The first expansion of BUCKINGHAM SQUARE -completed in 1977- added the Buckingham II wing (in dark gray). Later on, the shopping concourse was extended to a newly-built Mervyn's department store. This was dedicated in October 1986. The mall now covered a tad over 900,000 leasable square feet and contained around 100 stores and services.

The final footprint of the retail facility. In this late 2002 layout, an abandoned Montgomery Ward has just been replaced by a new Target Greatland. Unfortunately, the mall was in a downward spiral that only a wrecking ball renovation would halt.

A rendering of THE GARDENS ON HAVANA, a mixed-use redevelopment of BUCKINGHAM SQUARE mall. Its first new stores opened for business in 2009.
Drawing from www.millerweingartenrealty.com

Sprouts Farmers Market, out of Phoenix, Arizona, opened their GARDENS ON HAVANA store in October 2009.
Photo from http://www.winnrickey.com / The Winn Richey Team

A site plan of today's THE GARDENS ON HAVANA power plaza. Target was the only mall proper structure left standing when the wrecking ball hit BUCKINGHAM SQUARE in November 2007.
Original drawing from www.millerweingartenrealty.com

BUCKINGHAM SQUARE
South Havana Street and East Mississippi Avenue
Aurora, Colorado

The first 1970s-era shopping mall in -or around- the Mile High City was built on a 60-acre site, located 8 miles southeast of the Colorado State House, in suburban Aurora. Plans for a Joslin's department store and adjacent 500,000 square foot shopping center were announced in December 1964.

It would take until October 1970 for work to get underway on the BUCKINGHAM SQUARE project. The fully-enclosed complex was designed by Kenneth R. Boyle and William H. Wilson, of Overland Park, Kansas. It was developed by the Kansas City-based MD Management Company.

Situated on a single-level, BUCKINGHAM SQUARE encompassed approximately 737,000 leasable square feet when officially dedicated, on August 5, 1971. There were initially fifty stores. When fully-leased, the mall contained seventy-eight. Original anchors were a 2-level (135,000 square foot), Denver-based Joslins and 2-level (161,000 square foot) Montgomery Ward. 

Charter inline stores included Bustein-Applebee home electronics, Up Your Alley unisex clothing, Lerner Shops, Dave Cook Sporting Goods, Bronco Burger, Beckett's Pub, a (16,000 square foot) Fashion Bar, (15,000 square foot) Walgreen Drug, (29,000 square foot) Safeway supermarket and (48,100 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. 

Orbach's of Colorado was an Oklahoma-based men's wear shop. It was not affiliated with the Southern California and New York City Ohrbachs divisions. The American Multi-Cinema Buckingham Square IV opened on August 5, 1971. A smaller venue, known as the Outhouse Theatre, opened in adjacent store space in July 1972. 

Although promoted with a "Merry Olde England" motif, the original BUCKINGHAM SQUARE was ultra-modern in design and decor. There were, however, several allusions to British culture, such as the Camelot I and Camelot II office Towers, Sir Lancelot Restaurant, Dickens Village play area, London Liquor store and adjacent Canterbury Park. 

Competition for BUCKINGHAM SQUARE came early on. SOUTHGLENN MALL {8.4 miles southwest, in Arapahoe County} was dedicated in August 1974. AURORA MALL {2 miles northeast, in Aurora} opened its doors in August 1975. The two Aurora malls coexisted for a time, despite their close proximity.

Construction began on a Buckingham II addition in 1977. This 12 million dollar wing spanned 65,000 square feet and added twenty-five-stores to the mall's directory. 9 years later, the wing was extended with inline stores and a 1-level (76,000 square foot) Mervyn's. This store welcomed its first shoppers on October 17, 1986. BUCKINGHAM SQUARE now encompassed over 900,000 leasable square feet.

Unfortunately, competition from nearby shopping centers, especially AURORA MALL, had sent BUCKINGHAM SQUARE into a downward spiral by the late 1990s. Junior anchors, such as Safeway, Woolworth and Gart Sports, vacated the premises. The Joslins chain was absorbed by Dillard's in 1998, with the BUCKINGHAM SQUARE store rebranded soon after.

Montgomery Ward closed for good on April 21, 2001. The building was demolished, with a 1-level (142,500 square foot) Target Greatland opening on October 9, 2002. Mervyn's was shuttered on January 21, 2006, with Dillard's closing on July 28th of the same year.

In the mid-1990s, BUCKINGHAM SQUARE had contained ninety-five operational stores and services. By late 2005, this number had dropped to fifty-four. Most of these were local mom & pop-type tenants, such as Forbidden City Buffet, Igor's T-Shirts & More, Kim's Wig Botik and Picture Perfect. 

Englewood, Colorado's Miller Weingarten Realty was recruited to redevelop the moribund mall in late 2003. They acquired the vacant Mervyn's building in August 2006. The land beneath the complex was owned by Aurora's Hayutin family, under the auspices of the Weststar Management Corporation. The mall proper, not including its anchor stores, was owned by Kansas City, Missouri's Sherman Dreiseszun (of the MDH Management Company).

By early 2007, there were just eighteen BUCKINGHAM SQUARE stores in business. Tenants were given eviction notices, effective February 28th. Miller Weingarten bought the vacant Joslins-Dillard's in July 2007 and secured the land and mall structure soon after. The complex was razed between November 2007 and March 2008. Everything was leveled, except for Target Greatland, two office towers and a few outparcels.

