I graduated from HS in 1986. I spent many Friday nights at Aladdin’s Castle, eating pizza, seeing movies, shopping and hanging out with friends. My first job ever was at Windsor Park Mall - Corn Dog on a Stick, then moved to Rings N Things! I bought my wedding dress at a little wedding boutique down near Montgomery Ward on the 1st floor. I remember when Chick Fil A and Whataburger were both in Windsor Park Mall. Also, Chelsea’s Street Pub was a cool place to go hear live music, drink, and eat their mountain of nachos! Good times!
This was so well done! I found myself quite emotional watching it… Sort of lonesome for those early days of the mall when we kids would just get dropped off and have so much freedom inside that big building. Thank you so much for sharing… You’re very very talented!
I'm an SA native as well. Crazy how unless you went to Windsor Park Mall or Crossroads Mall back then, we will never see those nostalgic gems ever again in life. Splashtown is gone for good now too. Lost to the sands of time
It's sad to see how even Rolling Oaks is barely hanging on. The city was booming and expanding northward and I think the developers were expecting that area to grow. Unfortunately that growth focused on the 281 and I-10 corridor. It's interesting to see how the University of the Incarnate Word has taken over some space in a similar fashion to Rackspace. When I was a teenager back in the 90's seeing the big domes at night from a distance creeped me out because it reminded me of The X-files lol. Good times.
@@neosthirdeye2291 Well that's good to hear. Maybe they can get some tenants for the anchor stores soon. At least Sears since it's very visible from the highway. Fingers crossed! 👍
Ahhhhhh…..remember that mall so well. My first job was as a dishwasher at the Wyatt’s cafeteria when it first opened. I worked at the Riggins mens store and finished up as a mechanic at the JC Penny automotive center (yes, Penny’s used to have car care centers). I have such great memories of Windsor Park Mall. Unfortunately, like many malls it transitioned into something it was not supposed to be…….a hang out and daycare center for kids.
As a little girl we went to this mall so much. My grandmother needed to make her Montgomery Wards Payment each month and that's were she went. Great video. So much info and so many details. Great job sir. 👏
When I was a kid, this was my favorite mall to buy my toys from besides a Toys R' Us. I still have dreams about going around this mall strangely, & its usually empty like the backrooms trend lol.
Whenever I have a dream where im in a mall this is the mall. It focuses on the second floor looking over near the spiral staircase and water fountain area
Loved this mall growing up. There was two book stores across from each other on the second floor, and a kaybees. The movie theater had a tiny arcade and we would play galaga that was near the entrance of the theater open. Tucked in on the left side of the mall was a nice darkly lit arcade before going to the theater rooms
Thanks much for the video!! My husband and I met in the fall of 1976 !!! Where I worked at the time Wyatts cafeteria. I started out as a bus girl (still a teenager) ,later became cashier .I lived at that mall!! I walked to work,shopped at the mall ate at the mall,went to the movies for a 1.00.my wedding dress came from that mall ,.....great times!! Sorry I didn't take pictures When I could have!! Got to see zsa zsa gabor one of the sweat hogs ,couple came into watts that looked like Burt Reynolds The place was a buzz because he resemble Burt ,and when he came up to pay for his meal ,I asked him if he was Burt Reynolds and the blonde lady answered "he'll never tell"!!! And walked out ...thanks for the walk down memory lane.....😉
Every time my middle school, high school would go to San Antonio.... Windsor Park Mall. First cabinet of mortal Kombat I ever saw. Windsor Park Mall. That moment was pretty significant, I still remember that. Life changing.
My Uncle was in his teen years back in the 80’s. He was telling me that Windsor was the spot where a lot of the upper class kids from Madison hung out. It was a mostly Caucasian school at that time. But one thing I didn’t really understand is that a kid could spend an entire day at the mall back then. You had stores, arcades, and the movies. By the time I was growing up malls were still around, but going to them wasn’t an all day affair.
You absolutely could spend a whole day there. No internet, no online shopping, no cell phones, no social media. It was a great place to get out of the house, play video games, eat, watch a movie, shop, hang out and maybe run into friends or someone you had a crush on 😊 If you watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High you’ll see a pretty accurate depiction of teens working and hanging out at the mall like they did in the 80’s.
@@thesaexplorer I’m still not sure if I did. I definitely saw Phantom Menace at a mall but I can’t remember if it was this or Rolling Oaks. I think it was Windsor.
Loved this mall , went there many wkends to hang out with friends. Loved the arcade that was next to the movie theatre. Later in my early 20s I worked at Montgomery Wards for a few years. Lots of great memories!
I grew up in the windcrest area and I went to elementary school at windcrest Elementary and I went to middle school at Ed White Middle School. And back in the late 90s and early 2000s I used to go to that mall every day and I used to go to the movies every time a good movie came out cuz it was a movie theater inside. Be completely honest with you I remember exactly what it looks like in the inside and it's been over 20 something years since I've been there. But it's good to see that backspace didn't let this building go to waste.
