River Roads Mall; Jennings, Missouri
I’m not really sure I knew of the “dead mall” phenomenon until 1998 or 1999, which seems to be when the first generation of these retail elephants started to drop. That was also around the time that I lived in the midwest, and my blogging pal Prangeway and I would troll around a seven-state area looking at all kinds of malls and shopping centers. At the time, we were technically more interested in finding the good malls–you know, the ones with 5 anchors and 200 stores and all the “cool” places to shop. We found something entirely different than what we’d expected, and those trips really opened our eyes to the phenomenon of dying malls, making us realize that many of these centers (and perhaps the enclosed mall in general) is in the twilight of its life. It was a far more dramatic revelation than any Abercrombie-kid packed malls could offer.
As a result of a ridiculously wrong turn, we found this gem, tucked away in the suburbs north of St. Louis. Somewhat hilariously, we parked outside of a wig store that had occupied one of the store shells at the time, hoping to cut through the wig store (seen here, in much worse shape than in 1999) into the then-long-dead River Roads Mall. I can’t believe we actually expected it to be open–it pretty much looked like this when we were there seven years ago.
1988 photo of Woolworth’s store inside of River Roads Mall:
I guess River Roads Mall bit it sometime in the mid-1990s, and has long been scheduled to be redeveloped into a mixed-use complex with a heavy residential component. If it ever gets off the ground, it’ll hopefully help the area a bit. It seemed like it had fallen into pretty severe decline (at least in 1999…). Apparently demolition began very recently, and this blog has some great River Roads Mall demolition photos up from just this past week.
I didn’t carry a camera back then, but I found these dramatic photos of River Roads Mall online. They’re really cool because it’s quite a rarity to find interior shots of a mall that’s been closed up for so long. They were taken in 2004 by Michael Allen for his website, Ecology of Absence, which chronicles all kinds of structural dead things (including tons of non-retail stuff) and is well worth checking out if you’re curious about urban decay, especially in the St. Louis area. Also check out Toby Weiss’ fantastic site, which includes a lot of great, black and white, artsy shots of forlorn retail establishments, and really captures the sadness in the buildings. There are also more pictures where these came from. And as usual, for more history from people who have some familiarity with the place, check out dead malls.
Despite the sadly advanced state of decay that’s evident in these shots, it seemed that one point in time this mall might’ve had some really snazzy mid-60s decor: check out that blue-tiled wall just barely visible at the left side of the photo above, or the groovy, greenish blue exterior of that one anchor store (the former Stix Bar & Fuller.)
Former Stix Bar & Fuller, in October 1988:
2004 Michael Allen photos:
Michael Allen
June 30th, 2006 at 4:44 pm
Thank you for the interest in River Roads Mall, and for sharing the photos.
One correction: The photos on Ecology of Absence are mine, not Toby Weiss’.
[Reply]
ShopGeek
July 4th, 2006 at 2:02 am
Gosh. This is terrible. This is like “Beneath the Planet of the Apes”-underground-New York terrible.
I expect to find the shrine to the atom bomb up in this hea place. But alas, it ended with a whimper.
Is this the sign of a society in decline?
What would Dr Zaius think of our new lifestyle centers? Towne Centres?
[Reply]
Brad Leonard
September 6th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
It looks like the mall has come full circle. I remember as a kid when the mall was first built that the skylights leaked for years. During a rainstorm there were 10 – 20 buckets stretching from Vickies Gifts (between Woolworths and the S&H Greenstamps redemption store) down to Stix.
It its last days, the same problems happened, but because of 25 years of decay.
[Reply]
MU Alum
February 25th, 2007 at 5:07 am
WHEW! River Roads… that mall was one dangerous spot in the mid to late 80’s. People ignorantly and rudely referred to it as “N**ger Roads Mall” (no surprise as St. Louis is still a city with great racist undertones). What once had been a wonderful mall had become a mall notorious for muggings, auto thefts, and later, murder. Dillard’s pulled out in the mid 80’s, the very large JCPenney was downgraded to one of the first JC Penney Outlet Stores at the same time. The bad reputation only got worse when Woolworth closed in 1991 (in what would be the first, massive round of store closings for the chain) and left a large junior anchor spot that occupied 75% of one side of a wing of the mall unoccupied up until the time the mall was locked down. River Roads could have been saved with some ingenuity even as late as the mid to late 1990’s by trying to attract chains like AJ Wright and apparel chains like Rainbow but this didn’t happen due to the mall owner being a known retail slumlord. River Roads spent its last 12 years as a festering eyesore and to be honest, it’s current demolition is the best thing anybody could do for it because the structure had been so neglected that it was well beyond saving at this point. When I last drove by, small trees could be seen growing on the roof of the 3 story building that formerly housed Dillard’s. Sleep well River Roads, our dear old friend.
