Cinderella City

Cinderella City was a large enclosed shopping center in Englewood, Colorado, United States. It opened on March 7, 1968, and was demolished between the late 1990s and 1999. At its peak, it was described as the largest covered shopping center west of the Mississippi River and became one of the most prominent retail destinations in the Denver metropolitan area. The mall originated with developer Gerri Von Frellick, who first proposed a major shopping center on a radio-tower property in Denver. Local opposition and zoning resistance led him to pursue an alternative site in Englewood: a former park of more than 60 acres located across from Englewood City Hall and the public library. Because the site had previously been used as a landfill, construction required difficult foundation work and later contributed to settlement and structural problems. Von Frellick designed the building around an unconventional M-shaped plan. Its principal sections included the Rose Mall, Gold Mall, Shamrock Mall, and Cinder Alley, with the central court later known as the Blue Mall. Cinder Alley was designed as an imitation New York street, using dark ceiling tiles, streetlamps, and building-front facades to create a night-time urban atmosphere. The complex also included a large central fountain, extensive parking capacity, department-store anchors, a cinema, restaurants, specialty retailers, arcades, and unusual independent shops. The opening drew more than 20,000 people, and the center initially performed strongly. During its early years, daily traffic reportedly exceeded 15,000 visitors, tenant space was fully occupied, and the parking facilities were frequently overwhelmed. The original single-screen cinema was later converted into a two-screen operation, but it could not keep pace with the region's expanding multiplex market. Cinderella City's fortunes weakened from the late 1970s onward as competing shopping centers opened in the Denver area. Structural concerns also became increasingly important. Cracks discovered in a JCPenney support pillar led to inspections that identified problems in the parking deck, forcing a closure of more than two months for repairs. Under management associated with KRAVCO, the mall underwent a major renovation from 1981 to 1984. The work replaced floors, added skylights and internal openings, removed the original fountain, introduced a food court, altered circulation, and replaced the former Neusteter's anchor with a sequence of department-store occupants including Broadway Southwest, May D&F, and Foley's. The renovation briefly improved traffic and sales, but newer centers such as Southwest Plaza and the redeveloped Cherry Creek Mall offered newer architecture, stronger tenant mixes, and more attractive shopping environments. Cinderella City began losing stores in the early 1990s. Foley's departed in 1994, JCPenney followed, Joslins left in 1995, and Montgomery Ward became the final anchor to close in December 1997. The property then remained vacant while Englewood considered numerous redevelopment options. A transit-oriented redevelopment plan was adopted in 1998, linked to the planned Regional Transportation District light-rail station. Demolition began in late 1998 and continued into 1999. Environmental hazards, including asbestos, lead-based paint, and contamination concerns at the JCPenney automotive facility, complicated the process. The former mall site was ultimately transformed into a mixed-use, transit-oriented district incorporating civic uses, housing, retail, and other commercial development. Cinderella City therefore survives primarily as a historical reference point in the development of Englewood's modern civic and transit center.

Cinderella City was developed after Gerri Von Frellick's proposed Denver shopping-center site encountered opposition from nearby residents and zoning authorities. Von Frellick then approached the City of Englewood about purchasing a large park opposite the municipal offices and library. The city approved the proposal, allowing the developer to create a very large enclosed retail complex on a rectangular site that had previously been a landfill. The landfill history created major engineering difficulties. The soil had deteriorated, making it difficult to install the concrete pillars required for a building of Cinderella City's scale. Von Frellick responded to the shape of the property with an unconventional M-shaped layout. The upper level was organized around the Rose and Gold malls, while the lower level contained the Shamrock Mall and what became Cinder Alley. A central court served as the principal gathering place, and the original plans included anchors, parking structures, and a prominent fountain. The name was debated before and after opening. Von Frellick favored Cinderella City, while city officials initially preferred a more civic formulation, ultimately producing the longer name New Englewood: The Cinderella City. The shorter name became standard soon after the mall opened. The first grand opening took place on March 7, 1968, even though parts of the eastern end were still being completed. A second dedication followed after the remaining construction was finished. The center was highly successful in the early 1970s. Its parking areas, designed for roughly 14,000 vehicles, could fill completely, and the mall reportedly received more than 15,000 visitors per day. It accommodated department stores, specialty shops, food businesses, a cinema, arcades, and independent retailers. The themed Cinder Alley corridor attempted to reproduce the atmosphere of a New York street through painted or constructed facades, streetlamps, and dark ceilings. The Blue Mall central court commemorated figures involved in the development through names and large shadow-profile designs embedded in the floor. The cinema began as a single-screen theater but was converted into a two-screen multiplex after larger competing theaters appeared. The conversion did not reverse its decline, and the cinema eventually closed. The building was later removed, and the former southwest anchor area was used by Neusteter's and subsequently by larger department-store brands. Competition became increasingly damaging in the late 1970s and 1980s. New centers, including Southwest Plaza, and the improved Cherry Creek Mall drew shoppers and tenants with newer designs and more attractive retail mixes. Cinderella City also suffered from structural problems. Cracking discovered at a JCPenney pillar prompted inspections of other portions of the complex, including the parking structure, and led to a temporary closure for repairs. KRAVCO oversaw a substantial renovation between 1981 and 1984. The project retained the broad M-shaped plan but changed much of the customer experience. Concrete floors were replaced with parquet-style surfaces, skylights and openings were added, and the central fountain was removed. A food court was built in space associated with the parking structure beneath the former central court. The renovation also altered internal circulation by eliminating an automobile underpass that had helped drivers move between parking areas. Cinder Alley's unusual independent shops and head shops were removed during the work, leaving the corridor largely vacant except for arcades. The renovation produced a temporary improvement, but Cinderella City continued to look dated beside newer competitors. Store closures multiplied during the early 1990s. Foley's left in early 1994, JCPenney closed several months later, and sections including the Gold Mall and Cinder Alley were eventually closed to the public. Joslins departed in 1995 to move to SouthGlenn Mall. Montgomery Ward remained until December 1997, when its lease was ended to permit redevelopment. That closure marked the end of the mall's operating life. Englewood considered more than 30 redevelopment concepts, ranging from preservation and conversion to complete demolition and park construction. The abandoned building deteriorated for approximately two years. In 1998, the city adopted a transit-oriented plan connected with an anticipated Regional Transportation District light-rail station. The scheme envisioned a new civic and commercial district with housing, mixed-use development, retail, and large-format stores. Demolition began in late 1998 and was completed in 1999. Asbestos and lead-based paint required environmental work, while oil and gasoline hazards were associated with the JCPenney Auto Center. The abatement process was slowed by funding and labor issues and was reportedly interrupted after an inspector observed unsafe conduct involving workers and hazardous material. Heavy bulldozers removed most of the building, while specialized equipment was used in areas where asbestos presented particular risks. The former Foley's building was the principal original structure retained, later being adapted for civic uses including the Englewood Public Library and City Hall. The mall's former site subsequently became part of Englewood's transit-oriented urban redevelopment.

