MEMORIAL CITY MALL
Memorial City Mall is one of the nicest malls in Houston, but it wasn't always that way.
1964-1983
Unlike many other malls, Memorial City grew very slowly. In 1964, it was a small straight-shot mall with only one anchor: a two-level Sears. 1972 brought Montgomery Ward (two level) and a year later, a "cross corridor" featuring a large but one-story Foley's. The west anchor was finally filled with Lord & Taylor in the mid-1970s.
1983-2000
In 1983, Town & Country Mall opened up a few miles away. T&C Mall was three levels and more upscale, and featured Neiman Marcus, JCPenney, Joske's (previously a stand-alone building opened in 1969), and Marshall Field's. Soon, Memorial City Mall started to go downscale. While it tried to compete, adding a food court in the 1980s and, soon, a movie theater on the upper level near Sears, it did not work and Memorial City stagnated. Lord & Taylor went bust and sold the site to Mervyn's. But as the 1990s progressed, Town & Country soon languished.
2000-2004
When the dust settled in 2003, the mall had a brand-new roof and six department stores. Sears and Mervyn's remained throughout the remodel. The original Foley's had been demolished for in-line space, and the four new department stores: Lord & Taylor, Foley's (moved from adjacent older location), Dillard's (moved from Town & Country Mall), and ironically, Target (moved from Hedwig Village to the former Wards pad) were in place. Other new features included some "streetscape" stores and an ice rink near Mervyn's. Soon after, Lord & Taylor went out of business and was quickly replaced with JCPenney.
2005-?
2006 brought many changes. Mervyn's closed shop (when the chain pulled out of the market) and Foley's was absorbed into Macy's in September. Soon, the Mervyn's was demolished. 2007 revealed a plan that would link Memorial City Mall into the greater Memorial City area. There would be a skywalk that would connect MCM to adjacent buildings (a hotel and a large medical tower). As of spring 2008, the skywalk was half-completed, but it continues to remain that way.
Credits
HoustonArchitecture.com forums helped a lot with the information for this section.