Malls · Louisiana
Lake Forest Plaza
Lake Forest Plaza opened 1974, closed pre‑Katrina, demolished 2007, now being replaced by Lowe's and a planned town center development. · summary, model-written
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 profile6 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
Sears
This site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: The rest of the complex has been demolished and is being replaced by a Lowe's. extraction · all sites with thisHotel
This site: …er' type of development with free standing stores, garages, hotels, apartments and condos. extraction · all sites with thisHousing
This site: of development with free standing stores, garages, hotels, apartments and condos. extraction · all sites with thisMixed use
This site: …we's. The rest of the site is to be redeveloped into a new 'town center' type of development with free standing stores, garages, ho extraction · all sites with thisRetail (continued)
This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed documentedThe rest of the site is to be redeveloped into a new 'town center' type of development with free standing stores, garages, hotels, apartments and condos. |
| New uses | housing, retail, hotelextracted, unreviewed reported |
| What is there now | The rest of the complex has been demolished and is being replaced by a Lowe's.extracted, unreviewed documentedThe rest of the complex has been demolished and is being replaced by a Lowe's. |
| Redeveloper | Lowe'sextracted, unreviewed reported |
Planning
| Planning notes | The rest of the site is to be redeveloped into a new 'town center' type of development with free standing stores, garages, hotels, apartments and condos.extracted, unreviewed reported |
|---|
Site context
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 36,857 since 2015; 3,073 in the last 12 months (-1% vs the prior 12); peak 2022-08 with 735Wikimedia |
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Summary, model-written
Lake Forest Plaza opened in 1974 as a mall developed by Sizeler Realty. It was sold to Gowri Kailas in 1999, closed before Hurricane Katrina flooded the area in 2005, and the ruins were demolished in 2007. The site is now being cleared for a Lowe's store and a planned town‑center redevelopment.
Why. The record states the mall closed prior to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina flooding and was demolished in 2007; specific causes such as anchor tenant loss, competition, or debt are not mentioned.
Where it stands. The site is demolished and is being redeveloped with a Lowe's store and a planned town center, with Lowe's identified as the developer.
For a planner
- Redevelopment strategy calls for mixed‑use town center with housing, retail, hotel, garages, apartments and condos.
- Policy tools or incentives are not specified in the record.
- Open questions include phasing, financing, infrastructure upgrades, and community impacts.
For a developer
- Site size is not provided in the record.
- Control appears to be with Lowe's as the developer; entitlement stage is indicated by a redevelopment strategy and planned town‑center layout.
- Constraints noted include flood risk from Hurricane Katrina; transit and environmental conditions are not detailed.
- Market signals show housing interest and an opportunity score of 20, suggesting moderate redevelopment potential.
What we do not know yet
- Exact site dimensions and parcel boundaries are missing.
- Financial details such as debt, financing, or sale price are not stated.
- Specific demolition timeline beyond 2007 and current ownership after Lowe's are unclear.
- Zoning approvals, infrastructure plans, and flood mitigation measures are not described.
- The record is marked as draft and several fields are model‑extracted, requiring verification.
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
- Lakeforest Mall, Gaithersburg, MD · Malls · opened 1978; same strategy: redevelop
- Bashford Manor Mall, Louisville, KY · Malls · opened 1973; same strategy: redevelop
- Cache Valley Mall, Logan, UT · Malls · opened 1976; same strategy: redevelop
- Cape Cod Factory Outlet Mall, Bourne, MA · Malls · opened 1972; same strategy: redevelop
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: The Plaza at Lake Forest on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and state only, check the city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- Lake Forest Plaza highwayhost.org
- Gus Mayer Lake Forest Plaza New Orleans Press Photo 1979 commons.wikimedia.org
- Built St. Louis: On the Road in New Orleans builtstlouis.net
- Remember Lake Forest Plaza? See 44 vintage photos from Th… nola.com
- Lake Forest Plaza New Orleans Richland Mall … fity.club
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
- already in play: under construction, approved, or sold to a developer with housing plans
- housing in the record
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 | 1974Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Original developer | Sizeler Realtyextracted, unreviewed |
| Anchors | Mervyns, Sears, D.H. Holmes, Maison Blanche |
| Census division | 7 · West South Central |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Lake Forest Plaza was a shopping mall in New Orleans East, Louisiana, United States that opened in 1974. It had been closed before being flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the ruins were demolished in 2007.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1974 Opened (Wikidata)
- 1974 Opened
- 1999 Sold to Gowri Kailas
- 2007 Demolished
Sources
- Wikipedia: Lake Forest Plaza · supports: after notes, original developer, status, strategy
7 quoted sentences
The mall was originally developed and managed by Sizeler Realty.
The rest of the complex has been demolished and is being replaced by a Lowe's.
the ruins were demolished in 2007.
The rest of the site is to be redeveloped into a new 'town center' type of development with free standing stores, garages, hotels, apartments and condos.