Bertfeld Center celebrates more than seven decades this month serving the Tyler area.

One of the first shopping centers in the state of Texas is celebrating more than seven decades of serving East Texas.

Rudolph Bergfeld, born in Wisconsin, moved to Tyler in 1878 from Germany where he worked at a family business.

Bergfeld’s business interests ranged from saloons, hotels, and banks to later legacies in commercial real estate, philanthropy and community service, and he was the developer for much of the Tyler residential neighborhood known as the Azalea District.

In 1900 Bergfeld was also named director of the Tyler Chamber of Commerce and served on many other boards.

A prominent figure in Tyler, Bergfeld had two sons, Julius Alexander (J.A.) and Rudolph Louis. The brothers moved to Dallas as adults; however, following his father’s death, J.A. moved back to Tyler in 1932 to take over the family real estate business.

Over the next 55 years, J.A. Bergfeld, Julius L. Bergfeld Sr., and Julius L. Bergfeld Jr. continued to develop the 20-acre commercial real estate area known today as Bergfeld Center, which started with 13 tenants.

Bergfeld Center opened its doors in late 1948 and held its grand opening in 1949. At the time, the only other shopping center was Highland Park Village in Dallas.

The center offers a unique mix of locally owned businesses with a few national chains; everything ranging from restaurants, retails shops, health and wellness, a grocery store, insurance and a drugstore.

Bergfeld Center President Brad Bergfeld said while some things have changed over the years, many have stayed the same.

“There has been the addition of several new buildings over the years and major exterior renovation in the 1980s,” he said. “The general layout of the stores on 7th and 8th Street is the same and many of the architectural features are original.”

“The three large neon Bergfeld Center signs are exactly how they were when the center was built and three tenants can be traced back to the original opening; Bergfeld Agency, Brookshire’s, and the bakery, under a different name, have all been a part of Bergfeld Center since it opened,” Bergfeld added.

Bergfeld said although the center has adapted to many changes over time, its goal is to continue to provide opportunities for family-owned business to thrive in the heart of Tyler.

“We want to maintain that historic charm that the center and Azalea District have while keeping things as up to date and well maintained as possible,” he said. “Many people that shop in Bergfeld Center are multi-generational; they shopped here with their parents whose parents also shopped with their parents. That is unique to Tyler and East Texas.”

Bergfeld said the hopes the center will to be a destination for local businesses and a landmark for Tyler that people are proud of.

“In a time where so much is going online, we want to continue to be a place where people can easily find what they need and have a great experience doing it,” he said.

Bergfeld said looking back, the center faced some challenges but he is grateful to be a part of Tyler’s history.

“When the real estate tax laws changed in the 1980s it was a very challenging time for the center, many similar real estate investments did not make it through that time but thankfully Bergfeld Center did,” he said. “And, obviously COVID-19 was a unique situation that posed challenges that we had never faced before.”

“It’s a blessing to have something that is so deeply rooted in Tyler with a great history of quality businesses and memories for the thousands of people who have shopped here over the seven-plus decades since it opened,” Bergfeld said.

In 2018, the Bergfelds and Brookshires took on their second venture on College Avenue, Plaza Tower. They purchased the iconic building on the downtown square and have recently finished the renovation process of bringing the relic up to date. Plaza Tower is now a host of office and retail tenants including: Fitzpatrick Architects, True Vine Brewing Company, Cafe 1948, Andy’s Frozen Custard, Visit Tyler, Pearson Professional Testing Center, Gator Waders, The United States Bankruptcy Court, and more.

For more information, visit www.bergfeldcenter.com.

• The land where Brookshires is currently located was home to the circus for many

years and prior to that was the “airport” for the city which was merely a landing strip.

• When Bergfeld Center was built Broadway ended at Rosehill Cemetary.

• At Bergfeld Center grand opening 1949, tenant Brookshires was advertising specials

as sirloin and round steaks for .69 per lb.

• Bergfeld Center had the first multi-screen movie theater in East Texas.