The enclosed mall at BEAR VALLEY CENTER (in gray) was officially dedicated in October 1966. By itself, it covered 382,000 leasable square feet. The mall and adjacent strip center were operated as a single entitty. Together, they housed thirty-five stores and services.
BEAR VALLEY CENTER TENANTS 1966:
BEAR VALLEY CENTER TENANTS 1966:
MAY-D & F (with Lookout Room restaurant, Ski Shop and freestanding Auto Centre) / DUCKWALL'S 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / MILLER'S supermarket / Alexander's Apparel / Allinger Photo Studio / Baker's Shoes / Barricini Candy / Bear Valley Hardware / Bear Valley Inn / Bear Valley Liquor / Bear Valley Professional Building / Brick's / Chet's Barber Shop / Dave Cook Sporting Goods / Dependable Cleaners / Dolly Madison Ice Cream Shoppe / Empire Savings (outparcel) / Fashion Bar / First National Bank of Bear Valley (outparcel) / Fountain Music / Frederick Fabrics / Gallagher's Gifts / Hatch's Gifts / Hickory Farms of Ohio / Hodel Drugs / Horizon West / Import-Export Shop / Ireland Jewelry / Iva's Beauty Salon / Junior Bootery / Kelly Realty Company / Kinney Shoes / Lehrer's Florist / McMurtry Decorating Center / Sun Finance / Wyatt's Cafeteria
A couple of vintage logos that were used to promote BEAR VALLEY CENTER.
Graphics from the Bear Valley Corporation
A BEAR VALLEY logo montage features trademarks of stores that operated in the mall and adjacent strip center between the 1950s and 1980s.
The mall section of the complex was to endure a prolonged demise. It was on life support by the early 1990s. An 18 million dollar redevelopment was announced in 1994. The first phase removed two thirds of the mall and replaced it with a large King Soopers grocery. A Super Saver multiplex was installed in the remaining section of the shopping hub. It only lasted 5 years.
By 1999, virtually all of the enclosed mall had been bulldozed. A small section, between King Soopers and Home Depot was left standing. It is surrounded in blue. Other peripheral portions are also outlined in blue, including the late '50s-vintage strip center in the northeast corner of the plot.
Original drawing from www.pobmontgomery.com / P'OB Montgomery & Company
