North Dakota's first mall-type shopping center was located in the western environs of Minot ["miy-not"]. It was anchored -on its north end- by a Tempo Discount Center.
Showing posts with label North Dakota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North Dakota. Show all posts
Tempo, a branch of Minneapolis' Gamble-Skogmo conglomerate, operated stores in the Midwestern and Mountain States. The chain debuted -in Montevideo, Minnesota- in March 1962. The ARROWHEAD CENTER unit, dedicated in May 1962, was the chain's second operational store.
Graphic from Gamble-Skogmo, Incorporated
The south end of ARROWHEAD CENTER was anchored by a Red Owl supermarket. This chain was also based in Minnesota, with stores located in the Upper Midwest.
Graphic from Red Owl Stores, Incorporated
In our first ARROWHEAD CENTER layout, we see a depiction of the complex as it stood in 1962. With just 70,000 leasable square feet, it would not qualify as a so-called "regional" shopping hub.
Photo from http://www.minotmemories.com
The first (and only) regional-class shopping hub in -or around- Minot was completed in 1980. DAKOTA SQUARE MALL originally encompassed over 400,000 leasable square feet.
Graphic from http://www.shopdakotasquare.com
Photo from http://www.iret.com (website on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
Photo from http://www.iret.com / Investors Real Estate Trust
Photo from http://www.iret.com / Investors Real Estate Trust
Photo from http://www.iretproperties.com / Investors Real Estate Trust
Our most current ARROWHEAD CENTER plan dates to 2017. At this time, the mall encompasses 91,500 leasable square feet and contains thirty-three tenant spaces. Free parking is provided for 439 autos.
ARROWHEAD CENTER TENANTS 2017:
MARKETPLACE FOODS / MARKETPLACE LIQUOR / ACE HARDWARE / Alliance Real Estate / American Family Insurance / Arrowhead Barbers / CDM Smith, Incorporated / Donovan Insurance Agency / Edward Jones Financial / Enbridge Energy / First International Bank & Trust (outparcel) / Karvakko Engineering / Minot Dental Partners / Modern Dental / North Dakota Department of Motor Vehicles / North Dakota Department of Transportation (Driver's License Bureau) / North Dakota Parole & Probation / Northland Medical Clinic / Pathfinder Services of North Dakota / Stantec Consulting / Thrivent Financial / North Dakota Workforce Safety & Insurance
In the here and now, most mall spaces are leased as medical, dental, government and real estate offices.
Photo from http://www.iret.com / Investors Real Estate Trust
16th Street Southwest and 2nd Avenue Southwest
Ward County (Minot), North Dakota
The first mall-type shopping center in the Peace Garden State was developed by Minot-based Forsberg, Incorporated. ARROWHEAD CENTER was built on an 9.4-acre parcel, located 1 mile west of downtown Minot, in an unincorporated section of Ward County. The shopping complex was eventually annexed into the city of Minot.
Encompassing approximately 69,500 leasable square feet, the mini-mall was a fully-enclosed structure. It was anchored by a (12,600 square foot) Red Owl supermarket and 1-level (30,800 square foot) Tempo Discount Center. This store welcomed first shoppers on May 16, 1962.
Stores operating in ARROWHEAD CENTER over the ensuing years included Arrowhead Record Discount Center, Arrowhead Drug, ABC Cleaners, a Ben Franklin variety store and Diamonds Department Store. In July 1974, the north anchor was rebranded with a Tempo Buckeye brand. This store had been shuttered by 1982.
Meanwhile, the Minot-based Investors Real Estate Trust acquired the complex in 1973. In 1976, a (10,500 square foot) Coast To Coast store was added to the south end of the complex. Piggly Wiggly took over the adjacent Red Owl space in 1982.
A second community-class shopping hub had been built some years before. TOWN & COUNTRY CENTER {1.2 miles southeast, in Ward County (Minot)} was dedicated in May 1964. The regional-class DAKOTA SQUARE {1.9 miles southeast, in Minot} opened in March 1980.
By the early 21st century, ARROWHEAD CENTER had evolved into a retail and office complex. It housed various medical and dental practices, but still included a few retail stores. MarketPlace Foods, of Bemidji, Minnesota, set up shop (in the old Tempo space) in 1981. Ace Hardware moved into a section of the old Coast To Coast store.
The mall encountered severe damage as a result of the flooding of the Souris ["sore-is"] River, in June 2011. 4.6 million dollars worth of repairs were done in the aftermath. Most businesses resumed operation in March 2012, with MarketPlace Foods & Liquor re-opening on April 4th.
