Tacoma Mall, Tacoma

Tacoma Mall is one of the region’s main enclosed shopping centres, opened in the mid-1960s during the rise of car-oriented retail. Its early identity was shaped by architect John Graham Jr., also known for the Space Needle, and the original design reflected the period’s Space Age taste. Inside, shoppers once moved beneath large concrete “umbrella” columns, about 30 feet high, which supported plexiglass skylights designed to soften the light and reduce shadows along the corridors.

The mall quickly became a major retail force, helping shift shopping away from the older downtown core after The Bon Marché opened there to huge crowds. Other anchors followed, including Nordstrom Best, later renamed Nordstrom. Over time, its mix of department stores, fashion, electronics, beauty, sports goods, and casual dining has kept it a practical stop for visitors.

Earlier decades gave the mall a lively entertainment role, with central-court events ranging from a free Beach Boys concert in 1990 to Nickelodeon’s Double Dare filming on site. The former Tacoma Mall Theater, opened in 1968, was also known for its 72-foot snack bar, once noted as the longest concession stand on the West Coast. Today, ongoing retail changes continue to reshape the mall while preserving traces of its mid-century ambition and pop-culture past.