1960: The modest NorthTown shopping center, built in 1951, is shown in 1960 photo before a new Sears store and a branch of The Crescent department store opened in 1962 and greatly expanding the center. It was The Crescent’s first store outside of downtown and occupied 60,000 square feet of floor space. The 1950s shopping center was redeveloped as an indoor two-story indoor shopping mall in the 1990s, making it the largest in Eastern Washington. (The Spokesman-Review photo archive / SR)
Present day: NorthTown Mall is a major destination at holiday time, offering more than a million square feet of shopping and entertainment under one roof with ample free parking. It is the largest mall in Eastern Washington. It started as an Albertson’s grocery store and a few shops in the 1950s. (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)
Eastern Washington’s largest mall began as a cluster of shops surrounding an Albertson’s grocery store in the 1950s. Today, it houses a movie theater and several remaining department stores after years of attracting businesses away from the downtown core. Read about the origins of the region's largest shopping center here.