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 Interior of mall looking toward the Neiman Marcus wing (2019) | |
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| Coordinates | 33°50′45″N84°21′43″W / 33.84591°N 84.36187°W /33.84591; -84.36187 |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| Opening date | August 3, 1959; 65 years ago (1959-08-03) |
| Developer | Noble Properties |
| Management | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | Simon Property Group |
| No. of stores and services | 198 |
| No. ofanchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,558,678 sq ft (144,805.9 m2) |
| No. of floors | 4 (3 in Neiman Marcus) |
| Public transit access | MARTA: atLenox atBuckhead |
| Website | simon |
Lenox Square is ashopping mall in theBuckhead district ofAtlanta,Georgia. With 198 tenants and 1,558,678 square feet (144,805.9 m2) ofgross leasable area, it is the third-largest mall in Georgia. The mall is currently owned and managed bySimon Property Group, and is considered a sister mall to the adjacent, Simon-ownedPhipps Plaza. The mall featuresMacy's,Bloomingdale's, andNeiman Marcus.
The mall is known of the start and finish line of thePeachtree Road Races, with the mall being the start line of the July southbound running, and the finish line of the January northbound running.
Lenox Square was the work of Ed Noble, a former developer fromKansas City, Missouri, whose company J. Noble Properties, acquired the site in 1956.[1] Groundbreaking for the shopping center occurred in July 1957, and it was completed on June 29, 1958.[2] The public opening ceremony for Lenox Square was held on August 3, 1959.
The three-level mall -Mall, Plaza and Market featured 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2) of retail space. It was anchored byRich's,Davison's, and aColonial Stores supermarket. There were 52 original tenants, including abowling alley, indoor golf driving range, and aKresgefive and dime store. The Mall Level concourse featured several statues depictingUncle Remus characters, such as Br'er Fox, Br'er Frog and theTar Baby. A movie theater opened on the Market Level in June 1963.[3][better source needed]
Within its first few years Lenox Square would be a part of several major events in the city. It is the starting point, as of 2025, the summer southbound running, and starting in 2025, the finishing point of the winter northbound running, of the 10 kilometerPeachtree Road Races, one of the largest 10 kilometer races in the world.[4][5] Davison's, owned by Macy's since 1924, was rebranded as Macy's in 1986.[6] In 2000, the celebration of theRich's Great Tree moved to the flagship store fromUnderground Atlanta, after having been helddowntown for decades.[7]
In 1991, Rich's relocated their flagship store to Lenox Square fromdowntown Atlanta. In 2003,Federated Department Stores began integrating theMacy's name with their other regional department store brands, includingRich's. Following the news, the LenoxMacy's location closed and the building (along with the location atPerimeter Mall) was renovated extensively to house the firstBloomingdale's in the South, which opened in October 2003. In 2005,Federated Department Stores dropped the regional names of all of their department stores. The former Rich's-Macy's location at Lenox Square became the flagship ofMacy's Central until all of the company's divisions had consolidated into one.[8][9]
Lenox Square is the third largest shopping mall in the state, as well as one of the largest in the Southeast. Only theMall of Georgia andPerimeter Mall have a largergross leasable area.[11]
Visited by more than 35 million people a year, Lenox Square is one of the most popular and profitable retail centers in theUnited States.[12] Together with Phipps Plaza, an estimated $1 billion was generated in 2007.[13] An estimated 40% of all visitors to the shopping center in 2009 were tourists.[1]
By 2023, since thegovernment lockdown, Lenox Square had announced several newest additions, among them arePsycho Bunny,Savage X Fenty,Cotton On,Moncler,Sandro,The Webster,Ferrari, in addition to an entirely new store format forApple.[14]
Lenox Square opened to the public on August 3, 1959, operating as an open-air shopping center much like a typicallifestyle center. Its original anchors were two of the most famous and acclaimed department stores in the area,Rich's andDavison's, and grocery chainColonial Stores. The mall opened with 60 stores. Over the next few decades competition from newsuburban shopping malls spurred four expansions. The most recent renovation included enlarging the Neiman Marcus store by 52,000 square feet (4,800 m2) and the addition of 36,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of new retail space. It also has the largestPottery Barn in their chain as well as one of the largestForever 21 stores in the Southeastern United States.