[Reply]
Georgia Retail Memories
April 25th, 2007 at 9:24 am
There is really something about this place. I know it met a bad end, but there is something really striking and sinister about this sinister that it looked like it had from day one. It reminds me of my own lost Cobb Center that met its fate in 1998 after struggling since 1973…a sinister looking and sad little mall that started dying very early on similar to this one. One thing I’m dying to know about River Roads Mall is that one-story building with the big arched windows that appeared to be attached to that truly wicked Stix building. What was the function of that? Was that some sort of a grand main entrance to the Stix store or what?
[Reply]
Georgia Retail Memories
April 25th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Correction: there is something really striking and sinister abou tthis mall that it looked like it had from day one. I’ll also add “another sinister” on the Cobb Center sentence. I should have proofread and not used the word “sinister” so much, but it’s a pretty good description of the most outlandish of the 60’s and 70’s malls and a feel I got in the ones I knew from my childhood in the early 80’s.
[Reply]
MU Alum
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:34 am
Hey Georgia Retail Memories: The building next to the old Stix Baer and Fuller was a reastaurant called The Steamboat Room. A paddlewheel steamboat was the logo associated with River Roads Mall. I ate at The Steamboat Room once as a small child and don’t remember much about it BUT I don’t recall it being two stories. I think it was one strory and that the cieling raised in the center to give the place kind of a “Roman Arcade” feeling inside. Hope this helps.
[Reply]
Mike
June 30th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Drove by the old River Roads Mall today – large portions, including the old JC Penney & Styx, Baer, and Fuller have been torn down, but piles of debris, and a good portion of the mall still are standing left totally vacant. The Food 4 Less grocery store is the only thing still operating in the middle of what looks like a warzone.
It looks as though demolition has ceased; large piles of debris remain, but no construction equiptment to be seen, The parking lot has potholes over a foot deep near the grocery store. Looks about as bad as the old Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, IL. Don’t know what happened to redevelopment plans,
[Reply]
Kelley
November 28th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
I grew up in Jennings in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. The pictures of the mall choked me up. I loved this mall growing up and spent most of my days there. It makes me sad to see what it and Jennings has become. This was a safe city up until the 80’s and then it went downhill from there. I will always treasure my memories of these malls and the place I call home. Hopefully someday this world will turn around and it will be safe to walk and drive the streets again.
Does anyone remember the toystore next to Dillards that had the monorail that ran through the top of the store?
It was a great place.
[Reply]
Dave Wright Reply:
August 12th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
@Kelley, hi just wanted to ask you a quick queion would your madin name be smith and did you live across the stree from riverroads in a subdvision off of halls ferry rd couress
[Reply]
Todd Reply:
August 24th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
@Kelley,
I am 43 and I do remember that toy store monorail. I think it may have been seasonal? In any case it was called the Gumdrop Express.
Another vivid River Roads memory was the puppet show at easter time. There was one about a grumpy rotten egg who somehow became transformed into a bright pink, glittery happy egg. For many years my grandma (who took me to the shows) would, at my prodding, impersonate the day glo tree stumps who sang “Down by the Riverside.”
[Reply]
Jeff B
January 17th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Wow, this really brings back memories. Also like Kelley, I’m a child of Jennings from the 60s and 70s. River Roads was THE place to go when I was a kid/young teenager, before I was able to drive. Lots of great memories of eating at the Steamboat Room and screwing around at the video game place off of the side entrance. On Sundays, when the malls used to be closed, we would shoot model rockets from the JCPenney parking lot. Great times.
Part of the downward spiral was RiverRoads was a transportation hub for the Bi-State bus system that would link North and East St. Louis residents to the mall. Great for the mall, business wise, for a while, but it ended up brining in some gang elements that caused problems. It’s sad to see these old pictures, but I guess nothing is suppose to last forever.
[Reply]
Brad Leonard
February 24th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
@ MU Alum: Wasn’t the (sinister) building outside Stix a restaurant called “The Pavilion”? It was in a strange location–not easily accessible from anywhere.
The Steamboat Room was Woolworth’s restaurant in the mall. I used to eat there a lot as a kid.
Does anyone remember what other few retailers were in the tiny lower mall area near the Pavilion? I remember only a barber shop.
