Cole Shopping Center
A former suburban shopping plaza in Cheyenne, Wyoming, that operated from 1954 until its redevelopment and demolition in 2019.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Cole Shopping Center was a suburban shopping plaza in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It stood east of Converse Avenue between East Pershing Boulevard and Chestnut Drive on a property of more than 350,000 square feet. The center was established by Frank Maurice Cole, who acquired the land that later held a Safeway supermarket and a collection of smaller-format businesses. Its neon sign became one of the most recognizable features of the site. Opened in 1954, Cole Shopping Center was among Cheyenne's early suburban-style retail developments. Its original commercial role centered on a Safeway store supported by a range of neighborhood shops and services. The Safeway operation included departments such as seafood, deli, and bakery, while the broader plaza accommodated independent and locally oriented tenants. Expansion continued over several decades. Around the turn of the 1960s, a south-side building was added with approximately three tenants, including First Education Federal Credit Union. During the 1960s, further small businesses appeared, including Cole Department Store, and a replacement Safeway building was constructed behind the original supermarket. The site later broadened beyond everyday retail. In the mid-1970s, Cole Square Cinemas opened at the corner of Converse Avenue and East Pershing Boulevard as a two-screen theater. A restaurant was built north of the newer Safeway building in 1976; in its later years it was known as Crossroads. The Safeway building was expanded northward in the late 1970s and gained a front mezzanine. Around 1980, another screen was added to the movie theater, increasing the site's entertainment offering. By the 2000s, the center was in decline as tenants closed or relocated. Cole Square Cinemas, later operated as a Carmike Cinemas theater, closed in 2010. Safeway acquired the shopping center in the early 2010s and planned a new supermarket and broader renovation beginning in 2014. Those plans did not proceed. Following the completion of the Albertsons-Safeway merger in 2015, attention shifted toward renovating a nearby Albertsons location, and the Safeway store at Cole Shopping Center ultimately closed in April 2016. RadioShack, one of the remaining tenants, closed later that year. Blue Federal Credit Union announced in November 2018 that it intended to build its headquarters on the former shopping-center property. Demolition began around the start of 2019. Much of the former Safeway structure had been removed by the May 2019 groundbreaking celebration for the credit union's headquarters, and demolition of the remaining plaza continued through the summer. The site was cleared by August 2019 for development of Blue Federal Credit Union's world headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail project. Cole Shopping Center therefore survives primarily as a local commercial-history landmark rather than an operating retail brand.
History
Cole Shopping Center developed as part of Cheyenne's postwar suburban expansion. Frank Maurice Cole purchased the land east of Converse Avenue and between East Pershing Boulevard and Chestnut Drive, ultimately creating a retail property covering more than 350,000 square feet. The center opened in 1954 and became one of the city's earliest suburban shopping plazas. Its visual identity was strongly associated with a neon sign, while its commercial identity was anchored by a Safeway supermarket and a group of smaller businesses. The center expanded in stages. Around the turn of the 1960s, a building was added along the southern edge of the property. It contained roughly three tenants, including First Education Federal Credit Union. Further additions followed during the 1960s, including Cole Department Store and a replacement Safeway building constructed behind the original supermarket. The Safeway operation offered a broad grocery proposition, including seafood, deli, and bakery departments, making it an important everyday destination for local shoppers. During the 1970s and around 1980, entertainment and food-service facilities added variety to the site. Cole Square Cinemas was built at the intersection of Converse Avenue and East Pershing Boulevard in the mid-1970s. It began as a two-screen theater and later received an additional screen along its southern edge. A restaurant opened north of the newer Safeway building in 1976 and was later known as Crossroads. The Safeway structure itself was expanded northward in the late 1970s and received a mezzanine at the front of the building. The shopping center's condition deteriorated in the 2000s as retailers closed or moved elsewhere. The cinema, which in its later period operated under the Carmike Cinemas name, closed in 2010. In the early 2010s, Safeway purchased the center and proposed a new supermarket together with property renovations, with construction expected to begin in 2014. The project did not materialize. The completion of the Albertsons-Safeway merger in 2015 was followed by plans to renovate an Albertsons store at East Pershing Boulevard and Ridge Road, reducing the likelihood that the Cole Shopping Center project would proceed. The Safeway at the plaza closed in April 2016, and RadioShack, one of the last remaining tenants, closed toward the end of that year. The property eventually shifted from retail preservation to full redevelopment. In November 2018, Blue Federal Credit Union announced plans for a headquarters on the former plaza site. Demolition started around the beginning of 2019. By the May 2019 groundbreaking celebration for the credit union's world headquarters, a substantial portion of the Safeway building had already been demolished. Work continued through the summer, and the site was cleared by August. The former shopping-center land was designated for Blue Federal Credit Union's headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail development. The demolition ended Cole Shopping Center's physical existence and marked the transition of the property from a mid-century neighborhood plaza to a new mixed commercial and institutional development.
