It is the first occasionally in the series to accept readers to unique areas of Ajova, which are not easily accessible to the public.
Get back to the basement of the Merle Hall shopping center, one of the ghosts of former shops and Eerie Stares from dolls dressed in Christmas clothes.
30,000 square feet, once McDonald’s homes, expenditure cutters and more, now abandoned after the feet of the supermarket visitors. Despite the fact that since 2000 The population of “des Moines” was often guessed about what went there because it was closed.
When you enter the space, you are confronted with what used to be an old disc jockey. CD shelves have been replaced and now keep old shopping center drinking fountains, shells and other part of plumbing.
The exterior of the price cutters is visible at the closed basement level Merle Hay Mall in 2025. July 17 Des Moines in the city.
After moving to a common place with escalators, empty flower beds and benches are lit with black antique street lights.
A weak outline of the former McDonald’s brand is still visible on the entrance of the wooden panel, while old schools, brown non -slip tiles, have a light layer of dust, toning floors.
Before closing, buyers visited the basement of the Armed Forces Employment Center or earned a quick $ 10 by filling out a research company survey.
What was the original use of the Merle Hay Mall basement?
What was known as the Garden Court could do much more than serving as a place to get a burger or haircut. The original use of the basement was actually a bomb shelter. The shopping center took advantage of the 1950s. The Federal Law on Civil Defense, which proposed compatible grants for states for the construction of an air raid.
“Commercial real estate owners had a fairly great incentive to create, which they said would be a civil defense-rated building,” said Elizabeth Holland, CEO of Merle Hay Investors, which owns a supermarket.
Merle Hay Plaza was opened in 1959 and was created by Dutchman’s grandfather Joseph Abbell, making it a third generation leading to the shopping center des Moines in the city. The supermarket captured suburban development north and west of DES Moines. At that time, the Intector 235 was not there to reduce traffic over the subway.
Instead, Douglas Avenue was one of the main routes from des Moines to growing suburbs. The supermarket is naked by the wall of Des Moineso and Urbandale, effectively serving as an expanding subway epicenter.
“Nowadays, they name the way after the mall,” Holland said. “Then Merle Hay Road was already Merle Hay Road, and they called Merle Hay Plaza because he was on the road.”
After tax credits, Abbell decided to use space for commercial use. So in 1972. He turned it into a bowling alley and, in the early 80s, for stores, additional spaces.
“When these tax credit has expired, instead of having two -story beds and canned foods in the basement, my grandfather created Merle Hay Lanes,” the Dutchman said. “So we were in the business of bowling alley.”
Is the Merle Hay Mall cellar persecuted?
When the Dutchman decided 28 years ago to work with his grandfather, there was already a basement that the basement was persecuted.
“I don’t know the genesis why people thought it was persecuted 28 years ago, people already thought that Holland said.
Christmas decorations are visible at the closed basement level Merle Hay Mall in 2025. July 17 Des Moines in the city.
Security officials often travel to the basement. Some of them move Christmas dolls to make them look alive. The Netherlands have never experienced any paused activity in the basement, but as a passionate fan of a horror movie, it cannot help but enjoy speculation.
“It had so many different uses that I think was probably a city legend that grew up around many people,” Holland said of rumors.
Why did Merle Hay Mall’s basement closed?
2025 July 17 Merle Hay Mall closes the basement level image des Moines in the city.
After renovating the interior of the mall, many tenants asked to move to the top floor or from the mall.
Thus, investors decided it would be best to close the entrance to the garden court area near the supermarket children’s territory. A separate entrance still allows you to enter the bowling alley.
What will happen next in the basement of the Merle Hay Mall?
The Mall is talking to a possible destination entertainment business to take over the basement. One contender will create a Speakeasy nightclub to connect with the existing bowling alley.
The basement redevelopment project would be part of the larger supermarket arena project. April Merle Hay Mall has announced that the Drake University hockey team will live in the arena as it opens. At that time, other tenants joined the project included the Hawks Professional Internal Football Team and the central Ayova skating team. DES Moines Buccaneers no longer plans to be part of the project.
Conversations about the renovation of the basement continue, but it’s too early to say what business or what they are, the Netherlands told The Regise.
“I don’t want to say what it is,” the Dutchman said. “It’s a very strong local entertainment operator, but we had some good conversations.”
Kate Kealey is a common register journalist. Reach her by email. By email [email protected] or follow it on Twitter address @ @ @Kkeley17;
This article initially appeared in the Des Moines Register: the Merle Hay Mall basement was abandoned. See the garden site.