Omaha's Westroads Center

First came CROSSROADS, then SOUTHROADS. The third of Omaha's "Roads" malls was developed in the city's western environs. WESTROADS CENTER opened, in January 1968, as the largest retail hub in the Corn Husker State. The mall's original logo promoted the complex as America's 8th Largest Shopping Center. 

Graphic from Wiebe Enterprises

The heart of WESTROADS was known as Central Park. This lushly landscaped court, underneath an "Astrodome" skylight, was 2-stories high. The mall entrance of the Kilpatrick's department store faced the area.

Drawing from Wiebe Enterprises 

Our first WESTROADS plan dates to the earlier part of 1969. At this time, the mall was a 2-level (with basement), tri-anchor shopping center of around 983,400 leasable square feet. There were around eighty stores and services and 45 acres of free parking. One might note that the complex is located in Douglas County, Nebraska. It was annexed into The Big O in May 1969.

One of the primary features at WESTROADS was it Six West Theatres, which was the nation's first 6-screen shopping mall multiplex. The venue opened for business in January 1969. The adjacent Fox Westroads Theatre -a single-screen operation- had been dedicated in November 1967.

J.C. Penney opened a WESTROADS location in August 1967. It was said that the store offered everything from mini-skirts to an electronic diagnosis of automobile engines. Encompassing 184,000 square feet, the Dynamic, New, Complete Penneys included a Coffee Shoppe, Pet Shop, Western Shop and Lawn & Garden Department.

Graphic from the J.C. Penney Company

The shopping concourses at the original mall were named after several European locales and American cities. There was a Westminster Mall, Italia Mall, Alpine Mall and Normandy Mall, to name a few. These were linked by various Lanes, i.e., Maiden, Petticoat, Edelweiss, etcetera. All sixteen are indicated on the diagram above. 

The basement floor, or Lower Level, was not fully tenanted until 1971. At this time, it housed the Westroads Dinner Theatre, a cocktail lounge, nightclub, Community Room and various stores and offices.

Omaha-based Brandeis established a 4-level -80,000 square foot- branch at WESTROADS CENTER. This was installed in an unfinished Northwest Wing. The store opened in October 1972.

Drawing from J.L. Brandeis & Sons

A site plan from 1977 shows the recently-added Brandeis branch. The mall's first anchor nameplate change rebranded the center department store under a Younker-Kilpatricks banner. The mall's Fox theater has also been split into and renamed the Fox Twin. With these -and other- modifications, the mall enclosed 157 stores and services. 

  

By 1991, the Grand Cafe Food Court has been built in an abandoned sporting goods store (originally a supermarket). Brandeis closed after that chain was absorbed by Younkers, in 1987. The store operated as a Younkers West specialty store, which closed in June 1990. Theatrically speaking, the Fox Twin has merged with the Six West across the way. The combined venues are now known as the Westroads 8.

A fourth WESTROADS anchor -a branch of Iowa's Von Maur chain- opened for business in August 1995. The 3-level store encompassed 179,100 square feet.
Photo from Dan Olson

By 2001, the complex has been sold to General Growth Properties and renamed WESTROADS MALL. It has also been substantially renovated. In addition to Von Maur, there is a new The Jones Store, which took over a vacant "Monkey Wards." WESTROADS now spans approximately 1,078,700 leasable square feet and houses around 140 stores. There is free parking for 5,100 autos.

WESTROADS MALL TENANTS 2001:

