Mall of America
The interior of the Mall of America on opening day in 1992.
- The Mall of America is the largest mall in the US, with 5.6 million square feet, a theme park, and over 500 stores.
- The massive complex opened 27 years ago, on August 11, 1992, in Bloomington, Minnesota.
- At least 150,000 people came to the mall on its opening day. Today, more than 42 million people from all over the world come to the mall annually.
- From groundbreaking to opening day, here are photos from the early days of the Mall of America.
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The Mall of America is more than just a shopping center. It's practically a city.
Covering more than 5.6 million square feet and boasting a theme park and aquarium, this Minnesota complex is not your average shopping center. It cost over $650 million to build the mall that 40 million people visit annually. The mall currently has over 500 stores, and it generates nearly $2 billion in economic activity for Minnesota every year, according to press materials for the shopping center.
Read more: 13 vintage photos of malls in their '90s glory
But when 78 acres of land were set to be developed by Bloomington Port Authority and Triple Five Group in the late 1980s, people had doubts about whether a mall of this scale would succeed. In 1989, a groundbreaking ceremony kicked off construction.
The Mall of America opened on August 11, 1992, with 330 stores and 10,000 employees. At least 150,000 people came to the mall on opening day, and the project was deemed a massive success.
Here's what the mall looked like at the beginning, from construction to opening day: