The mall closed for the final time on Sept. 6, 2022, and the building that was once full of shoppers and, depending on the season, kids eager to see Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, was leveled late last year.

That demolition was one of the major steps in the mall area being transformed into a multi-use area called Corridor Plaza.

Earlier in 2022, another big step in the transformation occurred when the city government and the site’s owner, Crossroads Plaza Development LLC, of Ankney, received $17 million for the effort. That money, awarded in April, will specifically support the creation of indoor and outdoor event space, and provide a further boost to building new retail space, lodging and infrastructure.

When the money was awarded, Chad Schaeffer, the city’s chief development officer, said it would “add enhancements to the project, enabling it to come to life quicker and include amenities that otherwise may not have been realized for a number of years.”

-Messenger file photo
The fomer Crossroads Mall closed its doors for the last time on Sept. 6, 2022. The majority of the mall has since been demolished. Only one wing of the old mall will remain to be renovated to house a handful of stores.

The money came from the Iowa Reinvestment District Program.

“The Reinvestment District Program puts state sales tax dollars back into our community, working for our community, supporting the greater region which looks to Fort Dodge for entertainment and shopping,” Schaeffer said.

By receiving $17 million, the Corridor Plaza project received a higher percentage of its grant request than any other project in the state.

The proposed indoor/outdoor event space would be on the west side of the mall property, behind businesses that face South 25th Street.

One new element of Corridor Plaza was completed last year. It is a 9,500-square-foot strip mall on the southeast side of the property near South 29th Street. It is occupied by Teriyaki Madness and Clean Laundry, which opened last year, and a T-Mobile phone store which opened this year.

Those businesses joined UnityPoint Health — Clinic Express and Discount Tire as some of the first businesses in Corridor Plaza.

A car wash called Tidal Wave Auto Spa is expected to open this year near the intersection of First Avenue South and 25th Street.

Demolition of the central core of the old mall began in mid-September after the last two businesses in it, Shoe Sensation and Hacienda Vieja, moved out.

The former JCPenny and Sears wings of the mall had been torn down previously. The old Sears store came down in late 2019; the JCPenny store demolition came a year later.

One portion of the mall, a part of what was the Younkers wing, remains. It will be renovated to house a handful of stores.

This year, a new north-south road will be constructed through the Corridor Plaza site. It will be a new section of South 27th Street.