KIRKWOOD MALL achieved its 40th year in business in March 2020. At this time, the mall had one vacant anchor. Scheels All Sports has enlarged its area, taking in most of the Southwest Wing. The expanded store was completed in May 2013. A large section of the Southeast Wing was taken by a (22,000 square foot) H & M, which held its grand opening in September 2016.
KIRKWOOD PLAZA
East Bowen Avenue and South 7th Street
Bismarck, North Dakota
One of the nation's more unique mid-century shopping malls was built in the Peace Garden State. Originally known as KIRKWOOD PLAZA, the fully-enclosed complex was designed as a curving concourse, "Y-shaped" structure. The 4.2 million dollar shopping hub was developed by the Bismarck-based Wachter Real Estate Trust and was built on a 48-acre site, located 1.7 miles south of the North Dakota Capitol. Ground was broken for the project in November 1968.
KIRKWOOD PLAZA was named after Robert Campbell Kirkwood, the former Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of the F.W. Woolworth Company. Originally, the mall was to be anchored by Woolworth's, Montgomery Ward and a Fargo-based Herbst junior department store. Plans for the latter were eventually scaled-down, with only a boutique-type store built. St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Herberger's was announced as the new third mall anchor in January 1970.
The first operational KIRKWOOD tenant, a 1-level (72,900 square foot) Woolworth Department Store, opened its doors on March 18, 1970. It was, reputedly, the largest Woolworth store in the United States. A 1-level (20,000 square foot) Super Valu grocery, a northeast outparcel of the mall proper, was officially dedicated on September 8, 1970.
Bismarck, North Dakota
One of the nation's more unique mid-century shopping malls was built in the Peace Garden State. Originally known as KIRKWOOD PLAZA, the fully-enclosed complex was designed as a curving concourse, "Y-shaped" structure. The 4.2 million dollar shopping hub was developed by the Bismarck-based Wachter Real Estate Trust and was built on a 48-acre site, located 1.7 miles south of the North Dakota Capitol. Ground was broken for the project in November 1968.
KIRKWOOD PLAZA was named after Robert Campbell Kirkwood, the former Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of the F.W. Woolworth Company. Originally, the mall was to be anchored by Woolworth's, Montgomery Ward and a Fargo-based Herbst junior department store. Plans for the latter were eventually scaled-down, with only a boutique-type store built. St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Herberger's was announced as the new third mall anchor in January 1970.
The first operational KIRKWOOD tenant, a 1-level (72,900 square foot) Woolworth Department Store, opened its doors on March 18, 1970. It was, reputedly, the largest Woolworth store in the United States. A 1-level (20,000 square foot) Super Valu grocery, a northeast outparcel of the mall proper, was officially dedicated on September 8, 1970.
Montgomery Ward launched a 2-level (101,000 square foot) department store on September 23, 1970. The Mid-Continent Theatres (MidCo) Plaza Twin Theatres 1 & 2 showed its first features on October 29th. Herberger's 1-level (50,000 square foot) unit held its grand opening on March 22, 1971.
KIRKWOOD PLAZA was officially dedicated on May 14, 1971, with its namesake in attendance. Mr. Kirkwood was accompanied by John S. Roberts (President of F.W. Woolworth) and C. Walton Backhaus (the company Vice President).
Encompassing 428,000 leasable square feet, KIRKWOOD PLAZA housed thirty-nine stores and services under its roof. Charter tenants included 4-B's Cafeteria, Fanny Farmer Candies, K-G Men's Store, Kinney Shoes and a (17,000 square foot) Osco Drug. A Herbst boutique store welcomed first shoppers on November 18, 1971.
By 1974, plans for a southward expansion of the mall were being drawn. The mall site was to enlarged, taking out a section of East Arbor Avenue and bringing in an additional 20 acres. Herberger's would be moved toward the west and expanded. Half of its original area would became part of an extended north-south shopping concourse.
The movie theater would also be moved into newly-built space. At the south end of the mall would be a 1-level (80,000 square foot) Target and 1-level (107,000 square foot) J.C. Penney. Ground was broken for the 15 million dollar Kirkwood II expansion on June 28, 1978.
On June 21, 1979, the new Plaza 3 Theatres opened for business. Target welcomed its first shoppers on November 1st. The official grand opening of J.C. Penney was held on January 16, 1980. On March 19th, thirty-two new inline stores were launched. These included Lerner Shops, Musicland, County Seat, GNC, Orange Julius and Kay-Bee Toys. By late 1980, KIRKWOOD PLAZA housed ninety tenant spaces. Its gross leasable area had grown to 913,000 square feet.
Encompassing 428,000 leasable square feet, KIRKWOOD PLAZA housed thirty-nine stores and services under its roof. Charter tenants included 4-B's Cafeteria, Fanny Farmer Candies, K-G Men's Store, Kinney Shoes and a (17,000 square foot) Osco Drug. A Herbst boutique store welcomed first shoppers on November 18, 1971.
