Cherry Creek Shopping Center
A major shopping center in Denver, Colorado, known for department stores, luxury retailers, dining, and an AMC cinema.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Cherry Creek Shopping Center, also known as Cherry Creek Center, is a shopping mall in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, approximately three and a half miles southeast of downtown. The center occupies a prominent site along East First Avenue beside Cherry Creek and is one of the Denver region's best-known destinations for department stores, fashion, luxury goods, dining, and entertainment. The property developed from land assembled by Denver developer Temple Hoyne Buell during the 1920s. Before the shopping center was built, the site had been used for sand extraction and later as a municipal sanitary landfill. The eventual mall therefore represented a substantial redevelopment and land-reclamation project. The original shopping center was completed in 1953, with an early structure designed by Buell that remains in use west of the larger mall expansion. Cherry Creek underwent a major renovation and expansion in 1990. That redevelopment established much of the center's modern identity and brought several prominent department-store and luxury-retail tenants to the property. Neiman Marcus opened in 1991, while Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor also operated locations there beginning in 1990. The center's luxury positioning was reinforced by retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Brooks Brothers, which have treated the property as a significant Colorado location outside the resort market of Aspen. The department-store mix has changed over time. Lord & Taylor closed its location after the chain shifted its operating strategy; the former space later became a Nordstrom store, which opened in 2007. Saks Fifth Avenue closed in March 2011, and its former site was demolished and redeveloped for Restoration Hardware, which opened there in 2015. Macy's occupies another major anchor position. Its location traces back to the Denver Dry Goods and May-Daniels & Fisher retail history and later became part of Macy's through corporate consolidation, with the Macy's name appearing at the center in 2006. The mall also includes an eight-screen movie theater operated by AMC, adding entertainment to its retail and restaurant offer. Its tenant mix combines nationally recognized department stores, luxury and specialty retailers, food and beverage operators, and services. This combination gives Cherry Creek a broader role than a conventional suburban shopping mall: it functions as a high-end retail destination for the Denver metropolitan area and as a recognizable urban-adjacent commercial landmark. Simon Property Group operates the center. Simon acquired the property from the former operator, Taubman Realty Group, although the available reference material does not specify the acquisition date or ownership structure. The center remains active, with its identity anchored by its Denver location, upscale tenant mix, long retail history, and repeated adaptation to changes in department-store and specialty-retail formats.
History
Cherry Creek Shopping Center developed on land with an unusual industrial and municipal history. During the 1920s, Denver developer Temple Hoyne Buell acquired a large parcel near First Avenue and University Boulevard. The area was initially described as a weed-filled tract. Sand was later mined from a substantial pit, and during the 1940s the exhausted pit was used by the city as a sanitary landfill. The construction of a shopping center over the reclaimed site transformed land that had previously served extractive and waste-disposal purposes into a major commercial destination. The first Cherry Creek shopping center was completed in 1953. Temple Hoyne Buell designed the original facility, which remains in use immediately west of the larger mall complex created through the later redevelopment. The center's location along Cherry Creek and near established Denver neighborhoods helped it become an important retail destination rather than a purely peripheral suburban mall. A major renovation and expansion in 1990 gave the property its contemporary scale and retail character. The redevelopment attracted or accommodated several department stores, including Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue. Neiman Marcus opened in 1991, adding a nationally recognized luxury anchor. The center also became associated with upscale specialty and luxury retailers, including Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Brooks Brothers. With the exception of comparable stores in Aspen, several of these brands' locations at Cherry Creek have been described as unique or especially prominent within Colorado. The anchor lineup changed as department-store companies altered their strategies. Lord & Taylor opened in 1990 but later closed after the chain repositioned its business. Its former space was subsequently used by Nordstrom, which opened at Cherry Creek in 2007. Macy's also became a principal anchor. Its store evolved from the Denver Dry Goods and May-Daniels & Fisher retail lineage, passed through corporate consolidation involving Foley's, and adopted the Macy's name in 2006. Saks Fifth Avenue closed its Cherry Creek location in March 2011. The former store was demolished, and the site was redeveloped for Restoration Hardware, which opened there in 2015. This change illustrated the center's continuing adaptation from traditional department-store retail toward specialized luxury and home-design concepts. Beyond retail, Cherry Creek includes an eight-screen cinema operated by AMC. The combination of shopping, dining, services, luxury boutiques, department stores, and entertainment has supported the center's role as a destination for both local residents and visitors to Denver. The property is operated by Simon Property Group, which acquired the former operator, Taubman Realty Group. The available reference material does not identify the acquisition date or provide a separate ownership company. Today, Cherry Creek Shopping Center remains an active commercial landmark in Denver. Its history is defined by land reclamation, an early postwar shopping-center development, a major 1990 expansion, repeated anchor changes, and a persistent emphasis on upscale retail within the Colorado market.
