Jordan Crossing Mall

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Jordan Crossing Mall opened in October 1956 as Swifton Shopping Center. At the time, it was the first shopping mall in the Cincinnati area. It was commonly referred to as Swifton Commons or Swifton Center by area residents. The center is currently owned by Allen Temple AME Church (Cincinnati, Ohio). The church renovated the center to be an "informational and community service mall of the 21st century". The complex includes a branch of Wilberforce University, offices for the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency, and thirty other retail tenants. There is also a 23,630 square foot sanctuary, the Allen Temple AME Church, was built on a 4.5 acre section, at the northwest corner of the mall's parking lot. The nine million dollar structure was dedicated in May 2004.

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[edit] History

Planning for Cincinnati's first shopping mall was underway in 1950, with a prospectus being completed in April, 1951. In this proposal, a regional shopping center was to be built on a thirty-four acre site in the Bond Hill district, at, what was then, the geographic center of Cincinnati and its suburbs. There was a five-story medical building incorporated into the proposed structure, and another eleven-story office tower to the south, connected to the main shopping center by elevated walkway. In keeping with the times, a 10,000 person capacity bomb shelter was to be included on the lower level of the open-air complex.

[edit] The first mall in Cincinnati

The Swifton Shopping Center that eventually opened in October 1956 had most of these components, but the medical and office buildings had been eliminated from the final plan. Upon its grand opening, Swifton was the largest shopping center in the state of Ohio. There was 550,000 leasable square feet and sixty-six retailers, including a two-level department store at the southern end. This was occupied by Cincinnati-based Mabley & Carew. There was also a second department store, two supermarkets and a 3,000 car capacity parking area.

[edit] Competition

By the time of Swifton Center's tenth anniversary in 1966, there were three other shopping malls in Metro-Cincinnati. These had been built farther out from the central city, and drew a great deal of commerce away from the older center. By the early 1980's, Swifton had become obsolete....a dead mall. At one time, there were only ten tenants in business in the center, which had space for more than sixty. After sitting nearly vacant for several years, a twelve million dollar renovation was undertaken in the early 1990's. A newly remodeled -and renamed- Swifton Commons Mall opened in 1994. An enclosed food court had been installed, and a branch of the Dayton-based Elder-Beerman department store chain leased the old Mabley and Carew location.

[edit] New Owners, New Center

This effort to revitalize the open-air shopping center was a complete failure. Within two years, it was in foreclosure. The center was sold in 1996, again in 1997, and -for a third time- in 2001. The final purchase was made by the Allen Temple AME Church.

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