[Reply]
Barb F
February 29th, 2008 at 5:28 am
Here’s a couple answers that might help . . . the mysterious archways by the Dillards were decorative. Behind the arches was the Pavillion Restuarant (also part of Dillards). At one point Dillards also had a bakery department kittycorner from the restaurant on the way out of the side doors. Arches seemed to be an architectural theme for department stores in the 1960s — Famous Barr also used them extensively in its domes (Northwest Plaza, South County, and West County (and maybe WestRoads)).. I do remember the monorail in the toy store next to Dillards. Actually, Dillards, at the time (1960s), was Stix, Baer, and Fuller. The toy store was part of Stix. Regarding the stores in the small “basement” annex of the mall near Dillards, there was once a “Yarn Barn,” the office of my dentist, Dr. Scott (and before him, his father), and a small art gallery. At the base of the steps there was a fountain (with blue tile I think) that you could throw coins in. I understand that when the Mall opened in the 1950s there was an outdoor seating area and fountains in the lower level courtyard (outside the annex) where concerts were held and people met on summer eveings. This was a bit before my time so I don’t remember it firsthand. Not far from the Mall there was also a Zayre discount store, Howard Johnsons, and Katz Drugstore. I’ve also heard that RiverRoads was the first indoor mall in Missouri (the first outdoor mall being Country Club Plaza in Kansas City).
[Reply]
Danny Plattner
March 4th, 2008 at 12:02 am
My family owned and opeated Plattners Modern Man for over 20 years at River Roads. Also, our corportate office was in the lower level of the mall. We were among the last tenants. I have fond memories of working at River Roads.
[Reply]
Tony
March 7th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
I left St Louis in 1985 to move to San Diego and I have the most fondest memories of River Roads Mall. My mother worked at The Pavillion restaurant for 14 years. I would take the bus from Spanish Lake to meet her and we would then go to the doctors. I remember it being THE place to go to for shopping before Jamestown Mall opened. I remember all the stores there: the record shops, the bakery in Stix dept. store. The monorail in the toy store. I believe there was a Harvest House resaurant and a Walgreens where we would get lime freezes to drink. There are so many memories of sitting on Santa’s knee and puppet shows in the mall. They are some of my favorite memories. It is so sad that an area can be in such decline that structures have to disapear. I have always wanted to go back to River Roads just to reminice when I visit St Louis… but I guess now I will only have the memories. SAD SAD SAD
[Reply]
Barb F
March 9th, 2008 at 11:10 am
It is interesting how a Mall can bring back so many happy memories for people. Whenever I meet “northsiders” and they are “of a certain age,” it is always fun to talk about Riverroads. Was the Plattners’ store in the annex that opened for JC Penney? I remember the Harvest House cafeteria, too — was it somehow owned by the Woolworth company? I kind of remember the lineup on the east end — Vicki’s cardshop, Woolworths, the Woolworth’s steamboat restaurant, Harvest House, (and, a really long time ago, I think there was some kind of a little sausage/deli store near the Harvest House). And of course the Walgreen’s and its “Wag’s” restaurant. I always liked the food Woolworth’s served at it’s snack bar at the entrance to the store. There was one very nice lady who seemed to have worked there for years. I loved that pizza they made and those grilled hot dogs. Woolworths was were I first had a “frozen Coke” — a real novelty then. They also made these little donuts for a while and sold them in a little case next to the snack bar — greasy little things, but they were good. I’ll have to get my camera out sometime and go up there and see what’s left. I think they started taking it down but never finished.
[Reply]
Christopher L. Arnold
March 24th, 2008 at 10:24 am
I Grew Up and lived at:[ 8866,St.Cyr st]………..
only a few Blocks up the street From This Mall.
during the mid-late 70’s,…….
- I Remember When I and my Friends (*as Kids)…
Use to go up and shop and Hang out there at the woolworths,
There was a Really cool TOY store at one end,
and I Still Remember very Clearly that ole’ Clocktower
standing in the Center of the Walk in Area,..
- My Grade School [ *Northview ] Overlooked the mall
from just Up A’top the west end HILLside,…
I haven’t back to Jennings Mo.
in more than 25-30 Years,
I Moved out to Los Angeles Ca, in 1990………
- Ironically, I Actually was looking Up Something else
on “GOOGLE”,..~(*when I Came Across “THIS” Post)~
about where I Use to go to High school
in the early 80’s -> { 80-85 ),…
which was Demolished about a Year or so
Before I Moved out of St.Louis,
I FEEL LIKE EVERY PART OF MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
ARE JUST ~ GONE!!,..
‘:-({
[Reply]
Christopher L. Arnold
March 24th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Reply to: “Kelley said, on November 28th, 2007 at 2:35 pm”…
:[Quoite]:
“Does anyone remember the toystore next to Dillards that had the monorail that ran through the top of the store?
:[UnQuoite]:
=================================================
Reply Post from:”Chris”.
- YEASSSS!!!,…..
I Bet We lived near Each other back then,…
I Remember that Ole’ shop, and the Monorail Too,…
and the STEAMBOAT ROOM Restraunt,…
I Agree “Kelley”,…
{
I Felt like Breaking Up too, over this,…
So many Memories – All gone now,…..