These were incorporated into an open-air power center. Going under the provisional name of  BUCKINGHAM MALL, the shopping center-to-be was eventually named THE GARDENS ON HAVANA. Home Depot, which was to occupy the northeast corner of the site, backed out of the project.

A 1-level (92,100 square foot) Kohl's became the first new store to open, on March 3, 2009. This was followed by a 1-level (50,400 square foot) Dick's Sporting Goods, which began business on June 1st. A (26,300 square foot), Phoenix-based Sprouts Farmers Market opened on October 2nd, followed by a (15,000 square foot) Petco, which began business on October 23rd.

Target Greatland was converted to a new prototype store, known as PFresh, in 2010. The eventual plan was to expand the building by 45,000 square feet, making it into a SuperT-format store. Further development of THE GARDENS ON HAVANA included a (15,300 square foot) Office Depot, which opened in the fall of 2012, and (46,700 square foot) Toys "R" Us / Babies "R" Us, dedicated in September 2013. The complex now encompassed approximately 940,100 leasable square feet and contained thirty-one stores and services.

Sources:

The Denver Post

The Aurora Star Sentinel (Aurora, Colorado)

The Aurora Advocate (Aurora, Colorado)

https://onhavanastreet.com / research paper by Jeffrey Browning

Arapahoe County, Colorado tax assessor website

https://turkeysandwich.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/farewell-buckingham-square-mall

http://www.millerre.com/index.php/projects/denver/the-gardens-on-havana / Miller Weingarten Realty

https://www.bizjournals.com

Greater Denver's Southglenn Mall

An entrance at SOUTHGLENN MALL, which was a shopping center sibling of Greater Denver's NORTHGLENN complex. For over 8 years, SOUTHGLENN was the preeminent retail facility in the Mile High City's southeastern suburbs. It was usurped by PARK MEADOWS MALL in the mid-1990s.
Photo from http://www.centennialcolorado.com

"The Denver" at SOUTHGLENN was the original mall's only 2-level store. It was also the first suburban Denver Dry location to include a restaurant. 

Photo from the Associated Dry Goods Corporation 

 

SOUTHGLENN was officially dedicated in August 1974. At this time, the mall encompassed approximately 900,000 leasable square feet and contained eighty-two store spaces. Not all had been leased...yet. The vast parking area could accommodate 5,000 autos.

By 1983, the mall proper at SOUTHGLENN housed ninety-five stores and services.

Graphic from the Perl-Mack Companies

SOUTHGLENN MALL TENANTS 1983:

MAY D & F (with Beauty Salon, restaurant and Ski Shop) / SEARS (with Coffee House and attached Auto Center) / THE DENVER (with The Greenhouse restaurant) / 1876 Antique Portrait Parlor / Argenzio Brothers Jewelers / B. Dalton Bookseller / Baker's Shoes / Baublemart, Limited / Blum's of San Francisco restaurant / Board & Barrel Furniture / Borg's Children's Cottage / Body Talk ladies' wear / Bohm-Allen Jewelers / Brooks Camera / Burger King / Capezio Shoes / Carousel Snack Bar / Casual Corner ladies' wear / Consumer Beauty Supply / Dave Cook Sporting Goods / Desmond's apparel / Far Away Places / Fashion Bar ladies & youngset / Fashion Bar men's / Fashion Bar Design (furniture) / Fashion Bar Stage / Fascination Corner / Flash Foto / Foot Locker / Foxmoor Casuals ladies' wear / GNC / Gallery One / Gelco Travel / Gingiss Formal Wear / Furr's Cafeteria / Golden Creations, Limited / Gordon's Jewelers / Hannah ladies' wear / Hanover Shoes / Hickory Farms of Ohio / His Stable / Karden Jewelers / Kinney Shoes / Knight Campbell TV & Electronics / La Tiendita Gifts & Collectibles / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Little Shanghai Cafe' / Margo's ladies' wear / Maternity Modes / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Metropolitan Life Insurance / Michael of the Carlyle beauty salon / Mini-Bank / Nautilus video arcade / Neusteters II / Norman-James, Limited men's war / Nu-Way Watch Repair / Open Country Shoes / Orange Julius / Pearle Vision Center / Pen Station / Pet City / Peter's Place / Phone Center Store / Pistol's Magnavox / Record Bar / Richman Brothers men's wear / Rollnick's Shoes / Round The Corner restaurant / Shoe Boat / Silver Plume Cafe / Size 5-7-9 Shops ladies' wear / Shaak Electronics / Snack Shack / So-Fro Fabrics / Swenson's Ice Cream Parlor / The Clipper Shop apparel / The County Seat apparel / The Eyes Have It / The Gap apparel / The Limited ladies' wear / The Mark-it apparel / The Nail Shoppe / The Naked Edge / The Outback Cards & Gifts / Thom McAn Shoes / Tie Bar / Tiffany's Bakery /  Tinder Box / Top Hat Magic / Toys By Roy / Two Plus Two / Villa Music / Waldenbooks / Walgreen Drug (with Walgreen Grill) / Wilson's House of Suede & Leather

OUTPARCEL STORES AND SERVICES:

Denver Cycle House / Elegant Alterations / Empire Savings / Gentlemen's Wear-house / Intrawest Bank / Just In Style beauty salon / Olan Mills Portrait Studio / Papa Joe's Pizza / Patterson Hardware / Plankhouse restaurant / Sea Galley restaurant / 7-Eleven convenience Store / Silver State Cleaners / Southglenn Barbers / Southglenn Chevron service station / Southglenn Cinema I-II-III / Southglenn Commnons Executive Offices / Southglenn Liquors / Southglenn Texaco service station / Supreme Shoes The Very Thing ladies' wear / Van Schaack Building 

A SOUTHGLENN logo montage features trademarks of stores and services in business in 1983.