J.C. PENNEY (with Styling Salon, Optical Department and Portrait Studio) / THE JONES STORE / VON MAUR / YOUNKERS (with Hair Salon) / Aerosoles shoes / Afternoon, Incorporated / Afterthought Boutique / American Eagle Outfitters / Amigos / Amy's Jewelers / Art Plus / Ashley Avery's Collectables / August Max Woman ladies' wear / B. Dalton Bookseller / Bank Of Waterloo ATM / Batteries & Bands (kiosk) / Between Friends / Brodkey's Jewelers / Car-Lene Research / Casual Corner ladies' wear / Champs Sports / Claire's Boutique accessories / Dakota Watch Company (kiosk) / David's Briar Shoppe / Easy Spirit / Eyemasters / Famous Footwear / Fan Shop / Finish Line / First Westroads Bank (outparcel) / First Westroads Bank ATM (kiosk) / Foot Locker / Fred Meyer Jewelers / GNC / Gloria Jean's Coffee Bean / Godiva Chocolatier / Goodtimes Cards & Gifts / Gordon's Jewelers / Gymboree children's wear / Hallmark Creations / Helzberg Diamonds / His Choice / Hot Topic apparel / It's A Small World / Journeys shoes / Kay Jewelers / Kay-Bee Toys / Lady Foot Locker / Landmark Luggage & Gifts / Lids hats / Limited Express ladies' wear / Mastercuts / Merle Norman Cosmetics / Munchville / New Realities / Northern Reflections ladies' wear / Old Navy apparel / Omaha Steakshop / Overland Trading Company shoes / Pacific Sunwear apparel / Panera Bread / PayLess ShoeSource / Pearle Vision Center / Petite Sophistocate ladies' wear / Piercing Pagoda (kiosk) / Portaits  Now / Pretzel Time / Pro Motorsports / Radio Shack / Regis Hairstylists / Remington Shavers & Knives / Ritz Camera One-Hour Photo / Rogers Jewelers / Romano's Macaroni Grill (outparcel) / Rue 21 ladies' wear / Sam Goody Music / Select Comfort / Software Etcetera / Spencer  Gifts / Sports Fantastic / Sportsmen's Authentic / Stride-Rite shoes / Suncoast Pictures video / Sunglass Hut / Sunglass Source / TGI Friday restaurant / The Body Shop cosmetics / The Cookie Factory Bakery / The Disney Store / The Icing accessories / The Pro Image / Things Remembered / Tilt video Arcade / Too, Incorporated ladies' wear / Trade Secret / Tropic Sun Fruit & Nut / U A Nails / Vanity ladies' wear / Vitamin World / Waldenbooks / Warner Brothers Studio Store / Whitehall Company Jewelers / Wilson's The Leather Experts / Wolf Brothers Western Store / Yankee Candle Company / Zales Jewelers

GRAND CAFE FOOD COURT:

1 Potato 2 / Arby's roast beef / Burger King / Cajuin Cafe & Grill / Cinnabon / Great Steak & Fry Company / Imperial Palace Express / Orange Julius - Dairy Queen / Runza Fresh Daily / The Original Cookie Company / Popeye's Express Chicken / Sbarro the Italian Eatery 

Originally built as a Galyan's Trading Company, this store opened in August 2003. It was rebranded by Dick's Sporting Goods in October 2004.
Photo from Wikipedia / "JonClee86"

A Bing's-eye view of WESTROADS from around 2006. This was right before the shopping center's north anchor store was reconstructed.
Photo from www.bing.com

The Rave Cinemas Westroads 14 was completed in November 2008. It became an AMC venue in 2012.
Photo from Wikipedia / "JonClee86"

In 2003, Younkers moved over to a vacant The Jones Store spot. By 2016, the north facade of the mall has been rebuilt. There are now a Dick's Sporting Goods, Rave megaplex and Flagship Commons Food Hall. With these modifications, the shopping center encompasses approximately 1,045,800 leasable square feet and contains 122 stores under its roof.

The Flagship Commons Food Hall replaced the mall's original culinary complex in late 2015. The new 8-bay facility was installed in existing space on the northwest corner of the shopping center. It featured bistros such as Blatt Beer & Table, Aromas Coffee House, Weirdough Pizza Company and Clever Greens.
Photo from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

WESTROADS CENTER
West Dodge Road / US 6 and North 96th Street
Douglas County (Omaha), Nebraska

Omaha's John A. Wiebe ["Wee-bee"] developed the first fully-enclosed shopping complex in the Corn Husker State. THE CENTER, located southwest of Omaha's Central Business District, was a small, community-class venue of 200,000 leasable square feet that opened for business in October 1955. 

The real estate arm of the Omaha-based J.L. Brandeis & Sons department store chain opened the regional-class CROSSROADS CENTER, the first of the city's "roads" malls, in September 1960. They followed with SOUTHROADS CENTER, in October 1966. John Wiebe developed the third, and final, "Roads" complex. 

Grading work commenced at a 58.5-acre site, located 6 miles west of downtown Omaha, in July 1965. At the time, the land parcel was in an unincorporated section of Douglas County. Construction was underway by the spring of 1966. The mall proper of WESTROADS CENTER was designed by Stanley J. How & Associates, Incorporated. The west anchor was plotted by James H. Johnson & Associates, with the east designed by the Leo A. Daly Company. 

WESTROADS CENTER encompassed three floors; the Lower Level (or basement), First Level and Second Level. The two Second Level concourses included cut-out areas on their north and south sides, which allowed shoppers to look onto the concourse below. Bridges connected Second Level store entries with main floor sections. 