[Reply]
Bob
April 5th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Just ran across this website. As a longtime shopper and later employee in RiverRoads, I was devastated at its demise. I, too, explored this vast “playground” starting in late 2003 after a mall roof fire was on the local news. I figured the firemen made it easy to get in, as careless as they are with chopping holes through everything in their way. Sure enough, it was a breeze going in the mall entrance doors by Stix. My brother and I managed to get into every nook and cranny, including the office of the shopping center on the mall’s lower level, and much to our surprise, all records, files, etc. were intact – simply abandoned for lack of anyone wanting them or caring about them. That is, until I came along! I now have enough memorabilia to start a RiverRoads museum that would rival the Titanic exhibit!
I have the original contracts dated 1959 whereby Stix agreed to be the main anchor and had veto power over any store elsewhere in the entire mall – a list of prospective tenants was listed for Stix to say yay or nay to. I also have the large sheet blueprints to Stix! I also have several volumes of the builder’s specs of constructing the building.
I will always have a warm place in my heart for Woolworth’s, perhaps it was that snack bar that I still dream about at night! Perhaps it is the infamous Steamboat room restaurant of which, on our last visit inside the mall in Jan., 2007 just before demolition workers destroyed that section, I sawed off a nice section of the unforgettable wood white railing, steamboat motif, outside the restaurant facing the mall.
I also have, from the main office of the mall, many 8 x 10 photos and other items.
I will write more later if anyone is interested, such as our discovery in the basement credit dept of Stix (no, not a bag of money!) and what it took to get into the barricaded bowling alley.
By the way, the demolition workers were first class hoosier jerks! Very unfriendly and disrespectful to history!
[Reply]
your brother
April 5th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Who sawed off the railing at the Steamboat Room ? And I guess I’m proud of it !
[Reply]
Mary Bauer
April 8th, 2008 at 1:09 am
I would be very interested in a Riverroads Museum and in hearing about how you got in to the bowling alley
[Reply]
Bob
April 11th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
I think a RiverRoads Museum would rival the Titanic Exhibit! We could even set up a Steamboat Room and serve food! (turkey club, please)As far as the bowling alley, well, it wasn’t easy! Apparently at some point in time the stairwell leading down to the bowling alley had been permanently barricaded with a plywood wall, very well constructing about halfway down the stairs on the first landing. We were unprepared on our first visit to tackle this.
On our second visit we brought tools. My brother (I better give him credit here!) and I used crowbars to break through the very well built wall and break open a small area that we could get through. This took much time! Then we got down to the glass doors entrance only to find the doors closed and locked! these were the only retail doors in the entire mall locked – just our luck! We were going to smash out the glass except for the fact that there was chicken wire between the sheets of glass, and we did not have goggles to protect our eyes from flying shreds of glass.
It wasn’t until a couple years later (2006) that upon a visit everything was open thanks to the demolition morons. They had run power down there to begin their work. It was like a Twilight Zone walk back in time – deteriorated, but still the once magnificent SPENCERS LANES was recognizable. The wood lanes were still there, with a few pins (I have one of those as well!) and balls. The great ’60’s look cocktail lounge still had those mod lamps hanging down from the ceiling – we couldn’t break one off for fear of pulling down the entire ceiling.
If anyone recalls, along the far side of the lanes at the back, there was an entrance that lead into the mall’s lower level and connected.
In the bowling alley office there was little of consequence, a little paperwork from its final days that I could not pinpoint what year.
[Reply]
Barb F.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Bob — You are a hero. I, too, explored the innerworkings of the mall a few years ago, but with much trepidation. I stayed close to the opening so I felt relatively safe, but I was a bit overcome by the mildew smell and was terified of seeing a rat. I am really thinking about going back to explore a little more (I understand some of the mall is still standing) and to take a few more photos. Is there anything special you’d recommend exploring? (And, did you see any rats?!) Hope I don’t get arrested for tresspassing!
[Reply]
Mike
May 7th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Wow! Who’d have thought that the old RR mall would elicit so many comments. I worked at J C Penney from about 1964-1970. I have fond memories of the fried chicken and pizza from Woolworth’s and the burgers at Walgreen’s. I also ate at the Pavillion and once in a while at the bowling alley.
The Penney store had only one escalator that always ran “up”. When Mr. Penney visited the store, they reversed it so he could ride down. Before the expansion, Penney’s had taken over the store next door which was called “the annex” where we sold seasonal items. You had to go through a labyrinth in the basement to get there from the main store.
Does anyone remember the Saturday morning KXOK radio shows with Johnny Rabbitt from the mall in front of Stix? They really drew a crowd.
