65 replies to this topic

[perrykat]

Just wondering what everyone thinks of this situation...Who owns the mall now?  Any plans to do anything with it?  I remember going there a few times in the mid-90s and I wasn't very impressed, and only recently I did a search for it and found out it was boarded up.  It looks pretty bad.

[StevenRocks]

What a waste!  Seems like somebody ought to be able to do something with the place.

[thedude26]

There was talk of making it  into a concert type of venue but nothing ever came of that.  I am not sure what the plans for it now are.

[DaGABoyStinger]

Yeah Deadmalls.com really paints a gloomy picture for the mall.  I wished they showed more pics when it was more of a success.

Edited by DaGABoyStinger, 04 December 2005 - 04:43 PM.

[csedwards72]

DaGABoyStinger, on Dec 4 2005, 06:42 PM, said:

Yeah Deadmalls.com really paints a gloomy picture for the mall.  I wished they showed more pics when it was more of a success.

I went to that mall in the early '90s before it went under.  It was nothing great; it was a typical late-1970s mid-market mall that wasn't really that nice.  Most of the stores appeared not to have been updated much since the '70s.  It was actually very similar-looking to Greenville (SC) Mall's first incarnation, although somewhat more lively.

[StevenRocks]

Accoding to my research, it started out as a really nice mall, but never caught back up after Augusta Mall took off.

[csedwards72]

StevenRocks, on Dec 4 2005, 10:35 PM, said:

Accoding to my research, it started out as a really nice mall, but never caught back up after Augusta Mall took off.

It must not have really thrived anytime after maybe the late 1980s, based on how it looked in the early 1990s when I visited.  I just recall a lot of tile, dark wood, food-court restaurants scattered throughout the mall as there was no food court, and mid-market stores that looked very 1970s.  I think that there was also a movie theater there.  I would not shed any tears over its loss.  Those deadmalls.com pictures really do not make it look good at all, but do some good imagining based on those pictures, chiefly the interior ones, and you will see how it looked.

[socaguy]

The mall was at its height in the early to mid eighties.  As population growth shifted towards West Augusta,  the Augusta Mall really started taking off and Regency began to lag.  Regency Mall was renovated once, I believe in the late 80's, but by then it was already beginning to slow down.  Many stores like The Gap and Merry-Go-Round, which were popular clothing stores back in the 80's pulled out and only a few locally owned stores, many catering to soldiers and an urban crowd remained.  When Augusta Mall expanded, Regency Mall was breathing its last breathe. At one time the mall had Belks, Meyers-Arnold, Uptons, JB Whites, Sears, and over 100 shops and restaurants.

I think some other proposals that have gone around in the past few years have been a government complex (rejected thank god!), Outlet mall, and a sporting complex.  It would be nice if they tore down the mall and built some type of mixed use center there.

[StevenRocks]

Why is it malls anchored by large Montgomery Ward stores always seem to be the ones that die?  Regency, Carolina Circle, Greenville Mall, Tarrytown.  It's too funky to be just coincidence.

Edited by StevenRocks, 05 December 2005 - 04:51 PM.

[R-man]

It's amazing to me that with all hype that surrounded the opening of both malls in Augusta in 1978(?), that Regency will just be a blip in the area's retail history. Those old enough to remember will recall the rush to open both malls around the same time and the slow final death of downtown that resulted.   I recall too that pre-malls, many in Augusta area would regularly make shopping trips to Atlanta. What is it about  the infrastructure of malls that makes them so difficult to re-develop? Seems like shopping centers flip, get torn down, or get reinvented like nothing (witness, Daniel Village, or say the old Wal-Mart shopping center in Southside Augusta). I hope someone will just buy the land and develop residential housing or good quality apartments to bring the neighborhood down to the highway.

Edited by R-man, 05 December 2005 - 02:53 PM.

