Crossroads Mall

[SoonerDave]

Mythbusters are a joke. I've seen episodes and most is just wrong. There was one that they wanted to prove that if a hole is formed in a plane way high up and things flying around inside (cuz of pressure) to be false. Well, they got a plane, but it was on the ground the whole time. They did something to the pressure on the inside and shot out a window, but nothing flew around inside. They labeled it as myth. Duh! The plane is on the friggin ground, the air pressure equalized already quickly! Mythbusters have a lot of info wrong. I would say they are much worse than Dumb and Dumber duo.

Maybe you don't get it, but a plane's cabin has to be pressurized in-flight; they pressurized it on the ground to obtain a relative difference in pressure comparable to that of the inflight difference at flight altitude. At that point, aircraft altitide isn't relevant; the difference in pressure is the critical factor.

Mythbusters does a darned fine job, within the constraints of a TV show, to put a reasonably decent scientific face on many of the things they test. The problem is you get people who don't like the results they produce, and insist that their own notions are still right. Admittedly, some urban legends are more fun to hold on to...

That said, I'm not sure what any of this has to do with Crossroads

[SoonerDave]

Uh oh. If Dillard's is closing the top floor, then Crossroads only has maybe one more year left. I think I'm gonna go down there and have a look around for old times' sake.

Also, I found one guy's account of Crossroads on Deadmalls.com:

Dead Malls dot Com: Feature: Crossroads Mall: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

He says that Crossroads actually contributed to the decline of that area. Does anyone else feel that way? I wasn't even alive yet when it was built so I'm curious.

Nonsense observation...disagree completely. There was almost no way the developers could have predicted how the area west and north of the mall would deteriorate; but I have often wondered if Crossroads might not be in at least marginally better shape had they built somewhere on the south side of I-240 rather than the northside.

When Crossroads was built, it was an attraction unto itself that really should have invigorated development throughout that corridor. Heck, that was arguably the "east end" of town at the time; but the city grew financially more toward the southwest and south along the I-44 corridor rather than the more eastward I-240 area. At the time, there was a Leonhardt's lumberyard to the north, an OG&E facility to the south (which is still there), and that industrial overtone has hung over that area. Leonhardt's closed years and years ago, and numerous highway projects never made development of the area a very attractive project.

I suppose you could argue that Crossroads contributed to its own decline in at least a small way in that it did not make sufficient efforts to keep itself up-to-date. I think it underwent only one, perhaps two, significant remodels since it opened, and still today retains much of that original, clunky, 70's lots-of-angles and concrete floor architecture prevalent at the time. I always heard there were divided ownership groups that never agreed on how to market, upgrade, and advertise the mall, thus nothing ever got done. Don't know if that's true, but sadly, the result of the inaction is self-evident...

-David

[ShiroiHikari]

I see. Interesting. I also wonder if maybe it'd be in better shape if the location were just slightly different, like if it had been built on the west side of I-35 instead. I guess we'll never know.

[okcustu]

The slightly to south or the west would have made no different had the developer been visionary and built the mall ant 240 and Penn or furter then we would be looking at another Quail Springs

[jbrown84]

Uh oh. If Dillard's is closing the top floor, then Crossroads only has maybe one more year left.

Based on what? Can you name another mall that just shut down all the sudden? It never works that way. There are lots of stores left and it will continue to exist as those stores slowly let their leases expire.

[grantgeneral78]

thats horrible there slowly dying, my wife worked there in 1977 in dillards and it was really a classy place then. I remember a many a christmas shopping there, or should I say my wife shopping while I played in the arcade or watched the big screen across the way from it,can`t miss those football games you know.
Then there was the pretzel place, and orange julius, ferrels ice cream shop, gordons jewlery where we got our wedding rings. Lots of memories for folks there if only those walls could talk.

[SoonerDave]

The slightly to south or the west would have made no different had the developer been visionary and built the mall ant 240 and Penn or furter then we would be looking at another Quail Springs

I disagree.

The northeast corner of the I-35/I-240 interchange, in retrospect, became the worst possible location for Crossroads in terms of access. An area on the opposite corner would have enjoyed buit-in access benefits and been much less adversely affected by various I-35 construction projects.

You couldn't have built a mall the size of Crossroads on the I-240 corridor, as the area was surrounded with well-established residential areas north and south.

The debate is moot, obviously.

[SeinfeldBlock]

Any confirmation that the 3rd floor is actually closing in Dillards? As in actual print information or all hearsay?

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Any confirmation that the 3rd floor is actually closing in Dillards? As in actual print information or all hearsay?

I was in there this weekend, and the employees say it's true...And they've got EVERYTHING up there on clearance.

Some smokin' deals on clothes in there right now too.

[Bobby821]

Couldn't this just be a reflection of the current economy and them downsizeing some and not a direct reflection of them being at Crossroads?

[grantgeneral78]

Is steven berry still open there?

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Hmmmm...I didn't even check.

[grantgeneral78]

Hmmmm...I didn't even check.

I know they have some good sweat shirts there.