The 25 million dollar WESTROADS complex covered approximately 983,400 leasable square feet. It was anchored by three department stores. A 2-level (148,300 square foot) Montgomery Ward became the first operational tenant on March 31, 1967. A 2-level (184,000 square foot) J.C. Penney held its grand opening on August 2, 1967. The final charter anchor was a 2-level (150,000 square foot), Omaha-based Kilpatrick's, which welcomed first shoppers on February 1, 1968.

Fully-enclosed, the mall concourse was opened to the public on January 28, 1968, with an official dedication commencing on August 14th. Participants at the 4-day celebration enjoyed an antique car display, "Wonderful Land of Oz" mock-up and continuous music and entertainment. Local radio stations did remote broadcasts. As part of the festivities, sixty-eight stores and services opened their doors.    

Shopping concourses at WESTROADS were decorated with an international flair. Appropriate names were also given to each. Westminster Mall featured Olde English decor, while the Normandy Mall was decidedly Parisienne. Italia Mall reflected an Apennine ambience, while the Alpine Mall reminded one of Switzerland. Central Park -the center court area- featured a large Clock Tower. In all, there were sixteen designated areas, with names such as Boston Mall, New York Mall, San Francisco Mall, Maiden Lane, Cortina Lane and Petticoat Lane. The original WESTROADS also had a rooftop heliport. 

Junior anchors of the original mall were as follows; Hinky Dinky's (15,200 square foot) supermarket was dedicated on November 29, 1967. A 1-level (42,500 square foot) J.G. McCrory 5 & 10 opened its doors on July 18, 1968, while a (14,400 square foot) Bishop Buffet cafeteria welcomed its first diners on August 10, 1968. By October 1968, WESTROADS CENTER housed seventy-two stores and services. 

The National General Corporation Fox Westroads Theatre had opened November 12, 1967. It was reconfigured with 2 screens in 1977 and renamed the Fox Twin. The second mall movie house, the American Multi-Cinema Six West Theatres, was the nation's first in-mall 6-plex. It showed its first features on January 22, 1969.

The two movie houses were situated adjacent to one another, in the northeast corner of the mall. The Fox venue had an exterior entry, with the 6-plex connecting into the interior mallway. The Fox theater was acquired by AMC in December 1983 and merged with the 6-plex. The combined cinemas were promoted as the AMC Westroads 6 & 2 and then as the Westroads 8.

An Omaha-based Brandeis was added to WESTROADS CENTER. The 4-level (80,000 square foot) store, filling unfinished mall space in the northwest corner, opened for business on October 2, 1972. Another area of the mall was also gradually completed and leased. The Lower Level came to fruition with the dedication of the Round Dinner Playhouse Westroads Dinner Theatre. 

This live performance venue opened for business on September 1, 1970. Soon after, adjacent Lower Level space was utilized for Liberty Square, a mall-within-a-mall. This mini-complex was dedicated on November 21, 1975. Some of the fifteen original Liberty Square stores were The Engravery, Quiet Eagle Jewelry, Plant Place, A Pot Shoppe and House of Time. WESTROADS CENTER now contained 157 stores and services. 

Major shopping hubs in the WESTROADS trade area included the aforementioned CROSSROADS CENTER (1961) {2 miles east, in Omaha} and SOUTHROADS CENTER (1966) {9.4 miles southeast, in Bellevue}. Eventually, there was OAK VIEW MALL (1991) {4 miles southwest, also in Omaha}.

The first anchor nameplate change at WESTROADS CENTER involved Kilpatrick's. The chain had been acquired by Des Moines-based Younkers in 1961. Although operated as a (quote-unquote) Younker-Kilpatrick's, the WESTROADS store sported a Kilpatrick's nameplate. By the late 1970s, it was promoted with a Younker-Kilpatricks brand. 

A 2 million dollar renovation commenced in the summer of 1981. Younker-Kilpatricks expanded into adjacent space, which had been occupied by McCrory's. Several amenities were added, such as the Peacock Restaurant, David's Cookies and a delicatessen. The refurbished store, now known as simply Younkers, was re-dedicated on August 22, 1982. It encompassed 171,600 square feet.

The Brandeis chain was acquired by Younkers in the late 1980s. The WESTROADS Brandeis was refashioned into the Younkers West specialty store, which opened on August 5, 1987. The main store became Younkers East. 

