Metro North Mall facts for kids
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Metro North Mall in state of decline, May 2012
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| Location | Kansas City North, Missouri, United States |
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| Coordinates | 39°14′58″N 94°35′09″W / 39.24949°N 94.58585°W |
| Opening date | September 1976 |
| Closing date | April 15, 2014 |
| Developer | Sherman Dreiseszun Frank Morgan |
| Owner | Metro North Crossing LLC |
| No. of stores and services | 150 at Peak, 2 at time of closing |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 at Peak, 1 at time of closing |
| Total retail floor area | 1,300,000 sq ft (120,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Parking | 7,500+ |
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The Metro North Mall was a huge shopping center in Kansas City North, Missouri, United States. It covered about 1.3 million square feet, which is a lot of space!
This mall first opened in 1976. It was special because it was the only enclosed mall north of the Missouri River in the Kansas City area. It was also the second largest mall there, after Oak Park Mall. Frank Morgan and his uncle Sherman Dreiseszun built it.
After many years, the mall started to lose stores and visitors. It finally closed its doors on April 15, 2014. Most of the mall was torn down in early 2017, except for one main store, Macy's.
Contents
History of Metro North Mall
Opening Day and Early Fun
Metro North Mall opened in September 1976. It had 1.3 million square feet of shops. There were 125 different stores and 4 large main stores, called anchor stores. The mall had two levels for shopping.
The center of the mall was a cool place. It had a stage surrounded by a pool of water. Four small hot-air balloons hung from the ceiling. They would float up and down, which was a neat sight!
The mall didn't have one big food court. Instead, it had a fun area with two restaurants, Dairy Queen and In-a-Tub. There was also a six-screen AMC movie theater and an arcade called Nickelodeon.
The mall was very popular, especially during holidays. Sometimes, they even used parking trams from Worlds of Fun to help people park far away. By 1990, more restaurants opened around the mall. AMC also built another movie theater right behind it.
Changes and Decline
Around the year 2000, the mall's owners started building a new shopping area called Zona Rosa. They made the rent higher at Metro North. This encouraged stores to move to the new Zona Rosa location.
Many big stores started to leave. The Montgomery Ward store closed in 2001. Both AMC movie theaters also closed down. JCPenney left in 2008 to open new stores elsewhere. Dillard's became a clearance center in 2007, closing its lower level. Dillard's then left completely in 2008, moving to Zona Rosa.
MC Sporting Goods, another store, closed in 2009. Eventually, Macy's was the only main store left. It had originally opened as The Jones Store.
Plans for the Future and Final Closure
In 2007, there were plans to change Metro North into an outdoor shopping area. But these plans didn't happen because of a tough economy and the death of one of the mall owners.
New plans came up in 2010. They wanted to tear down most of the mall. Then, they would build a smaller, enclosed mall. This new mall would have shops, homes, and offices.
The plans faced problems, but in May 2013, new ideas came out. The owners wanted to tear down the mall and build a smaller, one-level mall. This new mall would have two main stores.
In April 2014, it was announced that the mall would close on April 15, 2014. Only two small stores were left when it closed: GNC and The Wig Shoppe. Macy's, the last main store, stayed open.
In 2015, a new company bought the mall. They planned to replace the enclosed mall with an open-air center. This new center would have stores, apartments, and offices.
Demolition and New Beginnings
In August 2016, new plans were approved. The old mall would be torn down. In its place, a new mixed-use area would be built. This area would have lots of retail space, offices, restaurants, a hotel, and homes.
The team planning this project had also worked on other similar projects in Kansas City. They had replaced other indoor malls with new mixed-use designs.
In November 2016, photos of the mall's inside went viral online. These pictures showed how much the mall had fallen apart since it closed. A photographer named Seph Lawless, who takes pictures of old, decaying places, described Metro North Mall as "the creepiest mall I've been in." The mall was mostly torn down in early 2017.
Anchor Stores
Anchor stores are the big, main stores that usually draw people to a mall. Here are some of the main stores that were at Metro North Mall:
- Macy's (second location) (244,000 sq. ft.) opened 2006, still operating
- MC Sporting Goods; (in part of former Wards, jr. anchor) opened 2002, closed 2009
- Dillard's; (155,000 sq. ft.) opened 1986, closed 2008
- JCPenney; (168,151 sq. ft.) opened 1976, closed 2008
- The Jones Store; opened 1976, became Macy's in 2006
- Montgomery Ward; opened 1976, closed 2001
- AMC Theatres; (in mall and outparcel) opened 1976, closed 2002
- Macy's (first location) (155,000 sq. ft.) opened 1976, became Dillard's in 1986
Images for kids
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Metro North Mall in state of decline, May 2012
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Pool area in Metro North Mall, May 2012
