Shepherd Mall

[solitude]

well... i was all of 10 years old, so i won't swear to the accuracy of my memory! maybe it was another theatre. maybe it was an ad for robocop 2. so many pieces of that memory could be just a bit out of place.

guess it's just hard for me to accept that penn square was renovated so recently.

-M

Welcome to the club. You know you're getting old when twenty years ago is "recently." Boy, do I know what you mean though. Grrr.

[Martin]

i used to give my folks a hard time for pointing out spots and saying, 'i remember when that was a wheat field' or something similar... now i catch myself doing the same thing. sheesh.

-M

[solitude]

Here's the confusion....I had forgotten that they put a roof on the old mall and then seven years later renovated the mall, put the second level up and added the theaters, etc. So, it was enclosed in 1981 - but the big redesign opened in March of 1988. Here's a couple of old clippings.

[Pete]

A research shows that it re-opened on March 2, 1988.

I remember all this clearly because I worked for the company that handled the leasing. Walked through it several times while it was under construction.


And regarding feeling old due to things changing, you should take comfort in the fact that is happening at an increasing rate and even teenagers can play the "remember when" game.

[ddavidson8]

Great pictures and ads. I'd love to see more vintage pictures of the mall and theater if you have them. Is the shell of the theater still there? Everytime I pass the mall I try and look over the exterior to see if a theater would have fit into the building, but I guess it did.

[yukong]

One of my favorite stores...not because of shopping there because I didn't...but it was The Mouse Trap. As a kid, I always liked the huge (about 5-6 feet long) mouse trap on outside (mall side) of the store. I was always trying to figure out a way to make that thing go off. It was so cool.

And as to the old Shepard sisters house...a couple of friends of mine...we were about 10-11 years old...we climbed up the dirt wall to the fence, and were able to get under the fence and we explored around the back side of the house. We went into the old, old two story house that is now in Harn Homestead. We went upstairs and looked around. We were scared to death because all the neighborhood kids told stories about the old sisters being mean, and if they caught you, you may never make it out. But we dared to go in...and we lived to tell about it.

I remember going to the movies at the twin, and if you were good...like we were sometimes... you could sneak into the other theater and see two movies for the price of one. succeeded a couple of times.

[ddavidson8]

Burglar and theif

[yukong]

Burglar and theif

Well, a few things...that was about 40 years ago...and the statute of limitations has run out long long ago. Second...the victims (as if they really were) have been dead about 35 years. Third...we did steal anything...other than looks around the property...and we didn't break into anything...because the fence had an opening...and the door to the old house was open. Maybe trespassing...but that was about it.

You see...we had to check it out. For years...all the kids in the neighborhoods surrounding Shepard Mall claimed that the old women were catching kids who came on the property and not ever letting them out. We had to go in and see if there were any POWs that needed freeing. It was a childhood necessity to go in there and save those other kids. Never mind the fact that we didn't know anyone who had turned up missing. We just knew they were there. But we didn't find them.

I wonder if they turned up any bodies or anything when they tore down that old house. It may be some governmental conspiracy. City fathers covering up for one of the old city families? Has to be.

[ddavidson8]

I don't blame you. I wish it was still up so I could go look around.

[traxx]

Does anyone have any old pictures of Penn Square before it was enclosed? I don't really remember what it looked like. I do remember it being enclosed. If memory serves me correctly I had a buddy who worked there at I believe it was Harry Bear's during the construction. I'd go by and see when he would get off work and I remember it was a hassle to get through the place.

[yukong]

I don't have any old pictures...but the one thing above all that sticks out to me about Penn Square is Christmas time.

Back in the day, before it's enclosure...and I am talking the early 60's, at Christmas, they would erect a huge tensil Santa thing in the area that is now where the fountain is located. It was very very tall, and you could see it from out on NW Hwy and from the surrounding areas. It was that tensil shiny stuff on long streamers (don't know what it is really called) but it was erected in the shape of a Teepee, but it was a Santa and you could go in side the thing. If I am correct..this is where Santa was set up for pictures. I always wanted to go there for Christmas and go inside of Santa.

It was cool.

[jbrown84]

Yes, I'm sure of the timing. Construction started in '86 and was completed in '88.

So when was the north wing with Foley's added? In '81 or '88? Sounds like '88 probably w/ the article.

[Pete]

The enclosure in '81 wasn't much of anything, just a roof over the existing interior courtyard. I had forgotten they even did that as it didn't represent much of a change.


In '88, they just about doubled the footprint, added a second floor, food court, parking garage, etc. That is when Foley's was opened.

[solitude]

yukong.....This is the big Santa!

Check out the old Penn Square logo/sign at the bottom. That was so recognizable, remember?

[Pete]

Yes, and I had many Santa pictures taken in that little house in the middle of the courtyard.

And that sign was greatness. I think it was there until right before the big re-do in '88.

[yukong]

solitude....Oh man...thanks so much for posting that. I had tried for a few minutes today to find a photo or something of that Santa, but I didn't have any luck. And then you pull that out for me. Wow. does that bring back more memories. Every Christmas I just begged to go out that and go inside Santa. I would go in there and just stare up to the top. When you are a little kid...68 feet tall is huge. Well, I guess it is even when an adult. 7 stories high. That if pretty big. It was so cool.

