The Village at Orange

The Village at Orange is a shopping center in Orange, California, at the intersection of North Tustin Street and East Meats Avenue. It originated as Orange Mall, one of the city’s earliest major retail developments, and opened to the public on August 16, 1971. The project was developed by Harry Newman Jr., president of Newman Properties, on a 63-acre commercial site that already contained a standalone Sears store opened in 1967. The original development combined an enclosed retail mall with freestanding and externally accessible anchor buildings, creating a format that mixed internal specialty shops, department stores, restaurants, entertainment, and large surface parking capacity. The planned Orange Mall represented a substantial investment for its period. Its proposed construction cost was reported as $30 million, and the completed center was designed around approximately 80 interior stores, major department-store anchors, and parking for about 4,700 vehicles. The Broadway joined Sears as a principal anchor, while the center also became known for community events, seasonal decorations, children’s activities, and a fully carpeted interior that was presented as an unusual feature for a Southern California mall of its era. In December 1971, AMC opened Orange Mall 6 on the same property. The six-screen cinema was promoted as the first West Coast multiplex with six full-sized auditoriums. Tenant composition changed repeatedly over the following decades. Woolworth’s closed its location in 1977, after which JCPenney occupied the space. The Broadway store closed in 1996 after the chain was acquired by Macy’s, and its building was subsequently redeveloped for Walmart. AMC’s cinema closed in 1997. In 2003, the center underwent a reported $57 million renovation that modernized furnishings and architecture, added new interior retail space, and created a food court around the center of the enclosed section. The work was intended in part to make the property more attractive to younger shoppers. The property later reflected the broader pressures affecting traditional department stores and enclosed malls. Linens ’n Things closed in 2009 during the retailer’s bankruptcy-related store closures; Sprouts Farmers Market subsequently occupied the location. The enclosed portion received another brief renovation in 2015. JCPenney closed in July 2017 as part of a nationwide closure program, and Sears closed its department store in April 2021. Sears Auto Center, which operated separately from the department store, closed in 2022. Walmart remained the only operating retailer in one of the original anchor buildings identified in the historical account. In September 2023, TVO Management notified tenants that the enclosed interior would close on or by January 31, 2024. The property manager attributed the decision to changes in retail and customer shopping preferences. The closure took place on January 31, 2024, ending 52 years of continuous public operation for the interior mall. Demolition of the enclosed interior proceeded during 2024. The property was not entirely eliminated: stores and restaurants with independent exterior entrances, along with freestanding retailers on the surrounding site, continued operating. Reported remaining or subsequent occupants included HomeGoods, PetSmart, Trader Joe’s, restaurants, and other retail businesses; CVS closed in spring 2024, while a former Party City location was converted to Ulta Beauty. TVO Management has discussed residential housing as a potential future use of the property. Accordingly, The Village at Orange is best understood today as an active, conventional outdoor shopping center incorporating the former site of an enclosed mall rather than as a functioning enclosed shopping mall.

The site began its retail history in 1967, when Sears opened a standalone department store on an otherwise undeveloped commercial lot at North Tustin Street and East Meats Avenue in Orange, California. In 1970, plans emerged for a larger development that would retain the Sears building while adding an enclosed mall and several freestanding anchor facilities. The project was named Orange Mall and was developed by Harry Newman Jr. of Newman Properties. Pasadena-based Ainsworth & McClellan was identified as the architectural firm. The planned center occupied approximately 63 acres and was associated with a reported $30 million construction cost. Its design called for around 900,000 square feet of total retail space, approximately 80 interior stores, major department-store anchors, and parking for about 4,700 vehicles. The Broadway was planned as a 167,500-square-foot anchor, while the existing Sears store accounted for approximately 273,500 square feet. Orange Mall opened to consumers on August 16, 1971. The center was among Orange’s first major malls and combined an enclosed retail environment with external anchor buildings and community programming. Historical descriptions emphasize its seasonal decorations, family activities, children’s play area, and wall-to-wall carpeting in the central interior. The property added a notable entertainment component shortly after opening. AMC announced Orange Mall 6 in December 1971, and the cinema opened in a separate building on the same lot. It contained six screens and about 1,800 seats and was marketed as an early six-screen multiplex on the West Coast. The theater eventually closed on April 20, 1997. Anchor turnover shaped the center’s later identity. Woolworth’s, which had occupied an anchor position, closed in 1977, and JCPenney took over the space. The Broadway closed in 1996 after the chain was acquired by Macy’s. Its building was renovated for Walmart, which became one of the property’s continuing large-format retailers. In 2003, the shopping center undertook a reported $57 million renovation. The project refreshed the property’s appearance, installed new furnishings, renovated existing tenant spaces, created additional interior stores, and added a food court around the middle of the enclosed section. The redesign was intended to broaden the center’s appeal, including to younger consumers. The center experienced further retail churn in the 2000s and 2010s. Linens ’n Things closed in July 2009 in connection with the chain’s bankruptcy and nationwide store reductions. Sprouts Farmers Market later opened in that space. The enclosed mall received a shorter renovation program in 2015. JCPenney announced in March 2017 that its location would close as part of a nationwide reduction, and the store shut on July 31 of that year. Sears remained in operation longer than several other original anchors but announced in January 2021 that its department store would close on April 18 under a broader 23-store closure plan. The Sears Auto Center, which occupied a separate building, continued for a time but closed in 2022. These departures reduced the role of the original enclosed-and-anchor configuration and left Walmart as the only operating retailer in an original anchor building described in the available historical record. On September 12, 2023, TVO Management, the property manager, informed tenants that the enclosed interior would close on or by January 31, 2024. The stated reasons were changes in retail and customer shopping behavior. The announcement distinguished the interior mall from exterior-access stores and freestanding buildings, which were expected to remain open. The interior closed on January 31, 2024, ending 52 years of public operation. Demolition of the interior took place during 2024. The property therefore transitioned from an enclosed mall with outdoor anchors into a conventional outdoor shopping center. Retailers and restaurants with independent exterior entrances continued operating, including reported occupants such as HomeGoods, PetSmart, Trader Joe’s, and restaurants. CVS closed in spring 2024, and a former Party City site became an Ulta Beauty store. TVO Management has identified residential housing as a possible future development direction, although a completed redevelopment plan is not established in the supplied sources.

