Rogers Plaza

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Coordinates: 42°54′44″N 85°41′26″W / 42.9123°N 85.6906°W / 42.9123; -85.6906
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rogers Plaza
Total retail floor area
365,572 square feet (34,000 m2)[3]
No. of floors1 (2 Previously)
Parking920
Public transit accessBus interchange The Rapid
Websitehttps://www.loopnet.com/Listing/950-1148-28th-St-SW-Wyoming-MI/10954231/

Rogers Plaza also refereed to as Rogers Plaza Town Center since 2002 is an enclosed

Ross Dress For Less , Ollie's Bargain Outlet and B2 Outlet among its major stores.

Rogers Plaza Mall logo 1960

History

Wards Department Store, early 1960s

Built in 1960, the mall originally included

A&P supermarkets, Cunningham Drug, and Montgomery Ward.[5] An adjacent development, Southland Plaza (now Wyoming Village Mall), opened one year later with a Wurzburg's department store.[6] Mall developers were initially unsuccessful in attracting a department store for the eastern anchor, but by 1971, a Turn Style discount store had opened on the east end. This store was the subject of a lawsuit from Kresge.[1] Into the late 1980s, the Stannard's Music store was one of the first stores in the area to introduce the public to the MIDI, giving seminars on the capability of the device.[7]

Basement Community Center

1963 Advertisement for Vega Dance Studio

In the early 1960s history of Rogers Plaza there was a Basement level accessible via a spiral staircase at the south entrance. Initially this Downstairs Community Center housed the Vega Dance Studio which opened on January 7, 1963. Eventually this space was closed on the 1980s and is no longer available to lease. The door to the stairway still exists at the south entrance, along with a second entrance next to CitiTrends at the west end of the mall. Currently the basement houses utility access and room for a storm shelter.[8]

Downturn and fire

By the 1990s, the mall was having difficulty attracting business.

Rivertown Crossings Mall in Grandville.[16]

Sale and renovation

Rogers Plaza Mall Map 2002

Into the 2000s, Ward's closed in December 2000 with 140 employees losing their jobs

AJ Wright discount store.[19] In 2002, a redevelopment plan presented by the City of Wyoming included a street leading west from the mall, across Michael Avenue through Wyoming Village Mall and ending at Studio 28, with businesses and apartments anticipated to be constructed along the street.[20] The project never launched as the owners of Wyoming Village Mall disagreed with demolishing a portion of their mall for the street.[20]

AJ Wright closed in February 2011[21] and became CW Price in August of the same year.[22] The mall was purchased by Sun Valley Ltd. in June 2012.[23] At the time, other major tenants included Big Lots, Harbor Freight Tools, Citi Trends, and OfficeMax.[23] In June 2019, Family Fare was closed down and the space is going to be auctioned off while OfficeMax closed shortly after. An AutoZone took over the space shortly after.

2018 controversy

In December 2018 Management at Rogers Plaza said a 2-year-old developmentally disabled girl was banned from the mall. Clare Dykstra went to the mall once a week with her grandpa and her therapist to practice walking. On December 13, 2018, an employee asked the group to leave and threatened to call the police if they didn't because Claire was sitting on the ground, which ownership said was a safety risk for Claire and other people. In early 2019 a lawsuit was filed against the mall and a community walk inside the mall was held to show support for Claire and to bring attention to the actions of Roger's Plaza's management.[24]

Current status

Rogers Plaza Town Center Directory, 2023

In 2022 the previous owner of the property Sun Valley Ltd. ended operations[25] and was merged with the current owner Spigel Properties, Inc.[26] As of September 2023 the mall is 85% occupied with the closure of the Kings Room barbershop. The mall is still a vital part of the 28th Street Metro Cruise event held every year in its main parking lot at the end of August. A recent addition is Ross Dress For Less which opened in the summer of 2023. Ross joins AutoZone, Planet Fitness, Harbor Freight Tools, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, The US Post Office and Secretary of State offices, and several other business in the center.

The Rogers Homestead

The Rogers Homestead farmhouse, 1900

Believed to be the oldest house in Kent County by the Wyoming Historical Commission, The Rogers Mansion was home to the Rogers family who would, by the late 1950s, begin work on Rogers Plaza Mall. The home was moved from its original location, 1144 Rogers Plaza Drive, to its lot today at 1141 Colrain Ave. SW in 1960 to make way for the area's first shopping mall Rogers Plaza. A Mobile Gas station Plaza currently occupies the original location of the Mansion. [27]

References

  1. ^ a b "ROGERS PLAZA, INC. v. S.S. KRESGE CO". Leagle.com. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  2. ^ Rogers Plaza loopnet.com
  3. CB Richard Ellis
    . 21 June 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  4. ISBN 9781439641064
    .
  5. ^ "Michigan". CSA Super Markets. 36. Lebhar-Friedman: 49. 1960.
  6. ISBN 9780738584140
    .
  7. ^ Shusta-Waalkes, Sara (17 August 1987). "Sales Sluggish for Musical Systems". The Grand Rapids Press.
  8. ^ Exclusive look at... the basement Community Center at Rogers Plaza. www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551128258526. Retrieved 22 September 2023
  9. ^ a b Loechler, Beth (16 January 1994). "Rogers Plaza has mixed success". The Grand Rapids Press.
  10. ^ Directory of major malls. MJJTM Publications Corp. 1990.
  11. ^ Havenga, Marie (19 October 1990). "Scary options abound this Halloween". The Grand Rapids Press.
  12. ^ "injured; many flee blaze at Best store". The Grand Rapids Press. 8 December 1991.
  13. ^ "Gantos will shut down Rogers Plaza boutique". The Grand Rapids Press. 6 April 1994.
  14. ^ "Rogers Plaza opens new Post Office store". The Grand Rapids Press. 28 August 1998.
  15. ^ Radigan, Mary (18 March 1999). "Changes in stores for Rogers Plaza: Mall is filling up fast". The Grand Rapids Press.
  16. ProQuest 816563183
    .
  17. ^ Kirkbride, Rob (29 December 2000). "250 area workers will lose store jobs". The Grand Rapids Press.
  18. ^ Radigan, Mary (2 May 2000). "Rogers Plaza sold". The Grand Rapids Press.
  19. ^ Rent, Katy (30 October 2002). "Rogers Plaza set for reopening". Grand Rapids Business Journal. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  20. ^ a b Czurak, David (16 April 2002). "A Brand New Downtown For Wyoming". Grand Rapids Business Journal.
  21. ^ "Wyoming's AJ Wright store to close in February". WZZM. 11 December 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  22. ^ Vande Bunte, Matt (11 September 2011). "Wyoming sets hearing on bigger-than-allowed CW Price sign". Mlive.com. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  23. ^ a b Harger, Jim (5 June 2012). "West Michigan's oldest shopping mall has new owners". Mlive.com. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  24. ^ "Family of girl banned from Rogers Plaza files ADA lawsuit". 7 February 2019.
  25. ^ "Sun Valley Ltd". opencorporates.com. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  26. ^ "Spigel Pproperties, INC, San Antonio TX - Company Profile | BizStanding".
  27. ^ "'Rogers Mansion,' said to be Kent County's oldest home, is for sale". 25 May 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rogers Plaza.
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