The Largest in the Country.

During the decade retailers discovered that while America's cities were growing, their stores were not necessarily gaining new customers. Cities expanded mostly outward, away from their traditional downtown shopping and business districts. Rex Allison, the manager of a Bon Marche department store in Seattle, Washington, used an aerial photographic map in 1946 to determine that a suburban branch of the store would be within twelve minutes' driving time from 275,000 Seattle consumers who spent $500 million yearly. Allison proposed to Allied Stores Corporation, the owner of Bon Marche, that the company build a shopping mall, with Bon Marche as its cornerstone. In May 1950 Seattle's Northgate Mall, at the time the largest in the country, opened for business.

The Appeal of the Malls.

Across the country retailers were making similar decisions. The new malls had obvious appeal for both shoppers and merchants. Parking...