The Landing

The Landing is a neighborhood shopping center in Kansas City, Missouri, located at 63rd Street and Troost Avenue with additional frontage along East Meyer Boulevard. The center opened in 1960 as an open-air shopping development commissioned by the J.C. Nichols company. Its design was credited to architect Edward Tanner, who also designed the former Kansas City, Missouri, School District Building in downtown Kansas City. The property was conceived as a family-oriented retail destination and was named in reference to the landing place associated with Noah's Ark. A notable feature of the original center was a collection of approximately 30 nearly life-sized animal sculptures created by local artist Jac T. Bowen. The sculptures were intended to be climbed on by children and formed part of a broader menagerie theme that also included a mural and play area. During the property's 1970 remodeling, the sculptures were scheduled to be moved to the Kansas City Zoo, but they reportedly never reached the zoo. The same remodeling enclosed the formerly open-air center, after which it was known as The New Landing Mall. The center's retail history included a branch of the original R.H. Macy company as an original anchor tenant. That department-store operation later became Macy's and was subsequently converted to Dillard's in 1988. The anchor was eventually operated as Gold's Department Store and is now associated with a barber college on the second floor. The property is managed by Block & Company, which lists the center at approximately 131,497 square feet and reports surrounding traffic of about 54,000 vehicles per day. The Landing has not been identified with a major later renovation or redevelopment plan in the available reference material. It remains standing as a local commercial landmark and as a surviving example of the neighborhood shopping-center format that developed in Kansas City during the mid-twentieth century. Its significance is primarily regional and historical rather than national: the center records the evolution from open-air retail to enclosed malls, the role of J.C. Nichols in local commercial development, and the use of themed public art and children's amenities in retail design.

The Landing was developed in Kansas City, Missouri, and opened in 1960 at the intersection of 63rd Street and Troost Avenue, with frontage extending to East Meyer Boulevard. It was commissioned by the J.C. Nichols company, a major Kansas City real-estate developer associated with planned residential and commercial districts. The center was designed by local architect Edward Tanner, whose other documented work included the former Kansas City, Missouri, School District Building at 12th Street and McGee Street in downtown Kansas City. The original Landing was an open-air shopping center. Its design incorporated a family-oriented theme centered on animals and children's recreation. Local artist Jac T. Bowen produced a group of approximately 30 almost life-sized animal sculptures. The figures were designed to be climbed on by children, making them both decorative elements and informal play equipment. The center also contained a menagerie mural and a play area. The name The Landing was explained as a reference to the landing place of Noah's Ark, reinforcing the site's animal-oriented visual identity. The center underwent a major physical change in 1970, when it was enclosed. Following that remodeling, it was renamed The New Landing Mall. The animal sculptures were reportedly intended for transfer to the Kansas City Zoo as part of the remodeling process, but they never arrived there. No later comprehensive renovation plan is identified in the available material, although the property continued to stand and function as a commercial site. Retail tenancy at The Landing included a branch of the original R.H. Macy company among the center's original anchor occupants. The department-store operation later became Macy's and changed to Dillard's in 1988. After subsequent changes, the anchor space was last associated with Gold's Department Store. The current use described in the reference material includes a barber college on the second floor. In its later history, The Landing has been managed by Block & Company. The manager lists the property at approximately 131,497 square feet and cites surrounding traffic of roughly 54,000 cars per day. The center remains a physical marker of Kansas City's retail and architectural history, particularly the transition from open-air shopping centers to enclosed malls during the postwar period. Available information does not establish a separate corporate owner, a precise date for every tenant transition, or a detailed account of the property's current tenant roster.

• 1988

  The former Macy's anchor becomes Dillard's

  [1]The Landing (Kansas City)en.wikipedia.org

  The department-store anchor that originated with the R.H. Macy company and later operated as Macy's was converted to Dillard's.

• 1970

  The center is enclosed and renamed The New Landing Mall

  [1]The Landing (Kansas City)en.wikipedia.org

  A remodeling project converted the original open-air center into an enclosed mall. The animal sculptures were intended to be transferred to the Kansas City Zoo but reportedly never arrived there.

• 1960

  The Landing opens as an open-air shopping center

  [1]The Landing (Kansas City)en.wikipedia.org

  The J.C. Nichols company opened the center at 63rd Street and Troost Avenue, with frontage on East Meyer Boulevard. Edward Tanner was identified as its architect.

• 1960

  Animal sculptures become part of the center's identity

  [1]The Landing (Kansas City)en.wikipedia.org

  Local artist Jac T. Bowen created approximately 30 nearly life-sized animal sculptures intended for children to climb on, alongside a menagerie mural and play area.

A neighborhood-oriented shopping center and local commercial landmark serving the Kansas City community.

• Shopping center · 1960

  The Landing shopping center

  The principal offering is the physical shopping-center property itself: a neighborhood retail destination that began as an open-air center and was enclosed in 1970. Its historical tenant mix included department-store retail, while later documented use includes personal-service and educational facilities such as a barber college.

• Department-store space · 1960

  Former department-store anchor

  The Landing's major anchor history includes an original R.H. Macy company branch, later Macy's, Dillard's from 1988, and Gold's Department Store. The space is currently described in the available material as operating with a barber college on the second floor rather than as a conventional department store.

• 1988

  Department-store anchor changes from Macy's to Dillard'sStrategy

  Background

  The center's original department-store anchor began with the R.H. Macy company and later operated as Macy's.

  Action taken

  The anchor operation was converted to Dillard's.

  Aftermath

  The property continued its association with department-store retail before the space was later associated with Gold's Department Store and other uses.

  Source

• 1970

  Conversion from open-air center to enclosed mallStrategy

  Background

  The original property operated as an open-air shopping center after its 1960 opening.

  Action taken

  The center was remodeled and enclosed, and it adopted the name The New Landing Mall.

  Aftermath

  The remodeling altered the property's format. The planned transfer of its animal sculptures to the Kansas City Zoo did not occur according to the available account.

  Source

1. 1The Landing (Kansas City)en.wikipedia.org