It’s sad to see the decline in the neighborhood and in the mall. The nearby Northland Shopping Center, an older strip center with Famous Barr as the anchor, has also fallen into disrepair. I haven’t been to Jennings in a long time, but I believe it’s still standing although mostly empty.
[Reply]
Bob
May 12th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Barb F. – Hate to tell you this, but it is ALL gone! Just a memory sad to say because of the poor planning by Jennings City leaders who went into this project without concrete plans or a solid developer. The latest developer has just gone broke and the huge cavernous crater that greets all along Jennings and Halls Ferry Roads will be a far worse eyesore than a boarded up historic mall.
The last of the mall came down late last summer. I wasn’t worried about rats when I ventured in because rats will only hang around if there’s a food source – none at all inside abandoned River Roads. I never saw any, and we were in the far deep corners of all floors! Stix basement floor was interesting, especially the credit dept. area and main offices – we even found the walk-in main bank vault of Stix, door open!
I have many more mementos than I’m willing to admit at this point in time since the demolition people were such jerks – I’m glad they went broke! We had large, high-powered lanterns/spotlights when we went in and gloves. Virtually all store fixtures were gone – I wonder if there was a liquidation sale in the ’90’s of those items?
I was amazed at how much was left in Stix. For instance, we found the main key room with wall racks of labeled keys for every part of Stix. I now own the key to the main front entrance of Stix River Roads! The restaurant, Pavillion and outer coffeee shop, still had all fixtures – counter, stools, kitchen equipment, etc. That surprised me. We were tempted to cook lunch for oursleves in there and sit at the counter and eat! What would the police have thought if they walked in on that?? They’d be calling for the men in the little white coats!
Please email the mayor of jennings on the city website and tell him what a botched project this has been, that River Roads never should have been torn down.
[Reply]
Barb F.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Bob — I will gladly email. Now this may sound nutty, but I may still go by and take a final look at that crater (and pay my last respects). What a gold mine you hit exploring that Stix building! I’d love it! Who would have thought they’d leave all those files behind? Any interesting photos in the files? My favorite store was Woolworths. I did a google image search and was so surprised at the number of people who posted photos of the mall in its decline. I had planned to write a freelance story on its history to coincide with its final dismantling, but, alas, I never thought they’d actually get around to tearing it down. I am, however, pleased to report that on my last visit (and timid exploration), I did swipe the “PUSH” plates from the entrance doors (on the Kroger side). I’m so glad I did!
[Reply]
Vince Valenza
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:22 am
I spent just about everyday of my early life at RR’s. I walked across New Halls Ferry through the mall(about 7:30AM) and down Berkay to Jennings Elementary. I was in 5th grade 1964. Could you imagine allowing a child to do that in the present. River Road…what Great Memories Krogers, Woolworth…we’d go downstairs and they had a toy/hobbie shop down there, Walgreens…burgers and cherry cokes, The Steamboat Room, Harvest House Cafeteria, Downs mens store, Wolfs another mens store, Union Jack, Spencers Bowling Alley…wow…Stix, The Pavilion…..on and on…The toystore with the monarail at Christmas…the memories…This was a crossroads..where the kids from Northwest City, Jennings, Riverview, Rosary met. During the holiday season the parking lot which surrounded the entire shopping center..would be jammed packed!..even on my street Bluegrass…River Roads thank you for the memories..There was a specialness to grow up in “North County”…Jennings was a wonderful place…it was safe….In 1969…I ran across the dark RR parking lot at 11:30PM…to head home after a stop at Cuzie’s Pizzaria…our parents didn’t have to worry. That’s the kind of neighborhood it was…I know I’ve gotten of base a little…I’m just so greatful I got to experience Jennings during it’s heydays 50’s to the 70’s… May it rest in peace.
[Reply]
Jim Binngs
May 26th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
When did they neighborhood go bad and why?
[Reply]
Hyacinth
May 27th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Oh my, I’m part of the group with fond memories of the 60s and River Roads. I bought my first lipstick at Woolworth’s, and got my first pair of heels at Stix. And I remember the special meals at the Pavilion and how methodically my friends and I would go through the Juniors section at Stix.
And, for the person who remembers the pizza prices at Woolworth’s I’ll note that the price difference between cheese and sausage pizza slices was often determined for us by whether we’d have enough money for the bus ride home, in the summer when you hadn’t bought a bus pass for school and could use that.
It is sad that it’s gone, because it feels like those experiences are just fragile memories.
Bob, is there any chance that some of the ephemera or bits of fixtures could be put up on ebaY, for those of us who might like to buy something tangible to hold the memories?
