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Mount Berry Mall
Location	Rome, Georgia
Coordinates	34°18′6.0″N 85°10′18″W / 34.301667°N 85.17167°W
Address	2770 Martha Berry Highway
Opening date	February 13, 1991
Developer	Crown American and Homart Development Company
Management	Hull Property Group
Architect	Crawford McWilliams Hatcher Architects, Inc.
No. of stores and services	25
No. of anchor tenants	2
Total retail floor area	476,778 square feet (44,294.1 m2)
No. of floors	1
Website	shopmountberrymall.com

Mount Berry Mall, previously named Mount Berry Square, stands as a single-level enclosed shopping destination situated in Rome, Georgia. Serving as the sole enclosed mall within the city, it first opened its doors in 1991. The mall features Belk and Dunham's Sports as its anchor stores and is currently under the ownership and management of the Hull Property Group.

1988-1993: Planning and early years

Plans for Mount Berry Square trace back to March 23, 1988,^[1] with construction and timber clearing starting in the summer of 1989.^[2] This joint venture development between Crown American and Homart Development Company^[3] officially opened on February 13, 1991,^[4] featuring anchor tenants JCPenney, Sears, Belk-Rhodes, and Hess's, all replacing existing stores in Rome.^[5] Restaurants at the food court also operated for the first time, most notably a Chick-Fil-A.^[6] The restaurant has since been renamed to Chick-Fil-A Dwarf Classics since 2013.^[7]

The mall's architectural design was executed by Crawford McWilliams Hatcher Architects, Inc.^[8] Crown American had intentions for a fifth anchor near the food court, initially planning for a Bloomingdale's. However, this proposal was abandoned, reportedly due to the city's rejection of the idea of a high-end Bloomingdale's.^{[citation needed]}

JCPenney and Belk-Rhodes introduced new store designs with a heightened emphasis on fashion.^[9] The Hess's store closed in 1993, later replaced by Proffitt's.^[10] The current occupant of the space is Dunham's Sports, which opened in late 2013.^[11]

2003-2010: Later years and start of decline

On November 22, 2003, PREIT acquired all 26 shopping malls owned by Crown American, including Mount Berry Square.^[12] Before the merger, Crown American had identified this property as one of 6 "non-core" assets to be divested after the completion of the merger. In 2003, the mall's occupancy rate was 73.3%, lower than the average for Crown American properties at that time, which stood at 93.0%.^[13]

On September 29, 2004, PREIT sold Mount Berry Square, along with four other shopping malls^[14] designated as "non-core" properties by Crown American, to The Lightstone Group's Prime Retail division.^[13] In October 2005, it was announced that the Proffitt's store at the mall would transition to become a second Belk store, following Belk's acquisition of 47 Proffitt's and McRae's stores.^[15] Eventually, this Belk store closed and was succeeded by Dunham's Sports.^[11]

In June 2010, news broke that Mount Berry Square would undergo foreclosure on July 6, 2010, due to The Lightstone Group defaulting on loans totaling $73.9 million and another for $7 million. Three of the four properties purchased from PREIT by The Lightstone Group, including Mount Berry Square, were implicated in the default. Jones Lang LaSalle managed the mall and the other foreclosed properties during this period as a receiver.^[16] Subsequently, on August 23, 2010, Urban Retail Properties assumed management responsibilities for Mount Berry Square and two additional properties from The Lightstone Group's portfolio.^[17]

2012-present: Later decline

In October 2012, Hull Property Group, based in Augusta, revealed their acquisition of the mall.^[18] In January 2016, Sears announced its impending closure, scheduled for March 26, 2016.^[19] In 2020, Hull Property Group initiated renovations at the mall, including the installation of new flooring and lighting, enhancements to public restrooms, and improvements to the HVAC system. Concurrently, they decided to rename the mall as Mount Berry Mall.^[20]

In June 2020, news surfaced that JCPenney would cease operations around October 2020 as part of a nationwide plan to close 154 stores.^[21] Following the closure of JCPenney, Dunham's Sports and Belk stood as the sole remaining anchor tenants.

References

^ Royal, David (23 March 1988). Rome to be regional retail center. Rome News-Tribune.
^ Rome mall underway. Walker County Messenger. 20 December 1989.
^ Mall: Crown American may bid. Rome News-Tribune. 18 September 1989.
^ Gilliland, Mark (13 February 1991). Sneak preview. Rome News-Tribune. Mount Berry Square Chick-Fil-A restaurant operator Doug Wyatt III nominated Kenedy, who becomes the restaurant's 15th employee to receive the award since the location opened in February 1991.
^ Willis, John M. (12 February 1991). "Developer: New mall stores using new design strategies". Rome News-Tribune. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
^ Gilliland, Mark (7 December 1999). Achievers. Rome News-Tribune. p. 9.
^ "Chick-fil-A Dwarf House Classics unveiled in Mount Berry Square mall; Greg Major to operate both Dwarf House facilities in Rome". Northwest Georgia News. November 6, 2013. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
^ Bowen, Andy (7 March 1989). This is how mall will look in 1991. Rome News-Tribune.
^ Willis, John M. (12 February 1991). "Mount Berry Square anchors try new concepts". Rome News-Tribune. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
^ Fincher, Chris (7 March 2000). "Mount Berry Square is a regional destination". Rome News-Tribune. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
^ ^a ^b Walker, Doug (23 November 2013). "Dunham's Sports now open at Mount Berry Square mall". Rome News-Tribune. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
^ Bradwell, Michael (22 November 2003). PREIT completes merger with Crown American Realty Trust. Observer-Reporter.
^ ^a ^b Marr, Chris (2 November 2003). Mall to be dumped after coming merger. Rome News-Tribune.
^ Marr, Chris (29 September 2004). Mount Berry sale complete. Rome News-Tribune.
^ Marr, Chris (12 October 2005). "Mount Berry Square mall Proffitt's store becoming Belk sister store | Business". Northwest Georgia News. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
^ Walker, Doug (10 June 2010). "Mount Berry Square in foreclosure process". Northwest Georgia News. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
^ Carr, Robert (23 August 2010). "Urban Retail Adds Five Mall Properties". GlobeSt. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
^ "Augusta real estate firm acquires Rome shopping mall". The Augusta Chronicle. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
^ Lane, Sarah (13 January 2016). "Sears store to close its doors at Mount Berry Mall in March". Northwest Georgia News. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
^ Walker, Doug (4 March 2020). "Mall interior renovations in high gear | Business | northwestgeorgianews.com". Archived from the original on 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
^ Goodwin, Jazmin (4 June 2020). "JCPenney is closing 154 stores this summer | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2023-07-09.