PHOTOS: Wilmington’s Independence Mall through the years

A Victorian carousel was at Independence Mall until it was removed in 2012. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Mural of Bald Head Island lighthouse over the entrance to Belk at Independence Mall, done by Samuel D. Bissette. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

The interior on July 31, 1979, a day before Independence Mall opened to the public. [STARNEWS]

Independence Mall opened on Aug. 1, 1979 and was packed throughout the day. According to a story in the Wilmington Morning Star, the parking lot could hold 3,000 cars and “turned over” perhaps a half dozen times. So “if you were there, you know it was crowded.” [STARNEWS]

On the front page of the Aug. 2, 1979 edition of the Wilmington Morning Star, three men take their first glimpse inside Independence Mall and thinks it “should have been done 10 years ago.” Meaning the mall being built, of course. [STARNEWS]

The Oleander entrance at Independence Mall in 2011. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Once known as Westfield Shoppingtown Independence Mall, part of that rebranding included adding stores such as Dillard’s. The cinema, seen in the background, was torn down in 2000. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Independence Mall aerial photo in 2004. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

One of the original mall anchors, Sears also featured an auto center, seen here in 2007. Sears closed in 2018 and its wing demolished to make way for stores such as Lidl supermarket, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Five Below, all still under construction. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

The Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour ribbon cutting was moved inside to Independence Mall due to the rain in Wilmington in 2013. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

On July 6, 1977, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for Independence Mall. Concerns about congestion on Oleander Drive and how the shopping center will affect downtown were tempered by Wilmington mayor Ben Halterman. On the same page of the Wilmington Morning Star, a story cited a dream for an interstate link between Raleigh and Wilmington in the next 20 years would remain just that...however, that dream became a reality 13 years later. [STARNEWS]

People walk some of the stores at Independence Mall in May. The mall reopened during the COVID-19 pandemic with 19 stores including Belk and Dillard's. [MATT BORN/STARNEWS]

The Carmike Cinema building adjacent to Independence Mall during demolition in 2000, which was part of the renovation and expansion plans for the mall. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Darryl Evans wraps trees at Treefest 2002, a tree distribution being held in the Sears wing of Independence Mall. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Christopher Flemming, left, and Brendon Shearer watch as their cars cross the finish line at the Masonboro District Pinewood Derby Race at Independence Mall in 2008. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Even the competition wished the new enclosed shopping center well. Hanover Center, which is across the street from Independence Mall and was opened more than 20 years prior, took out this ad in the Wilmington Morning Star on Aug. 1, 1979. [STARNEWS]

Of course, Hanover Center did work to grab some of the spotlight on Aug. 1. A Roses department store there held its grand opening and had with it a celebrity in Stella Parton -- yes, the sister of Dolly and also a country music artist. [STARNEWS]

A three-screen theater opened on the Independence Mall property in April of 1980. It was closed and demolished in 2000. [STARNEWS]

Employees of stores were gearing up days before Independence Mall opened on Aug. 1, 1979. Some of the special events held during the opening included meeting Miss North Carolina, a Spiderman appearance at JCPenney and the Charlotte Summer Pops Orchestra performing pop, jazz and bluegrass. [STARNEWS]

Plenty of the stores at Independence Mall made sure to advertise the fact before opening in 1979. [STARNEWS]

Anticipation continued to heighten in the days before Independence Mall’s grand opening. The mall’s name was originally conceived to tie into the bicentennial, however, groundbreaking for the center didn’t start until a year after in 1977. [STARNEWS]

Governor Roy Cooper talks with the media at the New Hanover base camp at Independence Mall in September of 2018. The governor was in town to meet with people affected by Hurricane Florence and thank first responders. The camp was housed in the former Sears building months after it closed. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Shoppers flock Independence Mall on Dec. 26, 1980 to make returns on Christmas gifts. [STARNEWS]

Fleishman's, which was at the mall since its opening, closed in 2016. [STARNEWS]

John Wesley Corbett, who has down syndrome, rides the train past storefronts at Independence Mall in 2016. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Wilmington cityscape sculpted by Team Sandtastic out of 50 tons of sand at Independence Mall in 2013. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Santa Claus poses for a picture at Independence Mall in 2015. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Mosaics at Independence Mall are of area scenes were created in 1978 by Samuel D. Bissette, a Wilmington banker and artist who died in 2005. They've been a centerpiece of the mall since it opened in 1979. [KEN BLEVINS/STARNEWS]

Construction on Dillard's at Independence Mall began in 2000 and it opened a year later. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Glenn Kagan talks with future contestants about the correct way to use the Jeopardy plunger to answer questions during auditions for the game at Independence Mall in 1998. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

The Wilmington Show Girls, Inc. perform at Independence Mall in 2001. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]

Life Community Church Pastor Tim Blevins is seen in front of the new space the church moved into near Sears. The church moved when that wing of the mall was demolished in 2019 and is looking for a permanent home. [STARNEWS FILE PHOTO]