Amazon Centers of Baton Rouge

[cajun]

15 hours ago, dan326 said:

Yup that'll definitively be interesting to see. I still work at one of the stores around there part-time so I'll be able to watch the progress.

Cool!  Hope you guys see a spike in business soon with all the construction workers.   I can definitely see some fast casual restaurants opening up in that area like Izzos,  Starbucks,  Panera,  etc.

There will be 3,000 people shuffling in and out every day not counting delivery drivers, UPS, FedEx, and all of the contracted technicians.

Edited March 13, 2021 by cajun

[dan326]

Yup, I'm excited to see what will happen. Hopefully they do open some more eating places.

[richyb83]

Baton Rouge landmark being torn down for future Amazon delivery center

VIDEO

https://www.wafb.com/2021/03/22/baton-rouge-landmark-being-torn-down-future-amazon-delivery-center/

 

[cajun]

14 hours ago, richyb83 said:

Baton Rouge landmark being torn down for future Amazon delivery center

VIDEO

https://www.wafb.com/2021/03/22/baton-rouge-landmark-being-torn-down-future-amazon-delivery-center/

 

The end of an era. 

What's your favorite Cortana Mall memory?     My grandmother preferred to shop at  Goudchaux's on Laurel Street (which eventually turned into Maison Blanche), then drove all the way to Cortana because she liked Picadilly....and that was the nicest, largest one.    I remember going to that Picadilly with my grandmother every month before she got sick.   I must have been about 3 or 4 years old at the time.   I was well behaved, I got chocolate pudding.  I always got chocolate pudding.    My grandmother would get one of those baked custards in a cup with her meal.  I don't remember what it was exactly, and I doubt Picadilly still has it.      I remember seeing it and thinking it was some kind of old-people food.  

If there was change, she'd give me a penny to throw in the fountain in the mall after lunch.    

I remember one of these treks around Christmas time where my grandmother took me to Godchaux's for santa pictures, and I must have gotten lost for a few minutes.  The department store would add a giant santa on top of one of the awning on the 15 street side - one of the counter ladies that found me brought me to show the Santa to me while they paged my grandmother.     I guess my grandma felt bad, because then took me to the JC Penny at Cortana to pick up a bunch of gifts she ordered by the mail and she bought me on of those transformer toys at the toy store right outside the JC Penny.    Don't remember the name of it.  

Fun fact:  If you went to the Picadilly at Cortana during the busy hours in the 1980s and early 1990s, they'd have both lines open, and the line of patrons would be well outside the door.   I have not seen a Picadilly since then that was so large that it required two lines.  I don't think I've seen a Picadilly with more than 6-7 people in line in 15 years.   The Cortana location was almost like some of the Disney cafeterias of the day in size/scale.    Unfortunately Picadilly fell on hard times after some really stupid acquisitions, and that location didn't get renovated when the rest of Cortana was renovated around 1997 or 1998.    I think they permanently shut down the second line and kind of just phoned it in until 6-7 years ago.    The stand-alone Florida blvd location (maybe built in the late 1990s when Bon Marche closed...not sure) probably also took away a lot of that business.   

Edited March 23, 2021 by cajun

[dan326]

^Cool story.

I'm just old enough to remember Goudchaux's/Dillard's near downtown and Bon Marche although they were on their way out then.

I remember shopping used to be my mom and I's hangout activity. We'd shop at Cortana on the weeknights and Mall of LA on the weekend. Interestingly I never got lost in Cortana but got lost in various Walmart's several times.

I might have poste this before but I read that Cortana was the anglicized version of the Spanish pronunciation for the area's band of Native Americans. I know the older local people will probably continue to wall it Cortana but I wonder if the name will stick officially.

I remember they had a Discovery store (although I'm not sure if it was actually linked to the Discovery Channel) that had all the coolest knick-knacks and trinkets. My favorite were the little flocked animal.

In the early 2003's they added a few stores to keep capacity up. I remember they had a discount bookstore, which is funny thinking back on it cause that's how their competitor and successor got their start. I had actually taken a mall map from when they had a decent number of stores to save but I guess I lost it or threw it out a long time ago during a Marie Kondo purge.