[DigitalSky]

StevenRocks, on Dec 5 2005, 01:07 AM, said:

Why is it malls anchored by large Montgomery Ward stores always seem to be the ones that die?  Regency, Carolina Circle, Greenville Mall, Tarrytown.  It's too funky to be just coincidence.

Yeah, this mall looks and sounds very CCM

[StevenRocks]

cantnot, on Dec 15 2005, 06:45 AM, said:

Yeah, this mall looks and sounds very CCM

The Belk stores are eerily similar.

[DigitalSky]

StevenRocks, on Dec 15 2005, 02:00 PM, said:

The Belk stores are eerily similar.

yeah it's very eerie

[suburban george3]

From being in this area often with work, I don't see any prospects of new development replacing the Regency mall anytime soon.  Most development in that area is to re-use existing development for locally owned and marginal retailers.  Hopefully, this area will experience a renaissance and something good can happen for that location.

Anytime a city has a building like this, it is an eyesore.  And to me, it seems as if the building cries out for redevelopment or demolition.

[socaguy]

I know there are plans to build a huge shopping center similar to Augusta Exchange, out along Bobby Jones Expressway in South Augusta.  I think it is called South Augusta Station or something like that.  Why not build this on the Regency Mall site?  Perhaps it would be too costly for demolishion of the large mall to justify building a Power center?  It would definately jumpstart a renaissance in that area though.

[Pillsbury]

socaguy, on Apr 16 2006, 05:07 PM, said:

I know there are plans to build a huge shopping center similar to Augusta Exchange, out along Bobby Jones Expressway in South Augusta.  I think it is called South Augusta Station or something like that.  Why not build this on the Regency Mall site?  Perhaps it would be too costly for demolishion of the large mall to justify building a Power center?  It would definately jumpstart a renaissance in that area though.

I wonder if their hesitancy to develop Regency has anything to do with its location well inside of Bobby Jones Expressway--there seems to be some stigma associated with that immediate area (even thought it's really not that bad).

StevenRocks, I agree that Montgomery Ward is just bad luck for any mall--that store was just pathetic toward the end.    I hope Belk isn't bad luck though, considering our brand-new mega-shopping center on Riverwatch is going to have one.

[DaGABoyStinger]

socaguy, on Apr 16 2006, 04:07 PM, said:

I know there are plans to build a huge shopping center similar to Augusta Exchange, out along Bobby Jones Expressway in South Augusta.  I think it is called South Augusta Station or something like that.  Why not build this on the Regency Mall site?  Perhaps it would be too costly for demolishion of the large mall to justify building a Power center?  It would definately jumpstart a renaissance in that area though.

Yeah, I agree totally.  In fact I've had visions for that area to be like that again, it would make sense I think. They already have the right infrastructure in place, good traffic flow connections, etc.  However, the types of stores that could go there, would be hard to determine especially if a developer and national chain stores, don't feel that the money is there, but I do beg to differ to some extent.  South Augusta still has some areas of affulence, but it's true that these area are out past Tobacco Road, mostly, but they are in the area, not all of them are in West Augusta or Columbia County.  another issue too would be the types of lower income stores that already are in the area, K-mart, SouthGate, the "Whasup" plaza across the street, they may have influence already on the kinds of thing that might end up at the Regency mall site.  The center is centrally located on the other hand and would take about every resident within a radius the same amount of time to get to the site, so that shouldn't be an issue.  So it hard to say if the pros outweigh the cons or vice versa.

Now on South Augusta Station, I've been trying to get info on it for years now!  I pass it everytime I come back home, and still see it's untouched land.  They just have a phone number, no website to my knowledge, believe me I've looked.  This site has a lot of potential, especially being located on Bobby Jones, however, my question for them is: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET THERE!!!  The closest exits are two miles from the site in both directions and there are residential neighborhoods that landlock the site, therefore how do they plan to have access to it without causing chaos to the neighboring residents.  IF ANYONE gets any info please let us know!!  I'm dying to know, seriously, this could be what bounces South Augusta back to growth.

