How was Southlands Mall recently affected by weather?”
At least five tornadoes hit Colorado, and one damaged a mall in Aurora on Sunday, according to the Weather Service. The Weather Services said the tornado that damaged Southlands Mall touched down south of Buckley Air Force Base at 1:49 pm and may have been on the ground for about 30 minutes, going on an 8- to 10-mile path across southeast Aurora, Colorado.
There had been some difficulty in assessing the architectural appearance of this shopping center since it was far from chic, but definitely not dated. It was just plain, white, and unassuming; certainly nothing to cause it to appear dated. But, it had zero pizzazz. The single-level floor plan is a welcome departure from the other two-level superregional centers in the region. Okay, the food court is actually considered level two, but most of this mall is one level (the food court was added downstairs in 1985). Southland Mall is conveniently located in Hayward off I-880 at Winton in Hayward.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090607/UPDATES01/90607011 Tornado damages mall in Aurora 9News | June 7, 2009 AURORA — A tornado touched down Sunday afternoon near the Southlands Mall, causing extensive damage. Windows were smashed out, a brick wall was flattened, debris was scattered and at least one car was overturned in the mall’s parking lot. Kelley Strandberg, a woman who was in the T.J. Maxx at the Southlands Mall at the time, says employees ushered the shoppers into the store’s bathrooms for safety during the tornado. Strandberg says she smelled gas as she left the mall, and windows were smashed out. Xcel Energy says crews are en route to deal with multiple leaks but add they are not positive the leaks are in their jurisdiction. Sherry Monson, a woman who was shopping at JC Penney, says windows were broken out of the store. When she got out, she says her car was “decimated.” . . .