In the spring of 2003, Flaming Gorge Harley-Davidson took up shop in WHITE MOUNTAIN MALL, leasing a portion of a vacant Wal-Mart space.

Advert from Flaming Gorge Harley-Davidson

The Rock Springs Star Stadium 8 opened in October 2003. It also leased a portion of the vacant Wal-Mart.
Photo from http://rouseproperties.com / Rouse Properties

In 2006, the old Wal-Mart houses three tenant spaces. Two are leased to the aforementioned Flaming Gorge Harley and Star movie multiplex. Woolworth pulled up stakes in 1997 and was replaced by state offices. Two new outparcels have also been built in the front parking area.

WHITE MOUNTAIN MALL TENANTS 2006:

HERBERGER'S / J.C. PENNEY (with Portrait Studio) / STATE OF WYOMING / Ann's Hallmark / Anytime Fitness / Applebee's Grill & Bar (outparcel) / B. Dalton Bookseller / China King Buffet (outparcel) / Christopher & Banks ladies' wear / Claire's Boutique accessories / Coach House Gifts / EB Games / Famous Footwear / Flaming Gorge Harley Davidson / Foot Locker / Fotos By Jenny Kenzovich / GNC / High Plains Physical Therapy (outparcel) / Jaag Racing / Java Connect coffee & snacks (outparcel) / Le Nails / Mastercuts / Maurices ladies' wear / Our Brother's Keeper Book Store / Pretzelmaker / Radio Shack / Rent-A-Center (outparcel) / Sage Creek Bagels / Samuel's Jewelers / Snack Shack / Star Stadium 10 / Stephen Wilson DVD / TLC Accents For Living / Track 101 Outfitters / Vanity Shop ladies' wear / Verizon Wireless (kiosk) / Waddel & Reech (outparcel) / Wells Fargo Bank 

A fourth anchor was built onto the existing mall in 1993-'94. Opened as a Denver-based Joslins, it had been rebranded by Dillard's by the time this photo was taken.
Photo from http://www.centennialcolorado.com

Another snapshot of Joslins-Dillard's. This 23 million dollar structure stood for only 12 years.
Photo from Arapahoe County, Colorado

The mall was given a face lift refurbishment in 1987-'88. It was expanded, with the aforementioned Joslins, in 1994. This drawing also shows a renamed May D & F...which is now a Foley's. Alas, these improvements failed to halt the mall's downward spiral. By the early 21st century, SOUTHGLENN would be on life support.

In only 30 years, SOUTHGLENN had outlived its (perceived) usefulness. A redevelopment plan was announced in 2004. The bulk of the mall would be razed and replaced by an open-air shopping venue.
Graphic from www.southglenn.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

A crowd gathered for a "Farewell Southglenn" celebration, which was held in February 2006.
Photo from http://www.centennialcolorado.com

A commemorative cake baked for the SOUTHGLENN send-off.
Photo from http://www.centennialcolorado.com

The first new stores in THE STREETS AT SOUTHGLENN opened their doors in July 2008, with a complex-wide dedication being held in August 2009. Sears, a holdover from the original mall, is seen in the background of this image.
Photo from "The Streets At SouthGlenn"

A nighttime snapshot with one of the center's four fountains in the foreground. The Hollywood Theatres Southglenn Stadium 14 looms in the background.
Photo from "The Streets At SouthGlenn"
 

By November 2009, THE STREETS OF SOUTHGLENN was fully-realized. There were eighty-eight stores and services. Only two -Sears and Macy's- remained from the original mall (they are surrounded in blue). Sears, a SOUTHGLENN tenant for more than 44 years, shut down in late 2018. 
Original drawing from www.albdev.com / Alberta Development

SOUTHGLENN MALL
South University and East Arapahoe Boulevards
Arapahoe County (Centennial), Colorado

The thirteenth shopping mall in Greater Denver was developed by Jordan Perlmutter, under the auspices of the Perl-Mack Companies. After getting the gargantuan Northglenn housing plat, in Adams County, underway, Perl-Mack set their sights on Denver's southeastern hinterlands in 1961. A 1,600-home plat was begun, which was promoted as Southglenn.

In September 1972, plans for SOUTHGLENN MALL were made public. The fully-enclosed facility would serve as the de facto downtown of the 650-acre subdivision. By April 1973, construction was underway at a 77-acre plot. This was located 18.8 miles southeast of the Colorado State House, in unincorporated Arapahoe County. The mall-to-be was designed by Denver's Warren A. Flickinger & Associates and the Ladd-Lelsey firm, of Los Angeles..

One of the first operational stores, a 1-level (150,000 square foot) Sears, began business on August 2, 1974. The 40 million dollar SOUTHGLENN was officially dedicated on August 15, 1974. Two anchor stores opened their doors; a 2-level (123,000 square foot) Denver Dry Goods ("The Denver") and 1-level (160,000 square foot), Denver-based May D & F.

