It’s hard to talk of Houston without mentioning the Galleria. Our massive shopping center at Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer remains an iconic part of the city. When the Galleria first opened in 1970, it was the first mall in the country with an ice-skating rink. So, how did it become a destination for Houston shoppers?
Gerald D. Hines, a developer behind many of Houston’s famous buildings, began planning a new shopping center for the city in the 1960s. His inspiration? Milan, Italy. Hines wanted The Galleria to be designed similarly to an Italian shopping arcade, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. In 1970, the 600,000 square foot shopping center officially opened, built on mostly prairie land. The Houston Oaks hotel, now known as The Westin Oaks, was also added. Hines’ vision of luxury came true as high-end stores such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Tiffany & Co, and others became fixtures.
Today, around 30 million people annually visit the mall, which is the largest in Texas and the seventh largest in the country. It has more than 400 stores and 60 restaurants, sprawling more than 2.4 million square feet. Every year, a Christmas tree is lit up on the original ice-skating rink. Celebrities (shout-out Kim Kardashian) also flock to the shopping center. Did you know Beyoncé and Selena also ran into each other at the mall one time? I wish I could’ve been there for that moment!
Continue to nerd out about the Galleria and learn how it’s managed to thrive in a dying mall industry.
