Unidale Mall

Unidale Mall is a neighborhood-oriented shopping mall and commercial area in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It occupies a prominent location at the intersection of University Avenue and Dale Street, on the boundary of the Summit-University and Frogtown areas. The site is close to the Rondo Community Outreach Library and the Dale Street station on the Green Line, giving it an important connection to local bus and light-rail activity as well as to surrounding residential neighborhoods. The concept for Unidale Mall emerged in 1971 through Saint Paul's Model Cities Program. Its intended purpose was distinctive: planners and neighborhood activists sought to create a suburban-style shopping center in the middle of the city rather than outside the urban core. The proposal reflected broader redevelopment ambitions for the area and was advanced in part through pressure from community activists on municipal planners. Construction was completed in 1978. The mall subsequently struggled to establish a stable commercial identity. Reports described financial losses from 1979 through 1989, along with continuing difficulty attracting tenants that matched the original retail vision. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, discussions about the property included possible nightlife, restaurant, grocery, pharmacy, food-court, and specialty-retail uses. In 1988, Kraus-Anderson was identified as the mall's owner and operator. The Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store was described as the anchor tenant in 1989, while other occupants included community-service uses that differed from the suburban shopping model originally envisioned. A proposed $6.3 million renovation in 1989 was intended to reposition the property around United Noodles Oriental Food Inc., a drug store, a food court, and specialty shops. Contemporary reporting nevertheless characterized the center as having persistent vacancy and tenant-placement problems; another account in 1992 described it as nearly empty amid wider challenges facing the surrounding community. These accounts illustrate the difficulty of sustaining a conventional enclosed or neighborhood mall format in an urban district affected by economic and social change. The property appeared to be performing better by 2000, when a Kraus-Anderson vice president said it was fully leased. Sun Foods Asian grocery also used the parking lot for a weekend farmers' market beginning in 1998, adding a recurring community and food-oriented function to the site. Unidale Mall later had an educational and civic role as well. Saint Paul Public Schools considered acquiring the property for adult literacy education and multicultural programming, and the Saint Paul Area Learning Center moved there on February 1, 1991. Those programs eventually left the mall and developed into Gordon Parks High School. Unidale Mall is therefore best understood not simply as a retail brand, but as a locally significant commercial property whose history combines urban redevelopment, neighborhood retail, public-service programming, and recurring attempts at reinvention. Publicly available reference material does not establish a current owner, current tenant roster, official website, or definitive present operating status.

Unidale Mall was conceived in 1971 as part of Saint Paul's Model Cities Program. The project sought to place a suburban-style shopping mall in the center of the city, an approach that was unusual for a period when many large retail developments were being built at suburban locations. Neighborhood activists encouraged city planners to pursue the project as a form of urban investment and commercial revitalization. The mall was completed in 1978 at the intersection of University Avenue and Dale Street, a location serving the Summit-University neighborhood and adjacent Frogtown. The commercial model proved difficult to sustain. The mall reportedly lost money each year from 1979 through 1989 and had recurring problems finding tenants appropriate to its original purpose. In 1987, proposals included bringing a nightclub and restaurant to the property. By 1988, Kraus-Anderson was identified as the owner and operator. In 1989, the Disabled American Veterans Thrift Store served as the mall's anchor, while other occupants included uses such as a welfare office. These occupants provided services to the neighborhood but did not produce the conventional retail mix anticipated when the center was planned. A major repositioning proposal in 1989 called for a reported $6.3 million renovation. The plan envisioned United Noodles Oriental Food Inc., a drug store, a food court, and several specialty shops. The proposed mix would have made the mall more food- and service-oriented while attempting to draw customers from the surrounding neighborhoods. Contemporary accounts remained skeptical, describing the property as a failure or as nearly empty and emphasizing the difficulty of securing suitable tenants. The mall's challenges were discussed alongside broader economic and social problems affecting the surrounding community. The property later showed signs of improvement. Sun Foods Asian grocery used the parking lot for a weekend farmers' market beginning in 1998, giving the site a regular public event and a stronger connection to food retail. By 2000, a Kraus-Anderson vice president described the mall as fully leased. Available accounts do not provide a complete tenant list or establish whether that leasing condition continued. Unidale Mall also became connected with public education. Saint Paul Public Schools considered purchasing the property to house adult literacy education and multicultural programs. The Saint Paul Area Learning Center moved into the mall on February 1, 1991. Those educational programs eventually moved elsewhere and became Gordon Parks High School. The mall consequently served at different times as a proposed retail redevelopment, a neighborhood shopping center, a site for social services, a food-market venue, and an educational location. The mall's location remains significant because it is across Dale Street from the Rondo Community Outreach Library and near the Dale Street station on the Green Line. The available reference material does not identify a current owner, an official operating company, a current tenant roster, or a confirmed present-day status. Its documented history is primarily that of a local commercial and civic property rather than a nationally managed consumer brand.

