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MALLS OF AMERICA
Since the rise of the American shopping mall in the postwar 1950s, malls have occupied a singular place in
the country's cultural imagination. Part retail destination, part social ritual, woven with a distinctly American nostalgia.
Before envisioning Bal Harbour Shops, founder Stanley Whitman embarked on a cross-country study of shopping
centers to examine what worked, and what didn't. From maximizing square footage on a narrow parcel to prioritizing
tropical landscaping, open-air circulation, and architectural elegance, Whitman reimagined the mall as a sophisticated
destination rather than simply a place to shop. It was an inspiration that would ripple through shopping centers
and mall culture across the United States—and beyond—for decades to come.
BALHAR B O U RSH O P S .CO M
