Plaza Las Américas

Plaza Las Américas is a shopping mall in Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico, located at the intersection of Routes 18 and 22. "Plaza", as it is known to many Puerto Ricans, was the first indoor shopping mall built in Puerto Rico.[3] It is the largest shopping mall in the Caribbean and the second largest in Latin America.[3] Anchor stores are JCPenney, Macy's, Sears, Sears Brand Central, Forever 21, Old Navy, Caribbean Cinemas and Marshalls. There is also a Kmart store near the mall.

Not to be confused with the Plaza de Américas of Seville Expo '92 or Plaza/Centro Las Américas shopping center in Ecatepec, Greater Mexico City.
Plaza Las Américas
Plaza Las Américas logo
LocationHato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°25′19″N 66°4′28″W
Opening dateSeptember 3, 1968
DeveloperEmpresas Fonalledas, Inc.
ManagementFranklin Domenech[1]
OwnerPlaza Las Américas, Inc[2]
Empresas Fonalledas, Inc.
No. of stores and services300+
No. of anchor tenants7
Total retail floor area1,900,000 sq ft (180,000 m2)
No. of floors3 of shopping mall (4 in JCPenney, closed 4th floor in Macy's)
12 of office bldg. ("La Torre")
Parking11,300+ (approx.)
Websiteplazalasamericas.com

History

In 1918, siblings Jerónimo, Rosa, Gerardo, and Jaime Fonalledas acquired 527 acres (2.13 km2) of land previously known as "Las Monjas". This land was property of Don Pablo Ubarri Capetillo, the Count of Santurce.[4] By 1920, little by little cane harvesting was eliminated with the intention of using the land for the creation of a milk company, eventually known as "Vaquería Tres Monjitas".[4] In 1950, the metropolitan area of San Juan was growing rapidly. The planning board began to build the project and ordered the development of the lands. It is then that the Fonalledas brothers came up with the idea of establishing a regional shopping center in the "Las Monjas" property.[4] The planning board included a space of 15 acres of land for a shopping center in its development plan.[4] In 1962, the plans for the construction of a shopping center and the negotiations with tenants began.[4] In April 1967, construction of Plaza Las Américas began under the direction of engineer Peter Jacobson.[4] On September 3, 1968, Plaza Las Américas held its grand opening. It was the first enclosed shopping center in Puerto Rico and the largest in Latin America at the time.[3] The project was inaugurated with a total of 79 establishments, a twin cinema and parking for 4,000 vehicles.[3] One hundred percent of the space was rented and nearly 2,000 people were employed in the new mall.[3] The primary anchor store was a three-level (261,500 square foot) J. C. Penney. It was the chain's first location outside the fifty states and its largest operation between 1968 and 1971.[5] The mall also housed two San Juan-based department stores as its second and third anchors: a two-level (76,500 square foot) González Padín and (22,000 square foot) Velasco. Inline stores included Martha Washington Ice Cream, Gordon's Jewelers, Florsheim Shoes, La Esquina Famosa (men's clothing), Bakers (shoes), Zales, Clubman, Marianne Shops, Singer Sewing Center, Lerner Shops, Thom McAn, La Favorita and First Federal Savings Bank, along with an F. W. Woolworth Company, Farmacias González (pharmacy), La Cosa (curios), La Tienda Sin Nombre (shoes), Benny's Toys, Pueblo Supermarket, a barbershop, a travel agency and a full-sized hardware store. A small section had a second floor where medical and business offices were accessible. The following year, the architectural design of Plaza Las Américas won the URBE Award for Best Commercial Architecture[6]

In 1979, the first expansion of the shopping center was completed. Fifty-five new stores were added in a three-level North Wing. This was anchored by a 3-level (329,000 square foot) Sears. The "Terraza de Plaza", the first food court to be established in the island, comprises the third level of the addition, along with three additional movie theater halls, nicknamed Plaza III, Plaza IV, and Plaza V. In 1992, the new development plan for the second great expansion of Plaza Las Americas is published. In 1994, the expansion of Plaza Las Américas and also the remodeling of "La Terraza" were completed. The number of restaurants was increased from 19 to 24 and the movie theater halls from 5 to 10. The construction of the "Torre de Plaza" is finished at a cost of $15 million.[4] The Tower added 146,000 square feet (13,600 m2) of profitable space to the shopping center. In 1996, Plaza Las Americas announced its largest expansion and remodeling at a cost of more than $246 million. In 1997, the advertising campaign of Plaza Las Américas ("Menos mal que está Plaza") is awarded the Maxi Award which is granted by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). The following year, the first phase of the center's three-year-long expansion and renovation is dedicated. This consists of a newly built four-level (350,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, replacing the three-level store that had opened at the mall in 1968. The new Penney's at Plaza Las Américas is the chain's largest store. The original location was subdivided into new retail spaces. In 1999, the overpass bridge on the De Diego Expressway was inaugurated, offering better access to the shopping center.

