Mission Center Mall
| Location | Mission, Kansas, USA |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1989 |
| Closing date | 2006 |
| Owner | Copaken White Blitt |
| No. of stores and services | 50+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 |
| Total retail floor area | 350,000 sq feet |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | 2-level parking garage |
Mission Center Mall was a small mall in Mission, Kansas located on a block of land wedged between four major roads, including Shawnee Mission Parkway and Johnson Drive, and Roe Boulevard and Roeland Drive. The 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2). mall opened in 1989, replacing the former Mission Shopping Center that was destroyed. In 2006, Mission Center Mall was closed and demolished and the property vacated.
History
Mission Center Mall began as Mission Shopping Center, which opened in 1956 as the major shopping center for the city of Mission, Kansas. It was designed as an open-air mall with a Macy's. The land was low and flooded very often, up to 10 feet (3.0 m) under water. In 1989 the mall was demolished and rebuilt completely from the ground up, leaving no trace of the old mall. Flooding was solved by building a huge double tunnel 30 feet (9.1 m) under the property in which Rock Creek now flows. Little Rock-based Dillard's had taken Macy's, and fashioned it into a Dillard's Women's Store, called "Dillard's South". The store on the opposite end of the mall ("Dillard's North") sold men's and children's apparel. The mall featured 50 leasable storefronts in 350,000 s.f. of space, and had a two-story parking garage.
The mall retained about a 65-75% occupancy throughout its life. Its design included massive skylights, decorative trees and banners, and a large staircase in the middle, with a pool of water beneath it. Mission Center Mall was owned by Copaken, White & Blitt.
In August 2005, plans were announced for the mall's sale, demolition, and replacement by a mixed-use development called The Gateway. The mall was closed and shuttered on February 12, 2006, giving the current 30 or so stores chances to relocate and sell off their merchandise. The last stores to close were Wolf Camera and Christopher & Banks, which stayed open until closing day.[1][2]
The mall was torn down in March 2006. The land has remained vacant since, now an overgrown patch of weeds with a steel fence surrounding out it. No construction has yet taken place on The Gateway. Walmart was announced as a tenant in late 2011.[3]
References
- ↑ "Mission Center Mall's doors closing today All but two stores are gone". Nl.newsbank.com. 2006-02-18. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ↑ "East Coast firm completes purchase of Mission Center". Kansas City Business Journal. 22 August 2005. Retrieved 5 June 2012.
- ↑ "Walmart Set to Open Store at Former Mission Center Mall Site | fox4kc.com – Kansas City news & weather from WDAF TV – FOX 4". Fox4kc.com. 2011-11-16. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
External links
Official sites
Coordinates: 39°01′24″N 94°38′28″W / 39.02333°N 94.64111°W