Shingle Creek Crossing

Shingle Creek Crossing is a retail development in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, whose site was formerly occupied by Brookdale Center, one of the Twin Cities region’s early enclosed suburban shopping malls. The property originated in the mid-1950s, when Dayton-Hudson Corporation selected a roughly 90-acre site near Osseo Road, 57th Avenue, Minnesota State Highway 100, and Shingle Creek for a major suburban shopping center. Dayton-Hudson initially considered the name Northdale, but the project was renamed Brookdale by 1957. The location was chosen because the developer expected the northern Minneapolis suburbs to experience substantial residential and commercial growth and believed the Mississippi River would limit direct competition with Apache Plaza in St. Paul. Brookdale opened in phases. The first phase welcomed shoppers on March 4, 1962, with Sears and JCPenney as principal anchors and a broad group of smaller stores and services, including a SuperValu grocery store, Woolworth, a cafeteria, beauty and repair services, a pharmacy, specialty retailers, and Sears Automotive. Like Dayton-Hudson’s earlier Southdale Center, Brookdale was enclosed and air-conditioned. Its amenities included extensive parking, fountains, a fish pool, and a bird cage, reflecting the era’s effort to make suburban shopping centers destinations for family outings as well as places to buy merchandise. A second phase opened in 1966 and added a Dayton’s department store, expanded JCPenney, an East Mall section, and approximately twenty additional stores. Donaldson’s joined the complex in September 1967, giving Brookdale four department-store anchors and making it the first Twin Cities-area mall with four anchors. Brookdale was one of the four Dayton-Hudson-associated “Dale” centers encircling the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, alongside Southdale Center, Rosedale Center, and Ridgedale Center. The mall performed strongly during its early years as suburban housing, road infrastructure, and nearby commercial development expanded. It served a large northern metropolitan trade area, including parts of north Minneapolis, although its customer base generally had lower incomes than Southdale’s. From the 1970s onward, competition from newer malls, demographic changes, the movement of younger residents away from Brooklyn Center, and weakening investment in the surrounding retail district gradually reduced Brookdale’s position. Ownership also changed repeatedly. Dayton-Hudson sold the property in 1978 to Equitable Life Assurance Company while continuing to manage it. Midwest Realty later acquired the center, but financial difficulties, limited reinvestment, foreclosure proceedings, and receivership complicated the property’s operation before Equitable recovered ownership. Talisman Company purchased Brookdale in 1997 and attempted to reposition it. A major renovation beginning in 2001, supported in part by city tax-increment financing, modernized the complex and introduced junior anchors and newer tenants such as Old Navy and Barnes & Noble, as well as a food court, restaurants, improved lighting, and other physical changes. The effort could not reverse the mall’s longer-term structural problems. JCPenney closed in 2004, Mervyn’s also left the market, Steve & Barry’s later closed during its bankruptcy liquidation, and Macy’s and Barnes & Noble announced departures in 2009. Sears became the only remaining major anchor, while vacancy exceeded half of the mall’s space. Brookdale closed in April 2010 after foreclosure proceedings. Gatlin Development Company won the subsequent bidding process and pursued redevelopment of the property. Most of the former mall was demolished in 2011, although the Sears building was initially retained. The site was then redeveloped as Shingle Creek Crossing, shifting from a traditional enclosed regional mall toward a contemporary retail development. The Shingle Creek Crossing name therefore represents the post-mall use of the property, while Brookdale Center remains the name by which the former enclosed shopping center is historically known.