I remember when Picadilly shutdown I felt so played because I didn't know. I went over there not realizing the sigh was gone, mouth all ready for some fried fish and pecan pie only to find the door all locked up.

Edited March 23, 2021 by dan326

[cajun]

OH the Pecan Pie at Picadilly was legit.   As was the red beans and rice!    Now that Cortana is gone, I think the best Picadilly is the one on Essen, followed by the one on Florida, then the one on Sherwood.     The one in Denham Springs was terrible, and it closed after the flood.   I haven't been to the new Juban location, but I think it's a totally different setup now.    The one up in McComb was solid but probably didn't survive the pandemic restrictions.    I don't know anything about their Gonzales or Lafayette locations.

By the time I was a teenager, Cortana was accompanied by Mall of Louisiana for the Baton Rouge market; but Cortana was (at the time) still alive and kicking.   I spent many Saturday afternoons at the arcade there while whatever adult that dropped us off there ran other errands.   The malls today tend to discourage teens from just wondering around and barely spending any money.    

Interesting thing I noticed about Goudchaux's/Maison Blanche on Laurel street:   It was supposed to have been killed off by Bon Marche when it was built, then Cortana after that.   It outlasted Bon Marche and I think it would have outlasted Cortana had the Maison Blanche chain not gone belly up.     The location would be a great Target if it were still retail use today.   I think the state government uses it for storage and a server farm.

Edited March 23, 2021 by cajun

[richyb83]

Thanks Cajun & Dan for sharing y'alls  memories of Cortana.  Nice memories of Picadilly as a little kid with grandparents + our HS Football team would eat game day meal there too!   All of the arcades were cool too.

Sad to watch Cortana die a slow /painful death over the years. Indoor malls gave way to Mall of La & "more "Open Air" the Boulevard; Perkins Rowe &  Towne Center....even those appear to be phasing out ; or just staying afloat.  Getting Amazon to deliver it is too  easy.

Florida Blvd was a happening corridor in 80's & 90's...gone also now Fun Fair Park ; Broadmoor theater; Slick Trac (Race trac) ; Mugsy's billiards ; Mary Lee Doughnut; and now Circle Bowl.....

 

[dan326]

^Ikr, lol!

I just remembered something else. I remember Jcpenney used to be one of my favorite departments stores cause they had a nice toy section. When I was a little kid I got a stuffed dog from there that I still have.

 

[dan326]

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_e364b146-8c28-11eb-866a-7fca073ff949.html

Construction hasn't started yet on giant Cortana Amazon facility, but it's already growing

A revised site plan for the distribution center has been submitted with the East Baton Rouge Planning Commission, which shows a nearly 3.5 million-square-foot building. That’s about 20% larger than the original plans for the facility, which said it would be nearly 2.9 million square feet. Those plans were submitted around the beginning of the year. The update makes the fulfillment center more than twice the size of Cortana Mall that it's replacing.

The number of parking spaces, an indicator of how many people will work at the fulfillment center after its scheduled opening in August 2022, has grown even further. The site plan now calls for 1,840 parking spaces, 47% more than the 1,241 in the original plan.

[cajun]

5 hours ago, dan326 said:

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_e364b146-8c28-11eb-866a-7fca073ff949.html

Construction hasn't started yet on giant Cortana Amazon facility, but it's already growing

A revised site plan for the distribution center has been submitted with the East Baton Rouge Planning Commission, which shows a nearly 3.5 million-square-foot building. That’s about 20% larger than the original plans for the facility, which said it would be nearly 2.9 million square feet. Those plans were submitted around the beginning of the year. The update makes the fulfillment center more than twice the size of Cortana Mall that it's replacing.

The number of parking spaces, an indicator of how many people will work at the fulfillment center after its scheduled opening in August 2022, has grown even further. The site plan now calls for 1,840 parking spaces, 47% more than the 1,241 in the original plan.

Good grief. 

