Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall
Anchorage 5th Avenue Mall is a regional shopping mall located in Downtown Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It has five levels with the only JCPenney store in Alaska as its sole anchor. It also has Alaska's only Victoria's Secret, Apple Store, Coach, and Michael Kors locations. Nordstrom served as a second anchor until it closed in September 2019.
The mall is owned by Northwestern Simon Inc. and is administered by the Simon Property Group.
History
The mall opened in 1987, covering a city block previously occupied mostly by small, two-story commercial buildings and parking lots. It was developed by JCPenney and The Rainier Fund. The Nordstrom was built in 1975 and connected to the mall by a skybridge. The mall's occupancy rate hovered in the 20 to 30 percent range for most of its early years as it opened during an economic slowdown in Alaska. It was sold to Northwestern Simon Inc. in 1994, and it has been operated by Simon Property Group ever since.On August 13, 2011, an Apple Store opened at the mall near the sky bridge connected to Nordstrom, becoming the first Apple Store in Alaska.
Nordstrom closed permanently on September 13, 2019.
The mall was closed on March 18, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened on May 1, 2020.
In the two years after the pandemic started, several stores left the mall, including Gap and Alaska's only Banana Republic location. Lululemon replaced Banana Republic in 2023, becoming the retailer's second Alaska store after its Diamond Center location, also in Anchorage.
Facilities
Interior
Compared to other malls in Alaska, the 5th Avenue Mall integrates many more aesthetic designs inside its buildings. Some examples are the sky-lit roof above the main arcade, and features galleria-style, wide, open spaces. The top floor of the arcade is a food court.Most of the mall's elevators have glass panels and are decorated with neon lights. The mall uses sky bridges to provide indoor access between buildings and parking, contributing to the streetscape of 5th and 6th Avenues. The ground floor of the galleria functions as an indoor pedestrian extension of D Street.