On Oct. 20, 1976, Miss Texas Carmen McCollum snipped a ribbon beneath the skydome of Ridgmar Mall to officially open Fort Worth’s first fully enclosed shopping center at Interstate 20 and Texas 183.
“So many breathtaking new stores,” boasted an ad in the Star-Telegram. “All of this in a refreshing atmosphere of sunlit skylights, beautiful foundations and tall trees with benches curved beneath their branches to let you relax between shopping adventures.”
The focal point of the mall — “where it’s always springtime” — was a center spiral ramp with triangular steel sculptures and a fountain that shot up water at varying heights. Ridgmar had more than 130 stores, including Neiman Marcus and Sears…