• 2000

  The mall was described as fully leased

  [1]Unidale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A Kraus-Anderson vice president reported improved occupancy after years of reported vacancy and tenant-recruitment difficulties.

• 1998

  Sun Foods began hosting a weekend farmers' market

  [1]Unidale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The market used the mall parking lot and created a recurring community activity linked to the Asian grocery tenant.

• 1991

  Saint Paul Area Learning Center relocated to the mall

  [1]Unidale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The learning center moved into Unidale Mall on February 1, adding an educational function to the site.

• 1989

  Major renovation and tenant-repositioning plan proposed

  [1]Unidale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A reported $6.3 million plan proposed grocery, pharmacy, food-court, and specialty-retail uses.

• 1988

  Kraus-Anderson was identified as owner and operator

  [1]Unidale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Kraus-Anderson managed the property during a period of attempts to attract new commercial and entertainment tenants.

• 1978

  Mall construction was completed

  [1]Unidale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The commercial center opened as a neighborhood-oriented mall at University Avenue and Dale Street.

• 1971

  Unidale Mall concept originated through the Model Cities Program

  [1]Unidale Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The proposed shopping center was developed as an urban redevelopment idea intended to bring suburban-style retail into central Saint Paul.

An urban neighborhood shopping center intended to provide suburban-style retail access within central Saint Paul, with later emphasis on grocery, specialty retail, community services, and educational uses.

• Shopping center services · 1978

  Neighborhood retail space

  Unidale Mall's principal offering was a collection of retail units serving nearby residents. The intended tenant mix resembled a small urban shopping center, with space for specialty merchants, food businesses, and everyday services. Publicly available accounts do not establish a complete or permanent tenant roster.

• Grocery · 1989

  Asian and international grocery retail

  Food retail became an important part of the mall's proposed and documented repositioning. The 1989 renovation plan referenced United Noodles Oriental Food Inc., while Sun Foods Asian grocery was associated with the property and hosted a farmers' market in the parking lot from 1998. The sources do not confirm the current status of either operation at the mall.

• Community market · 1998

  Weekend farmers' market

  Beginning in 1998, Sun Foods Asian grocery hosted a weekend farmers' market in the mall parking lot. The market supplemented ordinary retail activity with a recurring public gathering and local food-selling function.

• Community services · 1991

  Educational and community space

  The property was considered for adult literacy education and multicultural programming by Saint Paul Public Schools. The Saint Paul Area Learning Center moved there in 1991, demonstrating that the mall could accommodate civic and educational uses in addition to retail. These programs later moved out and became Gordon Parks High School.

• 1991

  Accepted an educational and community-use roleStrategy

  Background

  Saint Paul Public Schools considered using the property for adult literacy education and multicultural programs as the mall continued to serve functions beyond conventional retail.

  Action taken

  The Saint Paul Area Learning Center moved to Unidale Mall on February 1, 1991.

  Aftermath

  The programs eventually moved out and became Gordon Parks High School. The sources do not describe the transaction or operating agreement in detail.

  Source

• 1989

  Proposed a major retail and food-oriented renovationStrategy

  Background

  The mall had reportedly lost money for much of the period from 1979 to 1989 and faced persistent difficulty finding suitable tenants. The proposed response was a large-scale redevelopment intended to improve occupancy and broaden the customer draw.

  Action taken

  Plans called for a reported $6.3 million renovation featuring United Noodles Oriental Food Inc., a drug store, a food court, and several specialty shops.

  Aftermath

  The proposal was documented, but the available sources do not establish that every element was completed. Later reporting described the mall as nearly empty in 1992, while a 2000 account said it was fully leased.

  Proposed renovation cost. (1989)

  Source

1. 1Unidale Mallen.wikipedia.org