37th Avenue Northeast and Silver Lake Road
St. Anthony (Village), Minnesota
The nation's first regional-class, fully-enclosed shopping complex was SOUTHDALE CENTER (1956), which was developed in the southwestern environs of Minneapolis. The second enclosed center in the North Star State was built in the "North Twin Cities" area of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Ground was broken for APACHE PLAZA on April 18, 1960. A traditional with-shovel ceremony was eschewed in favor of one more dynamic. Three local beauty queens detonated an explosion, which leveled a small hill. The shopping center was constructed on a 42-acre plot, previously a pig farm, that was located 5 miles north of the Minneapolis Central Business District, in St. Anthony Village.
The "eleven million dollar compact city" was developed by the Minneapolis-based Apache Corporation and designed by Willard L. Thorsen, of Thorsen & Thorshov, Incorporated. A formal dedication was held on October 19, 1961, with Governor Elmer L. Andersen (R) arriving via helicopter.
Also attending the grand opening celebration were the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul, officials of Apache Realty and several store managers. The festivities continued for three days and included prize giveaways, remote radio broadcasts, exciting special events and marching band concerts.
APACHE PLAZA originally housed sixty stores and services, with four freestanding structures eventually built in its periphery. The complex was centered on a 3-story-high court area, which was 350 feet long and 150 feet wide. It was lit by multicolored clerestory windows beneath a ceiling of ten poured-concrete, hyperbolic paraboloid shells.
Anchoring the mall were a 1-level (58,000 square foot) J.C. Penney and 1-level (32,600 square foot) Montgomery Ward. Charter tenants included a Young-Quinlan Rothschild junior department store, National Food Stores supermarket, F.W. Woolworth and (42,000 square foot) G.C. Murphy. The mall had a subterranean level which housed the Bowl-O-Mat, a Community Room, kiddie ride area, leased office spaces and retail stores.
Montgomery Ward enlarged their APACHE PLAZA store, with a partial second floor and eastern addition. A 4-bay Wards Auto Center, that was contained within the store, was replaced by a larger, freestanding unit. The new (140,000 square foot) Wards was officially dedicated on August 1, 1963.
The shopping center served as a catalyst for further development of the surrounding area. The (16,000 square foot) Apache Office Park opened for leasing in 1964. The 6-story (120,000 square foot) Apache Medical Center was completed in 1966. On January 31, 1969, the Herringer Company Chief Theatre showed its first feature.
Major shopping centers in the vicinity of APACHE PLAZA included HAR-MAR MALL (1961) {3.3 miles southeast, in Roseville}, BROOKDALE CENTER (1962) {4.6 miles northwest, in Brooklyn Center} and ROSEDALE CENTER (1969){2.7 miles southeast, also in Roseville}, which eventually became the primary rival of APACHE PLAZA.
The first anchor change at the mall occurred in the early '70s, when Young-Quinlan Rothschild vacated their space. The (34,000 square foot) store re-opened, under the Van Arsdell nameplate, on October 15, 1972. G.C. Murphy was shuttered in late 1978 and proceeded by True Value Hardware, which welcomed its first customers on November 3, 1979. Montgomery Ward, snatched by ROSEDALE CENTER, had closed in the previous July. The store was divided into smaller retail spaces, with the largest being occupied by Furniture Barn.
Van Arsdell's lasted for almost 9 years. Its morphed into Home Base Liquidators in 1981. In 1983, a face lift of the exterior of APACHE PLAZA commenced, which replaced much of its early '60s, "space age" architecture. The renovation was almost finished by April 26, 1984, when a tornado damaged the southern end of the mall. The exposed areas were further impaired by a severe snowstorm, which occurred soon after. The center was closed for 7 months, while 6 million dollars worth of repairs could be completed.
APACHE PLAZA re-opened on November 15, 1984. Stores and services operating in the newly-refurbished complex included Apache Plaza Bake Shop, European Flower Markets, County Seat men's wear, Connco Bootery, Minnesota Fabrics, The Mannequin ladies' wear and Excalibur men's wear.
Unfortunately, the mall was not able to compete with newer and more trendy shopping centers. The dedication of a St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Herberger's, on July 30, 1987, helped keep it viable for a time. However, in the early 1990s, the mall's owners defaulted on their loan.
The dire situation at APACHE PLAZA was exacerbated by the late 1993 shutterings of J.C. Penney and Woolworth's. With these store spaces empty, it was decided to tear down the northern fifth of the mall. A (76,000 square foot) Cub Foods was built as a "shadow anchor" and opened for business in April 1997. Unfortunately, the mall remained in a downward spiral.
A Bulldozer Bash, held in April 2004, commemorated the center's 43 years of service to the community. By May, the complex was a pile of rubble. Work soon commenced on an open-air power center, which was being developed by New Brighton, Minnesota-based Pratt-Ordway Properties and Bloomington, Minnesota-based Doran Companies. SILVER LAKE VILLAGE was anchored by the existing Cub Foods and a 1-level (144,000 square foot) Wal-Mart SuperCenter. This store welcomed its first shoppers on March 23, 2005.
Sources:
The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
"A Look Back At Apache Plaza" / Star Tribune / Rick Nelson / May 13, 2004
www.apacheplaza.com (defunct website) / Jeff Anderson, webmaster
http://dorancompanies.com
www.labelscar.com
"Apache Plaza" article on Wikipedia
