West 44th Avenue and Harlan Street
Lakeside, Colorado
The story of Greater Denver's third shopping mall begins in 1953. A 66-acre site, along the southern rim of Lake Rhoda, is purchased by Markets, Incorporated, a company operated by Denver entrepreneur Gerri von Frellick ["Fray-lik"] . The plot was located 5.5 miles northwest of Colorado's Capitol, in the city of Lakeside. It was adjacent to the Lakeside Amusement Park and Speedway.
A mall-type facility, tentatively known as LAKESIDE VILLAGE, would be designed by Von Frellick Associates architects and Walter W. Ahlschlager, of Dallas, Texas. The 12 million dollar project would consist of two retail levels; the upper floor, or Mall Level, and partial Lake Level. There would be approximately 446,700 leasable square feet, an open-air Center Court and two enclosed (and climate-controlled) wings. Freight deliveries would be made via underground tunnel.
Construction commenced on July 12, 1955. A 3-level (130,500 square foot) Denver Dry Goods ("The Denver") debuted as part of a mall-wide grand opening. This 3-day celebration was held between August 30 and September 1, 1956.
Present at the dedication were Von Frellick (who served as Master of Ceremonies), Will Richardson (Mayor of Denver), US Senator Byron Giles Rogers (D) and other local dignitaries. Entertainment was provided by Bozo the Clown (of the Ringling Brothers Circus), Al Balater's Band, Kent Bailey's Western Band and The Lakewood Westernairs.
Among the initial twenty-seven inline stores and services were Russell Stover Candies, Richman Brothers men's wear, White Spot Restaurant, Fashion Bar ladies' wear, Maternity Modes, Luby's Cafeteria, Walgreen Drug, a King Soopers grocery and F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.
Ground was broken, on October 3, 1957, for a 2-level (110,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward. The store, added to the west side of the mall, was designed by Bracton & Sutherland, Incorporated, of Denver. An official store dedication was held on August 13, 1958. Cynthia Cullen, "Miss Colorado 1958," cut a ceremonial ribbon.
On May 26, 1971, the Commonwealth Theatres Lakeside Twin showed its first features. Built as a freestanding venue, it was situated northwest of LAKESIDE CENTER, adjacent to -and west of- the Wheat Ridge-Lakeside corporation line.
By the mid-1970s, LAKESIDE CENTER was owned by the Denver Real Estate Investment Association. A 3 million dollar renovation commenced in July 1976. Designed by Warren Fleckenger & Associates, Incorporated, of Denver, the project was completed in two phases. Phase One added a 44,000 square foot Lake Level Mall. This was built on the northwest corner of the complex, in the lower level parking lot between the Denver Dry and Montgomery Ward. The Lake Level Mall, which added eleven new stores to the directory, was dedicated on November 18, 1976.
Work on Phase Two commenced in February 1977. During this project, the Mall Level was completely enclosed, with additional store space created. The "new" LAKESIDE MALL was dedicated with a 3-day "ribbon breaking/champagne smashing" soiree that began on October 6, 1977. Several Denver professional athletes were on hand for autographs and photos. Music was provided by the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra.
As part of the mall remodeling and expansion, the Montgomery Ward and Denver Dry stores were also refurbished. With these improvements, LAKESIDE MALL encompassed approximately 567,100 leasable square feet and housed sixty stores and services.
The remodeling continued in 1982-1983. A single-level (82,600 square foot) Target was built onto the east end of the mall. Moreover, the 13-bay Lakeside Food Court was installed on the Lake Level. The new food facility featured Chubby's Mexican Food, Kool Bear, Lakeside Burger Hut, Omelette Factory, Phoenix Chinese Express, Scotto's Pizza and Steak Place.
Major shopping hubs in the LAKESIDE trade area included WESTLAND CENTER (1960) {2.4 miles southwest, in Jefferson County-Lakewood}, VILLA ITALIA (1966) {4.7 miles southwest, also in Jefferson County-Lakewood}, NORTH VALLEY CENTER (1967) {6.2 miles northeast, in Adams County-Thornton} and WESTMINSTER MALL (1977) {5.4 miles north, in Westminster}.
LAKESIDE MALL began to decline in 1987, after the February shuttering of Denver Dry Goods. This store space sat unoccupied for several years. The mall was acquired by Denver-based Sevo-Miller, Incorporated in 1992. In 1996, they announced a redevelopment plan. The mall was given a face lift and some of its retail area was leased as office spaces. Its official name reverted back to LAKESIDE CENTER.
In March 2001, the Montgomery Ward chain folded, resulting in another major mall vacancy. This was filled by an Avanza groceteria, which opened for business on May 1, 2002. Around this time, it was decided to market the mall to the area's Latino community. A new moniker was announced, LA PLAZA DE LAKESIDE. However, this new name was never officially adopted.
Denver-based Chandelle Development acquired the mall in January 2006. A redevelopment plan was devised, but details were not made available to the public. In late 2006, the Avanza groceteria at LAKESIDE CENTER was shuttered. The following October, Target moved into a newly-built store in nearby Edgewater, Colorado.
The virtually vacant shopping complex was shuttered and demolished in 2007-2008. The site sat empty for several years with no type of redevelopment plan on the drawing board. In December 2010, it was announced that a 1-level (150,000 square foot) WalMart SuperCenter would be built. A grand opening was held on January 23, 2013.
Sources:
The Denver Post
The Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado)
The Colorado Transcript (Golden, Colorado)
The Westminster Journal (Westminster, Colorado)
https://historicjeffco.files.wordpress.com / "Historically JeffCo" magazine / Jefferson County Historical Commission / 2012
National Registry of Historic Places / Multiple Property Documentation Forum / United States Department of the Interior / National Park Service / "Historic Residential Subdivisions of Denver, 1940-1965" / Revised March 1992 and October 2010
"Life Is A Roller Coaster, A History of Denver's Lakeside Amusement Park" / David Forsyth / 2012
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth
http://www.ffgeeks.net / "Future Architect"
Chandelle Development
https://coloradocommunitymedia.com
"Fortress Commerce: Jefferson County Malls" / "Historically JeffCo" magazine / Rosemary Lewis / 2012
FAIR USE OF LAKESIDE IMAGE:
The photo from the History Colorado Collection illustrates a key moment in the mall's history that is described in the article. The image is of lower resolution than the original (copies made would be of inferior quality). The image is not replaceable with a free-use or public-domain image. The use of the image does not limit the copyright owners' rights to distribute the image in any way. The image is being used for non-profit, informational purposes only and its use is not believed to detract from the original image in any way.
