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Crossroads Mall (Omaha)
Encyclopedia
Crossroads Mall is an enclosed shopping mall
located in Omaha, Nebraska
at the intersection of 72nd and Dodge Street
s. Originally opened in 1960 by Omaha's local Brandeis department store, the mall has been home to several major chains, including Sears, Dillard's
, Younkers
and Target
.
, the founder and president of the Dillard's chain was present at the opening of the store at Crossroads. A new single-story wing extends south from the center court and ends at a large glass-enclosed main entrance. The renovation also added a 6-story parking structure on the northeast corner of the property, which connects to the 2nd floor of the new north wing, to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the new Dillard's store, and originally connected to the 3rd floor of the existing Younkers store, all via enclosed skywalks. Unlike the original anchors, the first and second floors of Dillard's match up with the first and second floors of the mall. The entire mall was refurbished during the renovation, updated with a bold new red, blue, and gray color scheme and new neon lighting. Also around the same time as this renovation, Sears added a passenger elevator, where previously only escalators had been available to customers.
In December, 2007, Dillard's announced that its Crossroads store would become a Dillard's Clearance Center, selling clearance merchandise from area Dillard's stores and other lower-priced items.
The Dillard's anchor was closed in August 2008. By the spring of 2009, the entire second level, including the food court, had become completely vacant..
Currently, the mall is struggling. The larger Westroads
(less than three miles (5 km) away) and Oak View Mall
s, as well as the "lifestyle centers" Village Pointe and Shadow Lake are drawing customers away from Crossroads. Nearly 50 percent of the mall is vacant. In mid-June 2009, Simon Malls announced that Crossroads was for sale. Simon did not say the price of the property, however in 2002, the mall was appraised at approximately $57 million. Ideas for redevelopment of Crossroads include a complex for residential and commercial..
Having received several bids for the mall that were deemed too low, Simon Property Group defaulted on their mortgage payments, sending the mall into foreclosure. A foreclosure sale by the lender was scheduled on March 4, 2010.
The mall changed hands that March, going to CW Capital for $40.6 million, who turned around and sold it in June 2010 for an undisclosed amount
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
at the intersection of 72nd and Dodge Street
Dodge Street
Dodge Street is the main east–west street in Omaha, Nebraska. Numbered as U.S. Route 6, the street starts in Downtown Omaha and connects to West Dodge Road around 78th Street. From there it continues westward through the remainder of Douglas County....
s. Originally opened in 1960 by Omaha's local Brandeis department store, the mall has been home to several major chains, including Sears, Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
, Younkers
Younkers
Younkers is an American department store chain founded as a family-run dry goods business in 1856 in Keokuk, Iowa. The retailer has since evolved over more than 150 years to include a presence in locations throughout Iowa and surrounding states in the Midwest region of the United States...
and Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
.
Beginnings
In the late 1950s, Brandeis Investment Co., the real estate division of the local Brandeis department store, obtained a 96-year lease on land at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge streets for a new shopping center. Construction started in September 1959, and the mall opened in September 1960 as "Crossroads Shopping Center," a single-story straight shot connector between the two anchor stores: Sears at the west and Brandeis at the east. Both Sears and Brandeis were 3 stories: the first floor of each is actually the basement level of the mall, but had exterior access for the anchors; the second floor (originally called the "Arcade Level") opens into the mall; there was no mall or exterior access to the third floor of either anchor store.Renovation
A $35 million renovation project began in 1986 and was completed in 1988. The renovation created a new 2-story center court with a unique white membrane "tent" roof extending far above the 2nd floor. The 2nd floor of the center court houses the food court. A new wing running perpendicular to the original corridor to the north added 2 floors of retail space with Dillard's as a new anchor at the north end. William DillardWilliam T. Dillard
William Thomas Dillard, was the founder of the Dillard's Department Store chain.William T. Dillard was born on 2 September 1914 in Mineral Springs, Howard County, Arkansas. His parents Thomas and Hattie ran a country store. Dillard found employment with Sears & Roebuck Company where he gained...
, the founder and president of the Dillard's chain was present at the opening of the store at Crossroads. A new single-story wing extends south from the center court and ends at a large glass-enclosed main entrance. The renovation also added a 6-story parking structure on the northeast corner of the property, which connects to the 2nd floor of the new north wing, to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the new Dillard's store, and originally connected to the 3rd floor of the existing Younkers store, all via enclosed skywalks. Unlike the original anchors, the first and second floors of Dillard's match up with the first and second floors of the mall. The entire mall was refurbished during the renovation, updated with a bold new red, blue, and gray color scheme and new neon lighting. Also around the same time as this renovation, Sears added a passenger elevator, where previously only escalators had been available to customers.
Second Renovation
In 1998, the mall underwent a smaller, mostly cosmetic remodel in which the color scheme and furnishings were updated to more neutral colors. New directional signage was added in the mall and the parking garage, and a large lighted "FOOD COURT" sign was added over the escalator leading up to the food court. Spaces of two former food court tenants were combined and remodeled to provide additional seating, small children's rides, and a family restroom. The main south entrance was also updated with a new "compass" logo, new logotype, and faux windows above the existing windows.2005-2011
In early 2005, Younkers closed its store, and the building was demolished to make way for a new Target store which opened in July, 2006. Despite speculation that the new Target would be two floors like some of its other urban locations (such as downtown Minneapolis), the new store has one level of retail space with entrances to the south surface parking lot and into the mall. The receiving and storage areas for the store are on a separate level below the retail space and not accessible to customers. Unlike the former Younkers space, the Target store is not connected to the parking garage. Instead, the skywalk that used to open into Younkers now leads to a new stairway down to the mall level in an expanded entrance north of Target's mall entrance.In December, 2007, Dillard's announced that its Crossroads store would become a Dillard's Clearance Center, selling clearance merchandise from area Dillard's stores and other lower-priced items.
The Dillard's anchor was closed in August 2008. By the spring of 2009, the entire second level, including the food court, had become completely vacant..
Currently, the mall is struggling. The larger Westroads
Westroads Mall
Westroads Mall is an enclosed shopping mall with over 135 stores located in Omaha, Nebraska at the intersection of 100th and Dodge Streets. It is the largest mall in the state of Nebraska, with 14.5 million customer visits annually....
(less than three miles (5 km) away) and Oak View Mall
Oak View Mall
Oak View Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located at 3001 South 144th Street in West Omaha, Nebraska. There are 104 tenant spots on two floors of this regional mall, which was built in 1991. The mall receives more than 12,000,000 visitors annually, and features a "Kids Coliseum" play area...
s, as well as the "lifestyle centers" Village Pointe and Shadow Lake are drawing customers away from Crossroads. Nearly 50 percent of the mall is vacant. In mid-June 2009, Simon Malls announced that Crossroads was for sale. Simon did not say the price of the property, however in 2002, the mall was appraised at approximately $57 million. Ideas for redevelopment of Crossroads include a complex for residential and commercial..
Having received several bids for the mall that were deemed too low, Simon Property Group defaulted on their mortgage payments, sending the mall into foreclosure. A foreclosure sale by the lender was scheduled on March 4, 2010.
The mall changed hands that March, going to CW Capital for $40.6 million, who turned around and sold it in June 2010 for an undisclosed amount