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| Location | Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States |
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| Opening date | August 29, 1986 (as Riverwalk Marketplace) May 2014 (as The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk) |
| Developer | The Rouse Company |
| Owner | RockStep Capital (building) Port of New Orleans (land) |
| No. of stores and services | 75 |
| Total retail floor area | 250,000 square feet (23,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Website |
riverwalkneworleans |
The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, previously known as Riverwalk Marketplace until 2014, is an outlet mall located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located along the Mississippi River waterfront, stretching from the base of Canal Street, upriver to the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, and is connected to the adjacent Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel. It is owned by RockStep Capital, on land leased from the Port of New Orleans.
History
By the start of the 1980s, increased use of containers in shipping made some of the older riverfront wharves less useful, so the Poydras Street Wharf and the Julia Street Wharf were demolished, and the land was used as part of the 1984 World's Fair. After the fair, this section was redeveloped by the Rouse Company as the Riverwalk, an upscale mall intended to attract both tourists and locals. It opened on August 28, 1986. [1]
On the afternoon of Saturday, December 14, 1996, the MV Bright Field freightliner/bulk cargo vessel slammed into the mall. No one was killed in the accident, although approximately 66 were injured; fifteen shops were damaged. Damage to the mall, including the pier, condominium properties, shops, and hotel totaled an estimated $15 million (US). [2] Physical damage to the Bright Field was calculated at $1,857,952 (US). The Bright Field was unable to be removed from the crash site until January 6, 1997.[ citation needed] The spot where the Bright Field collided with the Riverwalk is marked on site with a plaque.
The mall closed for a few months after Hurricane Katrina, due to extensive wind and looting damage. It reopened in early December 2005, in hopes that Christmas shopping would jump-start the area's recovery. Only a small number of shops were able to open at first. Additional businesses slowly opened over the next several years, eventually bringing the mall back to near 100% occupancy.
In 2014, the mall closed temporarily and underwent an $82 million renovation. It reopened in May 2014 as The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, becoming a outlet center, with shops which include a Coach, Inc., outlet and Neiman-Marcus Last Call Studio outlet. [3]
In 2022, Houston-based investment firm RockStep Capital bought the mall from the Howard Hughes Corporation for $34 million. [4] [5]
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Julia Street entrance to the Riverwalk in June 2007 -
River side in June 1997 shows damage caused by Bright Field collision -
American Queen docked at the Riverwalk in 2015
References
- ^ "River mall in N.O. opens to fanfare". The Shreveport Journal. AP. August 29, 1986 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "20 years ago 'Hand of God' prevented tragedy says captain". wwltv.com.
- ^ Sayre, Katherine. "The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, set to open Thursday, builds on downtown New Orleans momentum". NOLA.com.
- ^ Anthony McAuley (June 13, 2022). "Houston firm to buy Riverwalk outlets in shakeup of local mall's ownership". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
- ^ Form 10-K: Annual Report (Report). Howard Hughes Corporation. February 27, 2023. p. 88 – via EDGAR.
External links
- Buildings and structures in New Orleans
- Shopping malls established in 1986
- Outlet malls in the United States
- Economy of New Orleans
- Redeveloped ports and waterfronts in the United States
- World's fair sites in Louisiana
- Tourist attractions in New Orleans
- Shopping malls in the New Orleans metropolitan area