Manitowoc, Wisconsin - February 12, 1984
Caption text: "Livestock Auction at the Mall. A man shows his cow in front of Penneys during an auction held at the Mid-Cities Mall. Twenty-one registered heifer calves were sold during the weekend of February 12-13, 1984, at an unusual location, the Mid-Cities Mall in Manitowoc. The auction was held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Guernsey Breeders Association convention in Two Rivers." Photo via.
A cow in the mall. Only in Wisconsin! :)
ReplyDeleteSadly, I never did get inside this mall. I visited this area last year, and again this year. I got exterior pics of what it looks like today...a decaying blemish along the shore of Lake Michigan. The mall is located on Memorial Drive on the northside of Manitowoc.
Looking at that image, I can picture how this mall was in its heyday. Typical of the old malls with reletively dark concourses, large court areas for trade shows and the like. That floor looks like concrete, no carpet or tile to speak of. Who knows, someday maybe this kind of thing will return.
The Penneys here is the only remaining tenant, and that entrance you see in the image has been sealed off for a long time. Having gone in this particular Penney store, the entrance would have been towards the back right side of the store's first floor when coming in from the front entrance (look closely in that image....the side exterior entrance is visible). The Second floor has been sealed off since 1983 when JCPenney went to its 'soft goods only' format.
It's other anchor was Montgomery Ward. A huge Woolworths and Osco pharmacy were part of the mall, as well as an A&P Suparmarket at the back of the building. The mall originally housed 20-some tenants. Not 'huge' but big for a city of Manitowoc's size back in 1968.
In the 1980s, it was retitled "Lakeview Centre", but by then, the place was dying due to I-43 being completed, thus linking Manitowoc to Green Bay (where larger malls were located), and growth on the southside of town (Calumet Ave/U.S. 151).
Thanks for the peek inside this mall, Keith.
Like seeing the classic "Penny's" logo! I remember when one of the malls in my city still had that logo left! Wish they kept it.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI was born the year it opened in Manitowoc. As a child I remember going to that mall often. The JC Penneys closes on the 27 of January so visit soon.
Here is what I remember as a child.
The mall had a northeast southwest axis.
I would enter the mall from the Southwest from JCP's. To the left was a hallway that led to a bar called "The Back 40". It later briefly became a teen center and then closed. To the right there was a candy store on the corner and then a Pet Store which became Radio Shack or vice versa , and in the 80's they built The Hardees.
Next as you walked ahead into the center atrium on the right was an Osco and then a Woolworths. The Woolworths had a restaurant and I ate there twice. On the left was three stores and I think the first was a women's clothing shop, the second was a Singer sewing shop and I can't remember the third. At the end of the middle atrium was the Montgomery Wards which was replace with Petersen Bros? in the 1980's. Finally, there were two more hallway arms flanking the MWs. The right arm was filled in the late 1970's with Wizards, a local video game chain. To the left was the bathrooms (CREEPY!) a barbershop and later home office of the Manitowoc Skunks, and then the A&P Grocery. It is amazing how large it seemed when I was a small lad and how small it seems today now that I am grown.