Westdale Mall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Westdale Mall | |
 |
|
| Mall facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States |
| Opening date | October 4, 1979 |
| Developer | The Hahn Company |
| Management | Heritage Property Management/ General Growth Properties (leasing) |
| Owner | in receivership |
| No. of stores and services | 55 (as of February 2007)[1] |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 (+1 vacant anchor) |
| Total retail floor area | 854,000 ft² (79,000 m²)[2] |
| Parking | 5,500 spaces[2] |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | www.shopwestdale.com |
Westdale Mall is an enclosed regional shopping mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The two-level mall on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids is one of the city's two enclosed malls, along with Lindale Mall on the city's northeast side. Westdale is currently anchored by JCPenney, Steve & Barry's, and Younkers. In recent years, Westdale has taken on some characteristics of a dead mall as one anchor store and an estimated 50 percent of inline stores have been vacated as of February 2007.[3]
[edit] History
Westdale Mall opened October 4, 1979, seven years after developers first announced plans for Cedar Rapids' first enclosed mall. Opposition to the rezoning of the mall property and multiple revisions in plans delayed Westdale's construction.[4] Montgomery Ward and JCPenney, which both relocated from downtown Cedar Rapids, were the first two anchor stores to open, with Younkers and Petersen Harned Von Maur opening in 1980. Montgomery Ward closed in early 2001 as the chain ceased operations, and the anchor space remained vacant for more than four years until Steve & Barry's opened there in November 2005.[5]
Westdale Mall was built by The Hahn Company, which became TrizecHahn in 1980; TrizecHahn sold Westdale to The Rouse Company in April 1998.[6] The Festival Companies of Los Angeles, California, took over management of Westdale in November 2004. Shortly after that, Festival announced a $20 million renovation plan that would expand the mall and add a new food court. However, those plans never materialized as tenants continued to leave the mall amid competition from Coral Ridge Mall 20 miles to the south. In November 2006, Westdale was placed in administrative receivership after H-N-W Associates, a part-owner of the mall, fell behind in mortgage payments. Heritage Property Management of Cedar Rapids is managing the mall until a sheriff's sale is held in 2007.[7] In December 2006, General Growth Properties (owner of Coral Ridge Mall) took over the leasing duties for the mall.
On January 31, 2007, Von Maur closed its Westdale Mall store due to a decline in business and assigned its 80 employees to positions at its Lindale Mall and Iowa City locations.[8]
By March of 2007, over 50% of the mall stores had closed. The Cedar Rapids city council voted to delay any major redevelopment work at the mall for six months, in the hopes that whoever purchases the mall property does not break it apart. One day later it was announced that Coach House Gifts - one of the original tenants at the mall - would close its Westdale Mall store. [9]
[edit] References
- ^ General Growth Properties. Westdale Mall: Tenant List. Retrieved on February 2, 2007.
- ^ a b General Growth Properties. Westdale Mall: Center Information. Retrieved on February 2, 2007.
- ^ Franzman, Dave. "Westdale Struggles as Von Maur Closes Doors for Good", KCRG-TV, 2007-01-31.
- ^ Ewoldt, Harold (1988). Cedar Rapids: The Magnificent Century. Windsor Publications, 54. ISBN 0-897812-86-7.
- ^ DeWitte, David. "Sportswear chain joins Westdale", The Gazette (Cedar Rapids), 2005-10-26, p. 7B.
- ^ Ford, George C. "Westdale marks 20 years", The Gazette, 1999-11-28, p. 1F.
- ^ DeWitte, David. "Foreclosure for Westdale Mall", The Gazette, 2006-11-15, p. 1A.
- ^ Geary, Mark. "Von Maur to Close Westdale Mall Location", KCRG-TV, 2007-01-24.
- ^ Geary, Mark. "Another Store Plans to Leave Westdale Mall", KCRG-TV, 2007-03-16.