- 2019
Property is demolished
[1]Demolition begins early in the year and is completed by August for redevelopment by Blue Federal Credit Union and the Blue Diamond Center.
- 2016
Anchor supermarket closes
[1]The Safeway store closes in April, accelerating the plaza's decline.
- 2014
Safeway redevelopment plan fails to proceed
[1]Safeway's proposed new supermarket and renovation of the property do not take place.
- 2010
Cinema closes
[1]Cole Square Cinemas, later associated with Carmike Cinemas, ceases operations.
- 1980
Cinema receives an additional screen
[1]An additional screen is added to the south side of the movie theater.
- 1976
Restaurant facility opens
[1]A restaurant opens north of the newer Safeway building; in later years the business is known as Crossroads.
- 1975
Cole Square Cinemas opens
[1]A two-screen movie theater opens at the corner of Converse Avenue and East Pershing Boulevard.
- 1960
Southern tenant building is added
[1]A building on the south side of the property is added with approximately three tenants, including First Education Federal Credit Union.
- 1960
Retail expansion continues
[1]Additional smaller-format businesses, including Cole Department Store, join the center, and a new Safeway building is constructed behind the original store.
- 1954
Shopping center opens
[1]Cole Shopping Center opens in Cheyenne as one of the city's early suburban-style shopping plazas.
Products and positioning
A convenient suburban shopping plaza serving everyday grocery, retail, dining, entertainment, and financial needs in Cheyenne.
Grocery retail · 1954
Safeway supermarket
Safeway was the principal anchor of Cole Shopping Center. The store provided conventional grocery retail and was specifically noted for seafood, deli, and bakery departments. A replacement Safeway building was constructed during the 1960s, later expanded northward and modified with a front mezzanine. The store closed in April 2016.
Department-store retail · 1960
Cole Department Store
Cole Department Store was among the smaller-format businesses added to the plaza during its 1960s expansion. It contributed general merchandise and local retail variety alongside the supermarket and other neighborhood tenants.
Cinema entertainment · 1975
Cole Square Cinemas
Cole Square Cinemas opened as a two-screen theater in the mid-1970s at the corner of Converse Avenue and East Pershing Boulevard. An additional screen was added around 1980. The theater was later associated with Carmike Cinemas and closed in 2010.
Restaurant · 1976
Crossroads
A restaurant built north of the newer Safeway building in 1976 later operated under the name Crossroads. It formed part of the center's food-service offering during its mature period.
Brand decisions
2018
Blue Federal Credit Union selects the site for its headquartersStrategyBackground
Following years of vacancy and the closure of the plaza's major tenants, the former retail site became available for a new institutional and commercial use.
Action taken
Blue Federal Credit Union announced plans to construct its headquarters on the former Cole Shopping Center property.
Aftermath
The announcement led to demolition of the remaining plaza structures in 2019 and redevelopment as the credit union headquarters and Blue Diamond Center retail project.
2014
Safeway proposes a new store and plaza renovationStrategyBackground
After acquiring Cole Shopping Center, Safeway planned to replace the existing supermarket and renovate the surrounding property as tenant activity weakened.
Action taken
Safeway announced plans for a new store and property improvements, but the project was never completed.
Aftermath
The site remained in decline, and a nearby Albertsons renovation became the more prominent grocery redevelopment plan after the Albertsons-Safeway merger.
Sources1 sources
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