- 2015
Restoration Hardware opens
[1]Restoration Hardware opened on the redeveloped site of the former Saks store.
- 2011
Saks Fifth Avenue closes
[1]Saks Fifth Avenue closed its Cherry Creek store in March.
- 2007
Nordstrom opens
[1]Nordstrom opened in the former Lord & Taylor location.
- 2006
Macy's name introduced at the center
[1]The department store descended from the Denver Dry Goods and May-Daniels & Fisher businesses became Macy's following corporate consolidation.
- 1991
Neiman Marcus opens
[1]Neiman Marcus opened as a major luxury department-store anchor.
- 1990
Major renovation and expansion
[1]A major redevelopment expanded and modernized the center and established much of its current configuration.
- 1953
Original shopping center completed
[1]The first Cherry Creek shopping center was completed on the reclaimed site.
- 1940
Former sand pit used as municipal landfill
[1]After sand extraction ended, the pit on the future mall site was used by Denver as a sanitary landfill.
- 1920
Temple Hoyne Buell acquires the site
[1]Temple Hoyne Buell assembled a large parcel near First Avenue and University Boulevard that later became the shopping-center site.
Products and positioning
An upscale, urban-adjacent regional shopping destination serving Denver and the wider Colorado market, with a concentration of department stores, luxury brands, specialty retail, dining, and entertainment.
Anchor retail · 1953
Department-store retail
The center's department-store offer has included Macy's, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. These anchors provide broad merchandise categories such as apparel, accessories, beauty, home goods, and seasonal products, while also drawing traffic to the surrounding specialty stores.
Luxury retail · 1990
Luxury fashion and accessories
Cherry Creek has hosted prominent luxury and premium specialty retailers, including Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Brooks Brothers. This tenant mix supports the center's role as an upscale Colorado shopping destination and differentiates it from more mass-market regional malls.
Home furnishings · 2015
Restoration Hardware
Restoration Hardware opened in 2015 on the redeveloped former Saks Fifth Avenue site. The retailer adds furniture, lighting, textiles, and other design-oriented home products to the center's luxury-oriented offer.
Entertainment
AMC cinema
An eight-screen movie theater operated by AMC forms part of the center's entertainment offer. The cinema complements retail and dining uses and helps position the property as a mixed-use leisure destination rather than solely a shopping facility.
Brand decisions
2015
Redevelop the former Saks Fifth Avenue siteGeneration changeBackground
Saks Fifth Avenue closed its store in March 2011, leaving a former department-store site available for a new concept.
Action taken
The Saks building was demolished and the location was redeveloped for Restoration Hardware.
Aftermath
Restoration Hardware opened in 2015, shifting the site toward luxury home furnishings and design retail.
2007
Replace Lord & Taylor with NordstromGeneration changeBackground
Lord & Taylor closed after the chain repositioned its business, leaving a major anchor space available.
Action taken
Nordstrom opened in the former Lord & Taylor location.
Aftermath
The change preserved a major department-store anchor while maintaining the center's premium positioning.
1990
Redevelop and expand the shopping centerStrategyBackground
The original 1953 center was expanded and substantially renovated as the property sought a larger and more upscale regional retail role.
Action taken
The redevelopment created a modernized complex and supported the arrival or expansion of major department-store and luxury-retail tenants.
Aftermath
The 1990 project became the foundation for the center's present configuration and upscale market positioning.
Sources1 sources
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