Ansley opened in 1964, sending Midtown Atlanta's Tenth Street shopping district into decline.

[1][2] The single-level center had 175,300 square feet (16,290 m2) of leasable area and was anchored by a 27,300-square-foot (2,540 m2) Woolworth's variety store and 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) Colonial supermarket.

Stewart-Lakewood was built in 1962 by the same company and in the same style as Ansley and was also considered a major regional retail center.

[4][5] In 1969, a movie theater in the mall was the site of the Lonesome Cowboys police raid, a seminal moment in the history of the LGBT community in Atlanta.

Across Clear Creek is Ansley Square, a strip mall with more gay bars and gay-friendly spaces.