Mall of the Bluffs
LocationCouncil Bluffs, Iowa, U.S.
Coordinates41°14′43″N 95°49′24″W / 41.245409°N 95.823204°W / 41.245409; -95.823204
Address1751 Madison Avenue
Opening date1986
Closing dateDecember 30, 2019
DeveloperGeneral Growth Properties
OwnerMenards
No. of anchor tenants4 (all vacant)
Total retail floor area730,000 square feet (68,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors1
Public transit accessMetro Transit

Mall of the Bluffs was a shopping mall in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. Built in 1986, the mall featured J. C. Penney, Dillard's, Sears, and Target as its anchor stores at its peak. After both JCPenney and Target moved to other developments in Council Bluffs, it began a sharp decline in tenancy throughout the 2010s. The mall closed on December 30, 2019.

History

Mall of the Bluffs opened in 1986. Developed by General Growth Properties, it was the second mall in the Council Bluffs area after Midlands Mall, which was located downtown and which was redeveloped after Mall of the Bluffs opened.[2] It received two expansions in its history: Dillard's in 1988,[3] and Sears a decade afterward.[4]

The mall began losing anchor stores in the 21st century. J. C. Penney moved in 2008,[1] and Target one year later.[5] Barnes & Noble, another major tenant, closed in 2011.[6] One year later, Sears closed as well.[4]

General Growth Properties sold the mall to Namdar Realty Group in 2013. At the time of the sale, the mall was nearly 25 percent vacant.[1] Many inline tenants had closed or relocated following the relocation of both J. C. Penney and Target, creating further vacancy issues throughout; despite this, Planet Fitness replaced Barnes & Noble shortly after the purchase by Namdar. Due to the increasing vacancy, the mall was put up for auction in 2015.[2]

In 2018, the former J. C. Penney became an overstock store called It's $5.[7] Council Bluffs Community School District purchased the former Target building in 2019 and began using it as a temporary relocation of two local middle schools which would be undergoing renovation.[8] The last anchor store, Dillard's, also closed in 2019. For many years prior to its closure, the store had been downgraded to an outlet store.[3]

Home improvement chain Menards purchased the mall at the end of 2019. At this point, the few remaining mall tenants were given eviction notices,[9] and the mall closed on December 31.[10] Menards plans to demolish the mall and build a new store on the site.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mall of the Bluffs sold for $8.5 million". Omaha World-Herald. March 28, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Going once, going twice: Mall of the Bluffs will go on the auction block Monday". Daily Nonpareil. August 2, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Susan Payne (June 25, 2019). "Dillard's at Mall of the Bluffs to close". Daily Nonpareil. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Sears closing; but not now". Daily Nonpareil. February 24, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  5. ↑ Heather Alexander (October 17, 2007). "Target leaving Mall of the Bluffs". Daily Nonpareil. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  6. ↑ Jacki Ochoa (November 3, 2011). "Another Major Retailer Leaving Mall". WOWT. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  7. ↑ Susan Payne. "At new store opening in Mall of the Bluffs, prices drop as week goes on". Omaha World Herald. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  8. ↑ "School housed in former Target store at Mall of the Bluffs is ready to go in Council Bluffs". Omaha World Herald. August 26, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Mall of the Bluffs tenants forced to find new locations after receiving closure notices". Daily Nonpareil. November 25, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Store owners move following Mall of the Bluffs closure". 30 December 2019.
  11. ↑ "Menards confirms plans to tear down Mall of the Bluffs to build new store".
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