Triangle Mall, Longview, WA

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marshd1000
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Post by marshd1000 »

In Longview, WA, there was a shopping center called, Triangle Mall. Presently it is now called, Triangle Center and has been converted into a Lifestyle/Power Center. I say that as it is more upscale than it was but has a Winco Foods present too.

Before the renovation, it was a small traditional mall. More like a neighborhood mall that was enclosed and had a Montgomery Wards store, JJ Newberrys, and Rite Aid (previously PayLess Drug and Pay 'n Save).

It also had a Thriftway store supplied by Unified Western Grocers and previously it had Shop 'n Kart.

It also had a strip mall aspect to it later on with a Ernst Hardware (now Ace) and Starbucks Coffee.

This was Longview/Kelso's first mall. Anyway, I am wondering when the mall was first built and what the tennants were back then?
tkaye
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Post by tkaye »

marshd1000 wrote:This was Longview/Kelso's first mall. Anyway, I am wondering when the mall was first built and what the tennants were back then?
According to the following site, it was built in 1964 and Ward's, Newberry's, and Pay 'n Save were the first major tenants: Scroll down to #39... there are a couple of photos here, too.

The Cowlitz County Assessor also has some good photos of the property before it was de-malled at http://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/cowlitzapps ... celsearch/(S(pawwlz452yemr1iclvjzb245))/ParcelData.aspx?Account=R033100&Public=Y
(You'll have to cut-and-paste since the URL function didn't seem to work with this address.) Ward's signage and entrance resembled a discount store more than a department store, if you ask me. Since it was originally an outdoor mall, how did the anchor stores open out onto the mall concourse? (Or were they only accessible from the exterior?)
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Dave
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Post by Dave »

tkaye wrote:...The Cowlitz County Assessor also has some good photos of the property before it was de-malled at http://www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/cowlitzapps ... celsearch/(S(pawwlz452yemr1iclvjzb245))/ParcelData.aspx?Account=R033100&Public=Y
(You'll have to cut-and-paste since the URL function didn't seem to work with this address.)...
Incidentially, the site http://www.tinyurl.com has a tool that converts long URLs to short ones for email and message board purposes.

I used the site to take the above URL and make a short one that doesn't wrap around: http://tinyurl.com/2mml9g

Fairly handy tool.
tkaye
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Post by tkaye »

Dave wrote:I used the site to take the above URL and make a short one that doesn't wrap around: http://tinyurl.com/2mml9g
Thanks... I forgot all about that!
Super S
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Post by Super S »

I first moved to Longview in 1988, and moved back two years ago.

Here is what I recall:

Wards, Newberry's, and Pay'N Save all were at one time freestanding buildings, built in 1964 (I remember advertising that read "Triangle Mall 25th Anniversary, 1964-1989") The mall was enclosed sometime in the 1970s. Wards actually retained the regular doors to the mall interior, as did Pay 'N Save. Wards propped them all open during mall hours, while Pay 'N Save used automatic doors. Newberry's had a gate at its indoor entrance. Not long after PayLess took over Pay 'N Save, they ditched the doors for a regular gate, while Wards had the doors until the end. Worth noting is that Pay' N Save did not have an exterior door after the mall was enclosed.

The mall also had a freestanding Albertsons, which later became Shop 'N Kart, then Thriftway. There was also a freestanding Ernst store.

The smaller stores in the mall were mostly locally-owned. Some I remember were It's Alive Pets, Music Rack, The Book Store, Transfer T's, Triangle Mall Cafe, and a couple of clothing stores, as well as C & L Auto Licensing.

Around 1992, Ernst built a new store on the north end of the mall property. Around the smae time, perhaps a year or two later, the interior of the mall received new carpeting.


A few years later, the old Ernst was demolished. Thriftway took over the Shop 'N Kart, which was a small, old building, so they built a new store across from Ernst. About the same time, Ernst filed for bankruptcy and closed, and became Ace Hardware. Thriftway was only open a couple years before it also closed

The final blow to the old mall was when Newberry's, then Wards closed. All of the old mall was demolished with the exception of Rite Aid, which was originally Pay'N Save. Rite Aid did an extensive remodel to this building.

