Malls · Florida
Gainesville Mall
Gainesville Mall opened 1968, closed 1993, was replaced by Kmart then Lowe's in 2006; current status and ownership unclear today. · summary, model-written
Ask who owns this Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this recordhttps://retrofitatlas.org/malls/fl/gainesville-gainesville-mall/
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.
Site profile8 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Former anchors
Sears
This site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with thisFinance and pipeline
On Facebook
This site: …https://www.facebook.com/154741694562340 overture · all sites with thisWebsite alive
This site: …http://www.cityofgainesville.org overture / http check · all sites with thisPlace
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)
This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with thisBike network nearby
This site: 49 ways openstreetmap · all sites with thisGrocery within 800 m
This site: 2 stores openstreetmap · all sites with thisRenter-majority tract
This site: 57% census-acs · all sites with thisTract house prices doubled in 10 years
This site: +138% fhfa · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Closedextracted, unreviewed documentedThe Gainesville Mall closed permanently in 1993 after years of decline and was initially replaced with a Kmart. |
|---|---|
| What is there now | Lowe'sextracted, unreviewed documentedThe Kmart was demolished in 2004 and replaced by a Lowe's that opened in 2006 and still resides there. |
| Retrofit year | 2006extracted, unreviewed reported |
Site context
| Transit within 800 m | no rail station; 5 bus stops within 400 mOpenStreetMap |
|---|---|
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 9: CHARLESTON PLACE CONDOMINIUMS; GAINESVILLE PLAZA REDEVELOPMENT; LOWES OF NE GAINESVILLE FL #2365; NEW STORE GOODWILL INDUSTRIES; WAL - MART PLAZAEPA FRS |
| Census tract 12001001203 | 3,839 people, 3,160 per sq mi; median household income $55,929; median gross rent $1,637; 57% renters; 10.9% vacant units; 1.1% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 11.8 of 20; 56 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 471 m; land-use mix 0.49; 20,719 jobs within 45 min by car, 23,746 by transit; 4% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 5 of 6 daily needs: 2 grocers, 2 schools, 13 parks or playgrounds, 0 health, 4 civic, 8 food and drink; 49 cycleway segments, 94 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| Housing permits, Alachua County (FL), 2024 | 922 units in 5+ unit buildings, 6 in 2–4, 822 single-family; 2023: 687 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.33; socioeconomic 0.58; housing and transport 0.35; 22% below 150% of poverty; 3% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 1 within 25 km: The Oaks Mall (7.1 km)computed |
| Overture Maps | place Gainesville Mall (shopping_mall, confidence 0.92, from Overture, Overture-signals, meta); building footprint 15,290 m², 6.92088508605957 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Website and social | www.cityofgainesville.org (alive); archived 2002–2026 (Wayback) · social: facebookOverture / Internet Archive |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 5,287 since 2015; 1,308 in the last 12 months (-1% vs the prior 12); peak 2024-04 with 196Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population +7% (3,574 → 3,839); median income +52% ($36,750 → $55,929); renters 66% → 57%; median home value +86% ($110,200 → $204,400)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | very low overall (score 18.1); expected annual loss $813,962; high: lightning; community resilience relatively highFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | noneHUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 14,065 jobs in 906 establishments; average annual pay $36,674; employment location quotient 1.01; employment +0.8% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 17,342 jobs; 588 in retail trade, 471 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 12001001203)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 42th income percentile as adults; 1.9% incarcerated at the 2010 count (404 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 22.5%; median family income $63,682; 116 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Alachua County School District (PK-12); 3 public schools within 1 mile: STEPHEN FOSTER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL; SIDNEY LANIER CENTER; GAINESVILLE HIGH SCHOOLNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 160 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 249 county-logged events: 138 thunderstorm wind, 55 heavy rain, 20 hail, 18 flood; $2,068,910 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 32609, 2026-09 | median list price $228,225 (-14.4% on the year); 44 active listings; median 59 days on market; 21% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 915 establishments (-2%); 14,876 jobs (+12%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $298,912 (-1% 1 yr, +16% 5 yr); typical rent $1,640/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2025 | 348 (2000 = 100); +4.9% 1 yr, +60% 5 yr, +138% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 28,000 vehicles a day on SW 13TH/MLK JR HWY (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 1,512 trucks; 9 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
The Gainesville Mall opened in 1968 as the first enclosed shopping mall in the city. It operated until 1993, when it closed and was replaced by a Kmart store. The Kmart was demolished in 2004 and a Lowe's home improvement store opened on the site in 2006.
