The Galleria, Retail complex in Houston, United States.
The Galleria is a shopping complex in Houston's Uptown District whose central axis is covered by a glazed barrel vault modeled on Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Two levels of walkways with glass railings curve along storefronts and escalators, and a floor-level ice rink sits beneath the vault, marked by a brown overhead sign reading "The Galleria". The development covers 3 million square feet, including 2,400,838 square feet of gross leasable area and 400 stores.
Gerald D. Hines developed the mall, modeled on Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II with a glazed barrel vault over the central axis. Neiman Marcus opened first on January 28, 1969; the mall followed on November 16, 1970 with 600,000 square feet. Galleria II opened June 17, 1977, Galleria III in 1986, and Galleria IV in March 2003 added Nordstrom and Foley's. Simon Property Group acquired the mall in early 2002.
The mall's name and its glazed barrel vault come from the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, which Gerald Hines used as a model. The 1999 song "Dilbar" by Alka Yagnik, from the film Sirf Tum, was recorded at the rotating waterfall, tower and fountain. Latin American and European shoppers are among the visitors the mall draws.
The mall is in the Uptown District at the intersection of Westheimer Road and Post Oak Boulevard, with the Westin Galleria and Westin Oaks hotels attached at the north end. The ice rink lies on the lower level under the glazed barrel vault, and the four anchor stores sit at the ends of the wings, so allow time to cross the 2.4 million square feet of retail space.
The ice-skating rink sits right at the center of the building beneath a multi-story glass dome, allowing skaters to practice in daylight under subtropical outdoor temperatures. On weekends you often see children spinning in T-shirts while outside temperatures exceed 86 degrees (30 Celsius).
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