1. 2024The enclosed interior closes

   The interior mall ceased operations on January 31, while exterior-access retail and restaurant operations continued.

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2. 2021Sears closes

   The Sears department store closed on April 18.

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3. 2017JCPenney closes

   The JCPenney location closed on July 31 following a nationwide store-closure announcement.

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4. 2003Major renovation is completed

   A reported $57 million renovation refreshed the center and added a food court and additional interior retail space.

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5. 1996The Broadway building is converted for Walmart

   The Broadway closed after the chain’s acquisition by Macy’s, and its former building was repurposed for Walmart.

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6. 1977JCPenney replaces Woolworth’s

   After Woolworth’s closed, JCPenney occupied its former anchor space.

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7. 1971Orange Mall opens

   The shopping center opened to consumers on August 16, 1971.

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8. 1971Orange Mall 6 opens

   AMC opened a six-screen cinema in a separate building on the property.

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9. 1970Plans for Orange Mall are developed

   Newman Properties advanced plans for an enclosed mall combined with external anchor buildings on a 63-acre site.

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10. 1967Sears opens a standalone department store

    Sears opened the first major retail facility on the commercial lot that later became the Orange Mall shopping-center site.

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A community-oriented neighborhood shopping center that historically combined an enclosed mall with freestanding department-store anchors and now operates primarily as an outdoor retail destination.

• Enclosed mall retailShopping-center retail1971

  The original Orange Mall and later Village at Orange interior provided a concentrated collection of specialty stores, department-store access, food services, seasonal retail activity, and family-oriented amenities. This portion operated continuously from 1971 until its closure on January 31, 2024.

• Outdoor shopping centerShopping-center retail1971

  The current property operates as a conventional outdoor shopping center made up of freestanding buildings and stores with independent exterior entrances. Reported occupants and successor uses include large-format retail, restaurants, grocery, home goods, pet supplies, pharmacy, and beauty retail.

• Orange Mall 6Cinema1971

  AMC’s six-screen cinema opened in a separate building on the property in 1971. It had approximately 1,800 seats and operated as an entertainment component of the shopping-center site until closing in 1997.

• 2023Closure of the enclosed mall interiorStrategy

  TVO Management cited the evolution of retail and changes in customer shopping preferences when notifying tenants about the planned closure.

  What changed. Management closed the enclosed interior on January 31, 2024, while allowing exterior-access stores, restaurants, and freestanding retailers to continue operating.

  Aftermath. The property shifted from an enclosed mall model to an outdoor shopping-center format. Demolition of the interior followed during 2024, and residential development was identified as a possible future use.

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• 2003Modernization and repositioning renovationStrategy

  The property sought to refresh its physical identity and improve its appeal amid changing shopping habits and competition from newer retail formats.

  What changed. The center completed a reported $57 million renovation involving new furnishings, architectural changes, renovated tenant spaces, new interior stores, and a food court.

  Aftermath. The renovation repositioned the property toward a more contemporary, younger-oriented shopping experience, although later anchor closures and declining enclosed-mall performance continued.

  Reported renovation cost. $57 million (2003)

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• 2024The enclosed mall interior closes

  The interior shopping-mall portion closed on January 31, ending 52 years of continuous public operation. Demolition followed during 2024, while the wider outdoor shopping-center property continued operating.

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• 2023TVO Management announces closure of the enclosed mall interior

  TVO Management notified tenants that the enclosed section would close on or by January 31, 2024, citing retail-industry evolution and changing customer shopping preferences. Exterior-access stores and freestanding retailers were expected to remain open.

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• 2022Sears Auto Center ceases operations

  The separately constructed Sears Auto Center stopped serving customers and closed after the department store had already ceased operations.

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• 2021Sears announces the closure of its department store

  Sears announced that its Village at Orange department store would close on April 18 as part of a broader plan to close 23 stores. The closure left Walmart as the only operating retailer in an original anchor building identified in the historical account.

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• 2017JCPenney announces the closure of its Village at Orange store

  JCPenney announced the store’s closure as part of a nationwide plan to close 138 locations. The store shut on July 31, 2017.

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• 2009Linens ’n Things closes during nationwide bankruptcy-related contraction

  The Linens ’n Things store closed as the retailer reduced its national store base. Sprouts Farmers Market later opened in the former location.

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• 2003The center completes a major renovation

  The property completed a reported $57 million renovation involving updated architecture, furnishings, additional interior stores, renovated tenant spaces, and a central food court.

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• 1997AMC Orange Mall 6 closes

  The shopping-center cinema ended operations after more than two decades on the property.

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• 1996The Broadway department store closes and its site is repurposed

  The Broadway location closed following the chain’s acquisition by Macy’s. The former department-store building was later converted for Walmart.

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• 1971AMC opens a six-screen cinema at Orange Mall

  AMC announced and opened Orange Mall 6 on the shopping-center property several months after the mall’s grand opening. The cinema had six auditoriums and approximately 1,800 seats.

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1. The Village at Orange