The Old Capitol Mall (now Old Capitol Town Center) is a shopping mall in the downtown area of Iowa City, Iowa during the late 20th century (from 1981 to 1998). Located across the street from the south-east corner of the Pentacrest (a four-block-sized parcel of land with a collection of five buildings with the old Iowa Territory capitol in the middle), the Old Capitol Mall was a convenient shopping center for University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff. It was originally anchored by J.C. Penney and Younkers, and over 70 stores. In July 1998, JCPenney and other stores moved to larger Coral Ridge Mall and divided into smaller stores. In 2004, Younkers closed.
The Mall saw decreasing traffic after the opening of the Coral Ridge Mall in the adjacent town of Coralville, Iowa. Many major retailers opted to focus on their Coral Ridge locations and close their low-performing Old Capitol locations. While some stores and restaurants still exist in the Old Capitol Mall, other spaces have been used by newspaper offices, the University of Iowa, or various political parties.
Famous quotes containing the words capitol and/or mall:
“A woman with her two children was captured on the steps of the capitol building, whither she had fled for protection, and this, too, while the stars and stripes floated over it.”
—Jane Grey Swisshelm (1815–1884)
“Finishing schools in the fifties were a good place to store girls for a few years before marrying them off, a satisfactory rest stop between college weekends spent husband hunting. It was a haven for those of us adept at styling each other’s hair, playing canasta, and chain smoking Pall Mall extra-long cigarettes.”
—Barbara Howar (b. 1934)