The abandoned Younkers at MERLE HAY MALL was gutted and rebuilt as the Buccaneer Arena, a home venue for the Des Moines Buccaneers pro hockey team. The facility was completed in December 2023.
Drawing from Icon Architectural Group
Douglas Avenue / US 6 and Merle Hay Road
Des Moines and Urbandale, Iowa
Des Moines and Urbandale, Iowa
Construction commenced on Iowa's second shopping mall in July 1958. Occupying on a 47-acre parcel, located 6 miles northwest of the Iowa Capitol, the open-air complex was developed by Chicago's Joseph Abbell and Bernard Greenbaum & Associates. Robert Greenbaum and the Detrich & Gibson firm, both of Chicago, designed the structure.
Before the shopping center was completed, its tentative name, NORTHLAND CENTER, had been changed to MERLE HAY PLAZA; this in honor of Merle David Hay, the first Iowa citizen killed in World War I.
MERLE HAY PLAZA opened for business on August 17, 1959. The dedication was attended by Iowa Governor Herschel C. Loveless (D) and Charles Iles (Mayor of Des Moines). Mrs. L. Clarke Priebe, "Mrs. America 1959," arrived via helicopter. Entertainment was provided by pop singer Don Cornell, Keith Killenger's Band and Yo-Yo The Clown.
Twenty-five stores were in operation at the grand opening. There would eventually be thirty-four. Charter tenants included Walgreen Drug, Fanny Farmer Candies, Maternity Modes, Baker's Qualicraft Shoes, Joseph's Jewelers, Bishop Buffet, a 2-level (40,500 square foot) S.S. Kresge 5 & 10, (20,300 square foot) Safeway supermarket and (21,000 square foot) Shopper's World junior department store.
The 8 million dollar shopping hub was anchored by a 3-level (100,000 square foot), Des Moines-based Younkers. A 2-level (280,000 square foot) Sears opened for business on November 5, 1959. With its completion, the complex encompassed approximately 615,000 leasable square feet.
MERLE HAY PLAZA was enlarged during the 1960s. Younkers expanded their store, to 148,700 square feet, in 1963. The single-screen States Theatres Plaza Theatre showed its first feature on January 28, 1966. The Merle Hay Tower office building was built adjacent to the new movie house. Extending skyward 6-stories, the structure was completed in November 1966.
In September 1971, work commenced on the enclosure of the shopping center. Terrazzo flooring, skydome windows and grid ceilings were installed. The newly-roofed complex, now officially promoted as MERLE HAY MALL, was re-dedicated on September 23, 1972. By this time, land to the west of the mall had been acquired, increasing the size of the site to 129 acres. A fully-enclosed West Wing expansion had been announced in May 1972. Ground was broken on May 24, 1973.
The addition, which expanded the mall into the neighboring city of Urbandale, was anchored by a 2-level (165,600 square foot) Montgomery Ward and 1-level (74,000 square foot) Younkers Store For Homes. These mercantiles held grand openings on October 31, 1974. Two charter anchor stores were also enlarged, possibly as part of the mall expansion. Sears now covered 223,000 square feet, with Younkers now comprising 182,000.
With these modifications, MERLE HAY MALL encompassed approximately 1.2 million leasable square feet and contained 137 stores and services. Shopping hubs in the MERLE HAY MALL trade area included PARK FAIR CENTER (1957) {4.1 miles east, in Des Moines} and VALLEY WEST MALL (1975) {3.5 miles southwest, in West Des Moines}.
On November 5, 1978, MERLE HAY MALL was the site of one of the worst fires in the state's history. A blaze ignited in Younkers, killing ten employees. The store was closed for repairs for nearly a year. It re-opened on October 20, 1979.
The northern section of the mall site was developed during the 1960s ,'70s and '80s. The first structure, which housed a 1-level (110,000 square foot), Des Moines-based Ardan discount mart, was dedicated in November 1963. This store was rebranded as an Ardan-Bellas Hess in October 1968. A store block, known as the PRESTIGE MALL, was added to the south side of the discount store. It housed the Davis Theatres Forum IV, which showed first features on December 19, 1974.
Ardan-Bellas Hess was shuttered in April 1975 and followed by a Plaza Family Savings Center. This store morphed into an (85,000 square foot) Kmart on August 23, 1979. PRESTIGE MALL and the adjacent discount store were renovated and repositioned. They were renamed -collectively- as THE FASHION OUTLET MALL. This 268,000 square foot mini-center opened for business on October 27, 1983. Burlington Coat Factory had assumed the Kmart space. New Marshalls and Best Buy stores were included.
FASHION OUTLET MALL went through another renovation -and two name changes- over the following 6 years. It morphed into THE VALUE MALL in August 1985 and the HAYMARKET MALL in January 1989.
