South County Center

38°30′22″N 90°19′54″W / 38.50619°N 90.33153°W / 38.50619; -90.33153Address18 South County Center WayOpening dateOctober 17, 1963^[1]DeveloperMay Centers, Inc.ManagementCBL & Associates, Inc.Owner CBL & Associates, Inc.No. of stores and services102 (As of January 2023)^[1]No. of anchor tenants4 (3 open, 1 vacant)Total retail floor area1,038,832 sq ft (96,510.7 m²)^[1]No. of floors1 in original wing, 2 with partial third floor in new wing (3 in former Sears)Public transit access MetroBusWebsiteshopsouthcountycenter.com

South County Center is a shopping mall located in Mehlville, Missouri, at the intersection between Interstate 55, Interstate 255, and U.S. Route 50. It opened on October 17, 1963 and was designed by Victor Gruen. it included a dome-roofed Famous-Barr, which became Macy's in 2006, a National Supermarket occupying the basement floor, which closed in 1973, and later JCPenney as anchors. Stix, Baer & Fuller, (which became Dillard's in 1984), was added in 1973 along with a new wing of stores. A Sears, a food court, and additional mall stores were added in 2001. In 2004, Several stores and restaurants were added that could be accessed from outside the mall including Qdoba, Applebee's (closed in 2015; replaced by DXL in 2016), Noodle's and Company (closed in 2023), and Border's (closed in 2011; replaced by Vintage Stock in 2012). The anchor stores are Macy's, Dillard's, and JCPenney.

In 1990, the mall was purchased by The Westfield Group, which retained ownership until 2007. CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. bought South County Center and three other Westfield malls as part of their expansion into the St. Louis area.^[2]

History

South County Center was opened for business on 1963. The original anchors were Famous-Barr, National Supermarkets, and JCPenney. Ten years later, National Supermarkets was closed and was replaced by Stix, Baer and Fuller. Dillard's replaced Stix, Baer and Fuller in 1984. In 1990, the mall was purchased by the Westfield Group, which retained ownership in 2007. The CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. bought this mall and three other Westfield malls as part of the expansion into the St. Louis area. Sears was open for business in 2001. Junior anchors were added in 1969, starting with Pope's Restaurant, until it closed in 2001, which made way for the new junior anchors such as Destination XL, Vintage Stock, and many more. The Sears location in the mall closed in September 2018, along with the Sears location at Chesterfield Mall. ^[3]

A Dick's Sporting Goods store opened near the mall on November 8, 2013.^[4]

In May 2019, Japanese entertainment venue chain Round One Entertainment announced that a Round One venue would open in the currently vacant Sears store in 2020. The venue would've been the chain's first in the Greater St. Louis area, and the first in Missouri,^[5][6] but in January 2021, these plans were cancelled and the building plans were scrapped.

Anchors

Current

• Macy's (2006-present)
• JCPenney (1967-present)
• Dillard's (1984-present)

Former

• Famous-Barr (1963-2006) (now Macy's)
• National Supermarkets (1963-1973) (replaced by Stix, Baer and Fuller)
• Stix, Baer and Fuller (1973-1984) (now Dillard's)
• Sears (2001-2018) (did not get replaced by Round One Entertainment in 2020)

Junior anchors

Current

• Qdoba (2004-present)
• Destination XL (2016-present)
• Lacefield Music (2004-present)
• Vintage Stock (2012-present)

Former

• Applebee's (2004-2015) (now Destination XL)
• Noodles and Company (2004-2023)
• Pope's Seven Kitchens Restaurant (1969-1991) (then Kids R Us, Borders (2004-2011) (now Vintage Stock)

References

External links

• South County Center