In February 1990, the next WESTROADS renovation got underway. During this 16 million dollar project, interior spaces were remodeled. A vacant Younkers West was reconfigured as inline store spaces and a building, previously housing Hinky Dinky and then United Sporting Goods, was repurposed. The 12-bay Grand Cafe Food Court opened for business on May 30, 1991. Vendors included Original Cookie Company, Imperial Palace Express, Orange Julius-Dairy Queen and Great Steak & Fry Company.

Work on a fifth mall anchor commenced in 1994. A 3-level (179,100 square foot), Davenport-based Von Maur was included as part of a twenty-two store South Wing. The new department store opened its doors on August 5, 1995.

Ownership of the shopping hub had changed in March 1977, when the Prudential Insurance Company became its new proprietor. WESTROADS CENTER was sold again in July 1997. Chicago's General Growth Properties and Montreal's Ivanhoe Cambridge acquired the complex in a joint venture. Soon after, the official name of the complex was changed to WESTROADS MALL. 

In November 1997, Montgomery Ward was shuttered. Kansas City, Missouri-based The Jones Store bought the vacant structure, gutted and remodeled it, and opened for business on October 8, 1999. The mall now encompassed approximately 1,078,700 leasable square feet. The multiplex cinema, shuttered in 1997, was demolished. It was replaced by a 2-level (84,000 square foot) Galyan's Trading Company, which opened on August 31, 2003. A parking garage had also been added to the existing Penney's. The Galyan's store was rebranded by Dick's Sporting Goods in October 2004.

The Jones Store closed on August 25, 2003. Younkers moved in and opened on October 12th. The next alterations at WESTROADS were done in the southwest and northwest parking areas. Three freestanding restaurants were built. P.F. Chang's China Bistro was inaugurated on September 2, 2002. Granite City Food & Brewery followed, on October 10, 2006, with Cheesecake Factory making its debut on November 1 of the same year.

Now we come to the tragic part of the WESTROADS story. On December 5, 2007, a deranged individual, bent on becoming famous, instead became INfamous when he entered the Von Maur store with an assault rifle, killed eight and wounded five.

Von Maur and WESTROADS MALL persevered.

The vacant Kilpatrick's-Younkers was gutted and reconfigured as the Rave Cinemas Westroads 14 megaplex. The new cinema made its debut on November 14, 2008. The Grand Cafe Food Court was replaced by the 8-bay Flagship Commons Food Hall in late 2015. This was installed in existing mall space, in the northwest corner of the complex.

As the new Food Hall opened, eateries in the old Grand Cafe were shuttered. Some relocated into the new Food Hall, others found space within the mall. The vacant Grand Cafe space was gutted and rebuilt as a (25,000 square foot) The Container Store, which welcomed its first shoppers on October 22, 2016.

WESTROADS MALL now encompassed 1,045,800 leasable square feet and housed 122 stores and services. The complex faced a major vacancy when Younkers, a mall anchor since 1982, was shuttered. The store -and chain- were liquidated as part of the 2018 Bon Ton Stores bankruptcy.

Brookfield Property Partners, based in Hamilton, Bermuda, acquired a share of General Growth Properties in 2016. In August 2018, Brookfield established 100 percent ownership of the corporation. As a result, WESTROADS MALL became part of the Brookfield retail center portfolio.

Sources:

The Omaha World Herald
https://assessor.douglascounty-ne.gov / Douglas County, Nebraska
https://myomahaobsession.com

http://www.generalgrowth.com / General Growth Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.cinematreasures.org

https://www.westroadsmall.com 
"Westroads Mall" article on Wikipedia

Omaha's The Crossroads 

The first stores in America's sixth fully-enclosed shopping mall opened in September 1960. THE CROSSROADS was the first of Omaha's "Roads" malls. SOUTHROADS opened in 1966, with WESTROADS coming into the fold in 1967-1968. Btw, no EASTROADS or NORTHROADS malls would ever be developed.

Photo from the Dunlap-Henline Company

In 1961, THE CROSSROADS spanned around 590,000 leasable square feet. The dumbell plan mall housed around twenty-four stores and provided free parking for 3,500 autos.