Hyacinth
[Reply]
Bob
June 8th, 2008 at 8:37 am
Well, Hyacinth, right now I wouldn’t want to part with any of them – I have some nice signs, some with the River Roads steamboat logo on them. I also have a tile from the floor of the main mall! It is very old, perhaps original. I have several of the ceramic aqua colored “bow tie” bricks that made up the colorful front of Stix.
I also have the blueprints to Stix – yep, the entire building blueprints!
Maybe I could take some close up photos of these and email them to whoever is interested in seeing.
In ‘03 on our first visit inside, the coffee shop just outside the Pavillion Restauarant was so inntact with its counter and stools still there that on a subsequent visit we packed a lunch and sat there at the counter and ate it – just like it was 1970 again and we were eating in the coffee shop! The men in white would have thrown a net over us!
[Reply]
Danny Plattner
June 27th, 2008 at 1:50 am
Wow, great posts. My family’s store, Plattners Modern Man was originally located in a corner location near Styx. Later (late 70’s) we moved into the old Wolfs location. Sorry about the plywood barricade to the bowing alley. Once the bowing alley closed, people would go down there and use that area as a urinal. The smell was so bad that I asked the mall maintence staff to do something to deter people from going down there. So, they put up the barricade. Also, this was done for safety reasons. I live in Arizona and haven’t been to Jennings for years, I am sorry to see the mall gone.
[Reply]
Stacy R.
June 27th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I lived in Jennings from 1970 – 1983. I used to lived in Hathaway Hills which faced Halls Ferry. I walked to Northview Elem. school across the parking lot of the mall or cut through to and stop at the arcade. I used to go to the Woolworth with my Grandma and buy “jellies” those clear plastic shoes. My Mom worked at Worth’s in the 80’s. I remember the Santa and the clock. My Grandparents were on a bowling league at the alley downstairs. I can still remember running my hand along the long wave painted on the wall all the way down the hall from the inside of the mall to the steps that led downstairs. It just gets to you that people can ruin things and not see that they have only themselves to blame for living in such terrible conditions. Jennings was a nice area when I was a kid. I could walk anywhere or ride my bike all over with no problems. We moved in 1983 because the area was just going downhill. They used to have cool haunted houses in the empty stores too.
[Reply]
Robert Powers
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
To Bob,
If you’re still watching this page — I’d be VERY interested in seeing some of those blueprints. I only saw River Roads at the very end of its life, but I fell in love with the tile mosaic designs on the outside of the building. Some of those tiles… mysteriously found their way to my back porch. How could that have happened?! I just don’t know!
In particular, if those documents list the name of the architectural firm that designed the building, I’d really love to know who it was!
Also, many more photos on my web site:
http://www.builtstlouis.net/riverroadsmall01.html
[Reply]
Bob
August 21st, 2008 at 12:02 am
Mr. Powers, Yes, the blueprints are dated and detailed. Better yet, there were several volumes of books in the office detailing the construction of Stix in incredible detail, down to the exact building specs, types of materials to be used, etc. I took the more interesting of those, but not the entire collection.
I have some of the mosaic tiles too, although we were threatned by the hillbilly demolition worker with a trespassing charge – no respect for what River Roads stood for!
I’ll have to get these out and look at them again – it’s been a year or two since I looked at them in detail. I have many other smaller mementos, such as an original (I believe) tile off the main mall floor, the escalator inspection certificate for Woolworth’s, bowling pins from Spencer’s Lanes, crystal pendants from the chandeliers still hanging in Stix (I can’t believe these beautiful fixtures were just left there!), and many photos from throughout, including inside the kitchen of the Pavillion Restaurant, as well as the top floor of Stix ( a risky venture walking up a dillapitated escalator to get there.)
[Reply]
krash1980
September 1st, 2008 at 5:45 am
It Looks intimidating. This mall would have made a perfect set for a Hirax video during the 80’s.
[Reply]
Now A Texan
November 3rd, 2008 at 2:07 am
It is truly a shame that this mall is now gone. With most of the stores having outside entrances as well as mall enterances, this mall may have been able to have been revamped as one of those newfangled “new urbanist lifestyle centers” in the futures. The Stix/Dillards building with its beautiful white and aqua tile facade could have been a Kohl’s or a Macy’s at some point. Nearby Northland was destroyed and a Schnucks and Target were built. It would have been cool if they could have saved the original structure at that mall and retro-fitted the building to be a Target as there are many multi-level Target stores across the country. This area of North County last time I visited seemed to be having a small renaissance of sorts with new homes and businesses. I have heard some of the people who are now in their late 20’s and early 30’s who grew up there and had parents who moved out to West County and St. Charles (white flight) are now moving back to the area to buy the beautiful homes in Normandy, Pasadena Hills, Pasadena Park and Bel-Nor. What if in a decade, these areas could have supported these malls… ther structures would have already been there and they could have added so much character and authenticity kind of like my current neighborhood of Oak Cliff (a similar neighborhood in Dallas). Instead, there are just homogenous strip malls with Targets and supermarkets and other strip mall mainstays. So sad that a little ingenuity in the planning and decisions on the futures of River Roads and Northland could have created great neighborhood shopping that is on par with what is offered in other neighborhoods around St. Louis
[Reply]
Dan
November 26th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I used to love this place as a kid. I was out there recently (11/15/2008) and about all that is left of River Roads is a big field and gravel heap. The only thing left standing is the Food for Less grocery store that used to be attached to the end of the mall near Woolworth. I shot some video as I passed it.
