Donaldson’s, Southdale Center, Edina MN 1963

This authentic 1960s color photograph, captured in 1963, showcases the exterior of the Donaldson’s department store at Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota. The archival image highlights the building’s distinctive mid-century architecture, featuring a large, windowless upper facade composed of multi-toned brown and tan bricks in a textured pattern, adorned with the elegant “Donaldson’s” script logo. To the right, the mall’s multi-level structure is visible, featuring White Way Cleaners, a Fashion Beauty Salon, and a prominent sign with a camel silhouette. In the background, the Edina water tower rises above the roofline. The wet asphalt parking lot in the foreground is filled with period automobiles, including a red 1962 Chevrolet Impala, a white 1961 Chevrolet Biscayne, and a light green 1959 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88. Southdale Center, opened in 1956, was the first fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping mall in the United States. Donaldson’s was a major Twin Cities-based retailer and served as one of the mall’s original anchors until the brand was merged into Carson Pirie Scott in the 1980s. While the building has seen various tenants and renovations over the years, the Southdale complex remains a historic landmark of American retail design. This factual record preserves the clean lines and suburban scale of the early mall era. 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.