Grand opening festivities commenced with a performance by the Blue Knights Drum & Bugle Corps. Speeches were given by C. Dale Flowers (mall manager) and Jordan Perlmutter (mall developer). There was an invocation by Rabbi Manual Laderman and then a double ribbon cutting. Attending the mall dedication were Mrs. Marie Salman (manager of the Southglenn Denver Dry Goods), Don E. Jansen (manager of Sears' Denver district) and Ronald Ruskin (chief executive officer of May D & F).    

At the center of the Southglenn May D & F was a 20-foot-high rotunda with an antique stained glass dome. Floors were covered in ceramic tile, parquet and carpet. The Forecast Shop and designer collections areas were done in shades of silver, gray and pewter. The men's department featured leather & suede wall paneling.

In its original state, the 700,000 square foot complex housed eighty-nine store spaces. The mall consisted of a 2-level middle section, with single-level wings extending toward the north and south. Charter tenants included Fashion Bar, Tie Bar, Dave Cook Sporting Goods, Walgreen Drug, Perkins-Shearer apparel, Edison Brothers and Neusteters II. The General Cinema Corporation Southglenn Cinema I-II-III was built as a northwestern outparcel of the mall. The theater opened for business on December 18, 1974.

For its first 9 years, SOUTHGLENN was the only major retail facility in its trade area. SOUTHWEST PLAZA {6.9 miles northwest, in Jefferson County} was completed in February 1983. This complex was also developed by Perl-Mack.

The first anchor rebranding at SOUTHGLENN transpired after "The Denver" was shuttered, on April 30, 1987. The store re-opened as a J.C. Penney. A mall-wide interior face lift was done in 1987-1988. During this project, the Colorado Health Department found asbestos in the ceiling of the South Wing. The mall was closed as an abatement was completed.  

A second mall expansion was done in the early 1990s. May D & F morphed into a Houston-based Foley's on May 2, 1993. In August 1993, construction began on a 2-level (160,000 square foot), Denver-based Joslins. This store was added at the mall's Main Entrance. 

The new Joslins was dedicated in October 1994, expanding the gross leasable area of the mall to approximately 1,060,000 leasable square feet. Within less than 2 years, the shopping hub would encounter a formidable competitor. PARK MEADOWS MALL {4.7 miles southeast, in Douglas County} opened in August 1996 and was soon siphoning trade from SOUTHGLENN. 

Joslins' SOUTHGLENN store lasted a little more than 4 years. The chain was rebranded by Dillard's in 1999. Around this time, the SOUTHGLENN Penney's was demoted to a Home Store, with the full-line operation moving to PARK MEADOWS MALL.

A local referendum was held in September of the year 2000. Area citizens voted to form a city, which would be known as Centennial. The name was a homage to Colorado, the "Centennial State," which had been admitted into the Union in 1876, the centennial year of the Declaration of Independence. The new City of Centennial took in SOUTHGLENN MALL and its environs.

A small-scale renovation was done in 2001. Unfortunately, the SOUTHGLENN property was in a downward spiral. Penney's closed its Home Store in June 2002. In September 2005, a redevelopment scenario was announced by a joint venture of Greenwood Village, Colorado-based Alberta Development Partners and Chicago-based Walton Street Capital.

The mall was to be torn down. Its Foley's and Sears would be spared and worked into a mixed-use lifestyle center known as THE STREETS AT SOUTHGLENN. A commemoration of SOUTHGLENN MALL, and its service to the community, was held on February 28, 2006. The mall and its Dillard's then closed for good.

Bulldozing began in June 2006. Foley's remained in business and was rebranded as a Macy's on September 9th. Sears also kept its doors open through the massive redevelopment that was to take place over the next 3 years.

The first new store, a (31,000 square foot) Best Buy, held its grand opening on July 17, 2008. A (58,000 square foot) Whole Foods Market began business om June 15, 2009. THE STREETS AT SOUTHGLENN was officially dedicated on August 28, 2009. Stores and services opening for business on this day included Dick's Sporting Goods, Staples, Macy's Furniture Gallery, Chrysalis Eco Boutique, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Mattress King and Fire Bowl Cafe.

One of the final tenants to commence operation was the Hollywood Cinemas SouthGlenn Stadium 14, which showed first features on November 20, 2009. The remainder of the complex was completed during 2011. It now housed 916,600 leasable square square feet of retail, 140,000 square feet of office space and 202 "luxury apartment homes."

Sources:

The Denver Post

The Douglas County News-Press (Castle Rock, Colorado)

The Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado)

City Of Centennial, Colorado
http://www.shopsouthglenn.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

"The Denver Dry Goods: Where Colorado Shopped With Confidence" / Mark A. Barnhouse

http://www.albdev.com / Alberta Development Partners

http://www.waltonst.com /  Walton Street Capital
"Southglenn Mall" and "Centennial, Colorado" articles on Wikipedia

Greater Denver's Westminster Plaza

Look for the sign of the big W! Greater Denver's fourth mall-type shopping complex was built in the southern environs of suburban Westminster.

Graphic from the Dunton Realty Company

The mall's 3-day-long grand opening celebration was held in November 1959.

Graphic from the Dunton Realty Company

King Soopers was one of the mall's largest stores.

Drawing from the J.S. Dillon & Sons Company

Our first PLAZA layout dates to 1960. In its original state, the open-air complex encompassed approximately 260,000 leasable square feet and contained thirty-eight stores and services behind its awnings. Free parking was provided for 3,000 autos.

