Until smartphones and social media were the most popular ways to connect with others, malls provided one of the best ways to socialize. Since the start of their popularity in the seventies, Madison Square Mall was no different from other malls when it opened on August 1st, 1984. On the 29th of January, Madison Square Mall closed its doors permanently, with demolition beginning on February 6th.

Madison Square Mall had been a part of many Bob Jones students’ lives. Alex Espinosa, a senior, said that “It used to be the talk of the town. People would come from all over to walk around the mall. I have many fond childhood memories of it.”

Student Griffin Hall, however, who has lived in Madison for roughly four years believes that “The Madison Square Mall had always been pretty sketchy since I’ve been here. It looked like it had been abandoned.”

The property is going to be replaced by a new Topgolf location with construction beginning in March and estimated to end in late December 2017 or January 2018. Topgolf is similar to Dave & Busters in that Topgolf offers dining, games, and golf. Devin Charhon, the Topgolf Director of Real Estate Development, stated in a press conference on January 12th that Huntsville is a perfect fit for a Topgolf location, due to Huntsville being the fastest growing metropolitan area in Alabama. This new Topgolf site is expected to create 325 full and part-time jobs for the area. It will have over 1,500 square feet of reserved event space. It will also feature 72 climate-controlled hitting bays, which are like small lounges for guests which can host up to six people at a time. Topgolf expects to serve approximately 300,000 visitors in its first year of operation.

Nikolas Kay, a senior, believes that the idea, while charming, seems a little lackluster in nature and a more scenic or economically ideal site should have been chosen. 

While there are many questions about its possible success, Topgolf is projected to be an excellent addition to the University Drive area.