Lindale Mall parking ramp demolition under way

Mall officials say area will be maintained as parking lot

Lindale Mall parking ramp demolition
Crews work on the demolition of the parking ramp near Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids Sept. 21. CREDIT RICHARD PRATT

The parking ramp near Lindale Mall in northeast Cedar Rapids is being demolished, and mall officials now say they plan to maintain the site as a surface parking lot.

The ramp, originally built in 1997 on the west side of the main mall structure, was constructed with a capacity of 479 vehicles, according to Lindale Mall general manager Becky Eckley. More recently, the lower level of the ramp had been fenced off, and the entire ramp had been closed. Demolition of the ramp began early last week.

“At Lindale Mall, we are committed to providing the best shopping experience for our guests and the community,” Ms. Eckley said in a statement via email. “While the upper level of the parking deck will be removed, the lower area will remain available for parking. The projected completion date is in time for the holiday shopping season.”

Lindale Mall originally opened as the open-air Lindale Plaza in 1960, with Sears and Younkers as anchor tenants. It was enclosed in 1980 and renamed Lindale Mall. Both Sears and Younkers closed their Lindale locations in 2018, and Von Maur is now the mall’s sole remaining anchor store. A major expansion project in 1997 added the parking ramp and food court to the original mall structure. A partnership led by the Simon Property Group purchased the mall in 1998, and later spun off the property as Washington Prime Group, which currently owns and manages the mall.

Washington Prime filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2021. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy is a business reorganization plan, often used by large businesses to help them stay active while repaying creditors, and the mall remains open and operating as normal.

The mall is currently home to more than 60 tenants and several outlying stores, including Jared The Galleria of Jewelry, Five Guys Burgers & Fries, Firestone, McDonald’s, JoAnn Fabric and Craft, Arby’s, Panda Express, T-Mobile, Chick-Fil-A, Red Lobster, Carters/Osh Kosh B’Gosh and Kirklands.