Orem, Utah(?) - circa 1970s
I was told this postcard depicts the East Hills Shopping Center in "Orem, UT", but I can't find any reference or shred of evidence online, showing it ever existed there. The main one that turns up in all my searches is a mall by the same name in St. Joseph, Missouri, no mentions anywhere of one in Orem. Weird. I wonder if the person I got this from is mistaken about that. But I'll go with this information till I hear otherwise.
So does anyone out there know for sure if there ever was (is?) an East Hills Shopping Center in Orem, Utah, at least into the 1970s (or before)? If so, then there certainly doesn't appear to be much info about it online. Consequently, I have nothing to list below for its history. If it turns out to be the mall in Missouri, I'll update this post with that mall's reference information later.
At any rate, it's still a dang cool shot we have here of the Montgomery Ward anchor, and a Safeway, just barely visible on the far left (see the tell-tale logo?). As well, I like the swanky interior shot, too. Cool looking mall! Just need to know exactly where it is now. :)
A simplistic looknig design, but sometimes, keeping things straightforward is best.
ReplyDeleteThat's a Woolworth back there in the lower shot.
I'm not well-versed with Wards, as they left my neck of the woods in January 1984, however, I do like the above shot with said store emphasized. Has that rather boring (to some, but not I), yet classic 'mall' look to it.
Seems like Singer sewing & fabric shops were everywhere back then too...precursor to the fabrics/crafts stores we have nowadays. (ie: Hobby Lobby)
The design of the interior gives me the impression that it was a smaller enclosed mall. Reminds me of some of those I grew up with here in Wisconsin that are no longer around.
I was in Utah in the early Eighties and never heard of this mall. In fact, I never heard of a Montgomery Ward in Utah. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteScott
Actually, in those days, the US Singer stores not only sold sewing machines, but had large selections of fabrics, patterns, and sewing supplies.
ReplyDeleteThis is indeed the East Hills Mall in St. Joseph MO.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in northwest Missouri and remember when it opened in the mid to late 60's. It was highly successful at putting the final nail in the coffin of downtown reatiling in St Joe.
Mall seems to be doing well today, Wards is now Sears and a new wing was built with Dillards as the anchor.
Yes, I remember East Hill, growing up in St. Joseph. I remember the old Scaggs Drug Store, Hersch's Department Store, F.W. Woolworths, and many other shops. The original mall had about 35-40 different stores. A addition was added in the 90's which included a Dillard's and Sears, plus about 20 other shops. A new "Lifestyle Center", called "The Shoppes at North Village", located at Belt Highway and Cook Road (Across from the old Dolgin's and BEST store) opened in 2005, bringing Target, Best Buy, Kohl's, Borders, and many new stores to the area. The city had a stipulation in the tax breaks contract that stipulated no current stores that are located at East Hills Shopping Center could be rented space at "The Shoppes at North Village", so that the new center could draw stors to town that local residents were driving the 50 miles to Kansas City to get to.
ReplyDeleteI gather you've already confirmed but that is indeed East Hills Mall in St. Joseph, MO. That's my hometown and I remember when that mall was built!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAh yes, it is indeed Eash Hills Mall in St. Joseph, MO before the addition was built. It was a favorite stopping point on our annual Labor Day weekend shopping trip to Kansas City. 'Brings back good memories. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am from St. Joseph, and agree that the photo is of the East Hills Mall here in town.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone from the area remember exactly what year it was when the mall expanded to include Dillards? My son, who is 20, says he can remember the old movie theatre that was in the mall before the expansion, and it was of course gone after the expansion.
Thanks for any info!
The expansion was in 1988. We moved to town just in time for me to have one fleeting memory of the old movie theater entrance before it was gone.
