23 May 2013

Harding Mall, Nashville, TN

A dead mall

Harding Mall was always one of those Why the hell does this place even exist? malls.

The single level structure was positioned to the south-southeast of downtown Nashville in a neighborhood that had definitely seen better days. The first time I visited Harding Mall was on an excruciatingly torrid July afternoon just as my old Ford Escort's cooling system decided to start being a bitch. Not a very lengthy drive past 100 Oaks Mall, I found the inconspicuously profiled and inconsequential retail facility sitting idly by in the heat. It was flanked by a relatively large and looming Castner Knott, but not too much else.

I escaped to the dark and cooled corridors of the shopping center to find that the this was where the real action resided. Most of the stores were still occupied and there was a healthy amount of foot traffic to browse them. But the real star of Harding Mall had to be its daring scheme. The most recent renovation was in-your-face eighties in every way. There was drab, gaudy and mismatched flooring beneath my feet. My eyes were accosted by all of the greys, reds and blues playing hide-and-go-seek with the scant natural lighting and flickering neon tubes. It was like being perpetually trapped in some bad Tiffany video. I took some pictures, but damn it all if I have no idea what happened to them.

 
Harding Mall Mallmanac, ca. 1997. View the full PDF version here.

Harding Mall opened in 1969 with Castner Knott as the sole anchor surrounded on three sides by winding and twisted concourses and a diminutive Martin Theaters movie house. The place saw very few changes during its lifetime, with the only notable ones being Dillard's taking over the Castner Knott space after a buyout of the Nashville-based chain, Marshall's moving in as a junior anchor, Martin Theaters becoming Carmike in 1985 and, of course, the eighties Debbie Gibson explosion.


Harding Mall with its final anchor lineup.

Even on my first visit in the latter part of the nineties, I knew that Harding Mall wouldn't be around for too much longer. There just really is no place for these insignificant little niche malls any longer. After Dillard's vacated their space, we lost another enclosed shopping complex to the wrecking ball in 2006. It was expeditiously replaced by a Wal-Mart Supercenter. Because, God knows, we don't have enough of those around.

Harding Mall at Deadmalls.com
Harding Mall at Labelscar

5 comments:

  1. The Carmike 6 behind this mall opened May 4, 1990 and closed August 24, 2000. The Carmike name didn't exist for theatres until October 25, 1985 when Martin Theatres became Carmike Cinemas.

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    1. Thanks, chris21717. I've updated that information. I'm not familiar with deep south retail history (outside of southeastern Virgina) before 1990.

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  2. I lived in the Harding Mall area from 1971 - 2004 and as a frequent shopper at the Mall I'd like to state that Harding Mall was a successful neighborhood mall with Castner Knott knowing its customer base. The Mall faced difficulties when it became a hang out for teenagers and Dillards did not know "the territory" and unwisely dismissed many of the experienced sales force upon its takeover.

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  3. My friends and neighbors spent so many good times at Harding Mall. The shops were not like Green hills but it was so unique in its own way. My grandson’s especially liked Luby’s where they could pick what they wanted to eat from so many delicious foods. On the holidays carolers would appear throughout the day to spread joy. Most of the stores for shopping were small but I was always able to find what I needed or wanted.
    My wife and I would sometimes go there just to walk and talk. Harding Mall was definitely family oriented!

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    1. I forgot to mention My grandsons loved playing the games and the pizza at Mr. Gatti’s!

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