Dead Mall In Laredo

Hi! I am from Laredo, TX and I recently came across this website, which I really enjoy! I had no clue there were other people, who like me, had a great interest in "defunct malls," so to speak, and in particular with their architecture and interior design.

Speaking of dead malls, Laredo has it's own dead mall -River Drive Mall which was on the banks of the Rio Grande River, facing Mexico. Unfortunately enough, I have been unable to find a photo(s) of it. I am doing some local searching. I know the mall opened in 1970(1); Mall del Norte (the surviving mall) opened in 1977 in north (back then) Laredo thus driving out many of the big retailers from River Drive Mall. River Drive Mall was doing fairly well into the late '80s. The second biggest peso devaluation really hurt this mall and struggled to survive in the '90s, finally closing it's doors sometime early 2000s. It was bought in 2005 (?) by some company in California that was suppose to make out of it a brand new shopping center called El Portal. The renovations were made to the building but the project never materialized because of a fall out between the contractors and the City Council. The project was put on hold, so the building now stands as a white elephant. I don't know if the River Drive Mall sign (that also had a digital time clock) still stands there.

At River Drive Mall, you could find JCPenney's, Frost Bros., Kaybee Toys, Woolworth, Bealls, Orange Julius, Chick-Fil-A, a retro McDonalds (I used to love their wallpaper with silver and green leaves), arcade places, kiddie rides, and a very cool court yard, as well as some local department stores and even a local grocer - Santos & Garza, who were a pre-version of Wal-Mart. They sold everything from food items, clothing, books, toys, guns, and more. I am looking for some pictures that my mother took of my brother and me at this mall when I was about 3 or 4 years old back in 1985. I remember there was also a very beautiful, tall fountain of a nude woman holding a vase and water came out from it; there was also a "tunnel" that connected the mall - the tunnel was underneath a street. The kiddie rides could be found there. The interior deco theme was very earthy 70's - the colors were very mute: brown, green, light yellow, orange, etc. It had some wood paneling, hanging plants, a couple of small fountains at both ends, and mosaic floors and benches, along with retro fixtures. The breezeways were great; they offered a beautiful view of the Rio Grande River; it was beautiful when it rained.

As soon as I can find some photos, I will submit them, but if anyone has any pics or more info about this now-gone place, it would be awesome if they could share. I would be highly interested.