All tenants of the former mall are set to evacuate this year. Atleast TaskUs and Rackspace are set to leave this year. So it’s sad to see that the mall could soon just be abandoned.
I wish I could get a tour of inside...as far as I know, most if not all the mall has been gutted, but the old flooring still remains from parts of the mall that hasn't been built out for rackspace
I used to go to that mall when I was little kid, long before it had a food court there were eating places pretty much all over. The one I remembered the most was an Arby's where it used to have saddles for chairs. There was also small Chinese eating place close to one of the mall's entrances where they those batter dipped chicken pieces. I also remembered the $1 movie theater and pizza place close to where I think Dillard's used to be, it was in the same area as the Arby's I mentioned before. There was also a Mexican restaurant that was across from Wyatt's Cafeteria, which was later turned into a Jailhouse Cafe and turned back into another Mexican restaurant. The stores I used to go to the most are Walden Bookstore, B. Dalton bookstore, Musicland, and Spencers.
I remember frequently shopping there, when I first moved to town, in 1990. My aunt lived not far away, just off Austin Hwy. I got a small apartment nearby as well. I believe that JCP auto center was one of the places I'd applied to work that summer. Eventually got a delivery job later, though.
Cool video! I went to the grand opening...I was 12! My mom worked at Montgomery Wards for years and my sister worked at Joskes. Too bad it's gone. And now I hear Rackspace is leaving too. I wonder what Windcrest will make of it? I think they should do a huge indoor park with skating, games, movies, & food!
i was there from day 1 ..lived on galahad when it opened. went to camelot elementary at the time . everyone knew everyone. kickass place and time to grow up.
Forgive me, I moved to SA from Germany in April 2007 and I never got to go into this mall but I notice that about a mile or so south of the mall along IH-35 there’s another smaller mall that’s now a Christian Church and school where I could clearly make out where the individual stores were at so the interior allows my imagination to see what it looked like maybe in the late 70’s-early 80’s. I grew up in Klamath Falls, OR in the 70’s and 80’s before joining the Army in 1983 and we had a smaller mall that did very well but the larger and much nicer mall with a couple large anchor stores along with a Woolworth and Radio Shack could barely keep the lights on from 1975-90 until it finally closed in the late 90’s. Walking through older malls is a unique experience to me, sort of like a living museum or something. Thanks for sharing this video.
I think you're talking about Alamo City Church. Its building was an outlet mall that barely existed before it closed down. Later, the church bought the property
Thanks for this video! I grew up near Windsor Park Mall, but my memories of it are so hazy. I remember going to it sometimes when I was a new and nervous driver because it was the most convenient mall. I'd walk around for a little bit, wishing it was still a decent place to shop, and then leave. 😂 I'm surprised you didn't mention it being used as a shelter for Hurricane Katrina evacuees just days after the mall's closing.
Yes, I remember that! My family took donation items. My parents (reverend& missionary) were there for spiritual&mental counseling, helping contact old pastors for church birth records so victims could recieve fed help.
I still remember right next to that mall was a Walmart which closed sometime in the early 2000s which turned into a flea market which is now a goodwill you can see at 8:42
I think 1999 was the last time we went, we walked in for 2 minutes and heard gun shots… Thats the only memory I have. I remember Mervyn’s and I think the food court had ICEE’s. I was so young. I remember alot of beautiful girls… I helped do construction cleanup when rackspace took over
Thanks for this video. I gotta say I am kinda obsessed with this now ( I worked for years in an abandoned truck depot for a major retailer) . Sure would love a tour.
Yea I'd like a tour as well. Someone on my Instagram who claims they work for rackspace said they could possibly set me up with a tour. Still waiting on what they say
Thanks, this was a lot of work to put together. I appreciate the memories. So many pizza slices at Luca’s, so many movies at the UA Cine Cinco, so many wonderful shopping and hang out days with my my mom and sisters; and later on, my high school friends. One fact check I have is on the renovation that took place in the 80s. I seem to recall that the new tiling and modernization of the color scheme (from the oranges and wood tones of the 70s to neutral 80s colors) happened around 1986. Was that strictly the new Mervyn’s wing, with later updates occurring over the following years? I started working at Rolling Oaks in 1989 and may be misremembering- but I thought Windsor completed its renovations before Rolling Oaks was built.
I'm not sure exactly when the renovations were done since I wasnt even alive in the 80s lol but from what I read was that around the time rolling oaks was being built, windsor park mall renovated their interior. Photos are scarce of this mall so I used what I could. I actually have a photo of the mall from the late 70s/early 80s with the orange color schemes that I included in the before/after shots of the Inside of the mall. Thanks for watching!
Wow, that's too bad. I remember going to Windsor Park Mall when I visited my brother who lived not far from the mall. It was unique from the other malls. The atmosphere was more laid-back and relaxing.
