Kennedy Mall
Encyclopedia
Kennedy Mall is a shopping mall
located in Dubuque, Iowa
. The mall is located just north of Dodge Street (U.S. Highway 20) at the intersection of Dodge and Wacker Drive. The street address for the Mall is 555 John F. Kennedy Road. Cafaro Company
owns the mall.
. In 1964, Montgomery Ward
announced that it would move its store in Dubuque, which was located in the downtown area, out to the west end. In February 1966, rezoning of the land on which the mall was built was approved. William M. Cafaro and Associates (now Cafaro Company) of Youngstown, Ohio
developed the site. Originally, the three main anchor stores were Younkers
, Montgomery Ward, and Roshek's Department Store
- which had also moved to the west end.
In the fall of 1968, Younkers was opened. This was followed by Montgomery Ward in the spring of 1969, and Roshek's followed in the fall of 1970. The mall was formally opened on April 15, 1970, with F. W. Woolworth Company
operating as a junior anchor.. At the time, it had sixty stores, which made it Iowa's largest enclosed mall. Soon afterwards, a tornado had damaged the Dubuque area, which included the mall.
Today, Younkers is the only remaining original anchor store to still operate a store at the Mall. Roshek's closed its mall store in 1982, and Montgomery Ward followed suit in 1983. J.C. Penney
then moved from its downtown location into the space that had been previously occupied by Wards. Armstrong Department Stores of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
moved into the space previously occupied by Roshek's. In the late 1980s, Armstrong's ceased operations even though the Dubuque store was profitable. At that point, Sears
decided to move their store from the south end of Dubuque to Kennedy Mall. They took over the southern half of the store. Younker's eventually decided to expand, and moved their men's and houseware departments into the northern half of the building. Today, Sears, Borders, J.C. Penney, and Younkers make up the anchor stores at Kennedy Mall.
There are about 15 tenants in total who have been at Kennedy Mall since the mall opened. Bishop's Buffet was one of these original tenants. Even though the Bishop's Buffet has changed hands several times over the years, the restaurant has remained open. Another one of the mall's original tenants; Musicland; closed up shop by February 2006.
In the late 1980s, a number of renovations were made to the mall, after another tornado struck in 1989. This included opening up a food court at the northeast corner of the mall. It also included a number of cosmetic improvements to the mall.
Originally, there was a General Cinema movie theater with a single 795-seat auditorium located within the mall, near Roshek's. In 1972 it was remodeled into a two-screen theater with about 300 seats in each auditorium. In the 1980s General Cinema built a new six-screen theater named Kennedy Mall Cinema 6 in the parking lot just west of the mall to replace the theater inside the mall. The theater later changed hands; General Cinema, once the largest theater chain in the US, is no longer in business. The theater was taken over by Carmike Cinemas Inc. After a new Star Cinema
was built in Dubuque in 2005, the existing theater changed its format - it began showing second run movies at a reduced rate instead of new films. In May 2007, Carmike Cinemas decided not to renew its lease, and closed the Kennedy Mall Cinema 6. Mindframe Theaters opened at the site of the Kennesy Mall Cinema.
Recently, part of the northeast corner of the mall was torn down and rebuilt to accommodate a new Borders
book store. This new book store took over most of what had previously been the food court area and the mall's Sam Goody store.
Best Buy
obtained part of the south east parking lot, which was originally overflow parking, and built their own store at that location.
For many years Walgreens
operated a store at Kennedy Mall. This store, with both interior and exterior entrances sat between the Bishop's Buffet and J.C. Penney store. In 2005 the company built a new, free standing store about 1/2 mile away at 55 JFK Road. When the new store was opened in late 2005 the company closed the existing store at the mall. Dick's Sporting Goods will open there in 2010.
