The Evolution of Shopping Malls in the United States

The automobile has had a huge impact on American society from the way we designed our neighborhoods to the way we built our shopping centers.

Making everything accessible to the car was the main goal of designers and new styles of architecture were developed to appeal to passing motorists, including the Googie style (see this wikipedia link for more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googie_architecture).

Shopping Malls with massive parking lots were enticing destinations for shoppers and motorists, who just needed a place for people watching, alike. The development of shopping malls has had a huge impact on American society. The progression of malls reflects the constant changes in architecture and culture in the United States.

Photograph take from Malls of America Blogspot

Check out some of these great blogs discussing the history of shopping malls across the United States!

Mall Hall of Fame- http://mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/

Malls of America- http://mallsofamerica.blogspot.com/

Sky City: Southern Retail Then and Now- http://skycity2.blogspot.com/