Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO
Country Club Plaza. Arguably, the first shopping mall in the United States, and definitely the most beautiful.
The shopping mall that asks 2 questions: Why should a mall be a one-story box surrounded by an ocean of parking lots? Why shouldn't a chain store have an ornate Spanish belltower for its focal point? And answers both questions with a resounding "No reason at all!"
Yes, there is parking here, but it's discreetly hidden underground and behind tiled walls and lacy wrought-iron gates.
You will never have a better time shopping at a Restoration Hardware, or eating at a Cheesecake Factory. You'll feel like royalty. It's like watching a movie in an ornate, old-style movie palace as opposed to a soulless multiplex that makes you pump melted margarine on your popcorn yourself.
Obviously, the post World War II model of shopping mall design is of the use-up-and-throw-away variety. See www.deadmalls.com. This is the kind of mall that breeds loyalty. Who would want to shop at a newer mall when you could come here? It's a visual treat in a way that big boxes will never be.
Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO
Country Club Plaza. Arguably, the first shopping mall in the United States, and definitely the most beautiful.
The shopping mall that asks 2 questions: Why should a mall be a one-story box surrounded by an ocean of parking lots? Why shouldn't a chain store have an ornate Spanish belltower for its focal point? And answers both questions with a resounding "No reason at all!"
Yes, there is parking here, but it's discreetly hidden underground and behind tiled walls and lacy wrought-iron gates.
You will never have a better time shopping at a Restoration Hardware, or eating at a Cheesecake Factory. You'll feel like royalty. It's like watching a movie in an ornate, old-style movie palace as opposed to a soulless multiplex that makes you pump melted margarine on your popcorn yourself.
Obviously, the post World War II model of shopping mall design is of the use-up-and-throw-away variety. See www.deadmalls.com. This is the kind of mall that breeds loyalty. Who would want to shop at a newer mall when you could come here? It's a visual treat in a way that big boxes will never be.