On July 15, 2011, Borders Group announced it will be liquidating all of its stores by September, including the Kennedy Mall location. The third-largest bookstore chain, Books-A-Million
, will take over the former Borders spot sometime in late 2011 or early 2012, after Borders was recently closed. By the end of July, Books-A-Million acquired 30 Borders stores, including the Kennedy Mall location.
The interior renovation has been met warmly from local residents. As part of the plan, the mall's signature center water fountain will be removed to make room for retail space. The fountain had not be active in years and was more of an eyesore than anything else. Many of the 37-year old mall's parking lots, sidewalks, light posts, signage, landscaping, and exterior walls were in disrepair, and will be completely renovated by the fall of 2008. A new children's play area, sponsored by The Finley Hospital, will open by late June 2008. The renovation is a result of the positive business climate in the area as well as the addition of additional retailers in the area, proving that Dubuque was ready for redevolpment of the mall. The upcoming work will only be the second significant renovation in the 37 years the mall has been open.
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 Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
. The mall is located just north of Dodge Street (U.S. Highway 20) at the intersection of Dodge and Wacker Drive. The street address for the Mall is 555 John F. Kennedy Road. Cafaro Company
Cafaro Company
Cafaro Company is an American company which owns several retail shopping centers throughout the United States. Based in Youngstown, Ohio, it is the largest privately owned shopping center development and management company in the United States....
owns the mall.
History
Kennedy Mall was the first climate controlled mall in the state of IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. In 1964, Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
announced that it would move its store in Dubuque, which was located in the downtown area, out to the west end. In February 1966, rezoning of the land on which the mall was built was approved. William M. Cafaro and Associates (now Cafaro Company) of Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
developed the site. Originally, the three main anchor stores were 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...
, Montgomery Ward, and Roshek's Department Store
Roshek's Department Store
Roshek Brothers Department Store was a large retail store in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. The company was founded by J.J.and F.H. Roshek. In its prime, Roshek's was the primary shopping destination in Dubuque and was the largest department store in the state of Iowa.Roshek's operated for more than 40...
- which had also moved to the west end.
In the fall of 1968, Younkers was opened. This was followed by Montgomery Ward in the spring of 1969, and Roshek's followed in the fall of 1970. The mall was formally opened on April 15, 1970, with F. W. Woolworth Company
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
operating as a junior anchor.. At the time, it had sixty stores, which made it Iowa's largest enclosed mall. Soon afterwards, a tornado had damaged the Dubuque area, which included the mall.
Today, Younkers is the only remaining original anchor store to still operate a store at the Mall. Roshek's closed its mall store in 1982, and Montgomery Ward followed suit in 1983. J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
then moved from its downtown location into the space that had been previously occupied by Wards. Armstrong Department Stores of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
moved into the space previously occupied by Roshek's. In the late 1980s, Armstrong's ceased operations even though the Dubuque store was profitable. At that point, Sears
Sears, Roebuck and Company
Sears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
decided to move their store from the south end of Dubuque to Kennedy Mall. They took over the southern half of the store. Younker's eventually decided to expand, and moved their men's and houseware departments into the northern half of the building. Today, Sears, Borders, J.C. Penney, and Younkers make up the anchor stores at Kennedy Mall.
There are about 15 tenants in total who have been at Kennedy Mall since the mall opened. Bishop's Buffet was one of these original tenants. Even though the Bishop's Buffet has changed hands several times over the years, the restaurant has remained open. Another one of the mall's original tenants; Musicland; closed up shop by February 2006.
In the late 1980s, a number of renovations were made to the mall, after another tornado struck in 1989. This included opening up a food court at the northeast corner of the mall. It also included a number of cosmetic improvements to the mall.
