 In 1991 , Dayton 's announced plans to construct a significantly larger store directly north of their current location . These plans included the demolition of the original Dayton 's store to be replaced with more stores , plus a larger " garden court " , and the construction of various multi @-@ level parking garages ; these plans were eventually constructed and finalized in the early 1990 's . On June 30 , 1997 , Southdale Center was sold to the O 'Connor Group , a New York @-@ based real estate company for $ 125 million , beating out a bid placed by General Growth Properties , a firm that owns several properties in the Twin Cities . Around this time , Southdale converted their basement into a singular anchor store , which became Marshalls ; surrounding the new anchor were several specialty shops and mall management offices . 
