Thursday marks the official end of one Mesa, AZ shopping icon, but mall administrators hope the demolition ceremony at the site of Fiesta Mall's former Macy's location will mark a new retail beginning at the East Valley fixture.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 Thursday morning, with a little help from Guerrero Elementary School students who will share their visions of what Fiesta Mall should become.

The cities asked that question to hundreds of Mesa residents during the past year, and most have had the same response: we want the mall to be a Mesa destination once again.

Martin Colores, a south Chandler resident at the mall on Tuesday morning, said the city should have thought of that years ago, as the mall's more upscale retailers were fleeing for more profitable pastures in far flung areas of the Valley.

"At one time it was nice, they should have kept that going," Colores said. "When me and my wife go out to dinner, this is the last place we think of. It's totally off our radar, and it's only 10 minutes from our house."

Fiesta still has a Macy's store- it's on the mall's west side now, occupying the space of a former Robinsons-May department store- but it's the fate of the mall's old Macy's site that's sparked so much speculation for much of the last 18 months.

Mall officials plan to bring that to an end Thursday, when Westcor executives are expected to announce new plans and tenants for the 200,000-square foot space that housed Macy's.

Construction crews started tearing down the old building early this week, but Westcor executives have hinted for months that a more upscale offering may be built in place of the former Macy's, including sporting goods, electronics and book stores, in addition to dining and entertainment areas.

The move is the next step in the ongoing transformation of the 28-year-old mall, since Westcor, a subsidiary of California-based Macerich paid $135 million for Fiesta in 2004.

The mall developer has concentrated its efforts on updating Fiesta's look while keeping its appeal to teens and families.

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