3.5 million square feet?    Good for them!  And good for the capitol area!

[dan326]

On 3/24/2021 at 2:18 PM, cajun said:

Good grief. 

3.5 million square feet?    Good for them!  And good for the capitol area!

Yup that's pretty colossal. 

Here's a something I threw together as a visual.

[ehyfield]

How’s traffic going to look around that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[richyb83]

2 hours ago, dan326 said:

Yup that's pretty colossal. 

Here's a something I threw together as a visual.

Thanks for the visual.   Colossal is a good word. Gargantuan was the word that came to mind

[cajun]

On 3/25/2021 at 6:08 PM, ehyfield said:

How’s traffic going to look around that?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

After extensive research, I was able to procure the "BEFORE" photos.    

 

But lucky for you, I was able to locate this gif of richyb83 trying to score pictures of Baton Rouge for us.  

Edited March 31, 2021 by cajun

[ehyfield]

After photos,

Loading...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dan326]

^Lol! Pretty much.

 

I got a few demo pics, not the best but you can see, Mervyns is gone and half of Macy's.

 

[cajun]

1 hour ago, dan326 said:

^Lol! Pretty much.

 

I got a few demo pics, not the best but you can see, Mervyns is gone and half of Macy's.

 

Scheisse !  This is all happening so quickly!

[cajun]

So when is Baton Rouge getting an Amazon Fresh? 

 

[dan326]

7 minutes ago, cajun said:

So when is Baton Rouge getting an Amazon Fresh? 

 

The pattern I've found is that after N.O. metro gets 2 or 3 and Lafayette gets 1. 

[cajun]

14 hours ago, dan326 said:

The pattern I've found is that after N.O. metro gets 2 or 3 and Lafayette gets 1. 

I think Baton Rouge got a Trader Joes, Fresh Market, Sprouts, and a Top Golf before anywhere else in Louisiana.  

[dan326]

9 hours ago, cajun said:

I think Baton Rouge got a Trader Joes, Fresh Market, Sprouts, and a Top Golf before anywhere else in Louisiana.  

I'm give you that, that is true.

[dan326]

Macy's is gone.

[dan326]

Southeast corridor

[dan326]

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_6f65f38c-a13a-11eb-a522-3329f3162a65.html

Dillard’s set to close Cortana Clearance Center May 2

 

The last tenant in Cortana Mall, a Dillard’s Clearance Center, is set to shut down on May 2.

Dillard’s announced in January it was closing the store. For the past few months, it has had an extended going-out-of-business sale.

 

 

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/article_ea59b110-9e2d-11eb-8925-4fb432e751db.html

Amazon at Cortana will be largest prototype center chock-full of new tech, developer says

Construction of Amazon’s massive Cortana fulfillment center is tentatively set to begin the first week of June and the building should be substantially complete by September 2022.

 

Jonathan Stites, a senior vice president with Seefried, said the Cortana facility will be the largest prototype fulfillment center for Amazon and will feature the latest technology the company has to offer.

The building will be nearly 90 feet tall, with the second through fifth floors taken up by storage, robotics and conveyors, which will pluck items and transport them down to the first floor for packaging and distribution. None of the items stored in the Cortana center will be sent directly to customers; instead the facility acts as the first cog in the distribution system Amazon has established.

Edited April 19, 2021 by dan326

[richyb83]

That gigantic complex will be 90 feet tall??  WOW!  That's double the height of old Cortana Mall. That's gonna look massive from a distance!

Wonder how tall the distribution center  is near I-10/Siegen ??  Caught a glimpse of it from a distance the other day driving on Reiger Road.

Dan , Trying to post pic on here to make visible ; Advocate not as user friendly

CHECK OUT the Marriott Hotel straight ahead(white) ; far background

Mid City Tower; white bldg to right; LSU/Tiger Stadium in between

and Downtown skyline far right in the distance

Can barely make out the old Shaw blsg (left just above tree line) ; not sure i see the Bluebonnet towers/Renaisance hotel (farther left; barely visible?)

Edited April 20, 2021 by richyb83