The Investors Real Estate Trust (IRET) sold all of its retail holdings in the late 2010s and began to focus on owning and operating residential-type properties. ARROWHEAD CENTER was divested in mid-2019. Apparently, Minot-based Duemelands Commercial Real Estate acquired the shopping complex.
Sources:
http://www.minotmemories.com
https://www.bismarckcafe.com
http://www.iret.com / Investors Real Estate Trust (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.duemelands.com / Duemelands Commercial Real Estate
https://iret1970.wordpress.com
https://activerain.com/blogsview/5167748/a-tour-of-the-arrowhead-shopping-center--minot-nd
Grand Forks' South Forks Plaza
Before SOUTH FORKS PLAZA was completed, two small community-sized shopping centers had opened in North Dakota. ARROWHEAD CENTER {in Minot} was launched in 1962. Stores in Bismarck's NORTHBROOK CENTER (seen above) held grand openings in 1963.
Drawing and graphic from Forsberg, Incorporated
A Mid-Century Modern Sears anchored the north end of the complex, which was North Dakota's first regional-class shopping mall. SOUTH FORKS PLAZA was implemented in seven phases between 1964 and 1989.
Before SOUTH FORKS PLAZA was completed, two small community-sized shopping centers had opened in North Dakota. ARROWHEAD CENTER {in Minot} was launched in 1962. Stores in Bismarck's NORTHBROOK CENTER (seen above) held grand openings in 1963.
Drawing and graphic from Forsberg, Incorporated
SOUTH FORKS PLAZA originated with two structures that were not
connected. The southern section, completed in 1964, housed the
nation's first shopping-mall-anchor Kmart. The north section, finished
in 1965, was anchored by Sears.
A twin-screen cinema was added to the mall in the early '70s. The Midcontinent Plaza Twin Theatres 1 & 2 made its debut in early 1973.
Advert from https://www.cinematreasures.org
A vintage photo of SOUTH FORKS PLAZA, with its Kmart store on the far left. This snapshot was taken in 1974.
Photo from https://commons.und.edu / University of North Dakota Scholarly Commons
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
Here we see the Center Court area, that was completed as part of a 1973 expansion. This circa-2006 image also shows a few of the "turn of the 20th century" storefronts installed as part of a 2001 interior face lift.
Photo from www.labelscar.com / "Prange Way"
Meanwhile, in April 1999, the Hope Evangelical Covenant Church moved into their new sanctuary at the mall. It utilized the old South Forks Pavilion. The concept of a shopping mall church came about in the early '60s, when a sanctuary opened at Boston's NORTHSHORE CENTER. Mall churches were also installed in Philly's PLYMOUTH MEETING MALL and New Jersey's BERGEN MALL, to name a few.
Photo from http://jlgarchitects.com / JLG Architects
GRAND CITIES MALL TENANTS 2015:
KMART (with Garden Shop and Eatery Express) / Aaron Rents / American Tire South (outparcel) / Attractions Hair & Nail Salon / Barry's Collector's Corner / Bingo Palace / Burgraff's Ace Hardware / Century 21 Red River Realty / Cherished Moments / Christian Bookshelf / Correct Time / Cost Cutters / Del's Restaurant & Coffee Shop / Elegant Wedding & Limousine Service / Faith Presbyterian Church / Family Dollar / Fire Audiological Services (First Level and Second Story) / Forx Vacuum / GF Commodities / Hometown Auto Repair / Hope Covenant Church / IBM Corporation / Integrity Marketing (Second Story) / Jack's Shoes / Jacobson's Studio & Framing / Mary Glassner (Second Story) / Massage By Carla / Meadowbrook Furniture & Gifts / Nature's Country Store / North Dakota Ballet Company / Nick Lee Art (Second Story) / Nip & Tuck Sewing & Alterations / Noridian Health Care / North Dakota Department Of Motor Vehicles / O For Heaven's Cakes / Orton's Convenience Store & filling station / People Barbers / Plain & Fancy Antique Mall / Play It Again Sports & ConsignIt / Popplers Music / Precious Medals / Private Business (Second Story) / Raptor PCS / REM North Dakota / Rumors Bar, Grill & Casino / Service Shoe Shop / Shotgun Sally's Rock & Roll Saloon (outparcel) / Skip's Budget Drug (outparcel) / Stengl Cruise & Travel Sevice / Stengl Graphics / Thrive Church / Timeless Memories / Toucan International Market / University Federal Credit Union (outparcel) / Urban Village Design / Village Family Services
A 2010s view of GRAND CITIES MALL. The image spans from Big Kmart (on the left) over to Family Dollar and the Thrive Church (on the right).