DeleteI once worked at St. Joseph Public Library with the grand daughter of the man that owned the land, and developed the mall. She talked about how proud her grandfather was of the mall, and his vision that St. Joseph would have another enclosed mall soon after his mall was built, but it never happened. It was 1988 when East Hills was expanded, in 2008 again East Hills will be renovated to attract retailers to the vast unleased space in the mall today.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in st. joseph and then 15 years ago I left, but now back here with my family and I remeber the old style shopping center and I really did not like it when they added on and got rid of the movie theater. But I guess have to go with the times. Since being back I have not yet visited the mall yet. But plan on it, maybe actually work as mall security, I hope. My mother used to work in woolworths before closing down.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an old shopping center in the east suburbs of Pittsburgh PA. It was raized years ago.
ReplyDeleteIt does resemble the Pittsburgh, Pa. Mall! .It was like said in East Hills, Pa. I guess they used the same Designers. There are not many photos of East Hill Shopping Mall in Pittsburgh, Pa :(
DeleteYes, this is the mall in St. Joseph, Mo. To the person who said that Sears is where Wards used to be is wrong. That is now a furniture store, Sears went into the add-on wing along with Dillards.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is the mall in St. Joseph, Mo. The first store in the forground is Katz or Scaggs drug store, I can't remember when they changed names. It had a sandwich counter to sit at. I miss those places. I hope when they renovate it, it is as good as the Columbia, Mo mall. East Hills Mall was build sometime in 1968.
ReplyDeleteThe mall opened in 1965, two years before I was born. I grew up in nearby Atchison KS and work in commercial real estate in the SE U.S. now. East Hills was my first real enclosed mall experience, and I recall it vividly. Woolworths had a separate lunch counter, and right next door to that there was a boutique which had two levels (a second "mezzanine" level had been built right up past where the typical ceiling would have been) called "The Tango," which I believe was a chain of junior's shops at the time. The Montgomery Ward space was divided into sections with funky, period-style plexi dividers. I even remember when the old "Penney's" logo with the big stylized "P" was on the exterior of the building. I bought my first stereo there in 1982 - JCPenney used to sell electronics. Also remember Hirsch's (fancy, with chandeliers and pile carpets!), Mister Guy, and the Skagg's drug. There was even a plant store in a kiosk in the middle near Wards. There was indeed a Safeway store (funny how the early malls ALL included a supermarket) that would have closed sometime in the late '70s. I remember seeing "Footloose" at the old theater in the spring of 1984. My niece competed in the "Little Miss East Hills" pageant sometime in the early '80's (she is nearly 30 now). We used to visit the mall and then go eat at The Sizzler across Frederick Avenue from the mall (remember those?). The formerly flat, concrete-floor center court was renovated about 1980 to include a stepped stage area and fountains, and as someone else mentioned, a mall expansion in '88 added Dillard's and Sears. The mall is in sad shape now, in direct competition with new outdoor shopping options to the north. I understand the owners are actively working to renovate and reposition the property. I wish them well.
ReplyDeleteRenovations at East Hills are well underway.
ReplyDeleteThe entire west section of the parking lot is closed off for exterior work and expansion. Inside, a great deal of the space above storefronts is down to the steel studs.
Some walkways are currently blocked off. but the mall is still operating around the mess.
This is going to be a RADICAL makeover.
I've actually lived in Orem for years and the only major shopping center that I know of to have ever existed is University Mall. I even worked at University Mall for about a year before I moved. -Thomas
ReplyDeleteneither store in orem.
ReplyDeleteI really like this site, it's so important to know more about this topic, keep it up and of course every time I have time I'll love to check out again
ReplyDeleteMy family lived in St Joseph from 1968-1974 and East Hills Mall was the center of a lot of aspects of life for us, from grocery shopping at the Safeway, a little bit of anything & everything at Katz Drugs or Woolworth's, to the single screen East Hills movie theater (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was the first huge premier I remember at the theater after we moved to town), to record buying at Musicland & the Singer Sewing store. Yes, that's right, the Singer store had Top 40 45rpm singles on a rack for sale on a rack against a side wall right in between sewing machines & they featured a regular price for 45's that was better than the Musicland store just a door or two down. My brother & I bought nearly all of our initial record collection at Singer. We'd wander over every week while mom was grocery shopping to pick up the weekly Top 40 lists from WHB (710 AM in Kansas City) & KKJO (St Joe's pop station).
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