WestShore Plaza is an enclosed shopping mall located in the Westshore business district of Tampa, Florida, developed by Albert L. Manley of Boston, MA. WestShore Plaza was opened in 1967 and was touted as Tampa's first shopping center that was fully air-conditioned. WestShore houses many specialty shops including Francesca's Collection, LOFT, New Balance, H&M, Old Navy, Sunglass Hut, and more. The tenant space at WestShore is owned and managed by Washington Prime Group.
WestShore Plaza's anchors include Sears, JCPenney, Macy's, and Dick's Sporting Goods. There is also an AMC movie franchise (14-screen theatre), P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Grimaldi's Pizzeria, Irish 31 and the Bay Area's only Maggiano's Little Italy, Seasons 52, and Mitchell's Fish Market Restaurant.
WestShore Plaza also has a kids play area in the mall near JCPenney. A nursing room can be found in the women's restroom as well as changing stations in all restrooms.
History
international plaza & westshore mall - 2 great malls in tampa florida.
The Westshore Plaza opened in 1967 and it was the Tampa Bay area's first enclosed shopping mall.
The malls first anchor was Maas Brothers, which actually opened a year before the rest of the mall on October 28, 1966. The Maas Brothers store was their second to be located in a shopping mall (their first was at the Edison Mall in Fort Myers), and it was built to compliment their flagship store in downtown Tampa. The Maas Brothers store also featured the Suncoast Room restaurant on the third floor.
JCPenney opened on September 7, 1967 as a second anchor. It opened along with the first mall segment between it and Maas Brothers, which was dedicated a month later. Other notable stores in the mall upon its opening included Woolworth's five-and-dime store, Walgreens, and a Pantry Pride grocery store.
The mall was expanded with a northeast wing in 1974 along with a third anchor, J. W. Robinson's of Florida, and the north parking garage. Robinson's became Maison Blanche in 1987, who then sold its store and six others in Florida to Dillard's in 1991.
Also in 1991, Maas Brothers was acquired by Miami-based Burdines. Along with the rest of the Burdines chain, the store was renamed Burdine's-Macy's in 2003, dropping the Burdine's name two years later.
Westshore Plaza was acquired by the Grosvenor Group in 1990, which led to a large renovation to the mall. The mall interior was remodeled with a more Spanish-Mediterranean style interior with a three story bell tower built over the center court.
Saks Fifth Avenue opened on the west end of the mall on November 12, 1998 along with the west and south parking garages. The most recent expansion in 2000 involved relocating the food court east into the former Pantry Pride building and a new west wing of mall space with a 14-screen AMC Theatre on the second level.
Dillard's closed in 2001 after relocating to the new International Plaza and Bay Street a mile away. Sears then opened in the former Dillard's building a year later, which relocated from the Tampa Bay Center.
Saks Fifth Avenue closed in 2013, which was replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods a year later.
References
External links
- Westshore Plaza Official Website
- Family-Friendly Tampa Bay
