The Crossings at Northwest

The Crossings at Northwest is a mixed-use commercial center in St. Ann, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. It occupies the site of Northwest Plaza, a major regional shopping mall that opened in 1965 and was substantially redeveloped after the enclosed mall entered foreclosure in 2009. The present property combines approximately 400,000 square feet of retail space with approximately 500,000 square feet of office uses on a roughly 122-acre site. Northwest Plaza began as a 1.6-million-square-foot open-air shopping center developed by Louis Zorensky, Milton Zorensky, and Saul Brodsky. It opened with Famous-Barr, JCPenney, and Sears as principal anchors, alongside local retailers including Vandervoort's and Boyd's. At opening, it was described as the largest mall in the world. A 12-story office tower was added in 1969, strengthening the property's mixed retail-and-office character. The property was enclosed and expanded by Paramount in 1989. The project added more than 200,000 square feet of retail space and brought the enclosed complex to nearly two million square feet. It introduced a large food court, a nine-screen cinema, the Tilt! arcade and miniature-golf attraction, and other entertainment-oriented uses. During the 1990s, the center added retailers such as Phar-Mor, Oshman's Sporting Goods, Kids 'R' Us, OfficeMax, and Dick Clark's American Bandstand Grill. Phar-Mor's 1993 bankruptcy and closure reflected wider difficulties affecting some of the mall's tenants, but Northwest Plaza temporarily improved its occupancy during the decade. Westfield Group acquired the property in late 1997 for $111 million and renamed it Westfield Shoppingtown Northwest, later shortening the name to Westfield Northwest. Occupancy reportedly reached 98 percent by 1999 after the arrival or return of tenants including Burlington Coat Factory, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, and Gap. The improvement was not sustained. JCPenney departed in 2002, competition intensified after the opening of St. Louis Mills nearby, and building-maintenance problems—including a failing roof and water damage—became increasingly visible. Westfield sold the property in 2006 to Somera Capital Management for $45 million, and the Northwest Plaza name returned. Somera proposed a major repositioning under the name Lindbergh Town Center, but the plan did not proceed before foreclosure. By 2009, most internal stores had left and the former mall was widely regarded as a distressed or “dead” mall. The property was auctioned in September 2009 and acquired by St. Ann Shopping Center LLC. Macy's closed in March 2010, Sears closed in July 2010, and the last internal store departed in November 2010. The enclosed mall was subsequently closed to public access, although some externally accessed businesses and the office tower remained. NWP LLC acquired the property in 2012. A redevelopment supported by tax-increment financing involved approximately $106 million in investment, including demolition of about one million square feet of the former mall, renovation of the office tower, and construction of big-box retail, restaurants, smaller retail buildings, and outlots. The redeveloped center was named The Crossings at Northwest. Menards opened in 2015, while the former Macy's building was converted for office use, including a Charter Communications call center. Other occupants have included St. Louis County's Government Center Northwest, American Family Insurance, Save-A-Lot, Tenet Conifer, Ruler Foods, Bob's Furniture, Value City Furniture, and Edge Fitness Club. The modern center is therefore not a continuation of the former enclosed mall as a conventional department-store shopping destination. It is a suburban mixed-use property organized around large-format retail, food and beverage outlots, strip retail, and office tenants. By 2019, the redevelopment was reported to support approximately 4,000 jobs. Additional retail and restaurant development continued through the late 2010s and into the early 2020s, including Discount Tire's opening in 2021.

Northwest Plaza opened in 1965 as a 1.6-million-square-foot open-air shopping center in St. Ann, Missouri. Its developers were Louis Zorensky, Milton Zorensky, and Saul Brodsky. Famous-Barr, JCPenney, and Sears served as the principal anchors, while Vandervoort's, Boyd's, Walgreens, and Woolworth provided additional retail depth. The center was exceptionally large for its time and was described as the world's largest mall at opening. A 12-story, approximately 194,000-square-foot office tower was added in 1969. The property expanded its department-store mix during the 1970s and early 1980s, including the arrival of Stix Baer & Fuller, whose stores were acquired and rebranded by Dillard's in 1984. Paramount enclosed and expanded the mall in 1989, adding more than 200,000 square feet. The expansion created nearly two million square feet of enclosed space and added a food court, a nine-screen cinema, and a 40,000-square-foot Tilt! arcade with miniature golf. Kids 'R' Us, Phar-Mor, Oshman's Sporting Goods, OfficeMax, and other retailers later joined the tenant roster. The mall experienced both recovery and decline during the 1990s and 2000s. Phar-Mor closed in 1993 during the chain's bankruptcy crisis. Occupancy later improved, reaching 98 percent by 1999 after Westfield Group acquired the property in 1997. Westfield added or attracted tenants including Burlington Coat Factory, American Eagle Outfitters, Bath & Body Works, and Gap. However, JCPenney left in 2002, competition from St. Louis Mills increased, and the property suffered from deferred maintenance and roof problems. Westfield ultimately sold the mall in 2006 to Somera Capital Management. Somera proposed a lifestyle-oriented redevelopment called Lindbergh Town Center, but the plan was not completed. Continued vacancies, water damage, closures of the cinema and Tilt!, and the broader late-2000s recession left the enclosed mall largely empty. Foreclosure followed in September 2009. Macy's and Sears, the final major anchors, closed in 2010, and the internal mall was permanently closed to public access at the beginning of 2011. The site entered a new phase after NWP LLC purchased it in 2012. A redevelopment supported by $33 million in tax-increment financing involved the demolition of roughly one million square feet of the old mall, renovation of the office tower, and construction of new retail and office facilities. The project was completed in spring 2015 and adopted the name The Crossings at Northwest. Menards opened in August 2015. The former Macy's building was adapted for office use, including a Charter Communications call center, and St. Louis County established its Government Center Northwest in a substantial leased space. Other occupants and outlots have included American Family Insurance, Save-A-Lot, Ruler Foods, Bob's Furniture, Value City Furniture, Edge Fitness Club, Starbucks, restaurants, service businesses, and Discount Tire. The current property is a mixed-use commercial center rather than an operating enclosed mall.

