Dodge Street / US 6 and North 72nd Street
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha's Brandeis ["bran-diys"] Investment Company announced plans for a Greater Omaha shopping center in September 1955. The complex would be built on a 34.9-acre site, located 4.6 miles west of downtown Omaha. Ground was broken on June 15, 1959 for the Brandeis Shopping Center.
On October 27, 1959, a new mall moniker was announced. The complex-to-be would be known as THE CROSSROADS. The 10 million dollar shopping hub, designed by Omaha's Leo A. Daly firm, would be America's sixth fully-enclosed, regional-class shopping mall. A 3-level (193,000 square foot) Sears became its first operational tenant, on August 31, 1960.
A 3-level (200,000 square foot) J.L. Brandeis & Sons began business on October 10, 1960. Attending the store's dedication were E. John Brandeis (President of the company), Dwight Willard Burney (R) (Governor of Nebraska) and John Rosenblatt (Mayor of Omaha).
Natelson's ladies' wear and the Occidental Building & Loan Company were dedicated on October 17, 1960. Twenty stores and services were in operation by November 29th. Among these were Musicland Records, Corbaley's Shoes, Goldstein-Chapman, Cook Paint & Varnish, Paris Hats and Sol Lewis Company.
The final charter tenants opened for business in April 1961. Walgreen Drug and Walgreen Grill were dedicated on April 10, 1961. A 2-level (34,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworthdebuted on April 13th. A mall-wide grand opening commenced on June 8, 1961. At this time, THE CROSSROADS encompassed approximately 590,000 leasable square feet and housed twenty-four stores and services.
During the early years, a kiddie ride area was located along the center's "Arcade" mallway. There was also a small concourse in the basement of the facility. The Brandeis store had a large center court, which included a fountain and abstract sculpture designed by Omaha's Bill Hammon.
The Kay-Lee Theatres 76 West Dodge Drive-In had opened, on a site west of the mall, in 1948. The venue was in operation until July 1983. An in-mall movie house, the Crossroads Twin Theatre, was installed in the mall's basement. It showed first features on July 20, 1979 and was in operation until early 1986.
For several years, the CROSSROADS complex did not have a regional-class competitor. Its first, WESTROADS CENTER {2 miles west, in Omaha}, was officially dedicated in August 1968. OAK VIEW MALL {5.8 miles southwest, also in Omaha} held its grand opening in October 1991.
Meanwhile, on September 1, 1983, a joint venture of the NSA Realty Corporation and Indianapolis' Melvin Simon & Associates had assumed ownership of America's sixth enclosed shopping center, now known as CROSSROADS MALL. A 40 million dollar renovation commenced in February 1986.
The project was completed in two phases. The first added a 1-level (40,000 square foot) South Wing of eleven stores. The Sears and Brandeis buildings were refurbished. Moreover, the 50-foot-wide shopping concourse was reduced to a width of 30 feet, with new store fronts on both sides. The existing mall was refitted with new skylights, landscaping, flooring, ceilings, restrooms and seating areas. The Phase One refurbishment was officially dedicated on November 20, 1987.
Phase Two added an upper level Food Court. The 14-bay culinary complex was enclosed with a Teflon-coated, tent-type roof. A multilevel parking garage, accommodating over 2,000 autos, was also built that connected into a 2-level North Wing. This mall extension contained twenty-seven stores and services, including a 2-level (216,500 square foot) Dillard's.
The all-new CROSSROADS MALL was rededicated with a circus-themed celebration, which commenced on August 24, 1988. The complex now covered approximately 969,500 leasable square feet and contained ninety-eight tenant spaces. The first anchor store rebranding had taken place on August 8, 1987 when the Brandeis store became a Des Moines-based Younkers ["yonk-erz"].
A mall-wide face lift was done between April and November 1998. The Main Entrance was refurbished, new lighting and signage installed and an updated logo introduced. Five stores joined the retail roster; Vanity, Pacific Sunwear, Deb Shop, The Children's Place and Chili's Grill & Bar.
Younkers was shuttered in January 2005. The building was razed in July, with a 1-level (91,238 square foot) Target opening on July 19, 2006. Dillard's was downsized to a Clearance Center in January 2008. The store closed for good in August of the same year.
By the 21st century, CROSSROADS MALL was over fifty-percent vacant. The 2004 opening of the VILLAGE POINTE lifestyle center {7.9 miles west, in Douglas County}, contributed to the mall's decline. The was exacerbated by the 2007 dedication of another lifestyle complex, SHADOW LAKE TOWNE CENTER {8.5 miles south, in Papillion}.
CROSSROADS was now populated by mom & pop-type stores, such as American Apparel, Cinderella's Closet, Pishon Boutique, 1/2 of 1/2 Name Brand Clothing and the Czech & Slovak Museum & Gift Shop. Non-retail tenants included The Vineyard Church and PART (Performing Arts Repertory Theatre). The Second Floor and North Wing were closed to public access.
The Simon Property Group defaulted on its upside down CROSSROADS MALL loan, with the complex going into foreclosure. It was auctioned off in March 2010. The lender, DC-based CWCapital, purchased the property and flipped it in June 2010. The new owner, the Omaha-based Century Development Company, proposed a mixed-use, town center-type reinvention. A 390 million dollar CROSSROADS VILLAGE would be built in two phases, with the existing Target and parking garage being retained from the mall.
Sears and Barnes & Noble would be moved into newly-built structures. These would be joined by inline retail, a 100-room hotel, fitness club, library, 180 "luxury apartments" and 250,000 square feet of "technology village" office spaces. A 2-acre Crossroads Commons park would be at the center of the complex.
New tenants would include a (28,000 square foot) Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market and (24,000 square foot) REI (Recreational Equipment, Incorporated). Demolition was supposed to be underway by late 2016, but didn't pan out. Work was then plotted to begin in early 2017. This date also came and went with no progress being made.
Meanwhile, Sears closed its 58-year-old CROSSROADS store in March 2019. Barnes & Noble also pulled up stakes. Remaining stores, such as Cinderella's Outlet, Gentlemen's Choice Formal Wear and Paul Gaskins Barber Shop, received eviction notices, effective in May 2020. The final stores closed in September 2020. Demolition of the moribund mall commenced on December 9th.
Sources:
The Omaha World Herald
preservenet.cornell.edu/publications/Longstreth Branch Store.doc
http://www.omahahistory.org
http://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group
www.omaha.com
www.cinematreasures.org
"The Good Taste Chronicles" / Catalina Vel-Du-Ray
http://www.donlangdon.com
http://www.kmtv.com
"Crossroads Mall (Omaha) article on Wikipedia
"The Good Taste Chronicles" / Catalina Vel-Du-Ray
http://www.donlangdon.com
http://www.kmtv.com
"Crossroads Mall (Omaha) article on Wikipedia