It’s sad that it wound up like this.
[Reply]
Mrs. Jones
December 4th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
This is in response to Stacy R. comment:
It is a shame that certain people still have the same undertones of racism. Say what you REALLY feel. I personally think that RR’s decline came from white people moving out of the neighborhood afraid of black people as usual and retailers feeling that our money is not green enough. My parents shopped there more than I can count. I have fond memories of RR. The police had a lot to do with its decline I feel too. They were pulling blacks over so much for no reason, I think blacks in the neighborhood felt they rather go to St.Louis Centre or somewhere else than to deal with the racists cops there.
[Reply]
Some guy
December 8th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
When I worked for Coca-Cola last year that Food For Less was one of my accounts. I am a white male and was harrassed non-stop while I was in that store handling my business. Taunts of “get me some soda white boy” or “kracka” were an everyday thing. That whole area is terrible and deserves to be demolished. Nothing but crime and poverty. Most of the decent people that lived there moved away when the neighborhood became so drug infested that people were scared for their lives. This mall didnt die because of racist police, it died because the people with money to spend left. North County in general cannot support a mall anymore, look at NW Plaza and Jamestown, much less the Jennings area.
I grew up in Ferguson and my parents still live there. My brother and I both graduated from McCluer and my sister will graduate this year. That high school is 100x worse than it was when I graduated in 2001. More gang activity, more violence, more drugs, more thuggish attitude in general. It’s the people that currently reside in these areas that are causing their demise. There’s a reason the scared white folk moved to St. Charles and West County…….VIOLENCE AND CRIME. People that lived in Jennings for 50 years didnt just up and move one day because some black people moved in next door, they saw a terrible trend and got out while they still could
[Reply]
La Reyna
December 21st, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Hey, Someguy,
I second that. The Salem Mall area in NW Dayton is the same way, with thugs, problem people, and welfare people. That mall died in 2005 because of such people. Decent people were forced to move out because of the demographics. Jennings used to be a nice area until the 80s. It’s the same with NW Dayton. That used to be a nice area until the late 80s-early nineties. Section 8 housing moved in as well as too many bus stops in and around the mall. I feel sorry for the people in south suburbs of Dayton because I see the same pattern of degradation by problem people along with section 8 apartments. Dayton Mall’s fate is being sealed as I type.
Problem people are the reason of why areas cannot succeed.
[Reply]
Jeff Haumesser
January 1st, 2009 at 7:11 pm
I remember my grandmother taking me there when I was just around 7 yrs old back in the early ’70s. She lived within walking distance and she would have this vise-like grip on my hand as we crossed a 4 lane road. She would wear me out walking all around that mall. She wouldn’t let me touch anything. I remember Woolworths, and if I’m not mistaken, some of the escalators were more of an inclined conveyor belt type. I drove by that spot recently and it’s just a vacant lot now.
[Reply]
Bob
January 3rd, 2009 at 12:10 am
That is so true! It’s more than a coincidence that when the area “changed”, crime and violence that had never been seen there before for decades overcame it like the plague. What a easy cop out – “racist police pulling people over for no reason” – give me a break! Are you proud now of what’s left of Jennings and RiverRoads? What a pile of crap – stores pulling out because your money wasn’t green enough? That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard – a business leaving with good business! And now, Jamestown and Northwest Plaza are latter year carbon copies. Do you still live in Jennings? If so, I hope you enjoy what’s left of it and staring at a pile of rubble everytime you drive by RiverRoads.
[Reply]
will
January 28th, 2009 at 3:57 am
i have never heard another person EVER say wags resteraunt. my mom worked at a wags in lake worth , florida for 6 years. nice to hear someone say that. remeber the little raccoon waggles?
[Reply]
Steve
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:37 pm
What a shame but hardly surprising. I have relatives that still own a bakery on West Florissant not far from Northland. The neighborhood is about as low as it can go. Many of the home in Jennings are condemned and being torn down. Not much more than discount beauty supplies and car title loan places.
