Mall of the Bluffs
A formerly enclosed shopping mall in Council Bluffs, Iowa, that operated from 1986 until its closure in December 2019.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Mall of the Bluffs was an enclosed shopping mall in Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States. Developed by General Growth Properties, it opened in 1986 as the second major mall serving the Council Bluffs area, following Midlands Mall in the downtown district. Its arrival helped reshape local retail geography, while Midlands Mall was subsequently redeveloped after the newer center opened. At its height, Mall of the Bluffs combined several large department-store anchors with smaller inline retailers and service businesses. The principal anchors were J. C. Penney, Dillard's, Sears, and Target. The property expanded twice: Dillard's was added in 1988, and Sears followed approximately a decade later. Barnes & Noble was also among the mall's notable tenants during its operating life. The mall's position weakened during the 2000s and 2010s as major tenants moved to other Council Bluffs developments or left the property. J. C. Penney relocated in 2008, followed by Target in 2009. Barnes & Noble closed in 2011, and Sears departed in 2012. These exits reduced both customer traffic and the mall's ability to support smaller tenants. General Growth Properties sold the property to Namdar Realty Group in 2013, when the mall was reported to be nearly one-quarter vacant. Planet Fitness subsequently replaced the former Barnes & Noble space, but vacancy continued to increase, and the property was put up for auction in 2015. The remaining spaces were used for a mixture of reduced-scale retail and community purposes. In 2018, the former J. C. Penney location became an It's $5 overstock store. The former Target building was purchased by the Council Bluffs Community School District in 2019 for temporary use by two middle schools while their regular facilities underwent renovation. Dillard's, which had operated for many years as an outlet-style store rather than a conventional department store, also closed in 2019. Menards acquired the mall at the end of 2019. The remaining tenants received eviction notices, and the mall closed in December 2019. Demolition began approximately one year later. The replacement Menards store officially opened on August 15, 2023, marking the site's transition from an enclosed regional shopping center to a large-format home-improvement retail location. Mall of the Bluffs is therefore best understood as a defunct shopping-center brand whose history reflects the effects of anchor relocation, changing retail patterns, rising vacancy, and redevelopment of aging mall property.
History
Mall of the Bluffs opened in 1986 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, as a development of General Growth Properties. It was the second mall in the local market after Midlands Mall, a downtown shopping center that was later redeveloped following the opening of the newer property. The mall was designed around large department-store anchors and a conventional enclosed-mall tenant mix. The property expanded during its early operating period. Dillard's became an anchor in 1988, and Sears was added roughly ten years later. Alongside the department stores, the center housed smaller inline retailers and service businesses. Barnes & Noble was one of the better-known non-anchor tenants. The combination of national department stores, specialty retailers, and services gave the mall a broad regional-shopping role in the Council Bluffs area. Its decline accelerated in the 21st century. J. C. Penney moved from the mall to another Council Bluffs development in 2008, and Target followed in 2009. The loss of two important traffic generators weakened the center's appeal to smaller tenants. Barnes & Noble closed in 2011, while Sears left the following year. Planet Fitness later occupied the former Barnes & Noble space, but this replacement did not restore the mall's former anchor-based retail profile. General Growth Properties sold Mall of the Bluffs to Namdar Realty Group in 2013. At the time of the transaction, nearly 25 percent of the mall's space was vacant. Continued tenant departures and relocations contributed to further deterioration in occupancy, and the property was put up for auction in 2015. The mall's later occupants included businesses that reflected its reduced scale and changing role. In 2018, the former J. C. Penney space was converted into an It's $5 overstock store. The former Target building took on a temporary community-institutional use after the Council Bluffs Community School District purchased it in 2019 for two middle schools undergoing renovation. Dillard's remained the last major anchor, but its location had been operated as an outlet store for several years before closing in 2019. Menards purchased the mall at the end of that year. The remaining tenants received eviction notices, and the mall closed in December 2019. Demolition began approximately one year later, ending the physical existence of the enclosed shopping center. The site was subsequently repositioned for Menards, a large-format home-improvement retailer. The replacement store opened on August 15, 2023, about four years after the mall's closure. The property's evolution from a department-store-anchored mall to a single large-format retail site illustrates the consequences of anchor migration, competition among local developments, declining mall occupancy, and redevelopment of older retail real estate.