Photo from http://www.grandcitiesmall.com
A new logo was introduced in 2020. At this time, GRAND CITIES MALL encompassed approximately 347,400 leasable square feet and contained thirty-eight stores and services.
Graphic from https://www.shopgrandcitiesmall.com
South Washington Street / US 81 and 17th Avenue South
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Which retail complex qualifies as the Peace Garden State's first shopping mall? Charter stores in Minot's ARROWHEAD CENTER were in business by May 1962. Bismarck's NORTHBROOK CENTER held its grand opening in April 1963. These community-class venues, both fully-enclosed, encompassed 69,500 and 72,900 leasable square feet, respectively.
A much larger shopping hub was being built in the city of Grand Forks in 1963. SOUTH FORKS PLAZA, a regional-class facility, would be anchored by a 1-level (71,000 square foot) Kmart and 1-level (50,000 square foot) Sears.
In essence, the entire ARROWHEAD CENTER mall could have fit inside the Kmart at SOUTH FORKS PLAZA with room to spare. If ARROWHEAD CENTER is to be considered the first enclosed shopping center in North Dakota, SOUTH FORKS PLAZA will qualify as the state's first regional-class, enclosed shopping center.
SOUTH FORKS PLAZA was built on a 40-acre parcel, located 1.5 miles southwest of downtown Grand Forks. It was developed by H. Grant Jensen and designed by the Grand Forks-based DeRemer, Harrie & Kennedy firm. Kmart, the first operational store, was dedicated on February 8, 1964. Sears commenced operation on October 8th.
The mall originally consisted of two sections, with their shopping concourses not connecting. Most stores had interior and exterior entries. Early tenants included Del's Coffee Shop, Leonard's Barber Shop, Stonegate Pets, Kinney Shoes and a Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio.
The complex was acquired by Denver's Century 21 Corporation in November 1969. They had plans to build a series of fully-enclosed, regional-class shopping hubs in the cities of Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks and Minot {North Dakota}, Aberdeen, Rapid City and Sioux Falls {South Dakota} and Fort Collins {Colorado}. Each of these eight complexes would be named CENTURY 21 MALL.
SOUTH FORKS PLAZA was to be renovated, making it more inline with the other prospective CENTURY 21 properties. A third anchor, rumored to be J.C. Penney, was going to be been added. Alas, only one of these shopping hubs ever came to fruition. The existing UNIVERSITY PLAZA mall, in Fort Collins, Colorado, was acquired in October 1969. It was renamed CENTURY 21 MALL in June 1970.
Eventually, the Century 21 mall concept was abandoned. Prospective sites were sold, with some being developed into shopping malls by other companies. SOUTH FORKS PLAZA would remain the same for a few years.
A twin-screen cinema was added to the mall in the early 1970s. The Midcontinent Theatres Plaza Twin Theatres 1 & 2 showed first features on January 26, 1973. In November, the two separate mall sections re-opened as a single structure. A second phase addition was completed in 1974. The complex now encompassed approximately 275,200 leasable square feet.
A formidable rival came on the scene in August 1978. The Dayton-Hudson Corporation's COLUMBIA MALL was built 1 mile southwest of SOUTH FORKS PLAZA. Housing 571,800 leasable square feet, COLUMBIA MALL was quickly established as the preeminent mall in the region, relegating the SOUTH FORKS property to second-class status.
A 51,000 square foot addition was built onto SOUTH FORKS PLAZA in 1989. South Forks Pavilion was a convention facility that hosted shows, concerts and pageants. The next enlargement was completed in 1991. Kmart was expanded into a Big Kmart store, increasing its area to 95,000 square feet. The mall now encompassed approximately 351,400 leasable square feet.
Rumors about the SOUTH FORKS PLAZA Sears moving to COLUMBIA MALL surfaced in early 1988. However, the SOUTH FORKS store was remodeled between May and September, putting the rumors to rest....for the time being.
Eventually, the stories were confirmed. Sears opened its new COLUMBIA MALL store on August 12, 2000. The old location at SOUTH FORKS PLAZA was subdivided into five tenant spaces, with the largest being a (31,000 square foot), a Columbus, Ohio-based Big Lots. This store welcomed first shoppers in mid-2002. Adjacent to Big Lots were North Dakota Ballet Company, Family Dollar, Zimmerman's Furniture and Aaron's.