Lenox Square has undergone four major renovations and expansions, significantly spurred by competition from new suburban retail such asPerimeter Mall andCumberland Mall. In keeping with a then current retail trend, a major renovation and expansion in the early 1970s enclosed the entire shopping center. It included a new wing and the addition of the firstNeiman Marcus location outside ofTexas andFlorida.[15] It is still to this day the company's only location in the state.[16]
A second expansion completed in 1980 added a three-level section at the back of the mall which included afood court. This replaced the previous open-air Plaza Court and supermarket. Lenox Square then encompassed 1.04 million leasable square feet. The new food court was soon joined by a 19-story, 370,000 sqft (gross), class-A office building, a twin-like 24-story hotel, 1,800 space, five-level partially submerged combined hotel-office parking garage (two below ground), and 800-space four-level retail pre-cast concrete parking deck. These were adjacent to theMARTA'sLenox transit station, which opened in December 1984.
In 1995, the mall underwent its largest expansion, adding a second story above the original Mall Level. The expansion made Lenox Square the largest shopping center in Georgia, with 1.457 million square feet (140,000 m²) divided among 200 stores andrestaurants.[17] This distinction was relinquished to the newly built, 1.7-million-square-foot (160,000 m2)Mall of Georgia in 1999.
A significant 2007 expansion enlarged the existing Neiman Marcus by 52,000 square feet (4,800 m2) and added a 36,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) an upper level to the wing connecting the store to the main mallway. The shopping center then housed 1.545 million leasable square feet and 240 stores and services.[18]
In Fall 2013 another renovation took place in the mall with additions of both exterior and interior with new lightning, landscaping, windowing, and many more. The renovations were completed as of 2014.
Seven shootings occurred at Lenox Square in 2020.[citation needed]
A robbery occurred outside of the mall in 2021 after it was closed.[citation needed]
After a string of shootings and robberies, the mall now has security measures in place and requires people under the age of 18 to have adult supervision after 3 pm.[19]
Lenox Square is connected via parkway to the 27-storyJW Marriott Buckhead hotel, classified as a 4-Diamond hotel by theAAA. Many other luxury hotels are within walking distance from Lenox. These includeW Hotel,The Whitley, and properties belonging to theGrand Hyatt,InterContinental,Waldorf Astoria, andWestin chains.
The area around Lenox has grown immensely in the past few decades following its opening, with expanding retail developments and over 75 restaurants within a mile radius, which has made the area a highly desirable location to live and work.[20] A two-storyTarget store sits across from Lenox at Lenox Marketplace, connected inside via escalators and elevators designed for shopping carts as well as shoppers, and having checkouts on both levels at the exits to a parking deck. Other stores at Lenox Marketplace includeDick's Sporting Goods andPublix. The Sembler Company was the developer. In addition,Phipps Plaza is located to the northeast of Lenox Square across Peachtree Road. Traffic levels around Lenox are high and the streets are confusing for those unfamiliar with the area.Georgia 400 opened in 1993, restricting traffic to and from the west after it cut many existing roads. However, the BUC (Buckhead Uptown Connection), the free shuttle bus service around Buckhead, is available, supported voluntarily by a self-taxing district (Buckhead CID) which includes Lenox, and by GRTA and other agencies. The Peachtree Streetcar initiative would also extend free or low-fare streetcars to Lenox in the north, through midtown and downtown, to a proposed mixed-use redevelopment around historicFort McPherson, 14 miles (23 km) south.MARTA, the city's main mass transit system, providesone station across the street from the J W Marriott, as well as theBuckhead station a quarter mile Northwest on Peachtree Road.
Several companies, such asAT&T Mobility,[21] have their headquarters near the shopping center.
The area surrounding Lenox Square contains a 125,000 square foot open air retail center, The Shops Around Lenox. Anchored by aCrate & Barrel, it includes 16 retail stores, smaller specialty stores, restaurants, and workout studios. The center was built in 1979, underwent a major redevelopment during the recession[which?] and was sold by the developers in 2014 for $71.8 million.[22] A full list is detailed below.[23]
| Name | No. of floors | Year opened | Year closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomingdale's | 4 | 2003 | — | Replaced the first Macy's |
| Colonial Stores | 1959 | 1980 | ||
| Davison's | 4 | 1959 | 1986 | |
| Macy's | 4 | 1986 | 2003 | Replaced Davidson's |
| 3 | 2003 | — | Replaced Rich's; co-branded Rich's–Macy's from 2003–2005 | |
| Neiman Marcus | 2 | 1972 | — | |
| Rich's | 3 | 1959 | 2003 |
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