In April 1983, the Oxford Development Company, led by partners Donald Soffer, Edward J. Lewis, Mark E. Mason, Eugene Lebowitz, and Ray Parello officially dedicated Aventura Mall. There would be four anchors in the original,, complex: Lord & Taylor, JCPenney, Sears and Macy's. On board as an original investor in the project was mall-developer Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.. The mall was originally designed to accommodate a fifth anchor, and there was even a section of drywall in a place where its mall entrance would be located. Soon after its construction, Soffer left Oxford. As part of the break-up of assets, Soffer's new firm, Turnberry Associates assumed control of the Aventura Mall. In 1996 the DeBartolo Realty Corporation, which owned the minority interest once held by Edward J. DeBartolo, was acquired by Simon Property Group. In 1996, the ground was broken for a major expansion of Aventura Mall. The addition, built onto the southeast end of the existing complex, consisted of a three-story atrium with an AMC Theatresmultiplex cinema and restaurants at a new entrance. A two-story Rainforest Cafe also opened, but was closed just a few years later and a Zara clothing store took its space, which then was subsequently replaced by an H&M on December 14, 2012. Part of the new development were two three-story parking garages surrounding the new anchor stores' southeast facades. Two of the original anchors, JCPenney and Lord and Taylor, were enlarged and two department stores were built to anchor the addition. A three-story Bloomingdale's came inline November 8, 1997, with the new southeast mall wing being dedicated in December. The mall's three-story Burdines opened August 1, 1999. Burdines and Macy's were merged in early 2004 by their common parent, Federated Department Stores, to form Burdines-Macy's and a year later "simply" Macy's. Both locations at Aventura Mall were retained, with the original Macy's being devoted to Women's and Kids' Fashions, and the former Burdines location housing Men's and Home Furnishings departments. By 2005 Lord & Taylor had closed their location citing a weak and competitive marketplace, which was also before their sale to Saks Fifth Avenue in 2006. In 2005, Lord and Taylor closed as they withdrew from the Florida Market. In July 2005, Nordstrom announced they would construct a store adjacent to the vacant Lord & Taylor, which would be demolished and rebuilt as additional mall retail space. As part of the pending Nordstrom wing expansion, the rest of the mall underwent a $20 million renovation in late 2006. The Nordstrom wing officially opened on February 15, 2008. In 2015, Sears Holdings spun of 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Aventura Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties. In November 2017, Aventura Mall opened a three-level, expansion wing that features two-story Zara and Topshop Topman stores, new restaurants, such as Serafina, Pubbelly Sushi, and Le Pain Quotidien, Treats Food Hall, including Shake Shack and Chipotle, and interactive art pieces, including the 93-foot-tall Aventura Slide Tower by Carsten Holler and Gorillas in the Mist by The Haas Brothers. In 2017, Sears announced that it would close and demolish the store and auto center and replace it with a lifestyle center called the Esplanade at Aventura. The store closed in July 2017. On May 23rd, 2019, Topshop filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy. The Aventura Mall location was not affected. On May 29th, 2020, 2 people were taken to the Aventura Hospital after a shooting incident occurred in the Nordstrom part of the Aventura Mall.
