West County Center is a shopping mall located in Des Peres, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. The mall is currently anchored by Macy's, JCPenney, Nordstrom, and Dick's Sporting Goods. The original mall was built in 1969. The original mall closed in 2001, and a new mall on the site opened in 2002. From the mid-1990s to 2007, the mall was known as Westfield West County and was one of seven St. Louis-area malls owned by the Australian mall company, until CBL & Associates acquired four out of five Westfield St. Louis malls in October 2007. In May 2011, it was announced that TIAA-CREF would receive 50% ownership of West County Center and several other CBL malls in an attempt to reduce CBL's debt.
1969 mall
The original mall opened on February 5, 1969, at the southeast corner of I-270 and Manchester Road in Des Peres, Missouri. It was built on the site of the Manchester Drive-In movie theater, which many remember for the Easter sunrise services that were held there. It was and was anchored by Famous-Barr and JCPenney. The original mall closed on January 27, 2001, and was demolished.
2002 mall
The new West County Center, featuring, opened on September 20, 2002. The US$230 million project added a 2-story Nordstrom, food court, and three parking garages. It also included a 2-story Dick's Sporting Goods above the café court. In 2009, the mall's vacant Lord & Taylor was adapted into a new wing housing Barnes & Noble, which relocated from an older location nearby, and other retailers. The new mall has one of the city's two Apple Stores and the city's only Lego Store.
Dove sign
The most famous part of the mall is the large dove sign that sits outside the mall next to Interstate 270. Created by Tony Amato, it has become a meeting place for thousands of people during its nearly 50-year life. The removal of the dove in early 2001 caused minor controversy among nearby churches. The dove was refurbished during the renovation, and in mid-2002, returned to its original perch. Today, it is in the parking lot outside of Nordstrom.