• 1999

  Demolition completed

  [1]Cinderella Cityen.wikipedia.org

  The former mall was removed and its site was incorporated into Englewood's replacement urban district.

• 1998

  Transit-oriented redevelopment approved

  [1]Cinderella Cityen.wikipedia.org

  Englewood selected a redevelopment plan centered on civic, residential, retail, and transit-oriented uses.

• 1997

  Mall operations end

  [1]Cinderella Cityen.wikipedia.org

  Montgomery Ward closed in December, leaving Cinderella City without an operating anchor or functioning shopping-center business.

• 1994

  Major anchor departures begin

  [1]Cinderella Cityen.wikipedia.org

  Foley's and JCPenney left as the center's competitive and structural problems intensified.

• 1981

  Three-year renovation begins

  [1]Cinderella Cityen.wikipedia.org

  A large modernization program began under management associated with KRAVCO and continued through 1984.

• 1968

  Cinderella City opens

  [1]Cinderella Cityen.wikipedia.org

  The mall opened in Englewood on March 7, with portions of the eastern end completed shortly afterward.

• 1960

  Denver proposal rejected

  [1]Cinderella Cityen.wikipedia.org

  Gerri Von Frellick's initial plan for a shopping center in Denver faced neighborhood opposition and was rejected by the local zoning process.

A large regional enclosed mall positioned as a destination shopping and entertainment center for Englewood and the wider Denver metropolitan area. Its distinctive architecture, themed corridors, large parking facilities, department-store anchors, and central fountain differentiated it during its successful early period.

• Enclosed regional shopping center · 1968

  Cinderella City Mall

  The primary offering was a 1,350,000-square-foot enclosed shopping center serving Englewood and the Denver metropolitan area. It combined department stores, specialty shops, food businesses, entertainment, extensive parking, and themed interior spaces. Its M-shaped plan and central court gave the complex an architectural identity distinct from conventional rectangular malls.

• Themed retail corridor · 1968

  Cinder Alley

  Cinder Alley was a basement corridor designed to evoke a New York City street. It used outdoor-style storefront facades, streetlamps, and black-painted ceiling tiles to suggest a nighttime urban setting. The corridor became known for unusual independent shops and head shops before those tenants were removed during the 1980s renovation.

• Cinema · 1968

  Cinderella City Cinema

  The original southwest anchor was a single-screen cinema with an exterior-only entrance, two-story arches, and distinctive restroom vanity arrangements. It was later converted into a two-screen multiplex, but ultimately closed as larger multiplex cinemas expanded in the region.

• 1998

  Safety incident during hazardous-material abatement

  During asbestos-removal work preceding demolition, an inspector reportedly observed immigrant workers mishandling hazardous materials inside the vacant mall and requested that the abatement work stop. The cleanup was also delayed by funding and labor constraints before the city ended that phase and proceeded with demolition.

  Source

Read more

• 1998

  Replace the mall with transit-oriented developmentStrategy

  Background

  After the final anchor closed, Englewood evaluated more than 30 possible uses for the vacant and deteriorating property.

  Action taken

  The city adopted a plan for a new civic and mixed-use district linked to a future light-rail station and authorized demolition of the former mall.

  Aftermath

  The mall was demolished by 1999, while portions of the former Foley's building were retained and adapted for public uses.

  Source

• 1981

  Undertake a comprehensive mall renovationStrategy

  Background

  New shopping centers were beginning to challenge Cinderella City's position, while the aging building had structural and design limitations.

  Action taken

  Management associated with KRAVCO carried out a three-year renovation that replaced floors, changed the central court, added a food court and skylights, removed the fountain, and altered vehicle and pedestrian circulation.

  Aftermath

  The work temporarily improved traffic and sales but did not prevent long-term decline as newer regional malls continued to attract tenants and shoppers.

  Source

1. 1Cinderella Cityen.wikipedia.org