JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The last tenants at the Regency Square Mall closed up shop on Saturday, as public access to the main interior will be restricted starting June 1.
Gone for Good: Last remaining Regency Square Mall tenants to close Saturday
The once bustling mall was considered one of the best in the country and it almost made it to 60 years old. It will finish just two years short of the final two tenants, Rogers Jewelers and Tokyo Sakura officially closed on Saturday.
Marco Castanos used to shop at the mall, and he brought his son with him.
“I used to bring him when he was a kid here. He used to ride those kiddy rides, back in the glory days, it was packed,” Castanos said.
For several years, Jacksonville residents have watched a mall in decline.
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“You want to save historical sides of the mall because I can remember when Sears was [here] and JCPenney and things like that. Maybe they can make it into something else,” Maurice Baker, a former shopper, said.
What’s next for the property is a mixed bag. The majority of the mall is set to be redeveloped by a company called Blackwater Development LLC and be called The Nexus at Regency, with housing and new businesses.
The Dillard’s Clearance Center, closed Sears, and Impact Church were not part of that purchase. The Sears property is being considered as a new site for a soccer stadium.
But in the end, what was once the center of commerce for the city quietly closes.
