Penn Central Mall: Vision and History Part 3- Where do we go from here?
Photo courtesy of Wilcox Library Digital Archives North side of Oskaloosa town square, circa 1864. Taken eleven years after Oskaloosa was incorporated. The brick building on the left has since had the top floor removed after it was determined the foundation could not support three floors. Oskaloosa continues to evolved over time to meet current retail trends and demand.
Looking back, it’s amazing that it’s already been 25 years since the first patron walked through the doors at Penn Central Mall. Much has changed in Oskaloosa and the world since that Thursday morning, but what has remained constant is the need for people to have a sense of community and a place to gather.
A look back at the history of Oskaloosa indicates we may not be moving as fast now as we once were. The first cabin was built in 1842 in what is now Mahaska County. Eleven years later Oskaloosa was chosen from three options as the county seat. At that time, the population of Oskaloosa was 625. A decade later, the population had jumped to 4,393.
Over the next 30 years, Oskaloosa doubled in size to 9,212 in the year 1900. Oskaloosa’s growth has slowed since then, growing by around 2000 individuals to an estimated population of 10,895 today.
While population growth has slowed, change from nearly every other perspective has accelerated. Oskaloosa has advanced its education system, recreation, healthcare, housing, churches, streetscape, downtown preservation and renovation efforts, communication systems, and developed some strong businesses, to keep pace with the world.
Twenty-five years ago, business communication was done on a typewriter and sent through the US Post Office mail. If you wanted to call someone, your options were a landline with a cord at a business, a home or a payphone. Cell phones had been invented but it was a rare sight to see someone with a large bag phone. Microsoft Windows 1.0 wasn’t released until 13 days after the mall grand opening. As communication systems have changed, so have our modes of shopping. Now, with a click of the mouse, you can be anywhere in the world in seconds, buying anything you want.
Retail Environment
Economic retail opportunities were evaluated in 1984 as part of planning to mall project, with a market study done by a St. Louis firm that specialized in small town Urban Development Action Grant retail projects. The mall was designed to optimize economic opportunities of Oskaloosa. The fact that one state and two national chains agreed to locate anchor stores here confirms the sound basis of the plan. Over the last 25 years, the retail environment has changed dramatically.
During the last 25 years time, retail has changed and the opportunities in Oskaloosa have been impacted in several ways.. A look at the mall’s original anchor stores tells part of the story. J.C. Penney remains as a strong anchor at Penn Central Mall. Oskaloosa’s Sernett’s store was one of the most successful in the chain and remained profitable until the Sernett family closed their department store businesses. That space is now occupied
by Hy-Vee, a thriving business for the community and also an identified need for the community during the original market survey.
K-Mart built a Class C store, creating a third anchor. The rise of Wal-Mart nationally made that type store non-viable for K-Mart. So, while the Oskaloosa store was profitable, they closed this entire category of store around the country. The space now provides a home for 200 Musco jobs.
Community Needs and Opportunities
Photo courtesy of the Chuck Russell Collection Vision of embracing our past, while looking towards the future. It takes community vision, leadership and planning to maintain the quality of life in Oskaloosa. What is Oskaloosa’s vision for the next 25, 50, 100 years?
Oskaloosa is located at the confluence of five highways, which continues to make it a prime center for shopping and gathering in southeast Iowa. With remote ownership, when retail conditions changed in Oskaloosa, there was a loss of direction and purpose for the mall facility. In the last year, Musco purchased the mall to provide local ownership and begin working with local groups to determine the new future for the mall and how to revitalize and repurpose the mall to meet the needs of our community in the continually changing world.
While the world keeps changing, people still want to gather and participate in community activities. The mall continues to serve as a central facility for the community and will be used for community activities. The 25th Anniversary celebration, with the local bands, is a reminder that the mall can be a great place to host music and for people to gather when the weather is too cold to use the bandstand.
With local people involved, more focused efforts are being put towards restoring the mall’s retail effectiveness. Some of the stores are already seeing increased sales. The original vision was for the mall to compliment the square by linking the two with a connection through the alley by Smokey Row making them both stronger and more viable. This plan was not implemented at the time. But as we look at a renewed plan for effectiveness, we need to look at this connectedness and tying in the town square as the fourth anchor.
While the Internet world has changed retail and the shopping experience, it creates many opportunities for Oskaloosa. Oskaloosa is only seconds from anywhere in the world and the world’s customers. Communities still need a core focus for people to gather. Our town square and the mall provide opportunities to build a strong future for Oskaloosa and the Mahaska Community as a high quality place to live and grow. What does our community need the PCM to be? Is it retail merchandise, is it entertainment, is it a gathering spot? Together we need to define the next phase of Penn Central Mall’s role in the community’s life.
The exterior area of the mall is another important part of its role as a community focal point and gathering space. Currently discussions and plans are underway to review the parking area. Those discussions include new basketball courts and a skate park in a highly visible location on A Avenue, along with apartments in the adjoining Trolley Place building. These projects are among the many types of things that can sustain the community as an attractive place to live. As the world and our needs continue to change,
we can and will continue to adapt. The mall story demonstrates how problems become opportunities and anything can be accomplished when we join together as a community to move forward, and a bunch of people roll up their sleeves to make it happen. Here’s to the challenges and opportunities to define what the next 25 years looks like.
Musco
Penn Central Mall