WESTMINSTER PLAZA TENANTS 1960:

F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with Luncheonette) / J.C. PENNEY / SAFEWAY supermarket / KING SOOPERS supermarket / Ackerman-Hirsh men's wear / Alcove's ladies' wear / Arlis' Hair Fashions / Associates Loan Company / Ann Benet Fashions / Cascade Dry Cleaners & Laundry / Dr. D.M. Politzer, Optometrist / Dolly Madison Creamery / Dunton Realty Company / Edward's Texaco service station (outparcel) / First State Bank of Westminster (outparcel) / Happy Logan Music Company / Gambles / George's Shoe Service / Guardian Savings (outparcel) / KarmelKorn / Komac Paint / Lauer's Jewelry / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Lowdermilk Bakeries / M & M Leather Mart / Medical & Surgical Clinic (outparcel) / Midland Federal Savings & Loan Association / Mill End Drapery Shops / Mil-Mar House of Gifts / Pamper Pet Shop / Platter Parlor records / Plaza Barber Shop / Plaza Easy Wash / Republic Drug / Thom McAn Shoes / Uncle Hank's Toys & Hobbies / Wallace Shoes / Webb's Kiddie Ville children's wear / Westminster Camera Center / Westminster Little Banquet smorgasbord / Westminster Plaza Liquors / World Savings & Loan

A freestanding Woolco discount mart was built directly across the street from the mall. This store, which was billed as the first Woolco in the West, welcomed first shoppers in April 1963.

Drawing from the F.W. Woolworth Company

A mid-'60s mall promotion introduces "Westy" -or Wes T. Minster"- as a "guide to friendly personal shopping." 

Advert from the Dunton Realty Company  

The first -and only- cinematic venue to operate at WESTMINSTER PLAZA showed first features in October 1970. 

Advert from the Midwest Theatre Corporation

The movie house was renamed Cinema 70 in March 1974.

Graphic from Highland Theatres

In 1973, a new logo and slogan debuted.

Graphic from the Eaton-Jones Company

A circa-'73 site plan shows several recent mall modifications. The aforementioned twin cinema now occupies the northwest corner of the site. An open Plaza has been built on the northeast corner of the mall proper. Lastly, four "tree lanes" punctuate the four main parking lot entrances.

Among our collection of WESTMINSTER PLAZA memorabilia is a Gay '90s-theme ad from 1975.

Advert from the Eaton-Jones Company

The early '70s mall makeover was done just in time for the arrival of a formidable retail rival. WESTMINSTER MALL, which was fully-enclosed, opened in 1977 and immediately put the hurt on the older -and still open-air- WESTMINSTER PLAZA. 

Graphic from MD Management

By the early '90s, Westminster's original shopping mall had been renamed THE PLAZA IN WESTMINSTER. A face lift renovation was performed and new "low lease rate" tenants signed.

Advert from the Colorado & Sante Fe Land Company

This push to reinvigorate the PLAZA mall was unsuccessful. The past its prime property was entirely demolished in 1997 and replaced by -you guessed it- an open-air power center. This Safeway-anchored facility, which covered around 104,000 leasable square feet, opened in late 1998.

Original drawing from Slate Asset Management

We close the visual section of our PLAZA write-up with two 2020s-vintage snapshots. Above, we see the Vasa Fitness gym that replaced a Safeway supermarket in August 2023.

Photo from www.loopnet.com

This view shows the north end of the new and improved WESTMINSTER PLAZA. Visible inline stores include Sally Beauty Supply and the InTechgrity Automotive Excellence repair center.

Photo from www.loopnet.com

WESTMINSTER PLAZA

North Federal Boulevard / US 287 and West 72nd Avenue

Westminster, Colorado

Planning for this virtually forgotten Greater Denver shopping mall commenced in 1945. Denver's V.J. "Jack" Dunton, founder of the Dunton Realty Company, was building tract houses in Westminster. He acquired a 39-acre parcel in Westminster; this located 14.2 miles northwest of the Colorado State House. 

Originally, Mr. Dunton was going to build a housing plat and small strip center. By 1950, he was advocating using the entire property for a major shopping complex. A land utilization study was done in 1952, which indicated that said site would be well utilized as a regional shopping center. In January 1957, the Dunton Realty Company announced plans for WESTMINSTER PLAZA. Jared Barnett Morse, of Denver, was hired to design the structure.

The F.W. Woolworth Company signed a lease, for a WESTMINSTER PLAZA store, on August 13, 1956. The J.C. Penney Company signed their agreement on December 12, 1957. King Soopers, under the auspices of J.S. Dillon & Sons Company, inked their lease on January 8, 1958, with Safeway Stores committing to a mall store on July 18 of the same year.

Ground was broken on August 28, 1958. Safeway opened a (25,000 square foot) store on June 24, 1959. The first operational WESTMINSTER PLAZA tenant, Safeway had been built as a southeastern outparcel of the main mall. 

The official dedication of WESTMINSTER PLAZA commenced on November 5, 1959, with thirty-six functioning stores. Attending the grand opening were Mr. and Mrs. V.J. Dunton, Don Nelson (Mayor of Westminster) and several city and county officials. An invocation was given by Dr. Eugene E. Dawson. Mr. Dawson was representing Colorado Women's College, of which he was president. In October 1959, V.J. Dunton had awarded WESTMINSTER PLAZA to the educational institution, as an endowment.

