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The Mall of America (MoA) is a shopping mall owned by the Triple Five Group and is the largest mall in the United States. It is located in Bloomington, Minnesota (a suburb of the Twin Cities), southeast of the junction of Interstate 494 and Minnesota State Highway 77, north of the Minnesota River and across the interstate from the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport. Opened in 1992, the mall receives over 40 million visitors annually, the most of any mall in the world. 80 percent of the visitors are from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, Illinois, Ohio, and Canada.〔 〕 The Triple Five Group, owned by Canada's Ghermezian family, owns and manages the Mall of America, as well as the West Edmonton Mall. ==History== The Mall's concept was designed by the ''Triple Five Group'', owned by the Ghermezian brothers, who also own the largest shopping mall in North America, the West Edmonton Mall. Mall of America is located on the site of the former Metropolitan Stadium, where the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins played until the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened in 1982. A plaque in the amusement park commemorates the former location of home plate, and one seat from Met Stadium was placed in Mall of America at the exact location it occupied in the stadium, commemorating a home run hit by hall-of-famer Harmon Killebrew on June 3, 1967. In 1986, The Bloomington Port Authority signed an agreement with the Ghermezian organization. Groundbreaking for the Mall took place on June 14, 1989. Organizations involved include Melvin Simon and Associates, Teachers Insurance and Annuity (a.k.a. TIAA), the Triple Five Group, and the office of architect Jon Jerde. In 1987, the Ghermezian brothers also met with Niagara Falls New York officials in regards to building a similar "mega mall" in that city. Discussions lasted for several months but a suitable economic package could not be put together by New York officials. Mall of America opened its doors to the public August 11, 1992. Even before opening, the Mall had earned several nicknames, including "The Megamall", "Sprawl of America", "Hugedale" (in reference to the four major "Dale" shopping malls within the Twin Cities, Rosedale, Southdale, Ridgedale, and (defunct ) Brookdale), and simply, "The Mall". Mall of America became the largest shopping mall in total area and largest in total store vendors in the United States when it opened. The Mall of America's 42 million annual visitors equal roughly eight times the population of the state of Minnesota. The Mall employs over 11,000 workers year-round and 13,000 during peak seasons.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Facts - Mall of America )〕 During its run as an all-encompassing entertainment and retail venue, certain aspects, particularly its bars, have come under scrutiny. In early-2000 a Mardi Gras-themed bar, Fat Tuesday, shut its doors due to indecent exposure and alcohol-related offenses.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=STATE OF MINNESOTA OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS FOR THE BLOOMINGTON CITY COUNCIL )〕 In 2003, after a protracted six-year legal battle between Simon Property Group, the managing general partner of the property, and the Ghermezian brothers/Triple Five Group, over majority ownership of the site, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Ghermezians, effectively transferring control and planning authority of the Mall back to the creator of the original concept. The dispute stemmed from a 1999 purchase of Teacher's Insurance's 27.5% equity stake by Simon Properties, giving them majority ownership. The Ghermezians claimed they were never told of the deal and sued Simon, citing fiduciary responsibility. On November 3, 2006, the Ghermezians gained full control of Mall of America by spending US$1 billion. In 2007, there was an expansion plan called "Phase II". It will develop a large empty parcel of land (the site of the former Met Center indoor arena) north of the mall, and integrate an IKEA store built on a portion of the property in 2004. The project will also include a dinner theatre, ice rink, three hotels, and a waterpark, similar in design to the West Edmonton Mall. The cost of expansion was $2.1 billion and will double the Mall's size with a extension.〔Carissa Wyant, (MOA signs Great Wolf water park for Phase 2 ), ''Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal'', July 26, 2007.〕 Mall of America has signed contracts to bring in Great Wolf Resorts as the waterpark operator, as well as Bass Pro Shops and a Kimpton Hotel.〔 The expansion section will connect to the mall on all four levels, and the adjacent IKEA store via a second level bridge. There will be fine art exhibits and an NHL-size ice rink for public and private skating. A new parking structure will be included, adding 8,000 spaces to the complex〔() Mall of America Web site listing planned additions in Phase II expansion project. Retrieved January 22, 2012.〕 and two upscale department stores. Another considered plan would have seen fashion, architecture, and restaurants based on European styles. On May 18, 2008, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill granting the City of Bloomington the right to use $34 million in tax-increment-financing to pay for public infrastructure to support the MoA expansion. In early 2011, construction began on an expansion of the south side of the mall near Killebrew Drive, where the 506-room Radisson Blu hotel opened in March 2013. On November 29, 2011 Google announced indoor maps for Mall of America along with several other places like airports, parks and public spaces.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url= http://googleblog.blogspot.in/2011/11/new-frontier-for-google-maps-mapping.html )〕 On March 24, 2012, The Triple Five Group officially announced the start of a $200 million expansion that would build into the north parking lot of the mall. Rather than the long planned Phase II expansion, this would be a step in building this expansion. The initial plans call for an additional hotel and an additional of retail space. In March 2014, ground was broken on the Mall's north side for the $104 million, 14 storey JW Marriott hotel, owned and financed by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.〔('Ground' broken on $325 million Mall of America expansion. ) Retrieved March 21, 2014.〕 In winter 2012–2013, Mall of America hosted a tall ice castle made of icicles formed from 4 million gallons of water and then fused together. The castle joined 50 large ice towers together to create a series of shimmering archways, tunnels, walls and caverns. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mall of America」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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