The Austrian-born architect Victor Gruen, already acclaimed for building ... Fancy décor and a five-and-dime store: The Southdale Center dazzled and bewildered visitors in 1956.

Enter Victor Gruen, a man who would later become the ... On October 8, 1956, America's first indoor mall, the Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota, opened its doors. Like no building ever ...

The Southdale mall, which advertised itself as a family ... The mall's architect, Victor Gruen, designed the building to mimic Vienna's outdoor squares, with plants hanging from the balconies ...

King of retail The history of the modern US mall dates back to the opening of Southdale and its designer, Victor Gruen. Gruen was an Austrian-Jewish architect who immigrated to the US in 1938. His ...