Encompassing approximately 260,000 leasable square feet, the PLAZA was anchored by a 2-level (45,000 square foot) J.C. Penney, 2-level (45,000 square foot) King Soopers and 1-level (25,000 square foot) Safeway. Charter tenants included Gambles, Lerner Shops, Republic Drug and a 2-level (22,300 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10.

A 1-level (110,000 square foot) Woolco discount mart was built as a mall shadow anchor. This store, constructed on a parcel located directly north of WESTMINSTER PLAZA, welcomed first shoppers on April 3, 1963. 

The Midwest Theatre Corporation Plaza Twin Theatres was built in the northwest corner of the mall site. Noteworthy as the first twin cinema in Greater Denver, the 550-seat movie house opened on October 6, 1970. It was renovated and renamed Cinema 70, with a grand re-opening held on March 29, 1974.

Meanwhile, ownership of WESTMINSTER PLAZA had changed. In April 1972, the complex was sold to a joint venture of the Eaton-Jones Company, of Westminster, and First Plaza Company, of Lincoln, Nebraska. The new proprietors gave the PLAZA its first renovation. Structures were refurbished. It is likely (but not confirmed) that the PLAZA Penney's was remodeled at this time, with a new Helvetica font nameplate installed. 

As part of the ongoing mall renovation, new tenants were signed, parking areas repaved and new landscaping installed. Four "tree lanes," of Hackberry and Hawthorne, now stood at the center of the north, south, east and west parking lot entrances. Moreover, Lower Level space, in the southeast corner of the complex, was reconfigured. An enclosed Arcade area was gutted and rebuilt as a new Gallery Mall. This included a Community Room, The Study restaurant & lounge and offices for the Westminster District 50 Chamber of Commerce. An official Gallery Mall grand opening was held in January 1973. 

A small section of the North Mall had been enclosed by the late '70s. This project was completed at -or around- the same time that a major competitor was opening for business. WESTMINSTER MALL {2.4 miles northwest, in Westminster} encompassed only 320,100 leasable square feet when it was officially dedicated, in September 1977. However, the mall was expanded between 1985 and 1993, with its gross leasable area enlarged to a whopping 1,390,000 square feet.

WESTMINSTER PLAZA could not compete. A name change, to THE PLAZA IN WESTMINSTER, was done to try and keep the mall current. Likewise, freestanding restaurants and stores were built. These included Wendy's (1977), Skipper's (1984), Good Times drive-thru (1994) and Checker Auto Parts (1994). These measures failed to stop the mall's decline.  

In the late 1980s, the Dallas-based Trammel Crow Company approached the City of Westminster with a mall redevelopment plan. This led to the creation of the Westminster Economic Development Authority (or WEDA), in 1987, and South Westminster Urban Renewal Area, in 1988. Eventually, the Trammel Crow plan was abandoned.

In May 1993, the Colorado & Sante Fe Land Company, of Broomfield, bought THE PLAZA IN WESTMINSTER. A face lift refurbishment commenced. Building exteriors were repaired and painted, with parking areas paved and new landscaping installed. The J.C. Penney building, vacant for several years, was to be rebuilt as the Crazy Horse Dance Hall & Saloon.  

The renovation and repositioning was not an astounding success. By 1995, Dallas-based Hunt Properties was formulating a demalling plan. In 1997. the virtually vacant PLAZA was acquired by a joint venture of Hunt Properties and the Westminster Economic Development Authority. The entirety of the mall was demolished, leaving five outparcels standing.

A new power center, known as WESTMINSTER PLAZA, was built. Anchored by a (57,900 square foot) Safeway, the main shopping center structure covered 104,000 leasable square feet and housed sixteen store spaces. Charter inline tenants included Blockbuster Video, Radio Shack and GNC. New freestanding tenants were Megabank of Arapahoe County and a (14,000 square foot) Rite Aid Drug. Stores began opening in December 1998.

Safeway, which had operated in three different PLAZA stores since 1959, pulled up stakes in June 2022. Vasa Fitness renovated the building and opened for business on August 19, 2023. In November 2022, the power center had been acquired by a joint venture of Denver's CentrePoint Properties and the Dunton Commercial, Limited Liability Company, of Greenwood Village, Colorado. 

Sources:

The Westminster Journal (Westminster, Colorado)

The Leader (Lafayette, Colorado)

The Broomfield Star-Builder (Broomfield, Colorado

Cervi's Rocky Mountain Journal (Denver, Colorado)

The Denver Post

The Journal-Sentinel (Westminster, Colorado)

https://www.westminsterco.gov / City of Westminster / Staff Report – WEDA 101 / November 2008

http://www.huntprop.com / Hunt Properties, Incorporated (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://milehighcre.com / Mile High CRE

Greater Denver's Westminster Mall

Greater Denver's WESTMINSTER MALL evolved on a site located 7 miles northwest of Denver's center city. From a meager 320,100 square feet in 1977, the mall had grown to over 1.3 million by 1993.

Graphic from MD Management

Denver-based Joslins was the mall's first operational store. It opened its doors in February 1977. The mercantile included a beauty salon and High Country Inn restaurant.

In the beginning, WESTMINSTER MALL had just one anchor department store. The original shopping complex, which was officially dedicated in September 1977, housed seventy-eight store spaces and encompassed approximately 320,000 leasable square feet. 

