Ali Mall

Ali Mall is a shopping mall at the Araneta City in Cubao, Quezon City beside SM Cubao, and is owned by The Araneta City Inc. (ACI,Inc.), a subsidiary of the Araneta Group. The first major shopping mall in the Philippines, the retail area was named in honor of boxer Muhammad Ali, and was built in 1976, making it one of the oldest malls in the country.[1][2][3]

Ali Mall
LocationAraneta City, Barangay Socorro, Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines
Opening dateJune 30, 1976
DeveloperAraneta City Inc.
ManagementAraneta City Inc.
ArchitectSindiong/Ocampo
No. of stores and services182 shops and restaurants
Total retail floor area64,500 square metres (694,000 sq ft)
No. of floors4 (including 5 for parking spaces)
Parking300 cars
Public transit access Araneta Center–Cubao
3 Araneta Center–Cubao
Araneta City Bus Port

History

Construction on the mall began in 1975 after Muhammad Ali's boxing victory against Joe Frazier in Araneta Coliseum, dubbed "Thrilla in Manila".[3][4] At the time there were no malls in the country, until J. Amado Araneta, a member of the Araneta family laid plans to build a mall and name it after Ali in honor of his victory. [1][5] Ali was overjoyed with the proposal and did not charge any royalty fees. The mall has a floor area of 62,000 m2 (670,000 sq ft) and was completed within the year. It was inaugurated on June 30, 1976, with Ali himself attending the ceremony.[6]

The mall was designed by Filipino architects Fernando Hizon Ocampo and Antonio Sevilla Sindiong (Sindiong/Ocampo),[7]and had many firsts for the country: the first enclosed and fully air-conditioned mall; the Alimall Cineplex 4, first cineplex with 2 cinemas (upgraded to 4 theatres); the largest indoor skating rink (Skate Town); the first multi-level covered parking garage, featuring a spiral driveway accessing all floors; and the first food court (Food Plaza), [8] with its first tenants being Papemelroti, Blue Magic, and Rusty Lopez. [9] The mall currently has 64,500 square metres (694,000 sq ft) of retail spaces. Among its tenants were Automatic Centre, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Philippine Airlines , Penshoppe, National Book Store, Adidas, and Vans and more than 100 other shops, including food, retail, tech services, and government services. The Department of Foreign Affairs has a passport office located on the second level of the mall: the office was opened in February 2014.[10]

During the 1980s, the mall underwent expansions and renovations, however, from the 1990s to the 2000s, the mall gradually deteriorated. In 2009, a new expansion to Ali Mall was opened and a renovation was completed in 2010. The ₱200 million renovation project consisted of a fully enclosed footbridge (Ali Mall Skywalk) that connected Ali Mall to nearby SM Cubao, to commemorate the friendship between the two malls. The renovation also featured new interiors and a modernization of the Ali Mall Cineplex 4.

In March 2019, a section of the mall's upper ground floor was remodeled to cater novelty items, antiques, art, music, and memorabilia. This section was inaugurated as ALI X (Arts, Lifestyle, and Interests Experience), and "aims to be a haven for casual goers and hobbyists alike". Inaugural tenants included Happy Music, Remnant's Thrift Shop, and Erin's Artist's Lounge and Cafe, among others.[11][12][13][14]

See also

References
  1. Imray, Gerald (4 June 2016). "Kinshasa, Manila and beyond, Ali enraptured fans everywhere". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  2. "Ali's death rekindles memories of epic 'Thrilla in Manila'". 4 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
  3. Santiago, Andrea. "Philippine businesses of yesteryears". Manila Standard. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  4. "A Shared History: Ali Mall and SM Cubao". 3 January 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  5. "Ali Mall: First Ever Shopping Mall Makes A Comeback". Archived from the original on 2 September 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  6. Antonio, Hidalgo (2008). "Renewing Old Ties". The Araneta Center : the big dome and beyond. By Alcazaren, Alfred; Yuson, Paulo. p. 27. ISBN 9789719398103.
  7. https://lakansining.wordpress.com/2019/01/07/growing-up-in-cubao-quezon-city-history-and-art/
  8. "Araneta Center". www.aranetacenter.net. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  9. https://www.aranetacity.com/news/article/A-Celebration-of-Firsts-and-Distinctions-in-Shopping-Experience
  10. Esmaquel, Paterno II (8 January 2014). "DFA to open office in Cubao mall". Rappler. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  11. Mar 21, Ashley Martelino; 2019. "FIRST LOOK: Check Out ALI X, Ali Mall's Hip New Wing". SPOT.PH. Retrieved 2019-10-07.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. News, ABS-CBN. "IN PHOTOS: Haven for collectors, hobbyists opens in Cubao". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  13. "Araneta Center". www.aranetacenter.net. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
  14. https://aranetacity.com/ali-x
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