Crestwood Court
Encyclopedia
Crestwood Court, formerly known as Crestwood Plaza and Westfield Crestwood, is an enclosed shopping mall
in St. Louis, Missouri
. Opened in 1957, it was the first major mall in the St. Louis area, and one of the first to have more than one department store. The mall includes one anchor store
, Sears, with two vacant anchors last occupied by Macy's
and Dillard's
. The mall is owned by Centrum Properties and managed by Jones Lang LaSalle
.
s included local department store Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney (later Famous-Barr
, then Macy's
) and Sears, making one of the first major malls to have more than one anchor store, and the first to utilize a split-level parking lot to allow direct access to both floors of the anchors. Zorensky later developed a second St. Louis mall, Northwest Plaza
, which opened in 1965. In 1967, Crestwood was expanded, adding Stix Baer & Fuller (later Dillard's
) as a third anchor.
The mall was the subject of a 1975 lawsuit related to a Kroger
supermarket that formerly operated within it. The suit was filed after Kroger moved to a new store across the street in 1972 and subleased its space in the mall to Tipton Electronics. Mall owners wanted to terminate the lease with Kroger, but Kroger wanted to maintain the sub-lease. The suit ruled in Kroger's favor.
Originally an open-air mall, Crestwood Plaza was encosed in 1984. A Woolworth store at the mall closed in 1988, and was replaced by eighteen smaller stores a year later.
Westfield Group purchased Crestwood Plaza in 1998 and renamed it Westfield Shoppingtown Crestwood. The company sold two other St. Louis area malls to CBL & Associates Properties in 2007, but did not include Crestwood in the sale. It had previously attempted to sell the mall to Somera Capital Management in 2006, but the deal fell through. The mall was ultimately sold to Centrum Properties and renamed Crestwood Court. Also in 2007, Dillard's closed its store in the mall due to decreased sales. Famous-Barr had also announced plans to relocate to a new outdoor mall in Sunset Hills
, but remained at Crestwood after the Sunset Hills development was canceled. The Crestwood store closed as a Macy's in 2009, leaving Sears as the only anchor.
The loss of anchor stores has resulted in increasing vacancies throughout Crestwood Court. Although Centrum initially planned to redevelop the center as a lifestyle center
, it has filled more than half of the mall with art-oriented tenants, such as art galleries and dance studios.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Opened in 1957, it was the first major mall in the St. Louis area, and one of the first to have more than one department store. The mall includes one anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
, Sears, with two vacant anchors last occupied by Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
and Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
. The mall is owned by Centrum Properties and managed by Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle
Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc. is a multinational financial and professional services company specializing in real estate. Global headquarters are located in Chicago, with an operational remit covering the Americas regional market...
.
History
Crestwood Plaza was the first regional mall in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Local retail developer Louis Zorensky developed the mall in 1957. Its original anchor storeAnchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s included local department store Scruggs-Vandervoort-Barney (later Famous-Barr
Famous-Barr
The Famous-Barr Co. , St. Louis, Missouri, was a division of Macy's, Inc. . It was formerly the hometown division of The May Department Stores Company, which was acquired by Federated on August 30, 2005. On February 1, 2006, it was subsumed into the newly created Macy's Midwest division.The...
, then Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
) and Sears, making one of the first major malls to have more than one anchor store, and the first to utilize a split-level parking lot to allow direct access to both floors of the anchors. Zorensky later developed a second St. Louis mall, Northwest Plaza
Northwest Plaza
Northwest Plaza was an enclosed shopping mall located in St. Ann, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The mall comprised nearly of gross leasable area, making it the 27th largest mall in the United States according to the International Council of Shopping Centers prior to its closure...
, which opened in 1965. In 1967, Crestwood was expanded, adding Stix Baer & Fuller (later Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
) as a third anchor.
The mall was the subject of a 1975 lawsuit related to a Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
supermarket that formerly operated within it. The suit was filed after Kroger moved to a new store across the street in 1972 and subleased its space in the mall to Tipton Electronics. Mall owners wanted to terminate the lease with Kroger, but Kroger wanted to maintain the sub-lease. The suit ruled in Kroger's favor.
Originally an open-air mall, Crestwood Plaza was encosed in 1984. A Woolworth store at the mall closed in 1988, and was replaced by eighteen smaller stores a year later.
Westfield Group purchased Crestwood Plaza in 1998 and renamed it Westfield Shoppingtown Crestwood. The company sold two other St. Louis area malls to CBL & Associates Properties in 2007, but did not include Crestwood in the sale. It had previously attempted to sell the mall to Somera Capital Management in 2006, but the deal fell through. The mall was ultimately sold to Centrum Properties and renamed Crestwood Court. Also in 2007, Dillard's closed its store in the mall due to decreased sales. Famous-Barr had also announced plans to relocate to a new outdoor mall in Sunset Hills
Sunset Hills, Missouri
Sunset Hills is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,496 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Sunset Hills is located at 38°32'8" North, 90°24'14" West ....
, but remained at Crestwood after the Sunset Hills development was canceled. The Crestwood store closed as a Macy's in 2009, leaving Sears as the only anchor.
The loss of anchor stores has resulted in increasing vacancies throughout Crestwood Court. Although Centrum initially planned to redevelop the center as a lifestyle center
Lifestyle center (retail)
A lifestyle center is a shopping center or mixed-used commercial development that combines the traditional retail functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented towards upscale consumers...
, it has filled more than half of the mall with art-oriented tenants, such as art galleries and dance studios.