Blue Ridge Mall: Kansas City, Missouri on DeadMalls.com

BLUE RIDGE MALL: KANSAS CITY, MO

TK update: This mall is long gone...its a Wal-Mart Supercenter now. Rats abounded when it was torn down.

Nick B' Commentary:

Posted November 20, 2006 (user submitted April 9, 2006)

The Blue Ridge Mall opened in 1958 as an open-air mall, then became an indoor mall(don't know when). The Blue Ridge Mall is completely demolished now. The land will be used for a Wal*Mart SuperCenter and a strip mall. Blue Ridge Mall facts:

opened in 1958
3 anchors Jones Store Co (May Dept Store), JCPenney, and Montgomery Ward.
parking garage on the JCPenney end
85 stores on 1 level

The Blue Ridge Mall started to have crime problems, similar to Bannister Mall. I went to the mall about 2 or 3 yrs ago for the last time before it was demolished. It had a nail salon, Brother's Pets, Train Town, a couple jewelry stores, Waldenbooks, KayBee Toys Express, Orange Julius, Pretzel Time, Topsy's, a few other stores and Jones Store Co., which was having a closing sale at the time. JCPenney closed up awhile back.

The mall often used the old Montgomery Ward location for gun shows and other events.

The Brother's Pets moved across the highway from the mall. Applebee's had a location there until the mall was demolished.

The Blue Ridge Mall "was" located on Blue Ridge Blvd. and right next to I-70 in Kansas City, MO.

Grady Ellis' Commentary:

Posted November 20, 2006 (user submitted August 13, 2004)

Blue Ridge Mall is located in Kansas City Missouri. It was one of the first malls built in the Kansas City. Built in 1958, with anchors The Jones Store, Jc penney, Newberry's, Harzfeld's, Montgomery Ward, and Woolworth's, Blue Ridge was one of top malls at the time it opened, and experienced changes such as being enclosed in the 1970's and when JCPenney built another store at the end of the Mall the space where JCPenney was became more stores. This mall included such stores as Lerner, Hickory Farm, Aladdin's castle, Foot Locker, Waldenbooks, and The Gap. In the early 70's Newberry's and Harzfeld's closed. The Newberry's was converted into the food court while Harzfeld's stood empty til this day. The mall thrived throughout the 70s and 80s. As a child I remember the McDonald's that was in the mall always being crowded, and going to Kay Bee toys.

In the 90s the mall started to slowly die. The lower level went empty in the early 90s. It was nearly empty except for the Business Center and The Newberry's. Woolworth's closing in 1997 began the mall's decent. By 1999 the mall had lost many stores. In 2000 the theatre was gone and the lower level where jcpenney once was was being converted into a antiques mall. In late 2000 the Ward's chain went out of business, leaving more vacancy. In 2001 the JCPenney closed, therefore causing more stores to leave. The Jones Store, the last anchor left in the mall, closed in 2003. After that most of the stores that were remaining left. By the beginning of 2004, all that was left was Applebee's (which was a newer addition), Brothers Pets, Foot Locker, Antique Sampler Shops, and Lencrafters. In May 2004 it was announced that Wal-Mart was going to buy the mall and tear it down to build a supercenter.

After the announcement, the antique sampler shops closed along with Foot Locker and all that is open is Applebee's, Brother's Pets, and Lencrafter's. No food court. 80% of the mall is sealed off.

When Wal-mart comes in most of the stores will relocate while applebee's will build on a outparcel on the property This mall is a landmark, to me at least, and I hate to see it go. But, progress is progress, and nothing will stand in its way.

Kim S. Schinkel's Commentary:

Posted December 2, 2006 (user submitted)

Harzfeld's was named after Sigmund Harzfeld, who introduced the concept of ready-to-wear to Kansas City with his "Parisian Hat and Cloak Company" located at 1101 Main. Later, the Petticoat Lane location would be known as "Harzfeld's Parisian", then simply "Harzfeld's".

In the late 70's, local ownership was swallowed up by Brooks Brothers, Miller, and Rhodes, which in turn was bought out by Allied Stores. Allied Stores had a very dim view of the beloved Midwestern operation, which also had locations at the Country Club Plaza, Corinth Shopping Center, Metcalf Shopping Center, Columbia (Missouri), Tulsa and Oklahoma City, as well as the Blue Ridge Mall. They withdrew their corporate support in the summer of 1984, knowing that it couldn't survive on its own.

They attempted to replace the Plaza store with a Bonwit-Teller.

