The rebirth of the Riverwalk Mall New Orleans Louisiana Part 2

Now onto part 2, with more information about the former mall. For more photos of the mall see my original post at http://southernretail.blogspot.com/2010/07/riverwalk-marketplace-new-orleans.html

The Riverwalk Marketplace Mall opened on Thursday August 28 with a parade and several festivities.

A barge with a large screen (The floating cinema) showed movies at the Spanish Plaza near the entrance to the Riverwalk from the grand opening to October 1986.

The Levee Market was the China Pavilion at the 1984 World’s Fair.

There were also 2 cruise ships that docked behind the Riverwalk.
The Flamingo Casino later docked at the mall but closed in the late 1990's before the nearby Harrah's Casino opened. 

The Colonade Market was the first level

The Levee Market was the second level and part of the third level

The Bon Fete was the third level food court area

The average store size was 90 square feet, which is much smaller than most traditional malls. The size of the mall is listed at 180,000 square feet with space for over 140 shops and restaurants. The mall did not have any large anchor stores, but there were two junior anchors. 

Riverwalk Store List 1986

15^th Street Bookbinders restaurant

Abercrombie and Fitch (Sporting goods and Sportswear)

Emerald Aisles (Irish gifts)

Foot Locker

J.B. Rivers restaurant

Kite Loft (Mentioned in the 1^st post)

Magic Masters (Learn magic tricks)

Musicland

Remington (Shavers and knives)

Rine Chapeaux (Hats)

River Garden (Florist)

S.S. Riverwalk (Gifts)

Sweet Pepper Grill

Swim and Sport

The Mole Hole (Gifts)

The Sport Shop

Totsy’s Steakburgers

Whole Food Co. (The same company  that was on Esplanade Ave. that is now a Whole Foods Market)

Wicks ‘N’ Sticks (Candles)

Yvonne La Fleur Boutique (Womens clothing)

Zasshi’s (Womens clothing)

The Spanish Plaza was also part of the development which is still open as an outdoor market with kiosks, restaurants, and a large fountain.

Here are some August 2013 photos of the exterior of the mall and signage. The mall closed at the end of June 2013.

 There are several directional signs in the area like this one. They will probably be gone too as part of the renovation.

This is what greets shoppers at the entrances to the mall. Click here to see the website which shows the plans for the mall when it reopens in 2014.

Ironically, the section of the mall that was hit by the Bright Field ship is the section of the river that is still open to the public. Behind the higher sections of the mall pylons are being driven to probably improve the size of the mall and bring the stores on the river side out towards the river more.

Here are some photos taken through the windows of the mall that show the progress of the renovation a little more than a month after the mall was closed. Thankfully they kept the riverfront open for people to walk and see into the mall. These photos are from the lower level near the Spanish Plaza. They are moving fast as there is little to see from the old mall. 

As you can see the old Riverwalk Marketplace is on the way to a rebirth as a brand new outlet mall.