Powerplex STL facts for kids
St. Louis Outlet Mall (formerly St. Louis Mills) in Hazelwood, MO
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| Location | Hazelwood, Missouri, United States |
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| Coordinates | 38°47′19″N 90°24′49″W / 38.7887°N 90.4137°W |
| Opening date | November 2003 |
| Developer | Mills Corporation |
| Owner | Namdar Realty Group |
| No. of stores and services | approx. 10 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 13 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,191,666 sq ft (110,709.4 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Parking | 5,000 free spaces |
Powerplex STL, also known as POWERplex STL, is a large shopping center in Hazelwood, Missouri. This town is near St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States. It used to be called St. Louis Mills and later St. Louis Outlet Mall. The mall first opened in 2003. For many years, it was hard for the mall to keep stores open. In 2020, work began to change it into a place with both shops and sports areas.
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History of the Mall
When the mall first opened in November 2003, it was a very big place. It had over 200 different shops and 8 main anchor stores. A company called Mills Corporation built and owned it. They wanted it to be a fun place with lots of stores and entertainment.
In October 2012, the mall's ownership changed. It became owned by a bank and was renamed St. Louis Outlet Mall. Later, in 2019, a new company bought the mall. On May 24, 2019, the new owners, Namdar Realty Group, announced that the mall would close. They told all the stores they had 30 days to leave. The plan was to turn the mall into a big sports center called POWERplex STL.
Fun Attractions Over Time
Ice Zone: A Cool Place to Skate
The Ice Zone, sometimes called iceZone, is a large indoor ice rink. It is connected to the mall and has 1,200 seats for people to watch. Anyone can come to the Ice Zone to skate. It is also used for figure skating and by local hockey teams. Many youth, high school, and adult teams play there.
The St. Louis Blues hockey team used to practice at the Ice Zone. Fans could even watch their practices for free from the bleachers. The Blues team later moved to a new practice place. The Ice Zone is also home to the Gateway Locomotives. This is a special hockey team for players with special needs.
NASCAR Speedpark: Race Car Fun
The NASCAR Speedpark was a fun place with a go-kart race track. It had both indoor and outdoor parts. Sometimes, famous NASCAR drivers like Kevin Harvick would visit. They would meet fans and sign autographs. The NASCAR Speedpark closed in January 2014.
Skate Park: For Skateboarders
An ESPN Skate Park opened when the mall first did. But in 2004, the mall found out it could not use the ESPN name. So, in late 2005, it was renamed the "St. Louis Mills Skate Park." The park then closed in early 2006.
It stayed closed until 2007 when a new company, Woodward, said they would take over. But those plans did not work out. The park stayed closed until 2009. It then reopened with a new sponsor and was called "Plan Nine." The skate park closed again in 2015.
