Grand Avenue and 15th Street West
Billings, Montana
Montana's very first climate-controlled shopping mall was developed by Boise's Joseph Albert Albertson, under the auspices of Calsco, Incorporated. The prospective shopping hub was a vehicle for three retail chain's that Mr. Albertson owned and operated; Albertsons Food Centers, Albertsons Drug Centers and Albertsons Suburban department stores.
Originally proposed as the PARTINGTON VILLAGE CENTER, the complex was designed by Billing's C. Ed Trout. It was built on 19.6 acres, located 1.8 miles west of center city Billings, in the Partington Park section of the city. In its original state, the mall encompassed around 289,000 leasable square feet and housed thirty stores and services.
The first operational tenant, a (60,000 square foot) Albertsons Food & Drug Center, opened for business on November 3, 1959. The (26,500 square foot) Jubilee Bowling Lanes welcomed first customers on November 14th.
Ground was broken for the mall section on June 15, 1960; this added to the east side of Albertsons. By December of the year, the official name of the shopping hub had been changed to WEST PARK PLAZA.
Montana's very first climate-controlled shopping mall was developed by Boise's Joseph Albert Albertson, under the auspices of Calsco, Incorporated. The prospective shopping hub was a vehicle for three retail chain's that Mr. Albertson owned and operated; Albertsons Food Centers, Albertsons Drug Centers and Albertsons Suburban department stores.
Originally proposed as the PARTINGTON VILLAGE CENTER, the complex was designed by Billing's C. Ed Trout. It was built on 19.6 acres, located 1.8 miles west of center city Billings, in the Partington Park section of the city. In its original state, the mall encompassed around 289,000 leasable square feet and housed thirty stores and services.
The first operational tenant, a (60,000 square foot) Albertsons Food & Drug Center, opened for business on November 3, 1959. The (26,500 square foot) Jubilee Bowling Lanes welcomed first customers on November 14th.
Ground was broken for the mall section on June 15, 1960; this added to the east side of Albertsons. By December of the year, the official name of the shopping hub had been changed to WEST PARK PLAZA.
A 1-level (75,400 square foot) Sears opened its doors on May 18, 1961. Charter stores included Schiff Shoes, an ABC Kiddie's Store, K-G Men's Store, Davis Fabric Center, Albertsons Suburban junior department store and (28,000 square foot) S.S. Kresge 5 & 10. A mall-wide grand opening was held on June 1, 1961.
For its first 14 years in business, WEST PARK PLAZA did not have a regional-class rival in its trade area. Competition came with the September 1975 dedication of RIMROCK MALL {1.6 miles southwest, in Billings}.
WEST PARK PLAZA was given a face lift-type renovation in 1975. A second, more involved, remodeling commenced in 1985. Seattle's John Graham, Junior designed a 54,000 square foot addition to the north side of the mall. As part of the 10 million dollar project, half of the inline store section of the complex was demolished and rebuilt.
New entrances were created, with several skylights installed over shopping concourses. The site was re-landscaped and a new brick facade now covered the entire exterior. The reconfigured shopping center enveloped fifty-two tenant spaces and included the 7-bay Food Circus food court. A large Centre Court statue was sculpted by Jerad Tsutakawa.
The official grand opening of the new North Wing commenced on August 1, 1986. New mall stores included Fashion Crossroads, World Bazaar, Hatch's Cards & Gifts, Red Robin family restaurant and Ben Franklin Crafts.
A few major changes were made at the mall around the turn of the 21st century. The complex was sold to the American Capital Group, of California and Colorado, in April 1998. The Albertsons Food Center was sold to Salt Lake City's Smith's Food & Drug, in August 1998. By November of the year, Smith's had rebranded the store.
Amarillo's Hastings Books, Music & Video opened a mall store on November 11, 1999. This would be the first Hastings store to operate in WEST PARK PLAZA. Ben Franklin Crafts was replaced by a 24-Hour Fitness facility, which welcomed first members in May of 2000. 24-Hour Fitness morphed into an Oz Fitness gym in 2004.
Meanwhile, two new shopping complexes were being developed in Billings. SHILOH CROSSING {3.4 miles southeast of WEST PARK PLAZA} opened, as the region's first lifestyle center, in October 2008. The first stores in BILLINGS TOWN SQUARE {2.5 miles southeast} were dedicated in May 2009.
By the late 2000s, WEST PARK PLAZA was in need of a major renovation in order to remain competitive. Bob McDonald, a Washington State developer, established a joint venture with a silent partner. They acquired the shopping hub in the fall of 2008. A demalling plan was drawn up.
A wide boulevard, the "16th Street Promenade", was to be cut through the center of the structure. Everything would be reconfigured in an open-air format, with all stores having exterior entries. Work got underway on the 13 million dollar project on June 24, 2009. One of the first operational tenants was a relocated Hastings. It moved into a (40,000 square foot) section of the old Albertsons Food Center. The new Hastings was dedicated on November 11, 2009.
When the demalling was completed, WEST PARK PLAZA housed twenty tenants. These included Apricot Lane ladies' wear, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Time Out Sports and the outparcel Shooters Sports Bar, Grill & Casino.
By May 2011, the official name of the complex had been changed to WEST PARK PROMENADE. A second stage demalling removed additional sections of the original mall in July 2013. The complex now covered approximately 176,100 leasable square feet.
A (26,400 square foot) Lucky's Market was in business between March 2014 and February 2020. Avenue C, a building housing 126 high-end, luxury apartments, was built on the northwest corner of the mall site. The complex opened for rentals in January 2017. Sears, a 1961 charter anchor, pulled up stakes in September 2018.
Sources:
The Billings Gazette
http://www.helenair.com
http://www.crexi.com
http://www.newsbreak.com
http://www.yellowstonefitness.com
http://www.krtv.com / KRTV Great Falls, Montana