SOUTH FORKS PLAZA had changed hands in January 1996. Its new owners were the Chattanooga-based Provident Life & Accident Insurance Company. They flipped the property in June 1997, with the new proprietor being Denver-based J. Herzog & Sons. Herzog completed a face lift renovation in May 1998. As part of this project, interior walls were painted, with new lighting, flooring and a Center Court gazebo installed.
A local congregation, the Hope Evangelical Covenant Church, had opened a temporary sanctuary in the mall in October 1995. After the shuttering of the South Forks Pavilion, they purchased it and converted it into a (50,000 square foot) house of worship, which was dedicated in April 1999.
A 250 thousand dollar renovation revamped the interior of the shopping complex with "turn of the 20th century" storefronts. A carousel was also installed in Center Court. As a facet of the remodeling, the name of the facility was changed to GRAND CITIES MALL in August 2001.
On May 15, 2007, the GRAND CITIES MALL Big Lots closed for good. The space was divided between two tenants. Play It Again Sport commenced operation in 2009, followed by ConsignIt Home Furnishings, which began business in March 2010.
The Hope Evangelical Covenant Church acquired GRAND CITIES MALL in March 2015. The congregation decided to maintain the mall's function as a retail center for the foreseeable future, with the intention of expanding church facilities into some of the vacant selling space. Plans were made for the establishment of daycare, pre-school and adult education centers. Church offices were also moved into the mall.
Play It Again Sports and ConsignIt relocated into smaller storefronts in May 2015. This provided space for a new Popplers Music store. It opened for business in July 2015. The mall's original anchor store -Kmart- pulled up stakes in March 2019, after over 55 years in business. The vacant store was divided into eight spaces. Businesses opening in the former Kmart included Hometown Auto Repair, Midtown Marketplace, Lifestyle Storage and the Rydell Toy Shop.
Sources:
The Grand Forks Herald
https://www.grandforkscity.northdakotaassessors.com / Grand Forks, North Dakota
http://www.jherzog.com / J. Herzog & Sons, Incorporated
http://www.hopecovenantchurch.org
http://www.bismarckpride.com
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
https://www.shopgrandcitiesmall.com
"Grand Cities Mall" article on Wikipedia
COLUMBIA MALL TENANTS 1979:
DAYTON'S / J.C. PENNEY (with Beauty Salon, Portrait Studio and attached Auto Center) / TARGET (with snack bar) / B. Dalton Bookseller / Baker's Shoes / The Better Half / The Body Shop / Braun's / Bridget's / Brooks / Buttreys Drug / Capezio / Cargo 360 / Casual Corner / Churchill's Florsheim Shoes / Claire's Boutique / County Seat / Craft World / Designs Unlimited / Evenson Hallmark / Fanny Farmer Candies / Footlocker / Foxmoor Casuals / The Great Hotdog Experience / Helzberg Diamonds / Herberger's / Hickory Farms of Ohio / International Restaurant / Jeans West / Joyce Selby / Kids / Kinney Shoes / Morrow's Nut House / Naturalizer Shoes / Nutrition World / Orange Julius / Poppler's / Rings 'N Things / Ruetell's Clothing / Seeger's Fashion Center / Serendipity / Shirley's Maternity / Shirt Works / So-Fro Fabrics / Spencer Gifts / Squash Blossom / Stevenson's / Straus / Strausbaugh's / Stuart's / Susie's Casuals / Team Electronics / Thom McAn Shoes / Town & Country / Wayne David Jewelers / Young America
The original south anchor store at COLUMBIA MALL was this 99,100 square foot Dayton's. It opened -along with the mall- in August 1978.
Photo from Craig Gustafason
This snapshot was taken during the store's 5-year stint as a Marshall Field's.
Photo from "MatchboxND"
Photo from www.gkdevelopment.com / GK Development
A view of the mall entrance of J.C. Penney. This store, anchoring the east end of COLUMBIA MALL, was dedicated in August 1978.
Photo from "MatchBoxND"
The COLUMBIA MALL Sears opened its doors in August of the year 2000. It presided over the mall's north end and was a relocation of a store that had opened, at the SOUTH FORKS PLAZA mall, in October 1964.
Photo from www.petersonconstruction.com
The mall featured four operational anchors for a brief period in the early 2000s. Sears joined the fold in 2000, only to have Target pull up stakes in 2001. The first eateries in the Dakota Cafe Food Court (medium gray) opened for business in late 2005.
