In Des Moines, Iowa, Merle Hay Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping center. It was established in 1959, making it the second-oldest regional shopping center in Iowa. Prior to the 2004 completion of Jordan Creek Town Center in nearby West Des Moines, it was the biggest mall in Iowa in terms of gross leasable space. In 1978, the deadliest fire in Des Moines's history there claimed the lives of eleven individuals.
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| Merle Hay Mall Des Moines Iowa |
Kohl's, Target, and Ross Dress for Less are the mall's anchor retailers. Both the former Younkers, which will be renovated into an ice arena, and the former Sears, which will be destroyed in 2021, are now vacant anchor stores. On the mall's out parcels, Applebee's, IHOP, and Starbucks are open for business. Old Navy is one of the mall's other well-known retailers. The majority of the mall is located in Des Moines' northwest neighborhood, but the wing that houses the old Younkers, Kohl's, and the food court is located inside the boundaries of nearby Urbandale.
The Merle Hay Mall Limited Partnership is the only owner of Merle Hay Mall, and the mall is still run by a member of one of its original developers' families. The lease for the mall is handled by Urban Retail Properties, a Chicago-based business.