An extant asset
The Twin Cities of Minnesota are well known for their innovation in the retail sector. Home to some of the earliest examples of the modern enclosed shopping mall, a number of these first and second generation projects are locally known as the -Dales.
1- JCPenney and the main northwestern mall entrance. 2- Macy’s and JCPenney. 3- Macy’s façade, originally a Dayton’s. 4- Von Maur’s southeastern entrance. 5- The common area between Von Maur and JCPenney. 6- The northwestern entrance to Von Maur.
This, of course, refers to the earliest developers’ penchant for sticking the suffix -Dale to the end of the names of their earliest creations. The earliest and most well known is Southdale. This was followed by the Brookdale Center with Ridgedale being the last to be built. The third of these, raised in the suburb of Roseville, is the Rosedale center.
Rosedale Center lease plan ca. 1978. View the full PDF version here.
While Southdale is well known for its historic significance and Ridgedale continues to thrive due to its upscale offerings, Brookdale was lost in 2011. Rosedale, not having the significance of its two other extant peers, comes down somewhere in the vulnerable center.
1 & 2- Von Maur’s mall entrances. 3- The common area just outside of Von Maur. 4- Looking down the short addition leading to Von Maur. 5 & 6- The main entrance for Potluck, formerly the entrance to Donaldson’s first, then Carson Pirie Scott and finally Mervyn’s.
I entered Rosedale Center on a sunny and crisp autumn morning in 2024 for the first time. Though looking forward to more of the mid-century modern elements of the original structure, I entered in between the two newer additions of Von Maur and the AMC Theaters.
This immediately led me to the main central concourse of Rosedale Center. One thing that I love about Minneapolis-Saint Paul area malls is their tendency to have grand central corridors with raised ceilings, multiple skylights and rising columns.
Views of Rosedale Center’s elaborate main concourse from the bottom floor.
The balance of Rosedale was rather pedestrian for mall fare of the day with lighter earth tones, lighting by Ikea and carpeted soft seating areas. Besides the main central concourse, Rosedale really shows little of its past self on the inside, but outside is a different matter.
Rosedale Center lease plan ca. 1998. View the full PDF version here.
Though the entrances had been modernized, the façade around the common areas still displayed its old school mud colored brick overlay topped by brutalist concrete crowning so typical of the era when it was built.
Rosedale Center’s main corridor from the upper mezzanine.
These led to the over-designed
Macy’s anchor with its multiple exterior angles and differing footprints for
each level. Much like the Macy’s façade
at Southdale, which itself was originally a Dayton’s, it was a mess of
diverging corners and lines, but definitely an improvement on the basic boxes
of today.
The upper tier of Rosedale Center’s original common area.
Rosedale Center debuted in 1969 in the northern reaches of Ramsey County. Built as the third collaboration of local department stores Dayton’s and Donaldson’s, it featured only these two anchors with the main concourse running southwest to northeast in between.
Rosedale Center Mallmanac ca. 2011. View the full PDF version here.
A new north wing capped by JCPenney was appended onto the northwestern face of Rosedale Center in 1976 while a Montgomery Ward was constructed to the southeast later on that decade. Like the Southdale location, Dayton’s built the new, present-day store abutting their original outlet, with the latter being turned into additional mall space.
The far less fancy corridor leading to JCPenney as well as its mall entrance.
Over the years Donaldson’s was first converted to a Carson Pirie Scott then a Mervyn’s before the final occupant’s departure in 2005. The anchor was soon demolished and an outdoor “lifestyle” element featuring the AMC Theaters was opened the following year.
After Dayton’s transfer to their larger digs in 2001, the Minneapolis retail icon was soon replaced by upscale merchants Marshall Fields. Following the same track as the Southdale addition, Marshall Fields was later rebranded as Macy’s in the mid aughts.
1- The corridor leading to Dick’s, recently opened on the former pad for Montgomery Ward then Herberger’s. 2- Rosedale Center’s entrance between Macy’s and Dick’s. 3- Another of the narrow corridors leading to the much grander central concourse. 4- Mini golf! 5- SeaQuest. 5- The northwestern entrance between Macy’s and JCPenney.
While JCPenney exists as it always has today, the Montgomery Ward anchor also saw its share of changes through the years. The Bon Ton brand Herberger’s took over the outlet after Ward’s was shuttered. The new entrant itself lowered its gates for the final time in 2018.
Rosedale Center Mallmanac ca. 2024. View the full PDF version here.
Recently, the former Montgomery Ward and Herberger’s held its date with the wrecking ball and was replaced by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Von Maur and it’s truncated corridor were added just a few years earlier in 2015.
1- Rosedale Center’s northwestern entrance showing some of the mall common area next to it. 2- & 3- The southwestern mall façade. 4- The south facing entrance next to Dick’s. 5 & 6- The outdoor lifestyle portion built on the spot of what was originally Donaldson’s.
Still seeing a significant level of success today, Rosedale Center will surely outlast its nearby rival HarMar Mall. What happens after is anyone’s guess as the retail industry remains dynamic and unforgiving. The Twin Cities, even after a few closures, remains in my opinion overmalled. How it corrects itself remains to be seen.
