[2] The mall is anchored by Macy's (formerly The Bon Marché), JCPenney, Nordstrom, and also features an AMC movie theater, which opened in 2008.

In early 1956, three officials from Seattle's Northgate Shopping Center - James Douglas, president of Northgate Co., Wells McCurdy, Douglas' assistant, and Rex Allison, the vice president of Allied Department Stores - formed the Southcenter Corporation as a subsidiary of Allied.

Their goal was to eventually build a large shopping center south of downtown Seattle that would match the success of their own Northgate and they began to search for a site, preferably of at least 100 acres.

[3] The site they chose was part of what was known as the Andover Tract, an 800-acre (3.2 km2) area of former pasture land being developed by the Port of Seattle for industrial use.

John Graham & Company, a Seattle firm that also designed the original Northgate and Tacoma Malls, was announced as the architect for the project.

[6] The concrete terrazzo floors of the mall, which were a last-minute addition, were said to be the largest in area (85,000 square feet) in the entire Puget Sound region.