Regency Mall was a major regional mall in South Augusta, Georgia. Located at 1700 Gordon Highway, Regency Mall was open from 1978 to 2002. It was anchored by J.B. White (now Dillard's), Belk (Belk-Howard, but signed as Belk), Montgomery Ward and Cullum's (later Meyers-Arnold then Upton's), and also featured a three-screen movie General Cinema theatre. Developed by Edward J. DeBartolo and Associates, Regency Mall was Augusta’s first shopping mall, opening one week before Augusta Mall.Never updated during its lifespan, Regency Mall failed due to crime and security problems, a poor location and a market too small to support two shopping malls. Its anchor stores began to pull out during the 1990s, some of them relocating to the more successful Augusta Mall. Regency’s last remaining anchor, Montgomery Ward, closed when the chain folded in 2001. The rest of the mall closed to the public shortly thereafter, but the buildings remain mostly intact.HistoryDevelopment (1978–1980s)Regency Mall was originally planned as part of the “Regency Square” development, which included condominiums, a shopping plaza and a hotel. Frank Barrios, who served as the first manager for Regency Mall, said in 1978 that the mall’s location, at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Gordon Highway, was chosen because it was the center of population for the Central Savannah River Area and had excellent accessibility.