- 2023
Menards opens on the site
[1]Menards officially opens a replacement home-improvement store on August 15, 2023.
- 2020
Demolition begins
[1]Demolition of the former mall begins approximately one year after its closure.
- 2019
Community-school reuse and mall closure
[1]The former Target building is purchased by the Council Bluffs Community School District for temporary middle-school use. Dillard's closes, Menards acquires the mall, and the remaining tenants receive eviction notices before the mall closes in December.
- 2018
Former J. C. Penney becomes It's $5
[1]The former J. C. Penney space is reused as an It's $5 overstock store.
- 2015
Property put up for auction
[1]Increasing vacancy leads to the mall being put up for auction.
- 2013
Sale to Namdar Realty Group
[1]General Growth Properties sells the mall to Namdar Realty Group when the property is nearly 25 percent vacant.
- 2012
Sears closes
[1]Sears leaves the property, leaving Dillard's as the principal remaining department-store anchor.
- 2011
Barnes & Noble closes
[1]Barnes & Noble departs, adding to the mall's loss of major tenants.
- 2009
Target relocates
[1]Target leaves the mall for another Council Bluffs development, further reducing anchor traffic.
- 2008
J. C. Penney relocates
[1]J. C. Penney moves from Mall of the Bluffs to another development in Council Bluffs.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping mall serving Council Bluffs and the surrounding southwestern Iowa market, with department-store anchors and a broad mix of smaller retail and service tenants.
Shopping center · 1986
Enclosed shopping mall
The core offering was an enclosed retail environment serving Council Bluffs and nearby communities. It combined department-store anchors, smaller specialty shops, food and service tenants, and common mall circulation areas. Its commercial proposition depended heavily on the traffic and merchandising strength of national anchor stores.
Department stores · 1986
Department-store anchor portfolio
At its peak, Mall of the Bluffs featured J. C. Penney, Dillard's, Sears, and Target as major anchors. These stores supplied apparel, home goods, general merchandise, and other mass-market categories while helping attract customers to the surrounding inline retail spaces.
Discount retail · 2018
It's $5 overstock store
It's $5 occupied the former J. C. Penney location from 2018 as an overstock-focused discount retailer. Its presence reflected the mall's later transition away from a conventional department-store anchor model.
Home improvement retail · 2023
Menards replacement store
After acquiring the property and the mall's closure, Menards redeveloped the site for a large-format home-improvement store. The replacement location opened on August 15, 2023, rather than continuing the former enclosed-mall format.
Brand decisions
2019
Menards acquires the mall propertyM&ABackground
The mall had lost its major anchors, Dillard's had closed, and only a small number of tenants remained.
Action taken
Menards purchased the mall at the end of 2019 and issued eviction notices to the remaining tenants.
Aftermath
The mall closed in December 2019, demolition began about a year later, and the site was redeveloped for a Menards store that opened in 2023.
2018
Conversion of the former J. C. Penney space to It's $5StrategyBackground
The former anchor space had been vacant since J. C. Penney relocated in 2008.
Action taken
The space was reused as an It's $5 overstock store.
Aftermath
The reuse provided a discount-retail occupant but did not reverse the property's broader decline.
2013
General Growth Properties sells the mall to Namdar Realty GroupM&ABackground
The sale occurred after major tenants had begun leaving and the mall was reported to be nearly 25 percent vacant.
Action taken
General Growth Properties transferred ownership of Mall of the Bluffs to Namdar Realty Group.
Aftermath
Vacancy continued to be a central problem, and the mall was put up for auction in 2015.
Recent events
- 2023
Menards opens a replacement store on the former mall site[1]
Product launch
Following the mall's closure and demolition, Menards opened a store on the property on August 15, 2023.
- 2019
Mall of the Bluffs closes after long-term anchor departures and vacancy[1]
Other
The Council Bluffs mall closed in December 2019 after losing its principal anchors and experiencing sustained tenant vacancies. The remaining tenants were given eviction notices after Menards acquired the property.
Sources1 sources
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