By Trent Rosser
December 10, 1956: a blast of dynamite signaled the groundbreaking of Texas largest shopping center north of Houston. Just nearly 3 years later, on September 15, 1960, Sunset Center officially opened at 3701 S. Plains here in Amarillo. An estimated 100,000 shoppers caused a massive traffic jam. The first store to sign a lease was Sears and Roebuck which was adjacent to the mall itself. Shortly after other stores opened as well, such as Dunlap's, Western Auto and Gunn Brothers, JCPenney, Baker Shoes, and Safeway.
For 20 plus years the mall blossomed with shoppers. On August 9,1967, Western Plaza opened up just south of Sunset Center. With 2 fountains and many other stores including Montgomery Ward, shoppers had another place to go. Even with an updated mall, Sunset Center still flourished. Unfortunately with the expansion of the city going west, a very large and updated Westgate Mall sprung up in October of 1982. Stores started to leave Sunset Center and move to the larger mall. Eventually, most of the stores at Sunset Center were left as empty as an old ghost town. Just a few stores like Woolworths remained loyal and stayed. In the mid and late 80’s Sunset Center went through a major makeover, including new flooring, a food court, plants throughout the corridors with a large multi colored stained glass window on the front of the mall itself. New stores started to fill up, but they could not compete with the larger 2 malls. Stores came and went throughout the years, then finally it found a new purpose. It became a large art center. Artist from all over came and opened up galleries, showcasing all kinds of art and even art classes. This past week, it was announced that due to financial issues, the mall will be closing down for good. The remaining artists have been advised to vacate the premises. A part of Sunset Center will be demolished for good. My heart hangs heavy to hear this news.
My earliest memory of Sunset Center happened when I was a child. I don’t remember much about it, but it was during late 1980. “Dallas” was the hit T.V. show and J.R. Ewing (a bad guy of the series) had been shot. It left a cliffhanger and no one knew who shot him. We watched it every week with our parents. I remember my mom took me to the movies to see “The Empire Strikes Back”. That was the talk of the town as well because we found out the “Darth Vader” WAS Luke Skywalker's father. My mother and I was walking through the mall and we passed the Orange Julius store just as we were about to walk out of the mall, when we saw a shirt at the t shirt place;a bright orange shirt with large black letters that said “Darth Vader shot J.R.” My mother laughed and almost bought me that shirt. I still don’t know why I remember that.
In the mid 80’s my parents divorced and I was living with my mother. We lived in a small duplex just a couple of blocks from Sunset center. It became a hang out to me and my friends that also lived in the neighborhood. Woolworths was still there and you could walk from the entrance of Woolworths to the back of the store and right into the middle of the mall. I was about 12 years old by this time and we were always there. It was mainly empty of shoppers, due to everyone being at the other malls, but there was an arcade there and I spent many quarters playing games. I was the champion of the game called “Joust”. To say I spent all my time at that mall would be an understatement. Once, on my birthday, the people that ran the arcade bought me a cupcake with a candle on it. We would wander up and down the deserted corridors that were for employees only, and no one would know. Sometime, we would take our girlfriends down the halls and find a secluded space and kiss! After all, we were coming of age at Sunset Center.
Eventually, J.C. Penny’s moved to Westgate Mall and just about the only stores left was Woolworths, the arcade, and a restaurant that was always empty. It just became our little hangout, wandering up and down the corridors, hallways and empty stores. We never did anything bad like vandalize the place. We were not those kind of kids. Just to be 12 years of age in an old deserted shopping mall. It was kinda like living in an Indiana Jones movie. Also, some of my friends and I would bring a boom box up there with some cardboard and start break dancing. No, I wasn’t good at it, and still deny to anyone in person that I ever did break dance!
Eventually, I moved and stopped going to Sunset Center. My wife and I went there not too long ago and the memories flooded back. It has changed so much from when I first walked in with my mother back in the 70’s and again when they remodeled in the mid 80’s. Hearing about the possibility of it being demolished, again, it breaks my heart. Many memories of a not so innocent youth. Friends, games, and a much simpler time. Sunset Center will always be a good memory for me and I hate to see her be demolished. I do not break dance, I am no longer playing video games, and Darth Vader did not shoot J.R. One thing is for sure, progress happens, and the only thing that stays the same is “Everything Changes”. At least I will still have my memories of Sunset Center.
Goodbye, old friend.
