Plans are now underway in Colorado for a project expected to see the redevelopment of what was once – at 1.3 million square feet – the largest covered shopping center west of the Mississippi River.
The Cinderella City Mall, located at 1000 Englewood Parkway in the city of Englewood, was opened to great fanfare in 1968 and thrived for more than two decades until being hit with competition from other regional shopping centers and a decline in tenants.
The center finally closed in 1997, with demolition on most of the facility beginning the following year.
In the decades since that demolition, city officials have reviewed several proposals that have failed to become reality for redeveloping the property. But now a move to turn the site into a mixed-use project is showing traction.
In a joint venture, DPC Companies and Ogilvie Partners, both based in Denver, have purchased the site for a reported $5.2 million.
An announcement from the company published in the Denver Business Journal has noted that the vision for the property imagines transforming “approximately 220,000 square feet of mixed-use property into a place where people can live, work, and shop.”
The two companies are currently working on a master plan with city officials that will provide more details regarding the redevelopment.
The M-shaped Cinderella Mall, which was spearheaded by real estate magnate Gerri Von Frellick, featured three levels of stores and restaurants, as well as a 600-seat theater. The center was particularly known for its 35-foot-tall interior fountain.
In advance of the center’s March 1868 opening, Time magazine noted that more than “5,000 workmen labored in three shifts around the clock to finish” what was a $40 million project.
March 11, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Vintage advertisement
