DENVER – A once-ubiquitous staple of American suburbia is slowly dying: malls are disappearing from the retail landscape.
And perhaps no better-sign of the inevitable doom of malls are the recent announcements of sweeping closures from major mall retailers.
JcPenney’s, Sears, and Game Stop have all announced the closure of hundreds of locations, many of them inside malls.
The Denver metro area was once home to several indoor malls. Many struggled to stay afloat amid an increasingly competitive market and closed. Some of them were resurrected into outdoor shopping centers, a recent trend in the retail world.
Here are six indoor malls in the Denver metro area that are no more. Some of the information in the following gallery is sourced from Deadmalls.com.
Cinderella City
This mall opened in 1968 and was located in Englewood at West Hampden Avenue and South Santa Fe Drive. The operational end of the mall came in 1997. The only remaining part of the mall still standing is the Englewood Civic Center, which used to be a department store. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Villa Italia
This mall opened in 1966 and closed in 2001. The area is now the Belmar Shopping Center. (Photo: City of Lakewood)
Southglenn Mall
The Southglenn Mall opened in 1974 and closed in 2005. It was located at East Arapahoe Road and South University Boulevard. The site is now an outdoor shopping center called the Streets at SouthGlenn. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Westminster Mall
The Westminster Mall opened in 1977 and closed in 2011. It was located at West 92nd Avenue and U.S. 36 in Westminster. (Photo: Wikipedia).
Buckingham Square
This mall opened in 1965 in Aurora. It closed in 2007. It was located off Havana and Mississippi. The site is now home to an outdoor shopping center.
Northglenn Mall
This mall opened in 1968 and closed in 1998. It was located at 104th Avenue and I-25. The site is now an outdoor shopping center called Marketplace at Nothglenn.