The hope is that the upscale shopping mecca will generate millions of dollars in revenue for the city. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by HUY NGUYEN, The Virginian-Pilot
From left, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim, and developers William Taubman,
Alex Conroy and John Simon announce plans Thursday to move ahead
with plans for the MacArthur Center.
KEYWORDS: MACARTHUR CENTER by CNB