Construction for the Har Mar Mall began in 1961, when Harold J. Slawik had a vision to build a "super mall", similar to shopping centers he had seen while traveling in Florida. Deriving its name from its owners – Harold J. Slawik and his wife Marie – Har Mar is a combination of the two names. It was built upon 50 acres of land near a busy intersection in Roseville, Minnesota. Minnesota-native Willard Thorson, who designed Apache Plaza in nearby St. Anthony, designed the mall, while Robert W. Fendler served as the mall's architect. According to Thorson, the mall consists of "a long corridor, which zigzags at a series of angles... that make Har Mar truly unique"; it features "massively wide" hallways and "arched ceilings with large windows" to allow natural light to enter the corridors.