The new strip mall has been successful.
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Groceteria
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Post by Groceteria »

My handy-dandy 1964 shopping center guide lists a "Triangle Shopping Center" in Longview that opened 31 October 1961, with a Montgomery Ward, Newberry's, Pay 'n' Save, Super Valu Market, and others. It was apparently already in operating when the data for the book was gathered, probably in 1963.

Could 1964 perhaps be the year it was coverted into a mall, and maybe that's why they chose it as the year to celebrate?
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Post by Super S »

Groceteria wrote:My handy-dandy 1964 shopping center guide lists a "Triangle Shopping Center" in Longview that opened 31 October 1961, with a Montgomery Ward, Newberry's, Pay 'n' Save, Super Valu Market, and others. It was apparently already in operating when the data for the book was gathered, probably in 1963.

Could 1964 perhaps be the year it was coverted into a mall, and maybe that's why they chose it as the year to celebrate?
The Longview Daily News had several articles about the redevelopment in their archives, which mention that the mall was enclosed in the 1970s.

Worth noting is that when the enclosed mall was demolished, the west wall of the Pay'N Save (now Rite Aid) revealed a mural which was covered when the mall enclosed, as well as several old Pay 'N Save signs. The mural was a painting of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, which was located across the Columbia River, and just south of Rainier, Oregon. The nuclear plant began operation around 1976 or so. In the old mall, there was an ice cream shop, and a cafe, located along this wall on the inside of the mall. I guess it could be possible that this area did not have anything for a few years after the mall was enclosed. These murals were actualy left in place and covered again when Rite Aid did an extensive exterior and interior remodel of their store, which is the only remaining building of the original mall.

UPDATE 3/6/12: I came here today researching something to do with the Wards location in the mall and discovered that the link to The Daily News archives now linked to something that had absolutely nothing to do with the mall, so I removed it. That newspaper has been really flaky with some of their archives as of late.
Last edited by Super S on 06 Mar 2012 15:13, edited 1 time in total.
tkaye
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Post by tkaye »

Super S wrote:Worth noting is that when the enclosed mall was demolished, the west wall of the Pay'N Save (now Rite Aid) revealed a mural which was covered when the mall enclosed, as well as several old Pay 'N Save signs. The mural was a painting of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, which was located across the Columbia River, and just south of Rainier, Oregon. The nuclear plant began operation around 1976 or so. In the old mall, there was an ice cream shop, and a cafe, located along this wall on the inside of the mall. I guess it could be possible that this area did not have anything for a few years after the mall was enclosed. These murals were actualy left in place and covered again when Rite Aid did an extensive exterior and interior remodel of their store, which is the only remaining building of the original mall.
Not sure if you noticed them, but there are two photos of the mural at the site I linked in my earlier post in the thread.

I see that The Daily News article you linked confirms the 1961 opening.
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Post by Super S »

tkaye wrote:
Super S wrote:Worth noting is that when the enclosed mall was demolished, the west wall of the Pay'N Save (now Rite Aid) revealed a mural which was covered when the mall enclosed, as well as several old Pay 'N Save signs. The mural was a painting of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant, which was located across the Columbia River, and just south of Rainier, Oregon. The nuclear plant began operation around 1976 or so. In the old mall, there was an ice cream shop, and a cafe, located along this wall on the inside of the mall. I guess it could be possible that this area did not have anything for a few years after the mall was enclosed. These murals were actualy left in place and covered again when Rite Aid did an extensive exterior and interior remodel of their store, which is the only remaining building of the original mall.
Not sure if you noticed them, but there are two photos of the mural at the site I linked in my earlier post in the thread.

I see that The Daily News article you linked confirms the 1961 opening.
I didn't have a chance to look at that link earlier. Those indeed are the murals I am referring to. Ironically, the Trojan Nuclear Plant closed in 1993, and the cooling tower depicted in that mural was demolished last year (which I had the opportunity to watch)
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