By the start of the 1980s, increased use of containers in shipping made some of the older riverfront wharves less useful, so the Poydras Street Wharf and the Julia Street Wharf were demolished, and the land was used as part of the 1984 World's Fair. After the fair, this section was redeveloped by the Rouse Company as the Riverwalk, an upscale mall intended to attract both tourists and locals. It opened on August 28, 1986.[1]
On the afternoon of Saturday, December 14, 1996, the MV Bright Field freightliner/bulk cargo vessel slammed into the mall. No one was killed in the accident, although approximately 66 were injured; fifteen shops were damaged. Damage to the mall, including the pier, condominium properties, shops, and hotel totaled an estimated $15 million (US).[2] Physical damage to the Bright Field was calculated at $1,857,952 (US). The Bright Field was unable to be removed from the crash site until January 6, 1997.[citation needed] The spot where the Bright Field collided with the Riverwalk is marked on site with a plaque.
The mall closed for a few months after Hurricane Katrina, due to extensive wind and looting damage. It reopened in early December 2005, in hopes that Christmas shopping would jump-start the area's recovery. Only a small number of shops were able to open at first. Additional businesses slowly opened over the next several years, eventually bringing the mall back to near 100% occupancy.
In 2014, the mall closed temporarily and underwent an $82 million renovation. It reopened in May 2014 as The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, becoming a outlet center, with shops which include a Coach, Inc., outlet and Neiman-Marcus Last Call Studio outlet.[3]
In 2022, Houston-based investment firm RockStep Capital bought the mall from the Howard Hughes Corporation for $34 million.[4][5]
Julia Street entrance to the Riverwalk in June 2007
River side in June 1997 shows damage caused by Bright Field collision