THE CROSSROADS TENANTS 1961:

J.L. BRANDEIS & SON (with Maison Lorenzo Beauty Salon, Crossroads Room Restaurant, Snack Bar and Budget Store) / SEARS (with Peggy Kellogg Snack-ette and freestanding Auto Center ) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Andes Candies / Babytown Children's Department Store / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Bostonian Shoes / Byron Reed Company Real Estate Brokers / Calandra's Hallmark Card & Party Shop / Cook's Paints / Corbaley Shoes / Dresher's Dry Cleaning / First West Side Bank / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Haney's Shoes / Goldstein Chapman's apparel / Herzbergs ladies' wear / Musicland / Natelsons ladies' wear / Occidental Building & Loan Company / Paris Hats / Sol Lewis Company Home Appliances / The Nebraska Clothing Company ladies' & men's wear / The Spot Snack Bar / Stardust Lounge / Walgreen Drug / Walgreen Grill 

A cross-section of the original mall. Its stores opened on an east-west "Arcade," which ran between two tri-level anchors. The basement beneath The Arcade included a truck tunnel, loading docks, a small shopping concourse and basements for Woolworth's, Sol Lewis Company, Cook Paint & Varnish Company and The Nebraska Company.
Click on image for a larger view

A vintage photo of the CROSSROADS Brandeis. It operated under that nameplate for over 26 years. The store was rebranded, by Iowa's Younkers chain, in August 1987.
Photo from the Dunlap-Henline Company

The Center Court, fountain and sculpture of the CROSSROADS Brandeis.
Photo courtesy of the Bostwick-Frohardt/KM3TV Photography Collection at The Durham Museum Photo Archive

The other well-known Arkansas-based retailer opened a CROSSROADS location in August 1988. It was the first newly-built Dillard's store in Nebraska.
Photo from Douglas County, Nebraska 

Between 1986 and 1988, CROSSROADS MALL was given a 40 million dollar expansion and renovation. The aforementioned Dillard's came on board as a third anchor. Moreover, a partial Upper Level and Food Court were installed and multilevel parking garage built. The shopping facility now encompassed around 969,500 leasable square feet and contained ninety-eight tenant spaces.

The roof of the complex was enclosed with a Teflon tent structure, similar to those at Little Rock's UNIVERSITY MALL, Miami's MALL AT 163rd STREET, Houston's TOWN & COUNTRY MALL and Ventura, California's BUENAVENTURA CENTER.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Mistress Courtney"

A circa-2006 physical layout shows the orientation of a new Target. By this time, the mall was in a downward spiral. Its Dillard's would soon be demoted to a Clearance Center...and then be shuttered. Only fifty-eight store spaces -out of ninety-eight- are currently occupied.

CROSSROADS MALL TENANTS 2006:

DILLARD'S / SEARS (with freestanding Auto Center) / TARGET / AfterHours Formalwear / Airbrush by Brian / American Greetings / Amy's Hallmark / Barnes & Noble Booksellers / Bath & Body Works / Batteries & Bands / Children's Fashions / Chili's Grill & Bar / Claire's Etetera / Crossroads Hairstylists / Deb Shops / EyeMasters / Famous Footwear / Finish Line / Foot Locker / GapKids / GNC / G.I. Tailors & Cleaners / Gold Plaza II / Gordon's Jewelers / H & R Block / Hat World / K·B Toys / Lady Foot Locker / Lady's Nails / LensCrafters / MasterCuts / Old Navy apparel / Omaha Discount Store / Omaha Police Dept. C.R.C. / Piercing Pagoda (kiosk) / Priority One Communications / Pro Nails / Public Safety Meeting Room / RadioShack / Relaxation Station / Sam Goody Music / Studio 101 / T-Tops / The Children's Place / The Gap apparel / Treasure Box / US Cellular (kiosk) / Victoria's Secret / Whitehall Company Jewellers / Wireless 4 U / www.beltsinthemall.com / Zales Jewelers / Zone 502

FOOD COURT:

Dairy Queen-Orange Julius / Imperial Palace Express / New York Fried Chicken / Sbarro The Italian Eatery

A circa-2006 CROSSROADS cut-away view. Although built with 2 levels, the new Target store only used one of these for retail.

A frontal view of the CROSSROADS Target. Soon after this snapshot was taken, the mall would begin a downward spiral.
Photo from Douglas County, Nebraska 

A circa-2018 plan for the redevelopment of CROSSROADS MALL advocated construction of a New Urbanism-style CROSSROADS VILLAGE. This would have encompassed around 800,000 square feet of retail, hospitality and office space, with the original mall's parking garage and Target store being retained. This plan was eventually abandoned.

Graphic from Century Development

A new plan and developer came on the scene in 2020. CROSSROADS MALL would be replaced by THE CROSSROADS, an open-air, mixed-use project. When complete, it would feature 850,000 square feet of retail, office and entertainment space, as well as 400 residential units and a 150-room hotel. 

