# Highland Mall

Austin, TX · mall · tier: curated · Retrofit Atlas record `m-5a855ce72a` · release 2026-10-20

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/tx/austin-highland-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-5a855ce72a.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-5a855ce72a.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-5a855ce72a

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | partial | reported · authors' map |
| Strategy | redevelop, regreen, reinhabit | reported · authors' map |
| New use | education, retail, housing, park | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | • Reinhabitation, education • Partial redevelopment, office and residential • Partial regreening | reported · authors' map |
| Opened | 1971 | reported · Wikidata |
| Closed | 2015 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2012 | reported · authors' map |
| GLA (sq ft) | 1116000 | reported · Esri 2014 layer |
| Stores at peak | 137 | reported · Esri 2014 layer |
| Original developer | Austin Malls, Inc., a subsidiary of The Rouse Company | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | Austin Community College; RedLeaf Properties | reported · authors' map |
| Zoning change | Form-based code planned for the Airport Blvd corridor (adoption not confirmed) (form-based code (planned)) | documented · research |
| Public subsidy | ACC (public college) bought the site: 18.5-acre Dillard's parcel for $4.71M, 32.2 acres of mall core for $14.6M, and the JCPenney tract for $15.9M (about $35.2M for those three; Community Impact reported about $42.4M total including later parcels). | reported · research |
| Entitlement year | 2012 | reported · research |
| Planning notes | Approved by Austin Community College board (purchase); City of Austin.  | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_closed**: “On April 30, 2015, Highland Mall officially closed after 44 business years.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Mall
- **original_developer**: “Highland Mall opened on August 4, 1971, developed by Austin Malls, Inc., a subsidiary of The Rouse Company.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Mall
- **zoning_change**: “The plan for the Highland Mall site, as for the entire Airport Boulevard, is for a form-based code to drive the approvals process and zoning.” — https://sites.austincc.edu/newsroom/2010/05/25/acc-purchases-dillards-highland-mall-property/

## Anchors

Macy's, Dillard's, Dillard's 2, JCPenney, Foley's, Scarbrough's, Joske's

## Parties

- Austin Community College District — owner (Wikidata, undated)
- Austin Community College — developer (2012–)
- RedLeaf Properties — developer (2012–)
- Rouse Properties — owner (from text) (2012–)
- General Growth Properties and Simon Property Group — owner (from text) (–2011)
- Brookfield Asset Management — owner (from text) (2016–)

## Timeline

- 1971: Opened (Wikidata)
- 1971: Highland Mall opened
- 2006: JCPenney left the mall
- 2009: Dillard's closed
- 2011: Joint ownership ended
- 2012: Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit, regreen
- 2012: GGP spun off properties to Rouse Properties
- 2012: ACC purchased Highland Mall
- 2014: First phase of ACC Highland Campus opened
- 2015: Highland Mall officially closed
- 2016: Rouse Properties acquired by Brookfield Asset Management
- 2026: Ownership of surrounding retail space

## Deals and debt

- 2016 sale:  Brookfield Asset Management ← Rouse Properties  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Mall
- 2012 sale:  Austin Community College ← Rouse Properties  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Mall

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

ACC Highland Campus is a community college operated by the Austin Community College District, adjacent to retail space. It was formerly known as Highland Mall, which was a shopping mall located in north Austin, Texas, United States, on Airport Boulevard west of I-35 and north of US Route 290. Opened in 1971, Highland Mall was Austin's first suburban shopping mall. Highland Mall was jointly owned by General Growth Properties and Simon Property Group until 2011. On April 30, 2015, Highland Mall officially closed its doors; the space has since been repurposed primarily as a campus for Austin Community College.

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

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_closed — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Mall
- Quoted support for zoning_change — https://sites.austincc.edu/newsroom/2010/05/25/acc-purchases-dillards-highland-mall-property/
- Esri StoryMaps: Closed_US_Malls feature layer (2014) — https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=6869fc5bfb3f4757954ef7a9e9ccbebf (2014-10-02)
- Retrofitting Suburbia Interactive Mall Map (ArcGIS web map ce33ab26…) — https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?webmap=ce33ab2637374aab862b8a23847f620f (2021-01-20)
- www.arcgis.com — https://www.arcgis.com/sharing/rest/content/items/1196f74d7da6445eb54bfc3f25a4719a/data?f=json (2022)
- communityimpact.com — https://communityimpact.com/news/2015/04/20/highland-mall-nearly-history (2022)

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Highland Mall, Austin, TX." Record m-5a855ce72a, release 2026-10-20, tier curated. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/tx/austin-highland-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_austinhighlandmall,
  title = {Highland Mall, Austin, TX},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/tx/austin-highland-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-5a855ce72a, release 2026-10-20, tier: curated. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}
```

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.