enclosed super regional shopping mall iowa united_states opened oldest regional shopping center iowa largest mall iowa terms gross area opening neighboring site deadliest fire history killed people target mall anchor stores operate mall prominent stores mall include staples mall northwest wing contains food court inside city limits neighboring independently owned family original developers continues manage mall chicago based company handles mall duties history site originally home demolition monks resided sold monastery site chicago based developers interview stated developers chose mall city reputation model urban area mall known early planning stages executives suggested named killed world war namesake road mall instead originally planned strip mall redesigned open air plaza department stores buildings common area shortly construction began early opened august stores time opening including anchor bowling alley operation today second anchor store opened later moved downtown early tenants included supermarket space later bishop closed replaced movie theater story office building added enclosure enclosed years later mall construction completed major westward expansion doubled size mall additional anchors moved downtown added mall expansion attracted average day interview economist stated successfully adapted changing lifestyles 1960s 1970s offering longer shopping hours time downtown merchants began restricting hours author native commented opening changed memoir father people early 1960s people exchanged boasts long downtown found new kind happiness lost continent wrote people thought iowa women country don think went saturday commented iowa women fire original store hay mall destroyed fire broke morning november fire caused estimated million damage killed store employees store closed nearly year order rebuild early fire officials announced hydrogen buildup caused water leaking store heating cooling system caused fire court documents filed attorneys stated electrical malfunction caused wires covered giving acid lawyers representing families victims sued companies manufactured associated including lawsuits settled court suit dismissed district judge april anchor changes lost anchor closed decided stop selling furniture order focus profitable fashion business replaced chain round chapter bankruptcy faced mall analysis showed ward operating store instead class line department store lease required responded closing early opened new store space august rest mall underwent million renovation year moved space july month famous left market old demolished shortly room new target store opened july target opening ended period declining sales mall sales decreased percent year open present day redevelopment mall anchored target approximately tenants food court single screen movie theater largest movie screen managed company held majority ownership interest mall undergone renovations time remain viable shopping center according ceo area large support shopping goal hay mall redevelopment surviving shopping march city council agreed area hay mall tax financing district order help mall owners pay future renovations came mall assessed property value declined million owners constructed new main entrance mall relocate retailers areas mall order create space new junior anchor stores exterior entrances renovated include staples moved smaller store location way shoe carnival result redevelopment relocated smaller space mall sports moved mall replacing upper level movie theater
Merle Hay Mall