Anyone who shopped in north Tampa in the 1980s knew University Mall: Maas Brothers, Sears, J.C. Penney, Robinson’s, and Burdines, all under one roof at 2200 East Fowler Avenue, beside USF.
University Square Mall opened in 1974 and grew past a million square feet. Five department stores anchored it by 1983. Every one of them is now closed or demolished.
What stayed was the movie theater. General Cinema opened screens in 1974, and the spot has shown films through six operators since, down to Sun-Ray Cinema’s 10 screens in 2024…