Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Arkansas

University Mall (Little Rock)

From the authors' mapRedevelopedRetrofit builtLittle Rock, AR

Opened 1967. Closed 2007. Redeveloped in 2013.

Status nowRetrofit builtderived from authors' map (retrofit year present) reported
Site size28 acresextracted, unreviewed
documented
During the next 15 years, the two managed to acquire the surrounding 28 acres (110,000 m2) for the mall site.

en.wikipedia.org

Retrofit year2013authors' map reported
Walkability17 of 20 · 15-minute 5 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNoOpenStreetMap, HUD
Ask who owns this Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this record

Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.

University Mall
University Mall. Photo: The stuart at en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Site profile15 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
JCPenneyThis site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with this
Montgomery WardThis site: Montgomery Ward wikipedia · all sites with this
Finance and pipeline
Website aliveThis site: …http://www.parkplazamall.com overture / http check · all sites with this
Place
100k+ jobs within 45 min by transitThis site: 104,442 epa-walkability · all sites with this
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
200+ tax-credit housing units within 1 kmThis site: 264 units in 2 properties hud-lihtc · all sites with this
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 123,000 on 630 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 1 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
High tornado riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: 630 fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Renter-majority tractThis site: 58% census-acs · all sites with this
Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)This site: …index 17 epa-walkability · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: Redevelopment: retail and residential, new streets record · all sites with this
New use
HousingThis site: Redevelopment: retail and residential, new streets arcgis-webmap · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: Redevelopment: retail and residential, new streets arcgis-webmap · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

From the authors' map

AR, Little Rock: University Mall/Park Avenue, 2013
• Redevelopment: retail and residential, new streets

Now

StatusRetrofit builtderived from authors' map (retrofit year present) reported
StrategyRedevelopedauthors' map reported
What is there nowRedevelopment: retail and residential, new streetsauthors' map reported
Retrofit year2013authors' map reported

Securitised debt and public filers

Filings (2001 to date) that name “University Mall” and “Little Rock” (157 hits, first 100 sampled, 8 other filers such as tenants left out). No commercial-mortgage trust names this mall in the sample, which does not rule out a securitised loan. Text matches, not a title search. Open the search · all trusts.

KindFilerFilingsDatesForms
Public owner (weak)SIMON PROPERTY GROUP INC /DE/ (SPG, SPG-PJ)582002-05-17 to 2011-07-268-K 40, 10-K 15, 10-Q 2, 8-K/A 1
Public owner (weak)SIMON PROPERTY GROUP L P /DE/162001-03-30 to 2008-03-1310-K 14, 10-Q 2

Site context

Transit within 800 mno rail station; 9 bus stops within 400 mOpenStreetMap
Motorway junctions within 2 km3B, 4, 5, 5AOpenStreetMap
FEMA flood zoneX · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m12: ANNTAYLOR 1059; AR PATHOLOGY ASSOC PA; ARKANSAS PATHOLOGY ASSOCIATES, P.A.; CITY OF LITTLE ROCK - DOWNTOWN FACILITY; CVS PHARMACY #17611EPA FRS
Census tract 051190021033,363 people, 3,152 per sq mi; median household income $59,292; median gross rent $1,159; 58% renters; 16.8% vacant units; 0.0% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 17 of 20; 84 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.81; 83,311 jobs within 45 min by car, 104,442 by transit; 15% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)5 of 6 daily needs: 1 grocers, 3 schools, 6 parks or playgrounds, 3 health, 0 civic, 14 food and drink; 4 cycleway segments, 122 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity ZonenoHUD
Housing permits, Pulaski County (AR), 20240 units in 5+ unit buildings, 42 in 2–4, 967 single-family; 2023: 185 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.61; socioeconomic 0.65; housing and transport 0.75; 26% below 150% of poverty; 8% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Overture Mapsplace University Mall (shopping_mall, confidence 0.92, from Foursquare, Overture, Overture-signals); building footprint 11,566 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Website and socialwww.parkplazamall.com (alive); archived 1996–2026 (Wayback)Overture / Internet Archive
Attention: Wikipedia page views6,179 since 2015; 1,870 in the last 12 months (-7% vs the prior 12); peak 2025-03 with 316Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population -6% (3,572 → 3,363); median income +58% ($37,532 → $59,292); renters 62% → 58%; median home value +47% ($130,600 → $191,900)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)relatively moderate overall (score 61.3); expected annual loss $1.5M; high: tornado, winter weather, ice storm; community resilience relatively highFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km2 LIHTC properties, 264 units: Midtown Park Fka Plaza Towers (132 units); Plaza Towers Apartments (132 units)HUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)24,814 jobs in 1,691 establishments; average annual pay $41,034; employment location quotient 0.96; employment -0.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20222,609 jobs; 486 in retail trade, 684 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 05119002103)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 40th income percentile as adults; 2.9% incarcerated at the 2010 count (246 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 13.3%; median family income $75,185; 158 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsLittle Rock School District (PK-12); 4 public schools within 1 mile: LISA ACADEMY WEST HIGH SCHOOL; FAIR PARK EARLY CHILDHOOD CTR; FOREST HEIGHTS STEM ACADEMY; LITTLE ROCK HALL STEAM MAGNET HIGH SCHOOLNCES EDGE
Elevation393 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025453 county-logged events: 181 thunderstorm wind, 123 flash flood, 82 hail, 29 heavy rain; $89,914,000 property damage reported; 2 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 72205, 2026-09median list price $263,250 (+2.7% on the year); 104 active listings; median 58 days on market; 22% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20231,671 establishments (-3%); 24,936 jobs (-1%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $210,341 (+4% 1 yr, +18% 5 yr); typical rent $1,185/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2025253 (2000 = 100); -3.7% 1 yr, +31% 5 yr, +56% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)123,000 vehicles a day on 630 (Interstate, 8 lanes); 34,686 trucks; 27 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Similar sites