Planning for Brookdale began in 1955, before Dayton-Hudson’s Southdale Center had fully demonstrated the potential of enclosed suburban retail. Dayton-Hudson selected a 90-acre tract in Brooklyn Center and expected the northern suburbs of Minneapolis to grow rapidly. The development was initially called Northdale, then renamed Brookdale by 1957. Rezoning around the site was approved, construction was announced in September 1960, and groundbreaking took place on October 12 of that year. The original plan called for a first phase of about 400,000 square feet with Sears, JCPenney, and roughly thirty additional stores, followed by a second phase anchored by Dayton’s. Construction was temporarily interrupted in 1961 by a sheet-metal workers’ strike. Phase One opened on March 4, 1962. Brookdale was among Minnesota’s early fully enclosed, climate-controlled shopping centers and was designed as a comprehensive suburban destination. Its initial tenant mix combined department stores, apparel and shoe retailers, food and grocery businesses, personal services, banking and savings services, repair shops, entertainment-oriented merchandise, and automotive operations. The center also used decorative features such as fountains, a fish pool, and a bird cage to distinguish it from conventional strip retail. It had more than 3,000 parking spaces. Expansion began in April 1965. Dayton’s and a new East Mall section opened in July 1966, adding approximately 421,000 square feet of retail space. JCPenney expanded from about 53,000 square feet to more than 140,000 square feet and added an automotive facility. Donaldson’s, which had acquired land adjoining the mall in a model used at Southdale, opened in September 1967. Brookdale consequently became the first four-anchor shopping mall in the Twin Cities area. The property formed part of Dayton-Hudson’s group of “Dale” centers, together with Southdale, Rosedale, and Ridgedale. Brookdale’s first decade was successful. The surrounding construction of Interstate 94 and Interstate 694 improved access and encouraged residential and commercial growth. Retail activity developed around the mall, including automotive businesses, a strip center, and a movie theater. In the early 1970s the center reported year-over-year sales growth, particularly in jewelry, gifts, shoes, and clothing. Its trade area, however, was less affluent than Southdale’s, and the mall developed a working- and middle-class identity that shaped its merchandising and public reputation. The competitive environment weakened from the mid-1970s. Northtown Mall opened in Blaine in 1972, followed later by additional retail nodes that drew shoppers away from Brookdale. Many younger Brooklyn Center residents moved away as the Baby Boomer generation reached adulthood, while the local population increasingly included older and economically disadvantaged households. Dayton-Hudson sold nine shopping centers, including Brookdale, to Equitable Life Assurance Company in 1978, retaining management responsibilities for a period. Midwest Realty, a Shearson Lehman limited-partnership division, later acquired the property. According to accounts of the period, inadequate reinvestment and the distribution of cash flow to other partnerships contributed to deterioration. Midwest Realty entered Chapter 11, Equitable foreclosed, and Brookdale spent years in receivership and litigation before Equitable regained ownership. Donaldson’s became Carson Pirie Scott, commonly known as Carson’s, after a 1987 acquisition. In the 1990s the mall faced vacancy, changing demographics, and concerns about shoplifting, although local authorities and the mall participated in a first-offender program intended to allow some juveniles to apologize or make restitution without receiving a criminal record. Talisman Company bought Brookdale in 1997 for a reported $25 million and presented the property as a turnaround opportunity. At the time, vacancy was about 30 percent, even though reported sales per square foot exceeded the national average. A substantial renovation finally began in 2001, Brookdale’s first major modernization after decades of operation. The work included demolition at the west end, new junior anchors such as Old Navy and Barnes & Noble, youth-oriented tenants, a food court, sit-down restaurants, new lighting, and cosmetic improvements. The City of Brooklyn Center provided approximately $2.9 million in tax-increment financing. The renovation did not solve the mall’s broader market problems. JCPenney closed in 2004, and Mervyn’s left after the chain’s Twin Cities stores were shuttered. The former JCPenney space was later occupied by Steve & Barry’s, which closed during the retailer’s 2008–2009 bankruptcy liquidation. Macy’s announced the closure of its Brookdale store in January 2009, and Barnes & Noble followed with a June 2009 closing. Sears was left as the only remaining anchor, and reported vacancy exceeded 50 percent. Transportation policy also became part of the mall’s transition. In 2003, Talisman chief executive Jim Schlesinger ended Metro Transit’s use of Brookdale as a bus-transfer hub, arguing that the property should function as a shopping destination rather than a transfer facility. Metro Transit later opened a separate Brooklyn Center Transit Center in December 2004. In 2007, Sears challenged plans associated with a possible Walmart presence at the property, reflecting the conflict between retaining traditional department-store anchors and attracting large-format replacement retailers. Brookdale was scheduled for foreclosure auction in late 2009 and closed in April 2010. The property was sold through foreclosure-related proceedings, and Gatlin Development Company won a later bidding process in October 2010. Gatlin pursued redevelopment rather than preservation of the enclosed mall. Except for the Sears building at the initial stage, the former Brookdale Center was demolished in 2011. The site was renamed Shingle Creek Crossing and transitioned into a new retail development, marking the end of Brookdale’s operation as a regional enclosed shopping mall.

• 2011

  Site redeveloped as Shingle Creek Crossing

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Most of the former enclosed mall was demolished and the property entered redevelopment under the Shingle Creek Crossing name.

• 2010

  Brookdale closes

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The mall closed in April following foreclosure proceedings and a prolonged decline in occupancy and trade-area strength.

• 2009

  Macy’s and Barnes & Noble depart

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The closures left Sears as the sole remaining major anchor and pushed vacancy above half of the mall’s space.

• 2004

  JCPenney closes and transit hub is relocated

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney left the mall, while Metro Transit later moved its Brooklyn Center transfer operations to a separate transit center.

