Dayton’s, Southdale Center, Edina MN 1963

This authentic 1960s color photograph, captured in 1963, showcases the exterior of the Dayton’s department store at Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota. The archival image highlights the store’s distinctive mid-century modern architecture, featuring a windowless, textured brown brick facade adorned with the elegant “Dayton’s” script logo. To the right, the mall structure continues with an F.W. Woolworth five-and-dime and a Farnham’s stationery store visible. A unique eight-armed mid-century light pole stands tall in the foreground, while a sign for “Southdale Center” with an alligator logo is mounted nearby. The parking lot is densely packed with period automobiles, including a dark plum 1961 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88, a pale yellow 1960 Pontiac Catalina, and a blue 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air. Southdale Center, which opened in 1956, is historically significant as the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall in the United States, designed by architect Victor Gruen. While the Dayton’s brand was eventually rebranded as Marshall Field’s and later Macy’s, the building remains a central part of the mall, which is still a thriving retail destination today. This factual record preserves the pioneering suburban landscape of the Twin Cities during the early sixties. All our images are available as royalty-free instant downloads for use in books, media, and creative projects – or make your own prints for home, work, or as a truly unique gift.