Back at MERLE HAY MALL, the Kresge dime store had closed in November 1983. Its basement floor was gutted along with those of several East Wing stores to the south. This lower level space was reconfigured as a 15-store Garden Court, which connected with the basement floor bowling alley. A small food facility, known as the Merle Hay Mall Food Court, was included. The Garden Court opened in late 1985.
Area in the West Wing of the mall was reconfigured in 1989. The 9-bay Great Taste Food Court was installed in Main Level space adjoining the Younkers Store For Homes. In the year 2000, its vendors included Arby's, Panda Chinese, Taco John's and Villa Pizza. The new Great Taste Food Court eventually replaced the older Garden Court complex. By the turn of the century, the entire Garden Court concourse had closed, with its entrance stairways being either sealed-off or removed.
The in-mall Plaza Theatre had closed in 1988. It re-opened, in the fall of 1993, as the Merle Hay Mall Cinema, but closed for good in December 2014. The Silver Cinemas 10, a freestanding multiplex built adjacent to the HAYMARKET MALL, showed first features on June 27, 1997. This venue was in operation until 2004.
Meanwhile, various anchor stores at MERLE HAY MALL had changed nameplates. The Younkers Store For Homes was shuttered in August 1991. It re-opened, as a Wisconsin-based Kohl's, on April 12, 1993. Montgomery Ward closed their MERLE HAY location on May 31, 1999.
This store was renovated and expanded into a 175,000 square foot structure. Saint Louis-based Famous-Barr held their grand opening on August 4, 2000, but closed in June 2004. One month later, Younkers relocated into the building. The original Younkers was razed and replaced by a 1-level (124,000 square foot) Target, which was dedicated on July 24, 2005.
MERLE HAY MALL endured a year of declining sales following the completion of JORDAN CREEK TOWN CENTER {7.5 miles southwest, in West Des Moines}. This enclosed and open-air complex, now Iowa's largest retail center, opened in August 2004. As a competitive measure, 60,000 square feet along the east-facing front of MERLE HAY MALL was gutted and rebuilt as the Merle Hay Road Streetscape. Ten stores were reconfigured to make space for four new exterior-entranced, big box tenants.
Staples became the first operational Streetscape store, on March 21, 2009. Ulta Beauty made its debut June 26th, followed by Shoe Carnival, on October 5th. The Books-A-Million chain was originally slated to be one of the new Streetscape stores, but this never came to fruition.
A subsequent renovation of the mall got underway in July 2013, when a south parking garage was demolished. The Upper Level of the Bridge Court was gutted, with its ten store spaces reconfigured as Flix Brewhouse, an 8-screen dine-in cinema and "fully functioning microbrewery". At the same time, the interior of the entire mall was given a face lift. This refurbishment was completed in the summer of 2014. The Flix Brewhouse opened for business on December 17th of the same year.
Younkers, a charter MERLE HAY PLAZA anchor, became a division of Pennsylvania's Bon Ton Stores conglomerate in 2006. As a result of the Bon Ton Stores bankruptcy, the MERLE HAY MALL Younkers was shuttered on August 29, 2018. Sears, the mall's other charter anchor, went dark on October 14, 2018.
Younkers, a charter MERLE HAY PLAZA anchor, became a division of Pennsylvania's Bon Ton Stores conglomerate in 2006. As a result of the Bon Ton Stores bankruptcy, the MERLE HAY MALL Younkers was shuttered on August 29, 2018. Sears, the mall's other charter anchor, went dark on October 14, 2018.
These store closings brought a 127 million dollar reconfiguration of the mall. Younkers was gutted and rebuilt as a home venue for the Des Moines Buccaneers pro hockey team. Sears was knocked down in February 2021. An open-air store strip was built, whose (55,000 square foot) Kohl's opened in March 2022. A newly-vacated Kohl's, on the northwest corner of MERLE HAY MALL -and the adjacent Food Court- were gutted and rebuilt as a multi-sport training and competition center.
Sources:
The Des Moines Register
www.iowalivingmagazine.com
http://www.merlehaymall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
"Lost Cinemas of Greater Des Moines" blog / Site created and maintained by Mark Heggen
www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.weareiowa.com
https://www.dmgov.org / "Merle Hay Neighborhood Plan" / October 2008
Polk County, Iowa Tax Assessor website
New Plan Realty Trust / Scottsdale, AZ
"Merle Hay Mall" article on Wikipedia
"Younkers" article on Wikipedia
"Famous-Barr" article on Wikipedia
The photos from The Des Moines Register illustrate a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are of lower resolution than the originals (copies made would be of inferior quality). 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.
Polk County, Iowa Tax Assessor website
New Plan Realty Trust / Scottsdale, AZ
"Merle Hay Mall" article on Wikipedia
"Younkers" article on Wikipedia
"Famous-Barr" article on Wikipedia
FAIR USE OF MERLE HAY MALL IMAGES:
The photos from The Des Moines Register illustrate a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The images are of lower resolution than the originals (copies made would be of inferior quality). 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.