  • Six Flags Mall, Arlington, TX · Malls · similar size (22.5 acres); opened 1970; same strategy: redevelop
  • Village Fair Mall, Meridian, MS · Malls · similar size (39 acres); opened 1972; same strategy: redevelop
  • Los Arcos Mall, Scottsdale, AZ · Malls · opened 1969; same strategy: redevelop
  • Cloverleaf Mall, Richmond, VA · Malls · opened 1972; closed 2008; same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

Retail history: University Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and city; nothing copied here

Pages with photos

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • 28 acres

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Now called / also known asPark Avenue
Opened1967Wikidata
Closed2007extracted, unreviewed
documented
operated for approximately 40 years, from 1967 until 2007.

en.wikipedia.org

Acres28.0extracted, unreviewed
documented
During the next 15 years, the two managed to acquire the surrounding 28 acres (110,000 m2) for the mall site.

en.wikipedia.org

Original developerMelvin Simon & Associatesextracted, unreviewed
documented
The developer was Melvin Simon & Associates, an Indianapolis-based real estate developer and management company, now known as Simon Property Group Inc.

en.wikipedia.org

AnchorsJCPenney, Montgomery Ward, MM Cohn
CountyPulaski County
Census division7 · West South Central

Not yet recorded: GLA. Know it? Tell us.

Background

University Mall, originally The Mall, is a defunct shopping center in Little Rock, Arkansas, which operated for approximately 40 years, from 1967 until 2007. When it closed, University Mall was the oldest enclosed shopping center in the Little Rock metropolitan area. Located in the central part of Little Rock, the site is situated along South University Avenue, north of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Interstate 630. The mall was managed by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1965 Plans for the mall were announced
  2. 1967 Opened (Wikidata)
  3. 1967 University Mall opened
  4. 1975 Cosmetic renovations and rename to University Mall
  5. 1987 $15 million expansion and renovations announced
  6. 1988 Grand four-day reopening after expansion
  7. 2001 Montgomery Ward bankruptcy triggers anchor loss
  8. 2007 Sale to Strode Property Company
  9. 2013 Retrofit: redevelop
  10. 2017 Associated buildings razed beginning December 2017
  11. 2018 Demolition of primary structure begins

Sources

  • Wikipedia · supports: acres, original developer, year closed
    12 quoted sentences
    operated for approximately 40 years, from 1967 until 2007.
    During the next 15 years, the two managed to acquire the surrounding 28 acres (110,000 m2) for the mall site.
    The developer was Melvin Simon & Associates, an Indianapolis-based real estate developer and management company, now known as Simon Property Group Inc.
    Plans for the mall were announced in 1965.
  • Retrofitting Suburbia Interactive Mall Map (ArcGIS web map ce33ab26…) · 2021-01-20

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