A beacon of opportunity when it opened in 1985, the former Horton Plaza mall now finds itself the symbol of a serious downtown slump. A 7-year-old promise — that the mall’s conversion into a mixed-use office campus would bring new life to the city’s center — is within view but firmly locked away behind fences.

Last month, the property, now called the Campus at Horton, was foreclosed on by the developer’s lender. AllianceBernstein took back the asset in its unfinished state from developer Stockdale Capital Partners after a public auction that garnered no bids.

The change seems to set back even further Stockdale’s original vision to introduce new jobs, boost attractions and break open a fortress-like property that has divided downtown communities.

Yet some downtown insiders believe Hort

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