In 1969, Phipps Plaza opened as the first multi-level mall in Atlanta, aiming to become the
South's leading shopping destination. The mall originally opened with two levels. Purchased by financier
Ogden Phipps in 1966 for less than $600,000, the development was sold in 1992 to
Simon Properties for $488 million. That year, in development as part of a $141 million renovation and expansion, Phipps added a third anchor, Birmingham, Alabama-based
Parisian, owned by the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, to its original anchors Saks Fifth Avenue and
Lord & Taylor. This was their second Atlanta area location (their first was at
Town Center at Cobb which also opened in 1992) and their flagship. This was followed by the openings of other area stores at
Gwinnett Place Mall in 1993 and
Northlake Mall in 1994, respectively. The expansion would also add a 14-screen
AMC theatre, a new food court, new elevators, and the addition of one new level. Phipps Plaza remains Atlanta's only Saks Fifth Avenue venue. Lord & Taylor was repositioned and shuttered entirely in 2004. The store served as one of the original anchors for 35 years. The space was eventually completely renovated to make way for Atlanta's third
Nordstrom, which opened in March 2005. On August 2, 2006, it was announced that
Belk was acquiring the
Parisian chain of department stores, with the store being converted to the Belk name in the fall of 2007. In 2010 the food court was renovated into a
Legoland Discovery Center. On November 13, 2018, Belk announced the closure of its anchor store during the summer of 2019. On November 14, Simon Property Group announced it would replace Belk with a 150-room
Nobu Hotel and restaurant, 300,000 square foot Class A office tower, 90,000 square foot
Life Time Athletic facility and a 30,000 square foot food hall. The hotel and gym both opened in 2022. By 2023, since the
COVID-19 lockdowns, Phipps Plaza has announced several new additions, among them are
Balmain,
Celine,
Fendi,
Etro,
Brunello Cucinelli,
Canada Goose,
Hermès, and
Alexander McQueen. == Architecture ==