WESTMINSTER MALL TENANTS 1984:

JOSLINS (with Beauty Salon and High Country Inn restaurant) / American Bell / Army-Navy-Marines Recruiting Offices / Baldwin Piano & Organ / Book Loft / Burton's Hallmark / CPI Photo / Candies II / Cheryl's Flower Patch / Chi-Chi's restaurant (outparcel) / Coach House Gifts / Colorado Market Research / Consumer Beauty Supply / Dr. Martin J. Dale, Optometrist / Enriquez Fine Jewelers / Fahrer Optical /  Family In Christ Church / Fashion Bar Design / Fashion Bar Ladies & Youngset / Fashion Bar Men's / Fashion Bar Stage / Fashion Bug ladies' wear / Footlocker / Foxmoor Casuals ladies' wear / GNC / Gallenkamp Shoes / Golden Earring (kiosk) / Gold Rush Potato / Grandma's Pantry / Green Mountain Waterbeds / Hair Performers / Hunky Dory apparel / Joslins Shoes / Just Pants / KG Men's SuperStore / Karden Jewelers / Keepsake Diamonds / Kinney Shoes / Knock On Wood / Lerner Shops ladies' wear / Martin Shoes / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Mid-America Insurance (kiosk) / Mile High Cosmetics / Mountain Delight / Musicland / Naturalizer Shoes / Nickelodeon / Orange Julius / Paloma Blanca / Pamet Le Earring (kiosk) / Pathway Travel / Pet City / Radio Shack / Realty World (kiosk) / Sascos / Seventh Voyage Imports / Silver Eagle Traders jewelers / Spencer Gifts / Steak & Ale restaurant (outparcel) / Sunglass Pearle Health (kiosk) / Taco Via / The County Seat apparel / The Swiss Colony / Thom McAn Shoes / Tib's Top Shop / Topsy's restaurant / US Nostalgia Cards & Gifts (kiosk) / Villa Jewelry & Watch Repair / Waldenbooks / Westminster 5 Theatres (outparcel) / Westminster 6 Theatres / Window Shopper (kiosk) / Zales Jewelers 

The Westminster 6 Theatres, an in-mall movie house, opened -as part of the original mall- in August 1977. By the early 1980s, the freestanding Westminster 5 Theatres was also in operation.

Photo from www.labelscar.com / Jacob Dougherty

 

The shopping hub grew by leaps and bounds between 1984 and 1987. There were now five anchors, over one million leasable square feet, and 150 stores and services. WESTMINSTER MALL would be one of the preeminent shopping malls in Greater Denver for several years.

The mall's south anchor, J.C. Penney, joined the complex in March 1987.

Photo from http://www.winnrichey.com / The Winn Richey Team

The final expansion of the complex, completed in October 1993, added Montgomery Ward as a sixth anchor. WESTMINSTER MALL now housed nearly 1.4 million leasable square feet and contained 175 stores and services.

To stave off competition from a new lifestyle center, WESTMINSTEWR MALL was given a 10 million dollar rehab at the turn of the 21st century. Here, we see a renovated Center Court, with its famed hot air balloons (a fixture of the circa-'77 complex). In the end, the much-ballyhooed remodeling was unable to halt the mall's downward spiral.

Photo from

http://www.shopwestminstermall.com (Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

A substantially dead anchor store, which had opened -in 1986- as a May D & F. It received a Houston-based Foley's nameplate in 1993 and was christened as a Macy's in 2006. That store shut down in early 2009.

Photo from www.labelscar.com / Jacob Dougherty

A parting view of WESTMINSTER MALL. The shopping hub bit the proverbial dust between July and October 2011. Here we see a mall entrance, which shows the results of the center's turn of the 21st century renovation.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Xnatedawgx"

A rendering of WESTMINSTER CENTER...make that DOWNTOWN WESTMINSTER...which is a New Urbanism-type redevelopment of WESTMINSTER MALL. Construction on Phase One of the project got underway in July 2016.

Drawing from http://www.downtownwestminster.us

The DOWNTOWN WESTMINSTER site is served by Greater Denver's RTD Commuter Rail system. Service commenced on the 6.2 route mile Union Station-to-Westminster B Line in July 2016. Above is a panoramic view of the Westminster Station.

Photo from Wikipedia / Jeffrey Beall

We conclude our WESTMINSTER section with a site plan of the DOWNTOWN WESTMINSTER project. Five structures in blue remain from the old mall; (1) J.C. Penney, (2) Brunswick bowling center, (3) US Bank, (4) Olive Garden restaurant and (5) a medical clinic.

Original drawing from http://www.downtownwestminster.us

WESTMINSTER MALL
West 88th Avenue and Harlan Street
Westminster, Colorado

Plans for Greater Denver's sixteenth shopping mall were announced in September 1975. At the time, the complex-to-be had not been given a name. Work on WESTMINSTER MALL commenced on May 11, 1976, The facility would be developed by Kansas City, Missouri's Frank Morgan and Sherman Dreiseszun, under the auspices of MD Management. 

Consisting of a single retail level, the fully-enclosed mall would occupy a 118-acre plot, located 7 miles northwest of downtown Denver. The site, in suburban Westminster, was adjacent to the Denver-Boulder Turnpike-US 36 expressway. 

WESTMINSTER MALL was developed in three stages, over a period of 17 years. Its first phase encompassed approximately 320,000 leasable square feet and seventy-eight stores and services. Denver-based Joslins anchored the original mall, with a 2-level (153,200 square foot) store. This was officially dedicated on February 20, 1977. A formal grand opening for the inline store section of the complex was held on September 29th. 

