Coronado Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico

 An extant asset

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 1965.  View the full PDF version here.

It was during a family cross country road trip in 2008 when I made my one and only visit to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  We had stopped for the night due to a planned appointment so I had some time to kill.  And what better place to do that than at the local mall?

Old timey postcards of Coronado Center.

I had chosen Coronado Center due to its central location as well as its proximity to another dying enclosed complex, Winrock Mall.  After exploring the older facility, which has since then met its own demise, I spent the rest of the day at its more up to date neighbor.

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 1985.  View the full PDF version here.

Coronado Center is definitely a tale about two separate structures slapped together with little besides retail in common.  One portion was stylish, vibrant, two levels and had a Del Taco.  The other was single level, tired and ancient, not very inviting and was highlighted only by a Sears.

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 1995.  View the full PDF version here.

This single level segment serves as the original Coronado Center, having opened in 1965 as an open-air facility.  Anchored by Sears and Rhodes Brothers, it complemented nearby Winrock and soon the surrounding retail district would become the city’s go-to.

1 & 2- Coronado Center in 2014. (Source for both)  3 & 4- The interior concourses today. (Source for both)

While Rhode’s Brothers was taken over by Liberty House in the mid-seventies, the newer, double tiered western portion was constructed with department stores Goldwater’s and The Broadway serving as anchors.  At around this time, Liberty House was usurped by Mervyn’s.

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 2005.  View the full PDF version here.

In 1984, a fifth anchor, Sanger-Harris, was added to the newer build.  In the late eighties, there was some shuffling of the anchors.  May D&F took over Goldwater’s spot while Foley’s moved into what was once Sanger-Harris.  This Foley’s location, however, was shuttered the following year.

Coronado Center lease plan ca. 2011.  View the full PDF version here.

JCPenney moved into Sanger-Harris’s former pad in 1990 while Foley’s returned in 1993, this time within the walls that once housed May D&F.  Just a few years later in 1996, Macy’s made their debut within the recently vacated confines of The Broadway.

Coronado Center’s interior. (Source for both)

Foley’s was rebranded as Macy’s in what was the then Cincinnati based retailer’s second location.  The pad formerly belonging to The Broadway was subsequently vacated for the larger Foley’s, leaving the western-most anchor spot darkened for several years.

Coronado Center Mallmanac ca. 2024.  View the full PDF version here.

Kohl’s moved to Mervyn’s space upon the latter’s bankruptcy while, in the early 2010s, Gordman’s and Dick’s shared the space originally claimed by The Broadway.  Sears, unsurprisingly, called it quits in 2018 and the space was subdivided into smaller stores and big boxes.

Recent shots of the inside and outside of Coronado Center. (Source for all)

Kohl’s, after about a decade tenure at Coronado Center, exited in 2023 leaving JCPenney and Macy’s as the sole traditional anchors.  And while these will help to keep the sixty year old retail destination healthy enough for now, it’s inevitable that more changes will come in the future.

Coronado Center official website

Town Center at Aurora, Aurora CO

 An extant asset

The name Aurora Metro Center Station was an interesting choice for the eastern Denver suburb’s central light rail station.  One might think that with a name such as this they can expect to find densely placed living and commercial spaces.  Alas, on one side of the station lies an empty field.  On the other, there lies a monotonous expanse of asphalt hosting the Town Center at Aurora.

1 to 4- The four main mall entrances of Town Center at Aurora.  5- The temporary setup for Paranormal Cirque in the southwestern parking lot.  6- The redeveloped exterior of the former Sears store.

Normally on these mall visits, I’ll do a quick walk around of the exterior before heading inside.  But what I found on the flanking side of this facility was quite the unexpected find.  Under white fabric tents reminiscent of those at nearby Denver International Airport was the Paranormal Cirque.  Obviously a temporary addition to the center’s lineup, it proved to be the complex’s most unique offering.

Town Center at Aurora lease plan ca. 2010.  View the full PDF version here.

While regional peers such as Cherry Creek Center and Park Meadows offer their own unique styles and flair, the Town Center at Aurora, much like Chesapeake’s Greenbrier Mall, offers nothing out of the ordinary design or selection wise.  Though still drawing in respectable patronage, overall the facility reflects the commonplace nature of the surrounding suburb.

1 & 2- Dillard’s.  3 & 4- JCPenney.  5 & 6- Macy’s.  7 & 8- Fieldhouse.

Just across the tarmac from the Paranormal Cirque is the facility’s oldest extant anchor, JCPenney.  Over the years, I’ve looked forward to seeing the interesting architectural elements of the Dallas based retailer’s outlets, with what I call Starship Penny’s being some of my favorites.  But this location was just kind of bland, and even a recent coat of darker paint to contrast with the overall dusty walls did nothing to make this location stand out.

Town Center at Aurora Mallmanac ca. 2019.  View the full PDF version here.

Just inside the southwestern mall entrance, the Town Center at Aurora greeted me with even more meh.  The several shades of whites and grays lent the concourse all of the ambiance of your average DMV.  However, the rectangular box sconces placed high up on the columns surrounding the various courts and common areas did lend the space a touch of old school distinctiveness.

The southwestern portion of Town Center at Aurora including the second level food court.

What was originally known as the Aurora Mall opened its doors in 1975.  What was then the far eastern exurbs of a much younger Denver, it was built on a sprawling piece of land with not much else around.  The just over 1 million square foot facility debuted with four anchors- The Denver Dry Goods Company, May-Daniels & Fisher, JCPenney and Sears.

Town Center at Aurora Mallmanac ca. 2021.  View the full PDF version here.

Through the years, The Denver Dry Goods Company became a second location for May D&F in 1987 before rebranding as Foley’s in 1993.  Today the anchor is occupied by Little Rock based Dillard’s.  The May-Daniels & Fisher first was rebranded as a men’s store after the former Denver Dry Goods became a twin establishment, then was converted to a second spot for Foley’s.  Macy’s now calls the southeastern facing box home.

Town Center at Aurora’s expansive center court.

In 2005, following the facility’s first major renovation, the entire complex was rebranded with its present moniker- Town Center at Aurora.  The years following were rather tumultuous as the shopping center witnessed unfortunate events such as a young girl’s killing when trying to intervene in a fight in 2005 as well as the infamous 2012 shooting at the screening of The Dark Knight Rises.

Town Center at Aurora lease plan ca. 2023.  View the full PDF version here.

Though Sears ultimately departed in 2019, it was soon replaced by a Round One entertainment complex in 2021.  Otherwise, the Town Center at Aurora has seen welcome stability in more recent years and has even pivoted to better cater to the changing demographics in the surrounding area.  I hoping this leads to continued success.

1 to 4- Scenes of Town Center at Aurora’s main concourse.  5- The former lower level entrance to Sears.  6- A mural displaying Denver’s pro sports team painted on the escalator nearest to Fieldhouse.

Town Center at Aurora official website