Salem Mall
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Salem Mall was a Dayton, Ohio shopping center. It was billed as the area's first enclosed, regional shopping center. It was located at the intersection of Shiloh Springs Road and Salem Avenue, in the northwestern Dayton suburb of Trotwood. The center opened in 1966 and, in its early stages, had 60 retailers. The original mall was anchored by the Rike's and Sears department stores. There was also a Liberal supermarket and a single-screen cinema.
A large scale renovation was completed in the early 1980's. The center atrium was torn out, as was the supermarket. In their place was built a large food court and a two story concourse, with a new J.C Penney anchor store at its end. The mall, which now featured over 110 retailers, was prosperous through the remainder of the 1980's. With the rise of Dayton Mall and Mall of Fairfield Commons, crime began to plague the Salem Mall in the 1990s. Similar cities across the United States, older, enclosed, shopping malls were becoming passe. The Salem Mall and the area surrounding it became an area for blight.
Since the development of a bypass for highway Ohio Route 49, the Salem Mall has seen a dramatic decrease in its businesses. The mall became one of the first in the area to be declared a dead mall. In 1997, anchor store Lazurus left the mall, and later that year J.C. Penny. The restaurants and small screen cinema also left the mall, leaving Sears the only anchor remaining. Most of the name brand companies fled the mall leaving only smaller locally owned businesses operating.
The Salem Mall is being redeveloped as the Landmark Town Center, a up scale shopping center. Trotwood city leaders announced that the mall would be demolished and rebuilt to look like a newer, open-air "lifestyle" shopping center, such as the Easton Commons in Columbus. Demolition of the mall began on May 15, 2006. The current malls operating include The Greene, another lifestyle center located in Beavercreek. The Landmark Town Center will also be the location of Trotwood city government.
