Old Ward Parkway Mall Through the Years (1959-2000)

WARD PARKWAY CENTER
Ward Parkway and West 89th Street
Kansas City, Missouri
The third suburban shopping mall in Kansas City, Missouri came inline during 1959. Developed by the Kroh Brothers, WARD PARKWAY CENTER was located 20 miles south of the city center, on a 38.8 acre land parcel just east of the Kansas / Missouri boundary. The St. Andrews Golf Course was the previous occupant of the site.
Anchored by a 2-level (69,600 square foot) Montgomery Ward and a 2-level (45,400 square foot) J.C. Penney, the open-air complex was situated on 2 levels; the lower was accessed from the east and Ward Parkway, the upper from the west and State Line Road.
Charter tenants included Woolf Brothers apparel, Wolferman's Restaurant, Jenkins Records, Eddy's Loaf and Stein and a Kroger supermarket.
Competing shopping centers on the Missouri side of the metro area included COUNTRY CLUB PLAZA (1922) {4.6 miles northeast, in Kansas City} and BANNISTER MALL (1980) {4.4 miles southeast, also in Kansas City}.
On the Kansas side, there were METCALF SOUTH CENTER (1967) {3.1 miles southwest, in Overland Park} and OAK PARK MALL (1975) {5.9 miles southwest, also in Overland Park}.
The first of many renovations at WARD PARKWAY CENTER was completed in 1963. The upper level mallway was fully-enclosed. Moreover, motion picture history was made when America's first multiplex cinema was added to the northeast corner of the existing mall. Durwood Theatres (a predecessor of today's AMC chain) opened the 700 seat, Parkway Twin July 12, 1963.
A second series of mall modifications were done in the early 1970s. Ward's was expanded into a 94,400 square foot operation. Penney's enlarged their store to 61,600 square feet.
In addition, the south end of the complex was enlarged with a 4-level (201,500 square foot), Saint Louis-based Stix, Baer and Fuller. The new store was surrounded by multilevel parking decks. The original multiplex was torn down.
Anchor rebrandings commenced in 1984, with the conversion of the Stix store to a Dillard's. A third renovation, costing 32 million dollars, was done in 1989-1990. A second multiplex opened at the mall. Beginning as an upper level, 12-screen venue, it was expanded, with an 8-screen (lower level) addition. This 8-screen venue eventually closed. The 12-screen, upper level operation had two auditoriums added.
A fourth renovation of WARD PARKWAY CENTER got underway in 1998, during which large sections of the roof were removed and interior retail space rearranged. The mall, previously considered a regional-class shopping venue, began to be marketed as more of a community retail center.
New big box-type tenants were recruited, such as Dick's Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx. The mall's charter anchors were replaced. J.C. Penney moved out in 1996. Montgomery Ward (shuttered in 2000) was razed, with a 1-level (118,000 square foot) Target built on its spot. This store opened October 9, 2002.
In May 2003, the mall was purchased by a joint venture of Beachwood, Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty and New York City-based Coventry Real Estate Advisors.
Within months, a fifth renovation dubbed "Rebuilding History" was underway. Retail space at the southwest corner of the upper level was demolished, opening half of the previously-enclosed structure to the parking area.
On the lower level, a food court was torn out and replaced with new big box stores, such as PetsMart, Old Navy and Staples. In essence, much of the old, inward-facing mall was reoriented toward the outside. Dillard's was demoted to a Clearance Store in October 2008 and was shuttered late in 2009.
Almost completely rebuilt and reconfigured, the 813,000 square foot complex is now unrecognizable from its original 1959 incarnation. It has become a new-age, "hybrid-in-fill retail center" and appears ready to embark upon its second 50 years of business.
However, it will have a new owner to take it into its second half century. The economic meltdown of the late 2000s was responsible for the mall entering foreclosure proceedings and being auctioned off in March 2009.
Its new owner, Chicago's Babson Capital Management, has recruited Kansas City / Scottsdale, Arizona-based Red Development to lease and operate the shopping complex.