Drawing and graphic from KJ Crossroads Venture, Limited Liability Company

We end our CROSSROADS segment with a parting view of the mall's vacant interior. The final stores in the complex closed in September 2020, with a wrecking ball brought in in December.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Karindalziel"

THE CROSSROADS
Dodge Street / US 6 and North 72nd Street
Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha's Brandeis ["bran-diys"] Investment Company announced plans for a Greater Omaha shopping center in September 1955. The complex would be built on a 34.9-acre site, located 4.6 miles west of downtown Omaha. Ground was broken on June 15, 1959 for the Brandeis Shopping Center.

On October 27, 1959, a new mall moniker was announced. The complex-to-be would be known as THE CROSSROADS. The 10 million dollar shopping hub, designed by Omaha's Leo A. Daly firm, would be America's sixth fully-enclosed, regional-class shopping mall. A 3-level (193,000 square foot) Sears became its first operational tenant, on August 31, 1960.

A 3-level (200,000 square foot) J.L. Brandeis & Sons began business on October 10, 1960. Attending the store's dedication were E. John Brandeis (President of the company), Dwight Willard Burney (R) (Governor of Nebraska) and John Rosenblatt (Mayor of Omaha).  

Natelson's ladies' wear and the Occidental Building & Loan Company were dedicated on October 17, 1960. Twenty stores and services were in operation by November 29th. Among these were Musicland Records, Corbaley's Shoes, Goldstein-Chapman, Cook Paint & Varnish, Paris Hats and Sol Lewis Company.

The final charter tenants opened for business in April 1961. Walgreen Drug and Walgreen Grill were dedicated on April 10, 1961. A 2-level (34,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworthdebuted on April 13th. A mall-wide grand opening commenced on June 8, 1961. At this time, THE CROSSROADS encompassed approximately 590,000 leasable square feet and housed twenty-four stores and services. 

During the early years, a kiddie ride area was located along the center's "Arcade" mallway. There was also a small concourse in the basement of the facility. The Brandeis store had a large center court, which included a fountain and abstract sculpture designed by Omaha's Bill Hammon.

The Kay-Lee Theatres 76 West Dodge Drive-In had opened, on a site west of the mall, in 1948. The venue was in operation until July 1983. An in-mall movie house, the Crossroads Twin Theatre, was installed in the mall's basement. It showed first features on July 20, 1979 and was in operation until early 1986.

For several years, the CROSSROADS complex did not have a regional-class competitor. Its first, WESTROADS CENTER {2 miles west, in Omaha}, was officially dedicated in August 1968. OAK VIEW MALL {5.8 miles southwest, also in Omaha} held its grand opening in October 1991.

Meanwhile, on September 1, 1983, a joint venture of the NSA Realty Corporation and Indianapolis' Melvin Simon & Associates assumed ownership of America's sixth enclosed shopping center, now known as CROSSROADS MALL. A 40 million dollar renovation commenced in February 1986. 

The project was completed in two phases. The first added a 1-level (40,000 square foot) South Wing of eleven stores. The Sears and Brandeis buildings were refurbished. Moreover, the 50-foot-wide shopping concourse was reduced to a width of 30 feet, with new store fronts on both sides. The existing mall was refitted with new skylights, landscaping, flooring, ceilings, restrooms and seating areas. The Phase One refurbishment was officially dedicated on November 20, 1987.

Phase Two added an upper level Food Court. The 14-bay culinary complex was enclosed with a Teflon-coated, tent-type roof. A multilevel parking garage, accommodating over 2,000 autos, was also built that connected into a 2-level North Wing. This mall extension contained twenty-seven stores and services, including a 2-level (216,500 square foot) Dillard's.

The all-new CROSSROADS MALL was rededicated with a circus-themed celebration, which commenced on August 24, 1988. The complex now covered approximately 969,500 leasable square feet and contained ninety-eight tenant spaces. The first anchor store rebranding had taken place on August 8, 1987 when the Brandeis store became a Des Moines-based Younkers ["yonk-erz"].

A mall-wide face lift was done between April and November 1998. The Main Entrance was refurbished, new lighting and signage installed and an updated logo introduced. Five stores joined the retail roster; Vanity, Pacific Sunwear, Deb Shop, The Children's Place and Chili's Grill & Bar.

Younkers was shuttered in January 2005. The building was razed in July, with a 1-level (91,238 square foot) Target opening on July 19, 2006. Dillard's was downsized to a Clearance Center in January 2008. The store closed for good in August of the same year.

By the 21st century, CROSSROADS MALL was over fifty-percent vacant. The shopping hub was being usurped by two new lifestyle centers; VILLAGE POINTE  (2004) {7.9 miles west, in Douglas County} and SHADOW LAKE TOWNE CENTER (2007) {8.5 miles south, in Papillion}.

