The Rockingham mall in New Jersey is an icon of American architecture and architecture-and-design, and a symbol of American success.
It is an example of how a single design and execution can change the face of a town and its skyline forever.
But what if you could go back in time?
What if you were able to change Rockingham into a completely different landscape, one that was completely different from what it was before?
The answer, of course, is the Rockingham Lakescape.
In early December, the Rockhampton Community Council voted to build a new outdoor recreational area on the site of Rockingham’s former Rockingham Mills Mall.
The area will be called the Rockhaven Lakescape, after Rockingham County and the Rockharths’ iconic resort town.
A $100 million, three-year, mixed-use development project that includes hotels, restaurants, offices, retail and a residential community.
In the days before the Mall, the area had been a collection of abandoned buildings and a small community, complete with its own water fountain and a golf course.
It’s a small town, a little village in a very big mall, but in the middle of nowhere.
It was one of the few towns that still had a large lake, and its residents, for better or worse, loved it.
The Rockhammers were pioneers in outdoor recreation.
The first indoor pool opened in 1908.
In 1914, the first indoor water slide opened, and in 1927, the largest indoor water park in the country opened.
In 1960, Rockhammins first outdoor water park opened.
Today, more than a thousand miles of hiking trails are built for the community, and more than 70 miles of trails are currently under construction.
As an outdoor recreation hub, Rockingham had its share of challenges.
The region was still relatively new to the outdoor recreation scene, and the first few years were hard on the region, too.
The National Park Service had no trail system, so most visitors would have to walk through a small section of the park.
The city was still in its infancy and had no public transportation system, and most visitors were on foot.
The mall itself was in a fairly isolated part of town.
There were no trails and a lot of trees blocked access, making it a difficult place to hike or ski.
The mall was one area in the Rockhalton, New Jersey, area that was built to handle a massive amount of traffic.
As the mall grew, so did the traffic, and it became a nightmare for the RockHampton Mall.
As traffic increased, so too did the number of vehicles that were parked on the mall, making parking a nightmare.
The Town of Rockhamonta purchased the mall and moved it to a location where traffic was light and the mall was more accommodating of pedestrians.
In the summer of 1996, RockHamonta started to make improvements to the mall.
The Town of Westmont, an urban renewal program that was approved by Rockhammont and Rockhamonks mayor, purchased the Rock Hampton Mall and started construction on the area.
The first step was to get rid of all the old, decrepit buildings and convert the mall into an indoor waterpark.
The park was to be completely enclosed by concrete walls.
It would also be open to the public for free, and everyone would be able to walk around the mall on foot, bikes, or bicycles.
The plan was to make the area more accessible for all types of people, including those who may have never used the mall before.
The Rockhamtons new indoor waterparks, along with a new playground, opened in October of 1997.
In May of 1999, a storm knocked down power lines and damaged some buildings.
A few months later, the Town of South Burlington was hit with a similar storm, and while the mall received no major damage, the surrounding area did.
The only buildings that were still standing in the mall were a few signs and the large, boarded-up, windowless store at the end of the mall itself.
After a couple of weeks, the mall reopened.
A new, more welcoming sign was installed in the parking lot, and all visitors were welcome.
A large, painted sign outside of the entrance was replaced by a new sign that read, “The RockHamptons Welcome Center, Now Open, and We Are Ready to Welcome Your Guests.”
The new signs had the same goal of opening up the mall to all kinds of people and opening up its layout to the people that were looking for a new experience.
The new Rockhamtons Welcome Centre was designed to attract the new visitors that were arriving to the area from around the world, and to create a safe and welcoming environment for the local population.
The new signs also added a welcoming aspect to the entire area.
A giant mural on the wall of the Rockhart Mall’s main entrance, featuring the iconic Rockhamans logo