Chadstone was driven by Ken Myer, who in 1949 looked to the US for the lead in retail developments, with decentralised centres fuelled by expanding suburban growth and car reliance. Further development of the concept occurred after Myer's 1953 visit to the US, where he met with a number of architects involved with the design of shopping malls, and in 1954 Myer secured of land in Burwood for a shopping centre. The Burwood site was ultimately not used for the project. In 1958 the American firm of Welton Becket and Associates was appointed as the design architect, with Tompkins and Shaw Architects as the production architect. During the project the senior board of Myer was unhappy with the process, concerned that the architects did not understand the "Australian Concept", and were blindly adopting the American shopping mall model. In 1960 the Myer board wrote: "Although based in a broad way on the pattern of shopping centres in the United States, Chadstone has been individually designed to suit local needs and its own location." The original shopping centre consisted of a single open-air mall with Myer at the southern end and a Dickins New World supermarket at the northern end; following the US pattern of shopping malls. Early years The first major change was made to the centre in the 1970s or 1980s: the mall was roofed over with translucent fibreglass, an acknowledgement that the open mall did not suit the Melbourne climate. During the same period a bowling alley and auditorium were opened, and the Dickens store was altered to be more easily accessed from the mall. In the early 1980s, the Myer Emporium sold the shopping centre to the Gandel Group, which has since managed and developed the complex. In 1984 the centre had its first major expansion: in 1985 now Coles New World was relocated into a new mall and a Target Discount Department Store was relocated from downstairs to a new store where Coles used to be, and in 1986 a Hoyts 8 Cinema Complex was opened. A major extension doubled the lettable area in the late 1980s, and during the same era the Convent of the Good Shepherd was demolished to extend the carpark of the complex. Redevelopments Chadstone has reclaimed the title "Southern hemisphere's largest shopping centre" since 2009 and also "Australia's largest shopping centre" since 2007, thanks to regular development. Westfield Knox (Knox City