SOUTH COUNTY CENTER
Lindbergh Boulevard / US 50, 61 & 67 and Lemay Ferry Road / US 61 & 67
Saint Louis County, Missouri
Ground was broken for Greater St. Louis' second major enclosed mall on May 16, 1962. The facility was built by May Centers, the city's hometown retail development company. SOUTH COUNTY CENTER was designed by Victor Gruen Associates, Raymond Loewy & Associates and the HOK (Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum) firm.
The 10 million dollar shopping complex was constructed on a 69-acre site. This was located 11 miles southwest of the St. Louis Central Business District, in an unincorporated section of St. Louis County known as Mehlville.
When completed, SOUTH COUNTY CENTER encompassed approximately 506,000 leasable square feet. It was anchored by a 2-level (208,000 square foot), St. Louis-based Famous-Barr, which held its grand opening August 2, 1963. A mall-wide dedication began on October 17, 1963, with twenty-two operational stores.
Charter tenants included Zale's Jewelers, Ludwig Music House, Pam's Children's Shoes, Shirley's Maternity Fashions, Bond Clothes, Edith's Tots to Teens Shop, Tronic South Hi-Fi, Pope's Cafeteria and Flagg Brothers Shoes. A National Food Stores supermarket occupied a portion of the mall's basement (on the lower level of Famous-Barr).
Promoted for its climate-controlled "perpetual springtime," the Mall Level concourse at SOUTH COUNTY CENTER included three Rain Curtain Fountains. These were similar to other water-less "Wonderfall" installations eventually used in many 1960s-vintage enclosed shopping centers. The shopping concourse was lighted by a series of antique copper and brass gas streetlamps, which had originally been used to illuminate London's Piccadilly Circus.
The first of several mall expansions was built in the mid-1960s. A 2-level (146,700 square foot) J.C. Penney was added to the east side of the complex and opened for business on September 14, 1966. This expanded the mall's gross leasable area to approximately 652,000 square feet. On November 23, 1966, the General Cinema Corporation South County Cinema showed its first feature. The venue re-opened, as the Cinema I & II, on October 22, 1976.
A second expansion of SOUTH COUNTY CENTER added a 2-level South Wing and 2-level (140,000 square foot), St. Louis-based Stix, Baer & Fuller. The Stix store opened its doors on February 8, 1980. Among fifty new South Wing stores were The County Seat, J. Riggings, Tinder Box Tobacconist, So-Fro Fabrics and Spencer Gifts.
Charter tenants included Zale's Jewelers, Ludwig Music House, Pam's Children's Shoes, Shirley's Maternity Fashions, Bond Clothes, Edith's Tots to Teens Shop, Tronic South Hi-Fi, Pope's Cafeteria and Flagg Brothers Shoes. A National Food Stores supermarket occupied a portion of the mall's basement (on the lower level of Famous-Barr).
Promoted for its climate-controlled "perpetual springtime," the Mall Level concourse at SOUTH COUNTY CENTER included three Rain Curtain Fountains. These were similar to other water-less "Wonderfall" installations eventually used in many 1960s-vintage enclosed shopping centers. The shopping concourse was lighted by a series of antique copper and brass gas streetlamps, which had originally been used to illuminate London's Piccadilly Circus.
The first of several mall expansions was built in the mid-1960s. A 2-level (146,700 square foot) J.C. Penney was added to the east side of the complex and opened for business on September 14, 1966. This expanded the mall's gross leasable area to approximately 652,000 square feet. On November 23, 1966, the General Cinema Corporation South County Cinema showed its first feature. The venue re-opened, as the Cinema I & II, on October 22, 1976.
A second expansion of SOUTH COUNTY CENTER added a 2-level South Wing and 2-level (140,000 square foot), St. Louis-based Stix, Baer & Fuller. The Stix store opened its doors on February 8, 1980. Among fifty new South Wing stores were The County Seat, J. Riggings, Tinder Box Tobacconist, So-Fro Fabrics and Spencer Gifts.
The South Wing was built in a split-level configuration, with the mall's original Upper Level becoming a Middle Level. With the expansion, the complex covered approximately 902,000 leasable square feet and contained ninety-eight tenant spaces. SOUTH COUNTY CENTER was indeed fortunate in that it would never have any major shopping complex built within its immediate trade area.
The Stix store became the first SOUTH COUNTY anchor to receive a new nameplate. It was rebannered by Dillard's on August 8, 1985. An expansion, proposed in July 1990, would have added a new Dillard's and enlarged the mall to over 1 million leasable square feet. However, May Centers balked at a new 225,000 square foot Dillard's that would have been 17,000 square feet larger than their Famous-Barr store. As a result, this expansion was never carried out.
Ownership of SOUTH COUNTY CENTER changed in the early 1990s. A joint venture of Australia's Westfield, Des Moines' General Growth Properties and New York City's Whitehall Street Real Estate Limited Partnership acquired nineteen malls in six states; these owned by CentreMark Properties (a.k.a. May Centers). The deal closed in November 1993.
Ownership of SOUTH COUNTY CENTER changed in the early 1990s. A joint venture of Australia's Westfield, Des Moines' General Growth Properties and New York City's Whitehall Street Real Estate Limited Partnership acquired nineteen malls in six states; these owned by CentreMark Properties (a.k.a. May Centers). The deal closed in November 1993.
The joint venture divided up management of the malls, with Westfield's share including SOUTH COUNTY CENTER. They renamed it WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN SOUTH COUNTY in November 1998, shortening this to WESTFIELD SOUTH COUNTY in June 2005.
Meanwhile, a 200 million dollar makeover of the "functionally obsolete" mall had been proposed in October 1996. This project, which was to take advantage of 40 million dollars in tax increment financing, was halted by public opposition. A less ambitious (and expensive) redevelopment plan was devised, with its construction beginning in July of the year 2000.
Meanwhile, a 200 million dollar makeover of the "functionally obsolete" mall had been proposed in October 1996. This project, which was to take advantage of 40 million dollars in tax increment financing, was halted by public opposition. A less ambitious (and expensive) redevelopment plan was devised, with its construction beginning in July of the year 2000.
As part of the 54 million dollar project, a 2-level (117,500 square foot) Southwest Wing was added; this anchored by a 3-level (158,800 square foot) Sears. A 12-bay Food Court was also installed in existing space adjacent to J.C. Penney. Inline stores setting up shop in the new Southwest Wing included Petite Sophistocate, August Max Woman, Pacific Sunwear and Rave Girl. Sears held its grand opening on October 27, 2001. The mall in Mehlville now spanned approximately 1,158,300 leasable square feet and housed 120 stores and services.
Construction continued into 2004 and 2005, as the north-facing front of the mall was expanded and reworked into an exterior-entranced Streetscape. A (17,200 square foot) Borders Books opened in April 2004, followed by Lacefield Music, Noodles & Company and Qdoba Mexican Grill.
WESTFIELD SOUTH COUNTY changed hands in August 2007. It became a property of a joint venture between Westfield and Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates Properties. CBL would control the "investment vehicle." With this transaction, the official name of the shopping center reverted back to its original moniker, SOUTH COUNTY CENTER.
Dick's Sporting Goods built a freestanding store on a pad southwest of the mall. The 1-level (50,000 square foot) store held its grand opening on November 8, 2013. Sears pulled the proverbial plug on their store after nearly 17 years of operation. It went dark in September 2018.
Sources:
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
https://www.westfield.com
https://www.cblproperties.com / CBL & Associates Properties
https://www.shopsouthcounty.com
https://www.urbanstl.com
"South County Center" article on Wikipedia
