Mills purchased the site, originally considering converting the City mall to one of their Mills malls named "City Mills," but instead built an outdoor lifestyle center with outlets, restaurants, and entertainment facilities most likely because there was another Mills mall in Southern California (Ontario Mills) already under development. The center's old slogan was "The Block at Orange... It Ain't Square." It was The Mills Corporation's first outdoor mall not to have the "Mills" name. The Block officially opened in November 1998.