[PJA]

DaGABoyStinger, on Apr 21 2006, 10:05 AM, said:

Yeah, I agree totally.  In fact I've had visions for that area to be like that again, it would make sense I think. They already have the right infrastructure in place, good traffic flow connections, etc.  However, the types of stores that could go there, would be hard to determine especially if a developer and national chain stores, don't feel that the money is there, but I do beg to differ to some extent.  South Augusta still has some areas of affulence, but it's true that these area are out past Tobacco Road, mostly, but they are in the area, not all of them are in West Augusta or Columbia County.  another issue too would be the types of lower income stores that already are in the area, K-mart, SouthGate, the "Whasup" plaza across the street, they may have influence already on the kinds of thing that might end up at the Regency mall site.  The center is centrally located on the other hand and would take about every resident within a radius the same amount of time to get to the site, so that shouldn't be an issue.  So it hard to say if the pros outweigh the cons or vice versa.

Now on South Augusta Station, I've been trying to get info on it for years now!  I pass it everytime I come back home, and still see it's untouched land.  They just have a phone number, no website to my knowledge, believe me I've looked.  This site has a lot of potential, especially being located on Bobby Jones, however, my question for them is: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET THERE!!!  The closest exits are two miles from the site in both directions and there are residential neighborhoods that landlock the site, therefore how do they plan to have access to it without causing chaos to the neighboring residents.  IF ANYONE gets any info please let us know!!  I'm dying to know, seriously, this could be what bounces South Augusta back to growth.

I have been unable to find info about the South Augusta Staion myself.  If it was built it would probably have access off of Richmond Hill Rd which is not a major road but it's still well traveled road.

[Pillsbury]

DaGABoyStinger, on Apr 21 2006, 10:05 AM, said:

Yeah, I agree totally.  In fact I've had visions for that area to be like that again, it would make sense I think. They already have the right infrastructure in place, good traffic flow connections, etc.  However, the types of stores that could go there, would be hard to determine especially if a developer and national chain stores, don't feel that the money is there, but I do beg to differ to some extent.  South Augusta still has some areas of affulence, but it's true that these area are out past Tobacco Road, mostly, but they are in the area, not all of them are in West Augusta or Columbia County.  another issue too would be the types of lower income stores that already are in the area, K-mart, SouthGate, the "Whasup" plaza across the street, they may have influence already on the kinds of thing that might end up at the Regency mall site.  The center is centrally located on the other hand and would take about every resident within a radius the same amount of time to get to the site, so that shouldn't be an issue.  So it hard to say if the pros outweigh the cons or vice versa.

Now on South Augusta Station, I've been trying to get info on it for years now!  I pass it everytime I come back home, and still see it's untouched land.  They just have a phone number, no website to my knowledge, believe me I've looked.  This site has a lot of potential, especially being located on Bobby Jones, however, my question for them is: HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET THERE!!!  The closest exits are two miles from the site in both directions and there are residential neighborhoods that landlock the site, therefore how do they plan to have access to it without causing chaos to the neighboring residents.  IF ANYONE gets any info please let us know!!  I'm dying to know, seriously, this could be what bounces South Augusta back to growth.

Just want to be clear that I do believe South Augusta would support an Augusta Exchange-type shopping center.   I grew up going to Regency Mall and I think it would make a great location.    I just wonder if some of the developers want something a little more south, like Tobacco Road/Windsor Spring Road area.

[StevenRocks]

Pillsbury, on Apr 21 2006, 09:15 AM, said:

StevenRocks, I agree that Montgomery Ward is just bad luck for any mall--that store was just pathetic toward the end.    I hope Belk isn't bad luck though, considering our brand-new mega-shopping center on Riverwatch is going to have one.

Belk is hit or miss, sometimes they bring bad luck, but most times it's good luck.