In 2000, the remodeling and expansion of the shopping center was completed, offering a new facade occupied by over 300 stores. A three-level (255,000 square foot) Macy’s opened as the third anchor of the shopping center on October 25, making it the chain's first location outside the fifty states. Local movie theater chain Caribbean Cinemas opened a thirteen-screen movie theater in 2005 and is the busiest and highest-grossing of the entire chain. A concept of "public" art was created in the shopping center, which includes pieces by local artists. In 2011, the Disney Store opened the first store in Puerto Rico, it closed in 2021 and withdrew from Puerto Rico. In 2012, Plaza Las Américas invested $12 million in remodeling the mall's north entrance facade. The remodeling work began on May 23, 2012, and was completed by mid November 2012, just before the holiday season. In addition, between July–August 2012, expansion began on the multistory parking, located in the southern area of the mall. The expansion extended the five floors of multistory to add over 300 parking spaces. All parking areas of the mall were also repaved while new landscape gardens designs where developed in front of the main entrance.[1] On August 28, 2013, Plaza opened the first ever Cheesecake Factory in Puerto Rico. Sports Authority opened in mid-2014, along with an expansion in parking. It closed in 2016 after the company declared bankruptcy and was replaced by Marshalls in February 2018, according to El Nuevo Dia. Also, in early 2018, a Red Lobster restaurant opened. It closed in May 2023, leaving its spot vacant.

In September 2018, the mall celebrated its 50th anniversary. In December 2019, it was announced that Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar will be constructed in the mall, originally set to open by January 2021, but due to economic loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this project’s current state is unknown[7]

As of December 2019, the mall is 1,900,000 sq ft (180,000 m2) in size.[8][9]

In March 2020, the mall closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the announcement of a new executive order on May 21, the mall reopened on June 1 with security measures, including new hours, mandatory face masks and social distancing. Reservations were now required to visit the mall and were originally limited to 2 people. On June 9, reservations were changed to allow up to 4 people. On July 1, it was announced that the reservations would no longer be required to visit the mall starting July 3, though face masks were still a mandatory requirement. The mask requirement was dropped in March 2022 following new government regulations.[10]

The Toys "R" Us chain said it would open its stores within the Macy's Department Store and that its flagship store will be at Plaza Las Américas, in 2022.[11]

In November 2021, it was reported that Macys Backstage will be taking over the second floor of the former Borders Books and it would be opening in time for the 2021 holiday season.

On October 15, 2022, it was announced that the Kmart store, the last in Puerto Rico, would be closed by the end of that month.[12]

Notable attributes
The Caribbean Cinemas and mall entrance on the second floor

Current anchor stores

Current outparcel stores

Former stores
  • Main lobby
    Main lobby
  • Sculptures near JCPenney entrance
    Sculptures near JCPenney entrance
  • A hallway of the mall between JCPenney and Macy's
    A hallway of the mall between JCPenney and Macy's
  • Blown glass artwork
    Blown glass artwork
  • More metallic sculptures
    More metallic sculptures
  • Caribbean Cinemas and mall entrance on second floor
    Caribbean Cinemas and mall entrance on second floor

See also

References
  1. Marian Díaz (2012-05-23). "Plaza Las Américas remodelará su fachada" (in Spanish). GFR Media Group. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  2. "Home | Plaza Las Americas | San Juan, Puerto Rico". Plaza Las Americas.
  3. "Our History". Empresas Fonalledas, Inc. Archived from the original on 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  4. "Un Imperio Llamado Fonalledas" (in Spanish). GFR Media Group. 2008-09-07. Archived from the original on 2013-10-24. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  5. "Leasing Space at PLAZA- The Stores". Empresas Fonalledas, Inc. Archived from the original on 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  6. http://www.grupo-sacmag.com/grupo/gpo_honores.html
  7. Journal, Rosario Fajardo, The Weekly. "Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar to Open in Puerto Rico". The Weekly Journal.
  8. https://infogram.com/1p1r7xlr7p1m3zcmylnlkmwejwi6kr7vrm2 infogram
  9. "El sector al detal cifra sus esperanzas en las compras navideñas". El Nuevo Dia (in Spanish). December 1, 2019.
  10. "Nueva orden ejecutiva pone fin a casi todos los mandatos de la pandemia". 8 March 2022.
  11. "Toys "R" Us regresa a Puerto Rico en el Macy's de Plaza Las Américas" [Toys “R” Us returns to Puerto Rico in the Macy’s at Plaza Las Américas]. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  12. "Kmart de Plaza las Américas cierra sus puertas". 16 October 2022.
  13. "Plaza las Américas Shopping Center - MallDatabase". Archived from the original on 2013-08-18. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  14. Brenda Vázquez (2012-06-19). "El éxito detrás de Chilis y Macaroni Grill" (in Spanish). YastaPR. Archived from the original on 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2012-07-05.
  15. Llega a Ponce Romano’s Macaroni Grill - NotiCel.com Archived 2013-11-01 at the Wayback Machine.
  16. "Romano's Macaroni Grill en Plaza Las Americas" (in Spanish). GFR Media Group. 2004-11-23. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  17. "The Cheesecake Factory abrirá en Plaza Las Américas en el 2013 - Plaza Las Americas.com" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2014-11-09. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
  18. "Kmart de Plaza las Américas cierra sus puertas". 16 October 2022.
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