• 2021

  Discount Tire opens

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  Discount Tire opens on the final outlot described in the redevelopment history.

• 2016

  Government and office uses expand

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  Charter Communications and St. Louis County occupy major portions of the redeveloped property.

• 2015

  Redeveloped center opens

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  The redevelopment reaches completion and Menards opens as an anchor tenant.

• 2012

  Redevelopment begins

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  NWP LLC purchases the site and launches the conversion into The Crossings at Northwest.

• 2009

  Foreclosure and auction

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  Northwest Plaza enters foreclosure and is purchased by St. Ann Shopping Center LLC.

• 2006

  Somera Capital Management acquires the mall

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  The property changes hands after occupancy and maintenance problems worsen under Westfield.

• 1997

  Westfield acquires the property

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  Westfield purchases Northwest Plaza and changes its name to Westfield Shoppingtown Northwest.

• 1989

  Mall is enclosed and expanded

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  Paramount adds more than 200,000 square feet and introduces entertainment and food-service facilities.

• 1984

  Dillard's takes over Stix Baer & Fuller locations

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  Dillard's rebrands the Stix Baer & Fuller stores, adding another major department-store presence.

• 1969

  Office tower added

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  A 12-story office tower expands the property's commercial role beyond retail.

• 1965

  Northwest Plaza opens

  [1]The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org

  The original open-air shopping center opens in St. Ann with approximately 1.6 million square feet of retail space.

A suburban mixed-use redevelopment combining large-format retail, office space, restaurants, and outlot uses rather than a traditional enclosed regional mall.

• Former regional shopping mall · 1965

  Northwest Plaza enclosed mall

  The former Northwest Plaza was a very large enclosed regional mall with department-store anchors, more than 200 specialty stores at peak, a food court, cinema, arcade, miniature golf, and external junior-anchor uses. It closed internally after years of declining occupancy and was largely demolished during the later redevelopment.

• Mixed-use commercial center · 2015

  The Crossings at Northwest

  The current development combines large-format retail, smaller strip-center units, restaurants, service businesses, office tenants, and outlots. Its design replaced the former enclosed mall with a more dispersed suburban commercial format while retaining and renovating the office tower.

• Commercial and government workspace · 2015

  Office and civic facilities

  Renovated portions of the site support call-center, insurance, healthcare-related, and government functions. Major occupants identified in the redevelopment history include Charter Communications, American Family Insurance, Tenet Conifer, and St. Louis County.

• 1993

  Phar-Mor bankruptcy affects tenant operations

  Phar-Mor closed its Northwest Plaza location during the chain's corporate scandal and bankruptcy. The event concerned the tenant company rather than an alleged scandal involving the shopping center's ownership.

  Source

Read more

• 2012

  Convert the failed mall into a mixed-use centerStrategy

  Background

  The enclosed mall had lost its internal stores and required a fundamentally different use for its large site.

  Action taken

  NWP LLC acquired the property, demolished much of the mall, renovated the office tower, and developed big-box retail, offices, restaurants, strip centers, and outlots under The Crossings at Northwest name.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment was completed in spring 2015 and re-established the site as an active mixed-use commercial district.

  Redevelopment investment. $106 million (2012-2015)

  Source

• 2006

  Ownership changes after prolonged declineStrategy

  Background

  Westfield faced low occupancy, competition from newer area retail destinations, and costly roof and building rehabilitation needs.

  Action taken

  Westfield sold the mall to Somera Capital Management, which restored the Northwest Plaza name and proposed a lifestyle-center redevelopment.

  Aftermath

  The proposed Lindbergh Town Center plan did not come to fruition before the property entered foreclosure in 2009.

  Reported acquisition price. $45 million (2006)

  Source

• 1989

  Enclose and expand the open-air centerGeneration change

  Background

  The original open-air format was converted into a much larger enclosed mall intended to strengthen Northwest Plaza's regional-destination role.

  Action taken

  Paramount added more than 200,000 square feet and introduced a food court, cinema, arcade, and miniature-golf facilities.

  Aftermath

  The property became one of the largest enclosed malls in the United States, but later faced declining occupancy and significant maintenance challenges.

  Source

1. 1The Crossings at Northwesten.wikipedia.org