Los Arcos Mall memories: A look back at Scottsdale’s iconic retail spot

For many longtime East Valley residents, Los Arcos Mall holds iconic status and a treasured place in their memories. The now-demolished Scottsdale retail landmark, which operated from 1969 to 1999, was a bustling hub of shopping, movie nights and weekend hangouts.

While it admittedly never reached the legendary renown of Valley giants like Metrocenter or Fiesta Mall, Los Arcos still carved out its own unique identity and spot in local lore.

Built by Phoenix-based developer Westcor Partners on the southwest corner of McDowell and Scottsdale roads, Los Arcos was the city’s first enclosed and air-conditioned mall.

The $6 million project include a host of Spanish-inspired influences, from its name (which translates to "the arches" to its architectural details and murals by Mexican artist José María Servín. Anchored by Broadway and Sears right from the start, the mall even boasted a basement movie theater, making it a magnet for both shoppers and cinephiles.
Plenty of East Valley kids of the ’70s and ’80s spent some serious time at Los Arcos. Former Valley resident and ex-Arizona Republic writer Jon Talton remembered in 2008 how he hung out at the mall after it debuted.

“It was the area’s newest mall, and quickly became a hangout,” Talton stated. “It was very new and pleasant, especially for high school kids who didn’t know any better. So I remember seeing movies at the basement theater, such as ‘Soylent Green.’”

The mall was a favorite of journalist, author and Valley native Aaron Gilbreath, who wrote in 2023 how "Los Arcos was the shit.” He biked five minutes from home just to hang out and hit the arcade, spending many hours and countless quarters on games like "Star Wars and "Tron." The mall’s decor, its Center Court in particular, stuck with him. “With a vaulted ceiling suspended by tall reaching columns, the Court was illuminated by a dome of glass, named the Center Court skylight, which itself was accented by a hanging pane of stained orange and yellow glass. It was beautiful,” Gilbreath wrote. “Malls had to be to pull shoppers inside from the sunny world outside. One of my favorite things about Los Arcos was the feeling of walking through this Center Court, and the way the sweeping tiled arches welcomed you in.”

After its glory years, Los Arcos’ fortunes eventually took a turn for the worse. By the ’80s, Fiesta Mall in Mesa was stealing shoppers, and later, a revamped Scottsdale Fashion Square just up the road drained even more of its mojo.

By the mid-’90s, grim times had set in. The mall changed hands several times, with some owners trying, and ultimately failing, to breathe new life into the property. Broadway closed in 1995, and a year later, developer Steve Ellman swooped in with big plans, including a proposed arena for the Phoenix Coyotes.

None of it ever happened. Los Arcos closed for good in November 1999, with demolition beginning the following year. The site sat mostly vacant for the better part of a decade until Arizona State University teamed up with the city of Scottsdale to build SkySong, transforming the old mall grounds into an innovation and business development in 2009.

Decades after its shuttering, Los Arcos still remains a part of local lore. Here’s a look back at photos of the mall from over the years.