The Story of Metcalf South Shopping Center

Courtesy OP Historical Society / jocohistory.org.

Metcalf South Shopping Center opened on August 3, 1967 at 95th Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas. Developed by Sherman Dreiseszun and MD Management, the fully enclosed mall began with about 601,800 leasable square feet and two anchors, Sears on the south and the Jones Store on the north.

Its developers promoted the center as a year-round destination with shopping, dining, exhibits, and events, reflecting the era’s suburban shift and the new convenience of I-435 nearby. Early neighbors included the French Market complex to the north, which later evolved into a strip center anchored by Kmart and Hancock Fabrics.

The mall quickly expanded. In 1975 a third-level concourse added roughly 103,500 square feet and brought popular tenants such as Spencer Gifts, Taco Via, Smaks Hamburgers, and Orange Julius; the Jones Store also grew to about 221,000 square feet. By the late 1970s the complex totaled about 800,000 leasable square feet across three interior levels. Renovations followed in 1989 and 1990 with mirrored ceilings, marquee lighting, a reworked former Woolworth space, a new Level 2 food court, and a family attraction called Carrousel Park in the former Safeway area.

Competition intensified over time. Oak Park Mall opened in 1974 three miles to the west, followed by Town Center Plaza in 1996 and the Great Mall of the Plains in 1997. Despite updates and promotions, Metcalf South steadily lost tenants through the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Jones Store space converted to Macy’s before that store closed in January 2014, while Sears and the Glenwood Arts Theatre operated into the mall’s final years.

Courtesy cinematreasures.org

After a prolonged decline, Lane4 Property Group and The Kroenke Group purchased the property in February 2014. The interior mall closed on September 19, 2014, and the Glenwood Arts Theatre closed on January 25, 2015. Sears Holdings later spun off its building into Seritage Growth Properties in 2015. Demolition of the mall, excluding Sears, began on April 21, 2017. Sears conducted a closing sale starting June 30, 2017 and shut on September 17, 2017.

Redevelopment has reshaped the site into a contemporary retail and service district. Lowe’s opened in August 2018 on the former Macy’s and theater footprint. Andy’s Frozen Custard followed in July 2019, with LongHorn Steakhouse and an Arvest Bank opening in 2021. By 2024 the area had added Whataburger, Chick-fil-A, and a QuikTrip, and a senior living apartment building rose on the east side of the property.

circa 1970s