Thank u for doing this story on the mall ..a lot of people are not familiar with this mall but I fam. I did years of Christmas shopping there. And lots of pictures with San ta Claus for my kids. It is true though how it all went downhill, especially with crime. I remember being at the bus stop and a man was there with a new fesh pizza he was taking hime to surprise his children with, however..some young males jumped him and took his pizza and ate it on the spot! When I asked why they did that, they said, because they were hungry and laughed. I wish malls could make a come back, I wish people could keep their hands off others, but it wont happen. Its safer now just to shop on amazon and stay home. It is not 1986 anymore...
I have a special memory of Windsor Park Mall. My grandparents lived in San Antonio, and every Christmas break my family would visit them from out of state. But they lived on the opposite side of the city, so we only went to Windsor Park, once. December 1982, to see the movie, The Dark Crystal. It was a magical moment in my childhood.
I remember when that was a brand new sparkling jewel in San Antonio. I enjoyed going there and having eats and drinks at Chelsea Street Pub after shopping at al the different stores. I know economics and shopping patterns caused changes and added to the decline in mall attendance. However, I can tell you that the "Thuggery" and the little punks that began hanging out in Windsor Park Mall is what stopped me from going there, and I was a policeman. Bexar County Sheriff's department even opened up a satellite office in an attempt to stop the little gangbangers from destroying the place but even that was not enough to make people feel safe. When you talk about urban decline, a lot has to do with certain elements within the neighboring population and it's effect. This is a prime example of decay caused by street hoodlums and crime. A once thriving business and employment opportunity for many people living around the mall was destroyed by Thugs and not the law enforcement that responded to all those criminal incidents. This is a great example of what the outcome for America will be for those who believe in the lunacy of De-Funding the Police. You put together a very good video of what once was and what it turned into. BTW: I thought a company like Rack-Space would have far better looking offices, it's kind of a bleak and dismal looking working environment. Hopefully they use that money the save to pay there employees really well?
Ahhhhh….Chelsea Street Pub!!! Some of the best times I barely remember were spent there. Also, my almost daily devouring of their heaping cheese covered nachos most likely contributed to some of the health issues I’m dealing with today.😬 so many glorious memories I have of the Mall. Life was so simple back them….🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
The writing on Windsor Mall was clear at the expansion of corporate development versus the aging residential areas of the area. Coupled with an unfortunate high crime rate area, the mall was sandwiched between Crossroads Mall (also now dead) to the north and the military communities of Lackland/Kelly AFB to the south containing their own shopping areas at the Base Exchanges. With the westside development, new shopping areas are cropping up with specialy stores and more conveniently located to new residential areas minus the crime rate.
Do you remember the old cd and cassette music store was right next to Wendy’s and bathrooms were right there too I think they were on the 2nd floor next to Montgomery ward
Wow, really?! That's wild. The city should just demolish and sell at this point. I know they got fleeced out of $8mil by a former mayor and his brother that was supposed to develop work/play/live spaces to accomodate the Rackspace crew.
@@titan8611 I beg to differ. There are many Dr offices downstairs that is keeping the mall alive along with the flea market. At this point, I don't even consider it a mall anymore
I was supposed to meet a friend at that bus stop that very day, but as usual I was running late. Ms Grant slumped over onto my friend....that would've been me😔✝️those in charge of security long ignored the need for a larger presence on the premises in hopes to sell up cos by then everyone had run screaming to Rolling Oaks where no buses ran.
I remember my mom and dad having a major fight (my dad's fault) My dad took us to this mall in 1999 where he bought us pizza and bought me Qui Gon Jinn's lightsaber and my brother he bought Obiwan Kenobi's. (its been 30 years he made good on his promises and he and my mom have together for more than 30 years.)
I am unable to find out the name of the mall (was Said) to house the current Alamo City Fellowship church on i35 . I really would love to know and see pictures of it in it's day. I feel like that is not a google search but something where you have to know someone older who was there.
From what I've heard, it was an outlet mall that barely existed before shutting down. I'd be interested to know more about it too, but there probably isn't much information about it if was really so short lived.
My dad worked on the mall, we went to walk thru it. As we were walking towards the mall a cop was chasing a blk dude who had clothes under his arm. Dude had a big afro, bell bottom pants and black platform shoes. My dad said, 'this place wont last'...he was right
@@thesaexplorer my mom opened the sears in both Ingram park mall and rolling oaks. I will see if I can find photos of it and will keep you posted. Thank you for this video.
@christinescott5002 that's awesome! My mom worked at sears at rolling oaks in the late 90s. If you have an instagram, you can follow me on there and send whatever photos you have there
@@thesaexplorer and I continued the sears legacy working there as well. Great to get good concert seats!! In the better days before Ticketmaster became ticketbastard.
I didn't move to San Antonio until 2004 so thd Windsor park mall was dying out. I did live along Walzem road for many years. We don't live there anymore and don't plan to live east of downtown ever again. Bad place to live.
