It's the end of an era as demolition of the Metrocenter Mall is set to begin Monday at noon. The demolition will make room for a new walkable village featuring homes and plenty of stores and restaurants.
Metrocenter Mall opened in 1973, becoming an iconic and historic landmark in Arizona as it was the state’s first indoor, two-story, air-conditioned mall in the state.
VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: El emblemático Metrocenter Mall de Phoenix será demolido y los residentes del Valle se despiden con nostalgia
It was also the first mall to host movies inside and was even one of the settings for the hit movie, "Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure."
The mall closed in 2020. In 2022, the Phoenix city council voted to spend $850 million to replace it with a walkable village that will include 2,600 multifamily homes and 150,000 square feet of commercial, retail, and restaurant space right along the city’s new metro light rail station.
The demolition was supposed to start in the summer of 2023 but was delayed due to more environmental work.
Officials with the City of Phoenix said the new development will open in phases, with the first one expected to open in 2026. The redevelopment plans to serve as a case study for vacant malls across the country.
Before the demolition begins, a ceremony will be held to celebrate the impact the mall had on the community.
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