![]() All of the years of planning and manpower put into the construction were finally becoming clear and the end result was truly beautiful. Once the initial foundation was in the rest of the project took only eleven months to complete. The full first year of construction was spent grading the rugged landscape and transforming it into a workable site so the foundation of the mall could be laid. Original development plan for Phase I of Rolling Acres Mall shows the main level of the mall and plans for a future lower level. The second phase would be the addition of a promenade level and three more department stores. The first phase being the malls main level and the initial two department stores. The shopping center was built in two phases. Forest city also owned 127 adjacent acres which they had planned for commercial and high density residential.Īfter years of delays, construction at Rolling Acres would finally get underway in 1973. The architectural rendering shows the first phase of Forest City’s development at Rolling Acres. Though Rolling Acres and Austin Mall were both eventually given the green light for rezoning, the Austin Mall never materialized. It was also thought that a shopping center would stunt downtown urban renewal projects. In the nearby city of Barberton a group was planning the Austin Mall Development, a smaller enclosed mall that would be surrounded by a new housing development.īoth projects faced major setbacks from area residents with many believing that the shopping centers would reek havoc on downtown retail in both Akron and Barberton. This artists rendering of Rolling Acres Shopping Center showcases Forest City Enterprises second major Akron project – a twin to the already existing Chapel Hill Mall – in which an 800,000 square foot center bordered by apartments and office buildings.īut Rolling Acres wasn’t the only shopping center being planned for the area. In the acreage surrounding the center the group panned to build a 200 suite motel, medical and office buildings, and some 900 apartment units. A single layer shopping mall flanked by two anchor department stores. The initial plan was to build a near twin to Chapel Hill. Two years later the group would settle on a 260 acre site on Romig Road located in the city’s southwest corner. When studies showed the demand existed and with major department stores showing interest in the area, Buchholzer and Forest City concluded that the time to start planning Akron’s third major mall was now. Malls were going up everywhere across the country and it only seemed logical that Akron’s south side would be next. Buchholzer had partnered with Cleveland developers Forest City Enterprises and was in the beginning stages of building Chapel Hill Mall. On the northeast side, Akronite Richard B. As Rolling Acres got smaller, the nearby Montrose area got larger, and now has many of its former anchors.In 1964, on Akron’s west side, The DeBartolo Corporation was building the city’s first enclosed shopping center, Summit Mall. The city of Akron no longer views the area as viable for retail. Toys R’ Us closed as part of a larger consolidation plan by its new owners. The Target closed in February 2006, with a new store being opened in the western suburb of Wadsworth, Ohio. Several of the buildings have been condemned, while other are taking transient uses such as fronts for flea markets, and mattress liquidators. Marc's (former Children's Palace) – Closed 2004.Ames (formerly Hills & Gold Circle) - closed 2002.Handy Andy Home Improvement Center (formerly Forest City) – closed 1996.It had a number of large big box retailers including: The shopping district is located in the City of Akron proper, and encompasses most of the area. Today, Rolling Acres stands as a skeleton of what it once was, mirroring many other parts of the Midwest that have suffered from stagnant economic conditions, saturated markets, and unprofitable foot traffic. At its peak it was the most visited mall in Northeast Ohio. Pulling from a diverse population of blue collar workers in Barberton, Ohio and Kenmore, and inner city neighborhoods such as West Akron and Lane-Wooster, the Rolling Acres shopping district blossomed. Erickson that the addition of a third mall in the Akron area would harm downtown department stores, the Rolling Acres area was born with Rolling Acres Mall serving as its anchor. Despite warnings by civic leaders and former Mayor Edward O. ![]() Planning for the area began in 1960s with Forest City Enterprises, a Cleveland real estate company and the powerful Buchholzer family, whose previous endeavors involved financing much of the Chapel Hill Mall area. Rolling Acres is a former shopping district in Akron, Ohio, surrounding the now-demolished Rolling Acres Mall. Romig Road, the main strip of the Rolling Acres Mall vicinity
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