Why. The record does not specify the reasons for the mall's closure or subsequent changes.
Where it stands. The site is currently occupied by a Lowe's store that opened in 2006, though the record does not identify the current owner or controlling entity.
For a planner
- The record notes a retrofit in 2006 with Lowe's, indicating an adaptive reuse precedent.
- No specific policy tools or incentives are mentioned in the record.
- Open questions remain about zoning, long‑term viability, and potential for further redevelopment.
For a developer
- Site size and parcel boundaries are not provided in the record.
- Ownership control and entitlement status are unspecified.
- No context‑layer data (flood, transit, environmental) or market‑signal tract information is included.
What we do not know yet
- Key facts such as site acreage, current owner, lease terms, and zoning designation are missing.
- The reasons for the original mall’s closure and any financial distress are not stated.
- Environmental constraints, flood risk, transit access, and nearby competition are not documented.
- The record is marked as 'draft' verified, indicating the data may be unreviewed or subject to change.
- No information on existing entitlements, permits, or pending development applications is provided.
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Chester Mall, Chester County, SC · Malls · opened 1973; closed 1993
- Golden Mall, Burbank, CA · Malls · opened 1967; closed 1989
- Plantation Towne Mall, Plantation, FL · Malls · opened 1968; closed 1996; also in FL
- 100 Oaks Mall, Nashville, TN · Malls · opened 1967; closed 1991
Elsewhere on the web
Pages with photos
- Gainesville Mall @ 13th Street: Transforming Retail Spaces with ... inceptionec.com
- Florida Memory • Aerial view of Gainesville Mall … floridamemory.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
- county grew 7.1% 2018–23
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
| Opened | 1968extracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Closed | 1993extracted, unreviewed documentedThe Gainesville Mall closed permanently in 1993 after years of decline and was initially replaced with a Kmart. |
| Anchors | Sears, Maas Brothers |
| County | Alachua County |
| Census division | 5 · South Atlantic |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, original developer. Know it? Tell us.
Background
The Gainesville Mall was the first enclosed shopping mall in Gainesville, Florida. It was located on the northwest corner of the intersection of NW 13th Street and NW 23rd Avenue and operated from Fall 1968 to 1993.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1968 Opened as first enclosed shopping mall in Gainesville
- 1993 Closed permanently and replaced with Kmart
- 2004 Kmart demolished
- 2006 Lowe's opened on site
Sources
- Wikipedia: Gainesville Mall · supports: after notes, status, year closed, year opened
8 quoted sentences
When the mall opened in 1968, it has two anchors: Sears on the south side, and Tampa-based Maas Brothers on the north side.
The Gainesville Mall closed permanently in 1993 after years of decline and was initially replaced with a Kmart.
The Kmart was demolished in 2004 and replaced by a Lowe's that opened in 2006 and still resides there.
The Gainesville Mall closed permanently in 1993 after years of decline and was initially replaced with a Kmart.
More in Florida
Boca MallBoca Raton, FL · 1998Redeveloped · Regreened · Redevelopment:mixed use Partial regreening: parkCentre of TallahasseeTallahassee, FL · 2015Partial Redeveloped · Partial redevelopment, mixed useDadeland MallKendall, FL · 2012Partial Redeveloped · Partial redevelopment, open-air retail and restaurantEast Lake Square MallTampa, FL · 1999Reinhabited · Reinhabitation: officeFashion MallPlantation, FL · 2018Partial Redeveloped · Partial redevelopment: mixed useLakeland MallLakeland, FL · 1999Reinhabited · Reinhabitation: religious