Photos:

http://www.rodslair.com/br-mall/ - Photo Album of the demolition of Blue Ridge Mall

David Markham’s Commentary:

User submitted in 2019

A fast food restaurant I remember on the southeast end of the Blue Ridge Mall's lower level was "Dons World of Beef," which sold a variety of roast beef sandwiches. I remember I liked their sandwiches and it always seemed like a busy place. My folk's house was less than a mile from the mall and I spent a lot of time there as a kid, and eventually worked at both Woolworths, and Montgomery Ward while attending school. At one time, there was Western Auto Store located west of Woolworth's, and in the late 1960's, there was a grocery store in the space near the southwest corner which Lenscrafters later occupied. I think the grocery store went away about the time the mall was enclosed. There was also a bowling ally in the basement under that same space. Another memory I have - and this had to have been in the early 70's - was that a couple of times, there were giant (fiberglass?) sculptures of dinosaurs brought in on flatbed trucks and placed as a weekend exhibit in the parking lot between the mall and Interstate 70 that we went to see.

Tyler David Coltraine’s Commentary:

User submitted Aug 2007

I'd probably been in the Bannister Mall every year for twenty full years; it was near my grandparents for some time, and for the area it was the best mall around--Independence Centre didn't exist yet, and Blue Ridge Mall was already beginning the slow decline into a dead mall.

While I can't say much on the place in the 1980s--all my memories there are tinted slightly by the fact I was less than ten years old--and I haven't lived in the state for a few years now, I'm sad but unsurprised to see the old girl close.

In the 80s, Bannister was the only thing in its area: Kansas City hadn't grown quite in the direction yet, though it was beginning to. Eventually they'd add the huge Venture across the street and the Bannister 4 Theater, but really it wasn't connected. Big, huge area, nicely secured and free from the sort of rot that creeps in when the city encroaches. I have fond flashbacks of Hot Dog Express and a candy store I can't name anymore, checking records at Camelot Records or just hanging out in the really big food court.

By 2000, this was no longer the case. Venture closed years before, and there was residential housing and businesses small and large all over the landscape. Bannister was having problems competing just with retailers and restaurants near their own parking lots, like Red Lobster and Blockbuster Music. The mall felt horribly unsafe, packed to the rafters with empty shops or "coming soon" blockades and no small amount of urban youth just hanging out for something to do. The neighborhood was getting inappropriate for a mall of this scale, and eventually it just gave, I suppose.

Phil Duncan’s Commentary:

User submitted Feb 2007

Just a quick comment regarding the Blue Ridge Mall being enclosed during the 70's. I actually believe it was before this. We moved to Kansas City in January 1970 (and shopped there regularly thereafter) and drove by the mall in December 1969. I am relatively certain the mall was already enclosed at that time. I don't remember any signs of construction at that time, so I think the work was recent, but I think it was finished by at least the summer of '69.

Thanks for the site. The demise of the Blue Ridge was very sad for me. I'm dreading the end of Antioch Center as well.

Kim S. Schinkel’s Commentary:

User submitted Nov 2006

Excuse me, but the actual name was Harzfeld's. The chain was named after Sigmund Harzfeld, who introduced the concept of ready-to-wear to Kansas City with his "Parisian Hat and Cloak Company" located at 1101 Main. Later, the Petticoat Lane location would be known as "Harzfeld's Parisian", then simply "Harzfeld's". In the late 70's, local ownership was swallowed up by Brooks Brothers, Miller, and Rhodes, which in turn was bought out by Allied Stores. Allied Stores had a very dim view of the beloved Midwestern operation, which also had locations at the Country Club Plaza, Corinth Shopping Center, Metcalf Shopping Center, Columbia (Missouri), Tulsa and Oklahoma City, as well as the Blue Ridge Mall. They withdrew their corporate support in the summer of 1984, knowing that it couldn't survive on its own. They attempted to replace the Plaza store with a Bonwit-Teller, a move met with so much derisiobn by the locals that it shut its doors not
long after opening.

How do I know all this? My husband and I met while we both worked there, and we occasionally run into former co-workers. We were with them until the bitter end, and we'll never forget our experiences.

shad bailey’s Commentary:

User submitted Nov 2006

I have emailed you several times asking you to correct the info about the
Bannister Mall on your web site. I never have even recived a reply from
you. Please consider correcting it its not a dead mall. I love your web
site but please consider correcting it on this one. Also you might want
to add the blue ridge mall in kansas city that is refferd to in the
article about bannister ma article.

Nick B' Commentary:

Grady Ellis' Commentary:

Kim S. Schinkel's Commentary:

Photos:

Debbie Cooper’s Commentary:

Mary Jo Whitaker Williamson’s Commentary:

David Markham’s Commentary:

Bonita Akridge’s Commentary:

Tyler David Coltraine’s Commentary:

Phil Duncan’s Commentary:

Kim S. Schinkel’s Commentary:

Tom Hand’s Commentary:

shad bailey’s Commentary: