If you want to know what Fort Worth’s Ridgmar Mall, which opened in 1976, was like in its glory days, just watch an ’80s teen comedy set at a mall.
From “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” to season three of “Stranger Things,” the depictions of enclosed malls at the peak of their popularity capture them as the preferred location for the most American of pursuits: shopping and hanging out. Girls — and boys — most definitely just wanted to have fun.
When Ridgmar Mall opened, the 1.3 million-square-foot mall near the then-expanding Ridglea area and in the shadow of the then-Carswell Air Force Base and Lockheed, was home to Dillard’s, JCPenney and Neiman Marcus, the anchor tenants. Foley’s was added in 1998 and was later converted to Macy’s, while Rave Cinemas, now Cinemark, flickered to life in the early 2000s.
While some malls have been able to pivot and shift to more experiential retail and continue to be attractive to retailers and consumers, Ridgmar Mall faces some special issues, said Tracy Gray, executive vice president of JLL’s retail team.
“Ridgmar Mall is kind of in an economic quagmire and it’s hard to see how you’re going to be able to get the rents you need to support any redevelopment,” he said.
Ridgmar Mall was a wonderland of retail, culinary offerings and adventure, particularly for teenagers such as Trey Neville, who grew up within walking or biking distance.
“It just represented freedom for us, a place to get away from our parents and meet friends, hang out at the food court, it was great,” he recalled.
In his current role as JLL’s executive vice president for the real estate firm’s retail team, he now has a view of the considerable issues facing the mall. There’s a lot less of the fun and frivolity of his youth, he said.
“I doubt we’ll see another indoor mall built pretty much anywhere, especially in the Sun Belt,” Neville said. “The retail market has changed that much in the past couple of decades.”
Retail trends are shifting to developments such as the nearby open-air concept The Shops at Clearfork, he said. That is where one of Ridgmar’s crown jewels, Neiman Marcus, relocated in 2017.
Neiman Marcus’ move was part of a rapid retail decline for the mall. Macy’s closed in 2016. Dillard’s remains, but has converted its store to a clearance center. Numerous smaller retailers have closed as well.
Council member Michael Crain, a real estate broker professionally who also represents the area, said the mall has never really recovered from the 1990s when the then-Carswell Air Force Base was closed.
“Many of the problems I’ve been working on on the west side of Fort Worth go back to when the base was closed. You look at Las Vegas Trail, all of those issues,” he said. “Ridgmar Mall is part of that.”
The base reopened as the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in 1994, but even in that short time frame the economic impact was stark, Crain said.
“It’s a constant battle and will continue to be to keep that base operating,” he said. “It clearly shows what an impact a base closure would have on the area.”
At the same time, the base also limits what can be done to redevelop Ridgmar Mall, he said.
“The crash zone basically bifurcates the mall,” Crain said, explaining that it limits what can be built there and what changes can be made.
Many older malls have pivoted to become more mixed-use developments with apartments and office components, but that is unlikely to happen at Ridgmar Mall given some of the height and other restrictions imposed by the base, said JLL’s Neville.
“You’re not going to put a four-story apartment building there, so you’re limited,” he said.
Another limiting factor is that while the owner of the mall is Chicago-based GK Real Estate, some of the main tenants own their piece of the mall. Dillard’s, JCPenney and Cinemark own their real estate there.
“You’ve got to get everyone in agreement on what to develop, how to move forward,” said Neville. “That’s never easy.”
GK Real Estate did announce a three-phase multimillion-dollar renovation of the property in 2016, but the company has remained silent on its recent plans for the property.
Privately, some local real estate officials say the mall is for sale, but at a price that is unlikely to attract buyers. GK Real Estate did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
At the same time, parts of the mall are operating and functioning well, said Crain. He noted that the Texas Ballet Theater plans a renovation and expansion of its Fort Worth studio adjacent to the mall.
You certainly want to support what they’re doing and keep them in Fort Worth,” said Crain. “It’s important to the area that they stay here.”
Going shopping
Other parts of the mall are still able to gather some fans.
Giovanna Villalpando opened La Catrina Mexican Shop, a Mexican candy and home goods store, at the mall about 18 months ago.
“I never got to see Ridgmar Mall when it was popping,” she said.
But the rent was low and she saw potential.
“I’m closer to the north side of Fort Worth than La Gran Plaza,” she said. “What I’m trying to do is focus my target toward that audience, because it’s a lot easier for them to come down here, than to go all the way to La Gran Plaza.”
La Gran Plaza, 4200 South Freeway, was the granddaddy of Fort Worth-area malls, opening in 1962 as Seminary South Shopping Center.
After nearly closing in the early 2000s, it reinvented itself to appeal to the Hispanic population in the area and around North Texas. It now has nearly twice as many visitors as The Shops at Clearfork and is one of the most visited shopping centers in Fort Worth.
Those changes didn’t come overnight, notes Crain.
“Something like that could happen, but it’s not easy,” he said. “It took La Gran Plaza a long time to get where it is now.”
Tyler Alberts, executive director of the Military Museum of Fort Worth, which moved to the mall in 2019, said he is looking for a new location for his massive collection of local military memorabilia and exhibits when the museum’s lease is up next March.
“We’ve been here five years now, and the attendance unfortunately has dwindled, especially when that aquarium closed,” he said. “There’s nobody coming in here anymore at all.”
The aquarium Alberts referred to was the SeaQuest Fort Worth, part of a national chain. The Ridgmar Mall location shut down suddenly in October 2024 following complaints filed by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Can Ridgmar go back to the future?
Crain said a variety of ideas have been floated for Ridgmar Mall redevelopment, from a light use warehouse-type plan to a data center.
“None of those have worked, there’s always been some issue,” he said.
Among other factors, there are changes likely ahead for Interstate 30 which borders the mall to the south.
“Something’s going to happen there because of all the growth to the west,” Crain said.
JLL’s Neville believes that with the complicated nature of the property, the city will have to be involved in any redevelopment effort.
“There are just so many components, the different ownership, the base, the transportation issues in the area, so any solution is not just going to come from one entity,” he said.
Orlando Torres contributed to this story.
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Orlando Torres is a fellow with the Fort Worth Report.
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