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Photo by Chris Naffziger
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Photo by Chris Naffziger
The shopping mall in America sits at a crossroads, as we all know. The Great Recession helped bring down some of the last of these struggling behemoths, many of which had already been weakened by the construction of “lifestyles centers,” or glorified strip malls as I call them. But all through the beginning of the second decade of the new millennium, I watched as Chesterfield Mall, located in the populous, affluent eponymous suburb out west on Highway 40, chug along with little sign of the disasters hitting American retail throughout the country.
All that changed a couple of years ago. And every Chesterfield resident I spoke to knew why: two new outlet malls opened up out in Gumbo Flats, practically within sight of each other. For the record, to respond to the many Chesterfield bashers I know, the majority of residents who talked to me thought it was a terrible idea to flood the city with so much retail. As David Nicklaus as explained, retail growth in the St. Louis region has been negligible for decades. Tell that to all of the developers who continue to construct shiny new storefronts, rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic of St. Louis retail.
Indeed, Chesterfield Mall’s fortunes declined within a year of the two new outlet malls opening, and seemingly on cue, the infamous flood hit Dillard’s, reminding us all that the shopping center was no longer brand new, but rather reaching obsolescence. The date for the reopening of Dillard’s kept getting pushed back, and then, weeks after I predicted it would never reopen, the department store chain announced what had already become obvious: it would indeed stay shuttered, insurance payments successfully received. Walking the halls of what had once been one of the most successful shopping centers in the region is, today, a walk through a depressing spectacle. Critical mass of abandonment has been reached, and retailers seem to be rushing to not be the last store still open. Perhaps the closing of the American Girl store could be given as the official end of hope for the mall.
Chesterfield’s decision to allow the opening of two new shopping malls in direct competition to the existing mall was a stroke of genius. Yes, really, as crazy as it sounds. Go ahead and open up another tab and go to Google Maps. Go out to Chesterfield, and then zoom out. What do you see? Dozens of square miles of undeveloped flood plain—all located outside of Chesterfield city limits, but only minutes away by automobile. Maryland Heights has made no secret of wanting to develop Howard Bend after the completion of Highway 141. Likewise, as the recent controversy over building on the forested bluffs just to the northwest of the Daniel Boone Bridge, St. Charles County is happy to plow under nature for developers.
So Chesterfield city leaders were faced with one definitive truth: Chesterfield Mall was doomed. Chesterfield could either allow the seemingly ludicrous construction of two outlet malls in Gumbo Flats, or let their competition, Maryland Heights and St. Charles County, secure the shopping centers for themselves. As can be seen when patronizing the two outlet malls, many of the stores in the new locations were originally tenants of Chesterfield Mall. So where does the sales tax from those stores go? Nowhere: the money stayed in Chesterfield. Whether you call it municipal Realpolitik or Machiavellianism, the results are the same.
As if to confirm that Chesterfield Mall has been cut loose, take a look at the Explore St. Louis page for Chesterfield, which describes the city as a “peaceful residential enclave.” While photos of the outlet malls are included, there is nary a picture of the now forsaken Chesterfield Mall. Et tu, Explore St. Louis?
But I do have some advice for Chesterfield leaders: you’re not going to pull this deft move off again. Chesterfield is landlocked, and other than the possibility of annexing Clarkson Valley, the physical size of the city is not growing. When the costly demolition of the mall finally comes, intelligent, sustainable development must replace it. Chesterfield might be one of the most populous cities in Missouri, but it lacks a true downtown, the status symbol of a “real” city. Whether anyone wants to admit it, everyone wants validation; the choice of the name Central Park, surely not coincidentally named the same as the more famous one in dense, urban Manhattan, demonstrates this in Chesterfield. The beautiful walking trails and waterfalls built in the park show that city leaders can appreciate good design.
Likewise, Reston Town Center in Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C.—or Rosemont, outside of Chicago—show how suburbs can retrofit parts of their town to create a viable, appealing town center. People want to walk outside and run into their neighbors after dinner in a safe, human-scaled environment. Chesterfield’s population is also aging, and as more senior citizens give up their cars but balk at giving up their community, senior apartments above storefronts geared towards the same clientele could easily succeed on the former mall site. Chesterfield Mall’s location is perfect, high up on a hill with great visibility right next to a major intersection of an interstate and state highway. Chesterfield could, if its leaders learn from the St. Louis region’s past mistakes, build both a literal and metaphorical City on a Hill.
Chris Naffziger writes about architecture at St. Louis Patina. Contact him via email at naffziger@gmail.com.