Thanks so much again.

And yes, I remember that sign. They should bring that thing back. It would be so cool if they would replicate that sign.

[edcrunk]

Just south of the John A Brown (that later became Dillards, when they bought all the Browns out)

not to be picky... but JOHN A BROWN was bought out by SANGER HARRIS (who was later bought out by FOLEY'S... who was later bought out by MACY'S).

i remember cuz i was a full on POLO JUNKEE back then (this was right after my IZOD/LACOSTE addiction) and i was all about the malls and what not.

[solitude]

not to be picky... but JOHN A BROWN was bought out by SANGER HARRIS (who was later bought out by FOLEY'S... who was later bought out by MACY'S).

i remember cuz i was a full on POLO JUNKEE back then (this was right after my IZOD/LACOSTE addiction) and i was all about the malls and what not.

Ed, Actually John A. Brown was purchased by Dayton-Hudson. They held the stores for only a short time before selling them to Dillard's in 1984. Dillard's, of course, is still in operation today.

solitude....Oh man...thanks so much for posting that. I had tried for a few minutes today to find a photo or something of that Santa, but I didn't have any luck. And then you pull that out for me. Wow. does that bring back more memories. Every Christmas I just begged to go out that and go inside Santa. I would go in there and just stare up to the top. When you are a little kid...68 feet tall is huge. Well, I guess it is even when an adult. 7 stories high. That if pretty big. It was so cool.

Thanks so much again.

And yes, I remember that sign. They should bring that thing back. It would be so cool if they would replicate that sign.

I'm so glad it brought back a flood of memories. I admit to being a sentimental coot and I miss those places and get really nostalgic for certain things in Oklahoma City during my childhood. I loved that Penn Square sign, too!

[yukong]

You are correct Solitude. It was Dayton-Hudson then Dillards. I remember when the switch was made. A lot of people were unhappy because John A Brown was such a household name around here.

And I too am very nostalgic when it comes to the OKC of my childhood. So many great memories.

I enlarged that ad you included and was reading some of the text. I remember those things. It was neat to see it talk about at the opening night, Santa lighting, that the Northwest Classen Chryslers under the direction of Mr. John Platt. That was the finest high school chorus there ever was. Mr. Platt was psycho but he could get more out of singers than anyone around.

[edcrunk]

hmmm... i was 12 in '84. my apologies fellas. jeez, i'm 35 but have the memory of a 70 year old.
so does anyone remember what department store sanger harris replaced at crossroads?

[sweetdaisy]

I know you all are strolling down the Penn Square Mall "memory lane", but we never went there when I was a kid. Not sure why. I sure do like the place now, though!!!

However, we did frequent Shepherd Mall (when we weren't at Crossroads!) and I remember shopping at The Jade for my first prom dress. This was when Shepherd was at the beginning of their end. I really liked that mall when I was younger...probably because it seemed smaller and easier to maneuver than other malls.

I also will probably always remember returning several sets of earrings/necklaces there at the JCPenney when my wedding was cancelled...darn clerk kept demanding to know why I was returning them! That was before "I don't need them" was allowed, I guess.

Ooh! Just had one other memory of Shepherd...I had my Junior Symphony tryouts there when I was in 9th grade...ah, the memories.

[ddavidson8]

I know you all are strolling down the Penn Square Mall "memory lane", but we never went there when I was a kid. Not sure why. I sure do like the place now, though!!!

However, we did frequent Shepherd Mall ...

Speaking of Shepherd Mall.

[rondvu]

I have seen a few Penn Square Mall post card on E-bay. Just type in Oklahoma City and you are always guaranteed some great pics from the past. If my memory serves me correctly Anna Maude and Humpty Dumpty was also in the mall. As a child we would cash in our S&H green stamps at their redemtion center of the mall. Today it's the home of Pier I.

[redcup]

I miss Shepherd mall the way it was as well.

Does anyone remember Faudree's gift store? It was so cool back then. It has stuff that other gift stores did not have. I loved going there. El Charrito's was great even when it became El Chico's. I remember going there as a teen and seeing Santa Claus his suit...at the bar getting a bit tiddley!!!!!! Made me laugh.

[Doug Loudenback]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but Jerome's was a fantastic women's clothing store in the southwest corner of the "L" immediately east of Penny's ... Jerome's still exits but at North Park Mall, and it's still a great women's clothing shop.

Expanding a bit beyond the thread, at the west end of the mall was Sears Department Store at the northwest corner of Pennsylvania and NW 23rd. It was a staple and anchor store for that area for I don't know how many years.

JWil, I'll also say that I strongly disagree with your characterization of this area as "a crummy area." In my mind, it is anything but that. The mall did not compete well in the long term with Penn Square, but that doesn't mean that the area is "crummy." Some of Oklahoma City's nicer older residential areas are on the mall's west and north side. OCU is on the east. Areas south of NW 23rd in the area are not bad at all. What's "crummy" about that?