Originally, there was a General Cinema movie theater with a single 795-seat auditorium located within the mall, near Roshek's. In 1972 it was remodeled into a two-screen theater with about 300 seats in each auditorium. In the 1980s General Cinema built a new six-screen theater named Kennedy Mall Cinema 6 in the parking lot just west of the mall to replace the theater inside the mall. The theater later changed hands; General Cinema, once the largest theater chain in the US, is no longer in business. The theater was taken over by Carmike Cinemas Inc. After a new Star Cinema
Star Cinema (theater)
Star Cinema is a movie theater chain owned by AGT Enterprises, Inc., of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, with nine locations in the states of Iowa and Wisconsin in the United States of America. Altogether, the chain's nine locations include 95 total movie screens, including Wisconsin's only IMAX...
was built in Dubuque in 2005, the existing theater changed its format - it began showing second run movies at a reduced rate instead of new films. In May 2007, Carmike Cinemas decided not to renew its lease, and closed the Kennedy Mall Cinema 6. Mindframe Theaters opened at the site of the Kennesy Mall Cinema.
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
book store. This new book store took over most of what had previously been the food court area and the mall's Sam Goody store.
Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
obtained part of the south east parking lot, which was originally overflow parking, and built their own store at that location.
For many years Walgreens
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
operated a store at Kennedy Mall. This store, with both interior and exterior entrances sat between the Bishop's Buffet and J.C. Penney store. In 2005 the company built a new, free standing store about 1/2 mile away at 55 JFK Road. When the new store was opened in late 2005 the company closed the existing store at the mall. Dick's Sporting Goods will open there in 2010.
On July 15, 2011, Borders Group announced it will be liquidating all of its stores by September, including the Kennedy Mall location. The third-largest bookstore chain, Books-A-Million
Books-A-Million
Books-A-Million, Inc., also known as BAM!, is a company that owns the second largest U.S. bookstore chain and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The company operates over 200 stores in the South, Midwest, Northeast...
, will take over the former Borders spot sometime in late 2011 or early 2012, after Borders was recently closed. By the end of July, Books-A-Million acquired 30 Borders stores, including the Kennedy Mall location.
Renovation
In April 2007, the Cafaro Company announced that it was moving forward with plans to renovate Kennedy Mall. The project will be completed in 2 phases, with work beginning in 2007. Changes to the mall will include the replacement of floors, entrances, landscaping, and parking lots. Also, skylights will be installed, and the east front of the mall will be re-configured to enable more stores to face Wacker Drive. The first phase will cost an estimated $2.9 million.The interior renovation has been met warmly from local residents. As part of the plan, the mall's signature center water fountain will be removed to make room for retail space. The fountain had not be active in years and was more of an eyesore than anything else. Many of the 37-year old mall's parking lots, sidewalks, light posts, signage, landscaping, and exterior walls were in disrepair, and will be completely renovated by the fall of 2008. A new children's play area, sponsored by The Finley Hospital, will open by late June 2008. The renovation is a result of the positive business climate in the area as well as the addition of additional retailers in the area, proving that Dubuque was ready for redevolpment of the mall. The upcoming work will only be the second significant renovation in the 37 years the mall has been open.
Anchors
- BordersBorders GroupBorders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
(25,000 sq ft.) (Closing in September 2011, replacing as Books-A-MillionBooks-A-MillionBooks-A-Million, Inc., also known as BAM!, is a company that owns the second largest U.S. bookstore chain and is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The company operates over 200 stores in the South, Midwest, Northeast...
in late 2011 or early 2012) - JCPenney (83,524 sq ft.)
- SearsSears, Roebuck and CompanySears, officially named Sears, Roebuck and Co., is an American chain of department stores which was founded by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck in the late 19th century...
(86,008 sq ft.) - YounkersYounkersYounkers 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...
Women's store (66,839 sq ft.) - YounkersYounkersYounkers 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...
Children's, Men's, & Home store - Best BuyBest BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
Electronics and appliances - Dick's Sporting GoodsDick's Sporting GoodsDick's Sporting Goods, Inc. , or Dick's, is a Fortune 500 American corporation in the sporting goods and retail industries.The company's headquarters are on the grounds of Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dick's has 451 stores in 42 states as of...
Sporting retail store. Opened in Fall 2010.