By 1974, plans for a southward expansion of the mall were being drawn. The mall site was to enlarged, taking out a section of East Arbor Avenue and bringing in an additional 20 acres. Herberger's would be moved toward the west and expanded. Half of its original area would became part of an extended north-south shopping concourse.
The movie theater would also be moved into newly-built space. At the south end of the mall would be a 1-level (80,000 square foot) Target and 1-level (107,000 square foot) J.C. Penney. Ground was broken for the 15 million dollar Kirkwood II expansion on June 28, 1978.
On June 21, 1979, the new Plaza 3 Theatres opened for business. Target welcomed its first shoppers on November 1st. The official grand opening of J.C. Penney was held on January 16, 1980. On March 19th, thirty-two new inline stores were launched. These included Lerner Shops, Musicland, County Seat, GNC, Orange Julius and Kay-Bee Toys. By late 1980, KIRKWOOD PLAZA housed ninety tenant spaces. Its gross leasable area had grown to 913,000 square feet.
Woolworth at KIRKWOOD PLAZA was converted to a Woolco discount mart on September 9, 1980. This store was shuttered in January 1983. The mall was sold to the Prudential Insurance Company of America in 1984. During the same year, Fargo-based Scheels Sporting Goods opened a (29,000 square foot) store in the mall's Southwest Wing. The vacant Woolworth-Woolco re-opened, as a Minneapolis-based Dayton's department store, on August 1, 1985.
KIRKWOOD PLAZA was renamed KIRKWOOD MALL in July 1987. In 1993, two anchor stores were enlarged; Herberger's (to 92,600 square feet) and Target (to 95,000). Montgomery Ward shuttered its store on May 2, 1999. The space sat vacant until April 5, 2003, when it re-opened as a Minot-based I. Keating Furniture World.
Dayton's had been rebranded by Chicago-based Marshall Field's in August 2001. This store closed in June 2005 and was demolished. It was replaced by a 2-level (137,800 square foot) Target, which opened in October 2006. The old Target, in the Southwest Wing, was refitted as a much larger Scheels All Sports. This new location was dedicated in July 2007. With these modifications, KIRKWOOD MALL encompassed 1,012,000 leasable square feet and housed ninety stores and services.
KIRKWOOD PLAZA was renamed KIRKWOOD MALL in July 1987. In 1993, two anchor stores were enlarged; Herberger's (to 92,600 square feet) and Target (to 95,000). Montgomery Ward shuttered its store on May 2, 1999. The space sat vacant until April 5, 2003, when it re-opened as a Minot-based I. Keating Furniture World.
Dayton's had been rebranded by Chicago-based Marshall Field's in August 2001. This store closed in June 2005 and was demolished. It was replaced by a 2-level (137,800 square foot) Target, which opened in October 2006. The old Target, in the Southwest Wing, was refitted as a much larger Scheels All Sports. This new location was dedicated in July 2007. With these modifications, KIRKWOOD MALL encompassed 1,012,000 leasable square feet and housed ninety stores and services.
CVS (formerly Osco) Drug closed in January 2010. The store relocated to a freestanding building northwest of the shopping hub. New York City's Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, who had acquired the mall in September 1987, sold it to New York City's Radiant Partners in April 2011. Chattanooga's CBL & Associates Properties also had a stake in the shopping center. They bought out all joint venture partners in December 2012, establishing 100-percent ownership of the property. Management had been handled by Chicago's Urban Retail Properties since 1994. This job was assumed by Jones, Lang, LaSalle, also of Chicago, in 2011.
A modest refurbishment of the property was underway by September 2015. The project improved roadway access, installed new landscaping and brought in new tenants, such as Zumiez and Blue Hawk Audio & Video. A freestanding Panera Bread, built on a pad southeast of the mall proper, debuted on November 15, 2015. Swedish fashion retailer H & M (Hennes & Mauritz) set up shop in a 1-level (22,000 square foot) space in the Southeast Wing and opened for business on September 22, 2016.
Herberger's, a charter -1971- mall anchor, became a division of Pennsylvania's Bon Ton Stores conglomerate in 2006. As a result of the Bon Ton Stores bankruptcy, all Herberger's locations were shuttered in August 2018.
Sources:
The Bismarck Tribune
The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah)
http://www.urbanretail.com
The Bismarck Tribune
The Daily Herald (Provo, Utah)
http://www.urbanretail.com
http://www.bismancafe.com
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.bismarckcafe.com / Randy Hoffman
"Dayton's" article on Wikipedia
"Scheel's All Sports" article on Wikipedia
"Dayton's" article on Wikipedia
"Scheel's All Sports" article on Wikipedia
"Kirkwood Mall" article on Wikipedia
FAIR USE OF KIRKWOOD PLAZA IMAGES:
The photographs from The State Historic Archives of North Dakota illustrate a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are not replaceable with free-use or public-domain images. The use of the images does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the images in any way. The images are being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and their use is not believed to detract from the original images in any way.