Charter stores included Collins Shops ladies' wear, Bookwork Books, Fashion Bar, Pet Village, Air Step Shoes, The Cookie Factory, Tool Shack and Silver Eagle Traders. The American Multi-Cinema Westminster 6 Theatres had shown its first features on August 10, 1977. The American Multi-Cinema Westminster 5 was built, as freestanding structure, in the mall's west parking area. This multiplex was open for business by 1983.

A second construction phase, conducted between 1984 and 1987, enlarged the mall exponentially. Second, third, fourth and fifth anchors were built. The first of these, a 2-level (134,300 square foot), Phoenix-based Broadway Southwest, welcomed first shoppers on November 5, 1985. A 2-level (154,600 square foot), Denver-based May D & F was completed in September 1986.

A 1-level (76,000 square foot), Hayward, California-based Mervyn's debuted on October 17, 1986. The Mervyn's and Broadway Southwest stores were built as part of a new North Wing. It included a 16-bay Food Court and added fifty-seven inline stores to the mall directory. 

The final segment of the expansion entailed construction of a 2-level (180,600 square foot) J.C. Penney. This store opened for business on March 18, 1987. With its completion, WESTMINSTER MALL spanned approximately 1,390,000 leasable square feet, contained 150 stores and services, and was the largest shopping mall in Greater Denver.

During its stellar early years, WESTMINSTER MALL had no sizable competitor. Malls in its vicinity ended up decimated by its presence. These included NORTH VALLEY CENTER (1968) {3.9 miles southeast, in Adams County}, NORTHGLENN MALL (1968) {3.8 miles northeast, in Adams County} and THORNTON TOWN CENTER (1989) {3.9 miles northeast, in Thornton}.

A fourth -and final- expansion of WESTMINSTER MALL added a 2-level (115,400 square foot) Montgomery Ward to the North Wing. The store, dedicated on October 29, 1993, brought the gross leasable area of the center to a whopping 1,505,400 square feet. The complex was now the only 6-anchor mall in the Centennial State.

The first anchor rebranding at WESTMINSTER MALL converted the May D & F store into a Houston-based Foley's. This transpired on May 2, 1993. The Broadway Southwest location was shuttered 3 years later. It re-opened, as a Sears, on September 28, 1996. Joslins, and its Mercantile Stores parent company, were absorbed into the Dillard's chain in 1998, with the WESTMINSTER location being rebranded as a Dillard's.

In 1999, plans for a hybrid enclosed mall and lifestyle center were announced. News of the prospective FLATIRON CROSSING {5.9 miles northwest, in Broomfield} sent shock waves through WESTMINSTER MALL management. A 10 million dollar remodeling was announced in August.

This renovation, funded by the City of Westminster and the Westminster Mall Company, got underway in January 2000. During the project, new skylights, interior landscaping and seating areas were installed. Moreover, mall entrances and Center Court were rebuilt. The new and improved WESTMINSTER MALL was officially re-dedicated on January 19, 2001.

FLATIRON CROSSING-THE VILLAGE was officially dedicated in August 2000. The shiny new shopping hub immediately put the hurt on WESTMINSTER MALL. An anchor exodus ensued. Montgomery Ward was shuttered in March 2001. Mervyn's pulled out of the mall (and Colorado) on January 21, 2006. Macy's, which had rebranded Foley's on September 9, 2006, closed their store in January 2009. Dillard's was demoted to a Clearance Center.

Adding insult to injury, another lifestyle-type complex entered the picture. THE ORCHARD TOWN CENTER {7.5 miles northeast, in Westminster} held its grand opening in April 2008. The fortunes of WESTMINSTER MALL, the once-mighty merchandising mecca, seemed bleak, indeed. Its owner, Kansas City, Missouri-based MD Management, acquired three of the center's vacant anchors in anticipation of a redevelopment of the "blighted property."

The majority of the mall was purchased by the Westminster Economic Development Authority. Its eighteen remaining inline stores were shuttered on May 11, 2011. Demolition commenced on July 23, 2011 and continued into the following October.

The Dillard's Clearance Center was shuttered in July 2011 and demolished soon after. Sears and J.C. Penney remained in business. The Brunswick Zone Bowling Arcade, a US Bank, Olive Garden restaurant and medical clinic were also left standing. Sears Holdings eventually decided to shutter their WESTMINSTER store. It closed in June 2012 and was soon bulldozed.

A new DOWNTOWN WESTMINSTER was created from the rubble. This "unique, vibrant and genuine" project was implemented by Minneapolis-based Sherman Associates. Envisaged as a high-density, mixed-use "urban-style development," its first phase was completed in October 2019. 

DOWNTOWN WESTMINSTER included Bowlero Westminster (a renovated Brunswick Zone Bowling Arcade), Famille Restaurant, the Tattered Cover Bookstore, Sweet Bloom Coffee and an Alamo Draft House cinema-restaurant. In addition, there was 650,000 square feet of leased office space, 373 residential units and public green space, all layed out on a city street grid.

Sources:

The Denver Post

The Broomfield Enterprise (Broomfield, Colorado)

The Rocky Mountain News (Denver, Colorado)

https://digital.denverlibrary.org

http://www.labelscar.com/ / Article posted by "Prange Way" with assistance by Jacob Dougherty
http://www.shopwestminstermall.com (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://propertysearch.jeffco.us / Jefferson County, Colorado
http://www.rtd-fastracks.com / Regional Transportation District
http://www.westminstercenter.us
http://www.downtownwestminster.us
http://www.sherman-associates.com