NorthPark Mall, located in Davenport, Iowa, has been the premier shopping destination for residents of the Quad Cities and surrounding areas for over 50 years. The mall first opened on July 11, 1973 and is currently 1,074,000 square feet. This makes it the third largest mall in Iowa, only behind the Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines, Iowa and the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville, Iowa. However, changes are being proposed, as the mall has not been the same since the closures of anchor stores Younkers and Sears in fall 2018. Popular stores like video games store Disc Replay left who moved out of the mall in May of 2024, and ever since crime increased, which includes a shooting in July of 2024. Tenants are leaving, and Quad Citizens want a place to do their shopping, but they do not want the mall to end up becoming a dead mall either. According to KWQC on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, Davenport City Council hired a consulting firm to come up with an idea with the struggling mall, which they believe that demolishing a portion of the mall on the east side is the best way to go. They proposed moving Von Maur to another available space and would build housing around the east side of the mall. This ensures that the mall will survive as a sales tax generator for the city and as a shopping hub for Quad Citizens going forward.
One student gave some advice on what the mall could quit doing now, to be better set up for the future.
“I would probably try and avoid having too many food places and too many of the same type of store to try and make the mall more diverse,” sophomore Jackson Geest said.
With the mall having changed over the years and with less store occupancy, changes are being proposed to save it; and not everyone agrees with them.
“I don’t think more housing is a good idea because if there’s more housing, then it would get even more crowded for people, and some people don’t like going there because it’s crowded,” freshman Karma Kowalik said.
Another critical thing is having an enjoyable time while being there, and that has not been the case recently.
“It used to be a mecca of gathering for teenagers and young adults, like you would go there as a group and like, hang out, shop, eat, and now I feel like every time I go there, it’s kind of like a ghost town unless it’s around a holiday,” social studies teacher Melissa Bertelsen said.
With the mall not being as alive as it once was, more crime has occurred on the mall’s property and talks of redevelopment are underway; and while not everyone agrees with the proposed housing developments, some see it in a more positive light.
“I think that could be a good solution, that way it’s easier for me to walk around instead of having to go all the way to the box stores,” junior Allie Burney said.
As different students and other Quad Citizens throughout the community voice their opinions and concerns, the city will have to make a tough decision to have the mall survive going forward.
It has been a good 50 plus years that NorthPark Mall has been around, but time is ticking.