CROSSROADS was now populated by mom & pop-type stores, such as American Apparel, Cinderella's Closet, Pishon Boutique, 1/2 of 1/2 Name Brand Clothing and the Czech & Slovak Museum & Gift Shop. Non-retail tenants included The Vineyard Church and PART (Performing Arts Repertory Theatre). The Second Floor and North Wing were closed to public access.

The Simon Property Group defaulted on their upside down mall loan, with the complex going into foreclosure. It was auctioned off in March 2010. The lender, DC-based CWCapital, purchased the property and flipped it in June 2010. The new owner, the Omaha-based Century Development Company, proposed a mixed-use, town center-type reinvention. A 390 million dollar CROSSROADS VILLAGE would be built in two phases, with the existing Target and parking garage being retained from the mall.

Sears and Barnes & Noble would be moved into newly-built structures. These would be joined by inline retail, a 100-room hotel, fitness club, library, 180 luxury apartments and 250,000 square feet of "technology village" office spaces. A 2-acre Crossroads Commons park would be at the center of the complex.

New tenants would include a (28,000 square foot) Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market and (24,000 square foot) REI (Recreational Equipment, Incorporated). Demolition was supposed to be underway by late 2016, but didn't pan out. Work was then plotted to begin in early 2017. This date also came and went with no progress being made.

Meanwhile, Sears closed its 58-year-old CROSSROADS store in March 2019.  Barnes & Noble also pulled up stakes. Remaining stores, such as Cinderella's Outlet, Gentlemen's Choice Formal Wear and Paul Gaskins Barber Shop, received eviction notices, effective in May 2020. The final stores closed in September 2020. Demolition of the moribund mall commenced on December 9th.

Sources:

The Omaha World Herald
"Dual Anchor Shopping Centers 1952-1965" / Richard Longstreth

https://www.omahahistory.org

https://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

https://www.omaha.com

https://www.cinematreasures.org
"The Good Taste Chronicles" / Catalina Vel-Du-Ray
http://www.donlangdon.com
http://www.kmtv.com / KMTV-TV, Omaha, Nebraska
"Crossroads Mall (Omaha) article on Wikipedia

Omaha's The Center

One of America's first fully-enclosed, suburban shopping malls was built on the outskirts of Omaha's downtown district. THE CENTER was officially dedicated in October 1955.

Graphic from Wiebe Enterprises

The compact community-class complex covered approximately 200,000 leasable square feet, housed twenty-six stores and twenty-nine offices. Free parking was provided for 1,600 autos. THE CENTER was anchored by the first shopping center branch of Iowa's Younkers chain.
Drawing from Younker Brothers, Incorporated

In a 1955 plan, the 1st Level is depicted. There were three main retail floors, a 4th Level of offices and 5th Level penthouse. This eventually housed a bowling alley, restaurant and cocktail bar. The core shopping center is surrounded by a 3-level parking garage. Entrances to all three decks are made possible by the incline of the site. It slopes downward from east to west (or from South 40th Street over to South 42nd Street).

THE CENTER TENANTS 1955:

1st LEVEL

BIG CHIEF center market / HESTED STORES VARIETY CORNER / Anthony's Liquors / Anthony's Panther Room cocktail lounge / Carl S. Baum Druggist / Kimbal Launderers & Dry Cleaners / Mode O' Day Frock Shop / Omar Retail Shop bakery / Reed's Ice Cream & Snack Shop / The Center Barber Shop 

2nd LEVEL

YOUNKERS First Floor Store / Brain's Stores (hobby, sporting goods, toys, gifts & stationery)  / Cook Paint & Varnish / J. Warner Studios Photography / Lollipop Lane children's wear / The Center Bank / The Center Coffee Shop / The Center Loan & Investment Company

3rd LEVEL

YOUNKERS Second Floor Store / Baker's Qualicraft Shoes / Calandra Camera Stores / J. S. Lerner's Vogue ladies' wear / Thom McAn Shoes / National Shirt Shops / Spectator ladies' wear 

4th LEVEL

YOUNKERS Balcony (with Appliance Store, Book Store and Beauty Salon) / Clifford L. Smith, Medical Doctor / Henry L. Dworak, Medical Doctor / J.A. Lyons, Doctor of Dental Science / Lyle Q. Hills, Attorney At Law / The Center, Incorporated

5th LEVEL

The Center Roof Garden Restaurant

Our THE CENTER logo montage is comprised of trademarks of stores that operated in the original mall. The largest tenants were Younkers, a Hested's 5 & 10 and Big Chief supermarket.  

