# Village Fair Mall

Meridian, MS · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-88629a1429` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ms/meridian-village-fair-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-88629a1429.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-88629a1429.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-88629a1429

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | built | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | civic | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | Lauderdale County Government Complex | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1972 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Closed | 1997 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2021 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Acres | 39.0 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Engel Company | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | Lauderdale County | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Public subsidy | bond issue | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Entitlement year | 2020 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_opened**: “It opened on March 2, 1972 with more than 50 retail spaces and anchor stores JCPenney and McRae's.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall
- **year_closed**: “Village Fair Mall closed in 1997.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall
- **acres**: “Lauderdale County purchased the approximately 39-acre former mall property for $1.25 million.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall
- **original_developer**: “Village Fair Mall was developed in 1971 by the Engel Company” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall
- **after_notes**: “The site later became the Lauderdale County Government Complex.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall
- **status**: “The site later became the Lauderdale County Government Complex.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall
- **strategy**: “The mall was demolished in 2020 and redeveloped into the Lauderdale County Government Complex.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall
- **public_subsidy**: “In October 2020, the Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors approved a bond issue of up to $50 million for construction of a new courthouse at the former Village Fair Mall site.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall

## Anchors

JCPenney, McRae's

## Parties

- Broadhead Trust — owner (from text) (1971–)
- Paul Broadhead — owner (from text)
- Lauderdale County — owner (from text) (2019–)

## Timeline

- 1971: Developed by Engel Company
- 1972: Opened with anchor stores JCPenney and McRae's
- 1997: Mall closed
- 2019: Lauderdale County purchased property
- 2020: Demolition began
- 2020: Asbestos abatement completed
- 2020: Bond issue approved for courthouse
- 2021: Construction of Government Center began
- 2022: Sheriff's Department opened
- 2023: Government Center officially opened

## Deals and debt

- 2019 sale: 1250000.0 Lauderdale County   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

Village Fair Mall was a shopping mall in Meridian, Mississippi. Built in 1971, it opened on March 2, 1972, with anchor stores JCPenney and McRae's and over 50 retail spaces. Village Fair Mall closed in 1997 and was purchased by Lauderdale County in 2019. The mall was demolished in 2020 and redeveloped into the Lauderdale County Government Complex.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_opened — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Fair_Mall

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Village Fair Mall, Meridian, MS." Record m-88629a1429, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ms/meridian-village-fair-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_meridianvillagefairmall,
  title = {Village Fair Mall, Meridian, MS},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/ms/meridian-village-fair-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-88629a1429, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.