Centro Andino

Shopping mall in Bogotá, Colombia

Andino Mall
Main gate

Location	Bogotá, Colombia
Address	Carrera 11 No. 82 - 71
Opening date	1993
Developer	Pedro Gomez & Cia
No. of stores and services	205
No. of floors	4
Parking	719 + 104 (Valet Parking)
Website	centroandino.com.co

The Centro Andino is a shopping mall located in the El Retiro neighborhood of Bogotá, Colombia. It is one of the largest shopping malls in Bogotá and Southern America. Centro Andino consists of both a business center and a shopping mall with a size of 19,486 m² (209,750 sq ft) and 17,316 m² (186,390 sq ft) respectively. It has 205 stores and is home to the only Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Longchamp and Tiffany & Co. stores in the country.

History

The Andino Mall is built on the old school grounds of Alemán Andino High School, hence the name of the complex. The site was developed by the Pedro Gómez y Cia construction firm and supervised by architect Piedad Gómez.^[1]

The design took ten years, and construction began in 1992. It was completed in 1993, along with a business center annex.

Other projects have been developed in the surrounding area, including the El Retiro and Atlantis shopping malls. Together, the sites have transformed the feel of the area from a primarily residential and housing neighborhood to a commercial and urban space, including buildings up to 10 stories tall.

Renovations

In 2005, a food court, which included the largest structural dome in the country, was constructed. On March 3, 2012, there was an announcement that 22 stores distributed over four stories would be added.

Accidents

Fire

In February 2008, there was a fire on the third floor of the mall. The fire left three people injured: two suffered smoke inhalation and one sustained cuts on the hand. The most damage was caused by a roof collapse in the movie theater.^[2] It was later discovered that the fire was caused by a short circuit.^[3]^[4]

Bombing

On June 17, 2017, a bomb exploded in a second-floor bathroom of the mall, killing three women and injuring about nine others. One of the victims was a 23-year-old French woman who had spent six months volunteering in Colombia. The other two killed were Colombians. Eight people from a leftist urban guerilla group called the "People's Revolutionary Movement" were arrested.^[5]

References

^ Jan Marco Müller. "Grandes centros comerciales y recreacionales en Santafé de Bogotá: Origen, características y tendencias de desarrollo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2012.
^ Caracol Radio (1 February 2008). "Incendio en el centro comercial Andino deja millonarias pérdidas" [Fire in the Andino Commercial Center leaves millions in lost money]. Caracol (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 October 2020.
^ "Conmoción por incendio en centro Andino". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 2 February 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
^ Tiempo, Casa Editorial El (2008-02-01). "Corto circuito sería la causa del incendio que se registró en el centro comercial Andino". El Tiempo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-10-02.
^ "Three killed in blast at Colombia shopping centre". British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-18.