One of the charter tenants at THE CENTER was National Shirt Shops, a men's sportswear retailer. The store was located on the mall's 3rd Level.

Drawing from National Shirt Shops

Here we see the Center Street -or north- facade and an entry to the 2nd Level parking deck. Storefronts for National Shirt Shops, Baker's Qualicraft Shoes and Thom McAn Shoes open onto the 3rd Level parking deck above.

Photo from http://firstmgt.com / First Management, Incorporated 

On another side of the 3rd Level parking deck are entries to the second floor of Younkers. Its main sales floor was on the mall's 2nd Level. THE CENTER store began to be promoted as a Kilpatrick-Younkers in May 1961; this written out as "Younker-Kilpatricks" by the early '70s. The store was re-rebranded, as a Younkers, in August 1982. 

Photo from http://firstmgt.com / First Management, Incorporated 

The 5th Level of THE CENTER originally contained a penthouse with restaurant and outdoor patio. In the late '50s, the penthouse was reconfigured. A new bowling alley was built and the existing Sky Room restaurant replaced. The new Cimarron Room restaurant and Clink cocktail lounge opened in July 1959. The adjacent Sky Lanes bowling alley was dedicated in September of the same year.    

Graphic from Wiebe Enterprises

By 1965, stores had come and gone at THE CENTER. The Big Chief market had been replaced by Shaver's Food Mart. Moreover, as previously mentioned, Younkers was now co-branded with Kilpatrick's.

Graphic from Wiebe Enterprises

THE CENTER TENANTS 1965:

1st LEVEL (Applewood Mall):

HESTED STORES VARIETY CORNER / SHAVER'S FOOD MART / Carl S. Baum Druggist / Center Barber Shop / Center Key & Rubber Stamp Shop / Center Shoe Hospital / Center Snack Shop / Chuck's Texaco / Dino's Liquors / Dino's Tavern / Frank The Tailor / G & W Auto Supplies / Kimball Launderers & Dry Cleaners / Mode O' Day Frock Shop / Popcorn Center / US Post Office

2nd LEVEL (Younkers Mall):

KILPATRICK-YOUNKERS First Floor Store / Associates Loan Company / Beau Monde, Incorporated Jewelry / Center Bank / Center Coffee Shop / Cosgrave Church Goods / Fitle & Bradshaw, Attorneys at Law / House of Greeting Cards / Lollipop Lane / Ortman Bakery 

3rd LEVEL (Cherrywood Mall):

KILPATRICK-YOUNKERS Second Floor Store / Calandra Camera Shop / C.H. Baker Shoes / Francois Beauty Salon / Maternity Modes / National Shirt Shops / Thom McAn Shoes / Tober's Clothing / J. Warner Studios Photography  

4th LEVEL (Dovetree Mall):

KILPATRICK-YOUNKERS Balcony / American National Insurance / Anesthesia Associates / Ataco Products, Incorporated / Casualty Claims Service of Omaha / Center Figurine Shop / Cletus Baum, Medical Doctor / Clifford L. Smith, Medical Doctor / Daniel L. Wagner, Medical Doctor / E.F. Rottman & Associates, Consulting Engineers / Edward F. Fleming, Medical Doctor / Edward J. Smith, Medical Doctor / Emmet G. Bruning, Doctor of Dental Science / Fuller Brush Company / Henry L. Dvorak, Medical Doctor / John O. McArthy, Medical Doctor / John R. Hyde, Medical Doctor / Lyle Q. Hills, Attorney at Law / Main Line Homes / Nebraska National Life Insurance / North American Life & Casualty Company / Occidental Life Insurance Company of California / Paul D. Swobada, Optometrist / Reynolds Metal Company / Reserve Life Insurance / Richard J. Huston, Doctor of Dental Science / Robert Montgomery, Podiatrist / Sebastian A. Zarbano, Medical Doctor / Troy & Stalder, Architects / United General Adjusters Claims Department 

5th LEVEL (Elkwood Mall):

Cimarron Room Restaurant (with outdoor dining terrace) / Clink cocktail lounge / Sky Lanes bowling alley 

A menu cover for the Cimarron Room restaurant and Devil's Nest cocktail lounge. The bistro and bar were destroyed by a fire which swept through the mall's 5th Level in October 1969. It was rebuilt and re-opened in January 1971.

Graphic from Omaha Public Library