• 2001

  Major renovation begins

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  A major renovation introduced new junior anchors, restaurants, a food court, lighting, and other modernization measures.

• 1997

  Talisman Company acquires the mall

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Talisman purchased Brookdale and pursued a turnaround of the underperforming property.

• 1987

  Donaldson’s becomes Carson’s

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The Donaldson’s anchor was rebranded after its acquisition by Carson Pirie Scott.

• 1978

  Dayton-Hudson sells Brookdale

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Brookdale was among nine shopping centers sold to Equitable Life Assurance Company, with Dayton-Hudson continuing to manage it for a time.

• 1967

  Donaldson’s completes four-anchor lineup

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Donaldson’s opened in September, making Brookdale the first four-anchor mall in the Twin Cities area.

• 1966

  Dayton’s and East Mall expansion open

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The second phase added Dayton’s, expanded JCPenney, approximately twenty stores, and about 421,000 square feet of space.

• 1962

  Phase One opens

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Brookdale opened to the public on March 4 with Sears, JCPenney, SuperValu, and numerous smaller stores and services.

• 1960

  Construction begins

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The mall was formally announced in September and groundbreaking occurred on October 12.

• 1957

  Project renamed Brookdale

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The proposed shopping center adopted the Brookdale name as planning and rezoning progressed.

• 1955

  Dayton-Hudson selects the Brooklyn Center site

  [1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Dayton-Hudson chose a roughly 90-acre site in Brooklyn Center for a planned suburban shopping center, initially referred to as Northdale.

A suburban retail destination that evolved from a large, enclosed, multi-anchor regional mall into a redeveloped open retail site serving Brooklyn Center and the northern Minneapolis metropolitan area.

• Regional shopping mall · 1962

  Brookdale Center enclosed mall

  The original Brookdale Center was a climate-controlled enclosed regional mall offering department stores, specialty retail, food, services, and automotive operations. Its four-anchor configuration—Sears, JCPenney, Dayton’s, and Donaldson’s—was its defining commercial feature during its peak period.

• Retail development · 2011

  Shingle Creek Crossing

  Shingle Creek Crossing is the post-2010 redevelopment of the Brookdale Center site. It replaced most of the former enclosed mall with a newer retail format after the original center closed and was largely demolished.

• 2010

  Property shifts from mall operation to redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  Brookdale had closed after severe vacancy, anchor losses, foreclosure proceedings, and declining competitiveness with newer retail nodes.

  Action taken

  Gatlin Development acquired the redevelopment opportunity and pursued a new retail project rather than restoring the enclosed mall.

  Aftermath

  The property was renamed Shingle Creek Crossing and most of the former mall was demolished in 2011.

  Source

• 2003

  Transit-transfer function removed from the mallStrategy

  Background

  Metro Transit was carrying approximately 4,000 passengers per day through Brookdale as a bus-transfer hub.

  Action taken

  Mall owner Jim Schlesinger ended the hub arrangement, while Metro Transit developed a separate Brooklyn Center transit facility.

  Aftermath

  The Brooklyn Center Transit Center opened in December 2004, separating major bus transfers from the mall property.

  Source

• 2001

  Brookdale undertakes major modernizationStrategy

  Background

  The mall had operated for decades without a comprehensive renovation and was losing tenants and shoppers to newer suburban retail centers.

  Action taken

  The owner began a large renovation that added junior anchors, restaurants, a food court, improved lighting, and youth-oriented retail, with municipal tax-increment financing support.

  Aftermath

  The improvements temporarily repositioned the property but did not prevent further anchor departures and the eventual closure of the enclosed mall.

  Source

• 2011

  Former Brookdale Center largely demolished for redevelopment[1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Most of the former enclosed mall was demolished, leaving the property to be transformed into Shingle Creek Crossing.

• 2010

  Brookdale Center closes after foreclosure proceedings[1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy · Other

  The long-declining Brooklyn Center mall closed in April 2010 after foreclosure-related ownership and debt problems. Sears was the only remaining major anchor.

• 2010

  Gatlin Development selected to redevelop Brookdale site[1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Gatlin Development Company won the bidding for the former mall property and proposed a new retail-oriented development.

• 2007

  Sears challenges proposed Walmart use at Brookdale[1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Lawsuit

  Sears filed suit over plans involving Walmart at the Brookdale property, arguing that the proposed anchor could affect parking and access and would introduce a direct competitor.

• 2003

  Brookdale removes Metro Transit bus hub function[1]Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Mall owner Jim Schlesinger ended Metro Transit’s use of Brookdale as a transfer hub. The Brooklyn Center Transit Center subsequently opened in December 2004.

1. 1Shingle Creek Crossingen.wikipedia.org