Blue Ridge Crossing is a

shopping center A shopping center (American English) or shopping centre (Commonwealth English), also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof. The first known collec ...

located in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

and

Independence, Missouri Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...

at the intersections of

I-70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...

, US 40 Highway at Exit 11 & Sterling Avenue at Exit 10.

Location

The location surrounds the area from

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 in ...

/US Highway 40 - to 43rd Street on the North/South and Northern Avenue to Blue Ridge Boulevard on the West/East. It sits on the site of the former Blue Ridge Mall and is about one mile (1.6 km) from the

Truman Sports Complex The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to two major sports venues: Arrowhead Stadium—home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs, and Kauffman Stadiu ...

at Exit 9. Phase I of the development began in 2005 with the first stores opening in early 2007. Phase II consists of land West of Sterling Avenue, and is slated to begin construction in late 2012. Phase III consists of land East of Blue Ridge Boulevard on the former site of the Blue Ridge Cinema East in Independence, Missouri.

Blue Ridge Mall

Blue Ridge Mall was one of the first shopping malls built in the United States. Located in

, on

& Sterling Avenue at Exit 10. The location surrounds the area from

U.S. Route 40 U.S. Route 40 or U.S. Highway 40 (US 40), also known as the Main Street of America, is a major east–west United States Highway traveling across the United States from the Mountain States to the Mid-Atlantic States. As with most routes wh ...

to 43rd Street on the North/South and Sterling Avenue to Blue Ridge Boulevard on the West/East. It sits on the site of Blue Ridge Crossing and is about one mile (1.6 km) from the

at Exit 9. It opened on October 17, 1957 as an open-air shopping center and included a location of

Harzfeld's Harzfeld's was a Kansas City, Missouri-based department store chain specializing in women's and children's high-end apparel. History The company was founded in 1891, as "Parisian Cloak Company" by Siegmund Harzfeld and partner Ferdinand Siegel. Ha ...

H. Roe Bartle Harold Roe Bennett Sturdyvant Bartle (June 25, 1901 – May 9, 1974), better known as H. Roe Bartle, was an American businessman, philanthropist, executive, and professional public speaker who served two terms as mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. ...

, the Mayor of Kansas City, cut the ribbon that officially opened the shopping center. Blue Ridge Mall had the added distinction of being located in two cities at the same time. The city limits of

and

bisected The Jones Store Co. on the northeast corner of the store. During the 1960s, Blue Ridge Mall was the most popular shopping center in the Kansas City Metropolitan area and in 1971, the

J. C. Penney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Girl ...

store expanded moving from the south court of the mall to become an anchor store on the west end. With that move, the shopping center was fully enclosed and the hey-day of the Blue Ridge Mall would continue for two more decades. By the mid-1990s, the Kansas City Metropolitan Area had a 'mall glut' and with the close proximity of two newer enclosed malls within a ten-mile radius, Blue Ridge Mall started to show its age and declining popularity with shoppers. After several ownership changes and a failed attempt at redevelopment when

Montgomery Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curren ...

suddenly announced its bankruptcy and the closure of all stores nationwide at the close of 2000, the current ownership decided to demolish the old mall and start again. In 2001, J. C. Penney closed it store at the mall, leaving The Jones Store. The Jones Store shuttered in 2003, leaving the mall with no anchors.

Tax Increment Financing Tax increment financing (TIF) is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community-improvement projects in many countries, including the United States. The original intent of a TIF program is ...

was obtained from the City of Kansas City and demolition began in 2005. The redeveloped site is now known as Blue Ridge Crossing and the old mall site represents Phase I in a three phase development.

References

External links

LANE4 Projects

Rebuild Remarkable

Always Low Prices AND Environmental Clean-ups?

Labelscar page on Blue Ridge Mall

{{Shopping malls in Missouri Shopping malls established in 2007 Shopping malls in Missouri Buildings and structures in Kansas City, Missouri Economy of Kansas City, Missouri Buildings and structures in Independence, Missouri