[SOONER8693]

At a presentation today, a member of the OKC Police Gang Task Force, identified " LA Gear" or "LA Wear", "LA Something" as a store that carries and caters to gang members in the OKC area. It was in front of said store, that the shooting occured last year, where a gang member was killed by a police officer. The dead gang dude had just shot another gang member and was about to finish him off. Maybe everybody already knew about this, but I sure didn't. I will absolutely stay clear of Crossroads from now on. Never really went much except at Christmas time anyway.

[ssandedoc]

Today 04:33 PM

Bobby821

Couldn't this just be a reflection of the current economy and them downsizeing some and not a direct reflection of them being at Crossroads?

I think some of this is a reflection of the economy. Another part the I-35 road construction a few years ago screwed up traffic to the mall. But the biggest part is the neighborhood. Stores like Burger King, the strip mall have remained vacant for years. With Macy's, Steve & Barry's, and JCPenney gone the mall is going under.

[Bobby821]

I think some of this is a reflection of the economy. Another part the I-35 road construction a few years ago screwed up traffic to the mall. But the biggest part is the neighborhood. Stores like Burger King, the strip mall have remained vacant for years. With Macy's, Steve & Barry's, and JCPenney gone the mall is going under.

Ok, First off the Burger King is currently being remodled and is reopening, It was posted in News ok .com today that STeve and Barry's is closeing the Enid store only and they are keeping the only store in OKC open which is at Crossroads. Crossroads Mall is safe to go to. It looks like the area is starting to make a slow comeback..

[ShiroiHikari]

The area may end up making a comeback, but Crossroads won't.

[Luke]

I hope Steve & Barry's sticks around.

[Soonerman]

I'm glad Steve and Barry's is staying open in OKC. I love the fact I can get OU clothes for $8.98.

[Rifter]

Today I went and noticed the arcade was closed at Crossroads. I'm sad, but at least I had made it by a few times recently before it closed. It will be sorely missed.

Does anyone know the name of that DDR game or have any recent pictures? I may take or post a picture or two if anyone's interested.

[Thunder]

I'm glad Steve and Barry's is staying open in OKC. I love the fact I can get OU clothes for $8.98.

Yeah, only wear them for one football season.

[oneforone]

I noticed that there is an awful lot of dead space throughout Steve & Barry's. If they continue to stay in OKC, I think they will relocate to a space that better fit's thier needs. Such as a store front space in Walnut Square, Southern Hills or 240 Penn Park. The utility bill for that size of space has to be outrageous. I am willing to bet Crossroads is leasing that space to them for a bargain basement price.

The mall management could have very easily saved that mall if they would have called up Sears and said "Make as an offer we are willing to negotiate."

Sears would have probably closed the South Western and MWC store and moved in a matter of a couple of months. Now the auto center is a Gymnastics studio and the garden center will probably take too much money to renovate.

Maerich missed the bus, the boat, the plane... you name it they screwed up big time. Now the mall is on a down hillslide to closure. The only thing that will save it now is redevelopment. I think it would make an excellent space for a new hospital the size of Baptist, a community college, a retirement village.

Better yet, something like this..... Stapleton

[grantgeneral78]

I'm glad Steve and Barry's is staying open in OKC. I love the fact I can get OU clothes for $8.98.

AMEN- brother, I have some of the sweatshirts from 4 years ago.

[SoonerDave]

Couldn't this just be a reflection of the current economy and them downsizeing some and not a direct reflection of them being at Crossroads?

No.

[SoonerDave]

The mall management could have very easily saved that mall if they would have called up Sears and said "Make as an offer we are willing to negotiate."

Sears would have probably closed the South Western and MWC store and moved in a matter of a couple of months. Now the auto center is a Gymnastics studio and the garden center will probably take too much money to renovate.

Maerich missed the bus, the boat, the plane... you name it they screwed up big time. Stapleton

THe story I was told was that Sears and Macerich were in works to make such a deal, but the bankruptcy of the Wards chain (who, apparently owned rather than leased the space, or if they leased it, the lease became entangled in the bankruptcy proceedings) legally blocked any disposition of the Wards space for something on the order of a year. By the time the legal issues were resolved, Sears had lost interest.

I've asked a few folks at Sears every once in a while about their future plans, any moves or closures ahead, and they tell me there aren't...but that store, to me, is in a shambles.

The mall won't close immediately, because there are too many "interior" (non-anchor) tenants, and those leases will expire at different times. The glow-in-the-dark miniature golf couse on the first floor was literally going out of business while we were there - beng dismantled. I figure that they lost the summer kid crowd to school, so they were done.

Some are determined to make a go of it out there, because the Sbarro's reopened as a generic pizza place. We were there this last weekend to take advantage of the Dillard's third-floor sale, and unfortunately the "deals" aren't as good as we'd hoped. Yes, some things are 20% off, but the problem is some of the items are higher than you'd find them at other places to begin with. They're also getting rid of the furniture; only a few assorted items remain. Saleslady told me that as soon as the merchandise is gone, the third floor will be closed off.

BTW, the place felt as safe as ever. I think I got a little caught up in some of the gangbanger hysteria that tends to go on here; we were there Sunday afternoon, the mall was surprisingly busy. That said, the west end first-floor of the mall is all-but vacant now...that's a little bit spooky, and I wouldn't opt to hang around there in the later evening. It is very sad to look at space after space and see nothing but empty after empty.....