I grew up in the area until 1967 with my grandparents and then frequently went to the mall through the early 70s. Kind of an odd feeling to look at the photos and remember walking or standing in those same spots all those many years ago. Seems like yesterday.
My grandmother did all of her shopping at that Kroger. All of my “sitting on santas knee” photos were taken there.
I remember many a roast beef and lemon mirangue pie at the paddlewheel room. Sometimes I miss the old cafaterias.
The barber shop downstairs butchered my hair in 3rd grade to the point that I refused to go to school for several days.
What I remember most was the old S&P stamp store that was outside between Kroger and the mall. Stix, Famous, and many other stores would give you stamps every time you bought something. You saved the stamps in a book and then took the books to the store to redeem for clocks, furniture, cars, etc. Most of it was cheap little stuff, but if you really saved the books you could get some decent items. The worlds first frequent shopping club. I guess they closed about 1970.
Thanks for letting me stroll down amnesia lane for awhile.
I followed links to here from deadmalls.com which has photos of this Northland, Northwest, Crestwood, and several others. All of which I remember.
Also, I remember meeting the senior manager for enclosing Northwest over drinks at the old Chase. He was so proud that not a single store would have to be closed for a day during renovation. Little consolation now.
Sure wish we could stop the urban sprawl that creates this kind of wasted space and effort. Wish we would spend a little less expanding roads and sewers to St. Charles and invest a few bucks in maintaining what we already built. It would keep property values in these areas up and crime down.
[Reply]
Karen V
March 14th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Thanks for the stroll down memory lane. I, like many others, grew up in Jennings in the 70’s. Lived on St. Cyr and then Petrova. Left in 1980. Have alot a great memories hanging out at the mall, just sitting around. Jennings was a great, safe place to grow up. Too bad it is no longer.
[Reply]
Andy
April 6th, 2009 at 5:14 am
“and if I’m not mistaken, some of the escalators were more of an inclined conveyor belt type”
I lived in North County when I was little, and went to that Woolworths frequently. I don’t remember them being like that….but I do remember the escalators being a very bright, turquoise/aqua color. While my grandmother and mother would shop, my grandfather and I would ride (or even sit) the escalators up and down, and up, and down (I was fascinated with escalators and elevators when I was little)
I remember the steamboat room had great food. My mother often tells me they had the best hot dogs around.
But these pictures do bring back (distant) memories. Stix/Dillard’s was gone before I ever had any recollection of the mall. I do remember the JCPenny though. I got my first bicycle at the RR Penny’s!
Very sad to see RR go, and all the other North County landmark’s go. But, as with many “white flight” families, we moved on, and I grew up a West County kid.
[Reply]
Todd Reply:
August 24th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
@Andy, I am pretty sure the “conveyor belt” type you remember were in the Zayre store.
[Reply]
Dave Wright
July 28th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I remember the bowling ally and pool hall downstairs half way through the mall back in the 70s people like rick smole,roger collins,andy jones,Myself dave wright,we came of age here in this mall if anybody reconises these names please post something giving your name would like to know if any of these people can be reached.
man the memorys
[Reply]
Jeff Swoboda Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
@Dave Wright, I knew you from school and scouts. I still live in area and have been by the malls before they were distroyed. Wished I’d have thought of exploring like others have.
[Reply]
Kevin
September 22nd, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I lived in Jennings in the 70’s and 80’s I went to Rosary high school for one year back about 80-81 school year. I took a bistate bus to RR and then caught another one to school. I ended up transferring to Jennings Sr, High. There used to be a space invaders game at woolworth’s that I would play while waiting for the bus. lol I remember going there as a little kid also. I used to go to JC Penneys outlet store before it moved to Jamestown mall. What a shame Jennings has become. To Dave Wright: I know Rick Smole, have been friends with him for a long time. He moved to Festus around 2000. He works in Imperial, MO.
[Reply]
Robin Kay
October 25th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I fondly remember RR mall especially the toy store and the Gumball Express train that was only used during Christmas. Brings back sad memories but we all know that everything changes right?
I have lived in NorthernCalifornia for 35 years and have visited RR on occasion until the early 90s when the only retailers left were Walgreens and a Korean wig store and grocery store.
I do remember the excellent pizza at Woolworth’s and the Steamboat Room but most of all I miss that train. If my memory serves me correctly (I’m almost 50) passengers boarded the train at the back of the former Stix, Baer & Fuller dept store and the train was located on the ceiling where it went outside Stix and around the perimeter of the mall. You could see all the Christmas decorations and lights especially if you went in the evening.
I always told myself that if I ever got rich I would build myself a Gumdrop Express monorail on the ceiling of my mansion (that never happened). Those were the days, too bad they’re gone.
[Reply]