Rimrock Mall facts for kids
| Location | Billings, Montana, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°45′55″N 108°34′39″W / 45.7652°N 108.5776°W |
| Address | 300 S 24th St W |
| Opening date | September 11, 1975 |
| Developer | The Hahn Company |
| Management | Starwood Capital Group |
| Owner | Starwood Retail Partners |
| No. of stores and services | 65 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (3 open, 2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 575,000 square feet (53,400 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Parking | 3,200 |
Rimrock Mall is a large indoor shopping mall located in Billings, Montana, United States. It is managed by Starwood Capital Group. The mall is home to popular stores like Dillard's and J. C. Penney.
Rimrock Mall is the biggest indoor mall in Billings. It is also the largest shopping center of its kind in all of Montana.
Contents
Mall History
How the Mall Started
The land where Rimrock Mall now stands used to be a farm where sugar beets grew. This area was not very developed back then. A company called The Hahn Company built the mall, and it cost a lot of money to make.
The mall first opened its doors on September 11, 1975. On that first day, about 10,000 cars came to visit! Police officers even had to help direct all the traffic.
By 1976, some of the first big stores, called anchor stores, included Montgomery Ward, Hennessy's, and Herberger's. Another store, The Denver Dry Goods Company, opened in 1978.
By the end of the 1970s, the mall also had two movie theaters. Rimrock 4 (later Rimrock 5) opened inside the mall in 1975. World West opened in 1979 in a separate building nearby.
Growth in the 1980s
When The Denver store closed in 1981, JCPenney decided to move into that space. JCPenney had been in Downtown Billings, but they chose to move to Rimrock Mall in February 1982. This move helped make the mall even more popular.
During the 1980s, Rimrock Mall became a major reason for growth in the West End area of Billings. It turned the area into a popular shopping spot for people from Montana and Wyoming.
Changes in the 1990s
In November 1996, a company called Macerich bought Rimrock Mall.
The Rimrock 5 movie theater closed in 1998. Later, a big sports store called Scheels All Sports moved into that space. Another movie theater, Wynnsong 10, opened near the mall in 1999.
Modern Updates in the 2010s
In 2012, Macerich decided to sell the mall. About six months later, Starwood Retail Properties LLC bought Rimrock Mall. Starwood Retail Partners then became the company that runs the mall.
In 2016, Starwood Retail Partners gave the mall a fresh, modern look. They updated the outside, the main entrance, and the inside of the mall.
The old World West movie theater building was torn down in 2016. It had been empty for almost 20 years. In December 2017, a new Krispy Kreme donut shop opened in a new building on that same spot.
In 2017, the original Herberger's store space was divided in half. A clothing store called H&M opened in one part. The other part became home to Magic City Gymnastics, which opened in 2018. Herberger's closed completely in August 2018.
What's Next for the Mall
Mall leaders have started to divide some of the empty anchor store spaces into smaller shops. This has allowed new stores like H&M to move in.
Even though some malls are struggling, officials at Rimrock Mall are confident about its future. They say that in northern states like Montana, indoor malls offer a warm and comfortable place to shop, especially during the cold winter months.