COLUMBIA MALL had four operational anchors (again) between mid-2014 and early 2017. An empty Target had been retenanted by Scheels All Sports. The shuttering of Macy's (which had assumed the Marshall Field's spot in 2006) resulted in the vacancy of the south anchor. With Sears' late 2018 closing, the mall was left with two vacant anchor spaces.
A contemporary view of the southwest mall entrance, which provides access to the Dakota Cafe Food Court.
Photo from https://www.gk-re.com / GK Real Estate
A bird's-eye view of COLUMBIA MALL shows peripheral structures that surround the complex. These include Ross Dress for Less, PetSmart, Wells Fargo Bank, Bremer Bank, McDonald's, Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse, Office Max and the Mall View Apartments.
Photo from https://www.gk-re.com / GK Real Estate
COLUMBIA MALL
32nd Avenue South and South Columbia Road
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Sources:
https://www.grandforkscity.northdakotaassessors.com / Grand Forks, North Dakota
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.shopcolumbiamall.com
http://www.gkdevelopment.com / GK Development
32nd Avenue South and South Columbia Road
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Minneapolis' Dayton-Hudson Corporation opened its first shopping-mall-connected Target in 1978. The discount store was one of three anchors at North Dakota's COLUMBIA MALL, which was a Dayton-Hudson development.
The single-level center was built on 62.2 acres, located 2.6 miles southwest of downtown Grand Forks. The mall's official grand opening took place on August 2, 1978. At this time, the shopping hub encompassed approximately 571,800 leasable square feet and housed fifty-three inline stores and services.
In addition to its 1-level (120,300 square foot) Target, COLUMBIA MALL was anchored by a 1-level (99,100 square foot) Dayton's department store and 1-level (101,800 square foot) J.C. Penney. Charter tenants in the 20 million dollar venue included Buttrey's Drug, County Seat, Foxmoor Casuals, Seeger's Fashion Center and a boutique-type, St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Herberger's.
The Plitt Theatres Columbia Mall 4 was built as a southwestern outparcel of the mall. The venue opened on October 21, 1983. It became a Cineplex Odeon operation in 1985 and was sold to Midcontinent Theatres in 1986. Carmike Cinemas acquired the four-plex in September 1995. It closed for good in October 2008. The building was demolished in 2011 and replaced by an Olive Garden restaurant.
For several years, the only commercial competitor of COLUMBIA MALL was SOUTH FORKS PLAZA (1964) {1.2 mile northeast, also in Grand Forks}. This retail hub was renamed GRAND CITIES MALL in August 2001.
The only physical expansion ever done at COLUMBIA MALL involved the addition of Sears. The 1-level (108,400 square foot) store, which moved from a 50,000 square foot location at SOUTH FORKS PLAZA, opened on August 12, 2000.
This addition increased the gross leasable area of COLUMBIA MALL to approximately 680,200 square feet. The Sears construction project was accompanied by a 925 thousand dollar face lift, which included new flooring, restrooms and an update of the mall's exterior.
Soon after the renovation was completed, a new rival was dedicated. GRAND FORKS MARKETPLACE {.3 of a mile southwest} snatched Target from COLUMBIA MALL. The new store opened on March 7, 2001. The next anchor alteration at COLUMBIA MALL occurred early in August 2001, when Dayton's was rebranded as a Chicago-based Marshall Field's. This store morphed into a Macy's on September 9, 2006.
Barrington, Illinois-based GK development acquired COLUMBIA MALL in April 2004. A 2.5 million dollar rehab of the property was soon in the works. A new Children's Play Area (in the old Target Court) was dedicated in August 2005. The 7-bay, Dakota Cafe Food Court was installed in existing mall space. The culinary complex opened for business on November 3, 2005. There was talk of a 12-screen multiplex, that would have replaced the vacant Target. However, this theater never materialized.
News surfaced in 2013 indicating that Fargo, North Dakota's Scheels All Sports chain had plans to renovate the old Target building and open a 1-level (120,000 square foot) store. The official grand opening was held on June 28, 2014.
By the late 2010s, an "anchors away" procession was underway at COLUMBIA MALL. Macy's shuttered their store on March 26, 2017. Sears went dark on September 6, 2018. In February 2020, GK Development morphed into GK Real Estate.
https://www.grandforkscity.northdakotaassessors.com / Grand Forks, North Dakota
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://www.shopcolumbiamall.com
http://www.gkdevelopment.com / GK Development
https://www.gk-re.com / GK Real Estate
https://dakotastudent.com
https://thediwire.com
"Columbia Mall" article on Wikipedia
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