From the early 2000s to the mid 2010s, Sunset Place was a bustling hub for the residents of Miami. Kids flooded GameWorks and ITS SUGAR, begging their parents for arcade tickets or a colossal gummy bear. Spris and Sushi Maki were overflowing with families hungry after shopping or enjoying a new Avengers movie in the AMC theatre. Sunset Place was alive, a crescendo of laughter and energy. 

Today, the once glorious mall is largely deserted. Its dilapidated blue entry sign, peeling orange paint, and abandoned stores send a pang of nostalgia into the hearts of those who remember its former glory. “[Sunset Place] was a very nice place. It was a beautiful mall to come through […] Now, we don’t feel that energy anymore, there is no sense of connectivity,” recalled Garry Rodriguez, the assistant manager of Jimmy Johns in South Miami located on the exterior of Sunset Places’ west wall.  

“Sunset Place had the first real IMAX theater not part of AMC. I saw Fantasia there, and it was a core memory. We used to listen to music in the Virgin Megastore. […] [Sunset Place] was the place for Miami teenagers,” said Dr. Christina Iglesias, a Miami native who teaches English at the Upper School.  

Sunset Place’s demise is a combination of neglect, increased competition, and unconventional design. Today, the mall is hanging on by a thread, and demolition is inevitable. 

The crusty, black flaking paint on the handrails is a relic from another era. Each missing chunk of paint is a marker of the rail’s once frequent use, once grasped daily by wobbly children climbing up the mountain of limestone stairs. Colorful children’s rides outside the AMC theater are in decay, waiting to be ridden again. A black stage stands in the middle of the mall, waiting to be used for a performance which will never arrive. The sound of the roaring fountain fills the deserted mall and echos through the vacant orange corridors. Most strikingly, the mall is utterly devoid of any human activity. Today, only 9 out of Sunset’s 65 retail spaces are occupied. 

Despite its unorthodox design, Sunset Place flourished for over a decade after opening in 1999. Sharon, a bartender at GameTime, has worked there for over 25 years. “[In 1999,] Every weekend at 11am, there was a line to get in [….] it was busy and exciting.” Sunset Place continued buzzing with activity into the mid 2010s.  

In 2015, the owners of Sunset Place, Bakery Associates, sold the prosperous property to the firm Federal Realty Investment and Grass River Property Management for a staggering $111 million. The new owners kept the early 2000s-inspired design, betting that it would continue to attract customers. However, the mall struggled to maintain its allure and declined. Increased competition from e-commerce conglomerates like Amazon and shiny, recently renovated malls like Dadeland and Brickell diverted revenue.  

The mall’s failure to renovate its outdated design caused it to fall behind new, open-air, walkable shopping centers such as CocoWalk and Brickell. Sunset place is a retail bubble; Its eclectic design is confusing and lacks proper signage and directions, forcing shoppers to navigate a labyrinth of stores to find what they are looking for. Its gaudy orange and pink walls create an ambiance closer to an amusement park than a traditional mall. Sunset Place never truly fit in with the fabric of South Miami. While CocoWalk and Brickell are integrated with  the surrounding urban environment, Sunset place is severed from its community: A retail sarcophagus of failing stores. 

“Over time, the fundamental issue with Sunset has been that it has its back to the public. It is an enclosed, fortress-like property,” said Peter Lapointe, President of Grass River Property Management. 

Chain stores like Buffalo Wild Wings, Zumiez, Abercrombie, and Forever 21 left, leaving behind small businesses. Tea & Poets, a locally owned boutique and café, remains the beating heart of Sunset Place. “The local businesses [of Sunset Place] have outlived the corporate stores. I think corporate stores can recede from unprofitable locations much easier than local businesses. Small businesses don’t have the money or risk tolerance to just move,” recalled Kevin, a longtime Tea & Poets employee.  

As Sunset Place declined, its competitors only grew. Since 1962, Dadeland has been a South Miami staple. Last year, the mall added 7 stores, and shows no signs of slowing down. Dr. Iglesias cites Dadeland’s “multigenerational appeal” as a key factor in its enduring success. “There is something for everyone, and there always has been. They have always been able to appeal to multiple generations. There are stores my grandma likes, my mom likes, and I like. Dadeland keeps up with the times,” she explained.  

Renovation plans for Sunset Place have stalled, again and again. In 2017, city commissioners rejected a plan by the owners for redevelopment due to backlash from local residents. The rejected plan sought to tear down half the mall and replace it with hotels and residences. The rest of the mall would be revamped, and shops would be turned outward to foster integration with the surrounding environment. This rejection lengthened the road to re-development, and the business of Sunset Place continued to bleed money.  

In April of 2019, city commissioners finally approved a revised development plan. However, before work could begin, the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed the success of in-person retail and put the entire project on hold. The faltering success of the mall’s most lucrative and prominent tenants— AMC Movieplex, LA Fitness, and Splitsville—frightened investors. “Covid was the nail in the coffin. [The mall] was struggling for a number of years before the pandemic, but that really kicked most stores over the edge,” recalled Kevin.  

At the end of 2020, Federal Realty Investment sold Sunset Place to Midtown Opportunities for $65.5 million, a $45 million loss. It has been over 3 years since Midtown Opportunities bought the property with ambitious plans for the mall. Like the previous owners, Midtown Opportunities plans to demolish half the mall, erecting apartment spaces and a hotel. The other half will include renovated stores, an amphitheater, new cafés, expanded sidewalks, and shade trees. In late 2023, South Miami commissioners approved new zoning ordinances allowing for increased building heights along U.S. 1 to facilitate the project. However, renovations have not yet begun. 

For students at RE, Sunset Place remains a place of core childhood memories, but its relevance is diminished. “When I was in elementary school, I remember always getting the massive red gummy bear at ITS SUGAR,” recalled Myles Gelber ’25, a South Miami native. “Today, there is really no reason to go to Sunset besides the theater, which is mediocre at best.”  

As Dr. Iglesias put it, Sunset Place represents “the last gasp of the American mall.”