I first made this account back in ancient times in 2006. Since then, I got a masters, became an architect and more. Just here for fun. Fall 2020 I began to document several adventures and share about some of the hidden architecture and history of Missouri. I don't have a ton of free time, so I am bad at updating content.
~~May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. Until we meet again, May the Lord Jesus Christ hold you in the palm of His hand.~~
Summer sausage mixed with that smell from the vestibules seems like it'd be interesting. But on a more serious note, seeing frequent live performances there while getting to explore the stores seems like such a fun time, and I'm sorry it had to come to an end 😥
It's always sad scrolling through the comments of videos about old/torn down malls. I don't think I ever went to this mall, but I can still see how much it meant to some people 😥
My dad and my older sister went to that mall in the mid to late 80s and 90s. There used to be a huge toy store across the street. It wasnt a toys R us.. it was before they made it big ..A chi chi's on the other corner near the exit ramp.. please tell me you remember the name of the stores .. Bobs IGA the candy shop in the back.. ..
It crazy how fast things change, Ruskin heights is a pretty rough neighborhood today. And now company that bought bannister mall to build a company HQ is moving the company HQ out of kc.
Used to go to this mall all the time. I loved it. So many good memories there. I was bummed when Fun Factory left but there was too many problems happening and it got to where it didn't feel safe playing games there anymore so I get why they were made to leave the mall. I remember once seeing two other kids having sex in one of the sit down racing games. They didn't even care that people could see them. Eventually going to the mall just didn't feel safe anymore. Fights kept breaking out and there were rumors of people being shot there. Don't know if that actually happened or not but gunfire in my neighborhood back then was becoming quite common. There was a machine gun vs shotgun battle four houses down from me on Olive street one night. The Marlborough neighborhood, while never exactly upscale to begin with, was in a rapid drugs and violence death spiral around this time and was very close to this mall so I'm sure my neighborhood contributed to its demise in some way.
This video just came up in my recommendations. I have many memories of this mall growing up. Of course I didn't exist for the first 4 years of the mall's existence, but a lot of formative memories of this mall include everything from cranking all the music boxes with my younger sister at san francisco music box company, seeing movies with my aunt and uncle, to buying an ornament for family members at hallmark with my aunt and uncle (who both have since passed on, especially that aunt when I was 9 was hard, she always loved taking us kids out to the mall), I remember getting my ears pierced at Afterthoughts, Sitting on santa's lap on the lower level and riding the little train, buying I don't know how much candy and beanie babies at Mr. Bulky's. I bought my prom dress at that DEB (it was mesh black over pink which made it red, and it tied in the back. That DEB was where it was at. I bought a lot of stuff I wore in my school pics from that store (including a matching collared stretchy v-neck shirt and mini skirt with flowers on it, the turquoise blue dress I graduated high school in, and things like a shiny silver blouse that I wore in my freshman pic. My sister had a number of jobs at that mall, Penney's, Original greek, and she was also working at that Sears as well for some years. I got my homecoming dress from that sears (which was black and gold and fringed), my first pair of high heels (square toe, black 2" heels, the brand apostrophe), and even my CD player (which was a sony discman that didn't even have anti-skip on it). That cd store in the bottom of the mall? it was pricey but it had the best and weirdest import versions of CDs. I remember being given a gift card for it at one point and their gift cards were these gold coins. To this day, in my head, I can still hear the children begging for pennies to throw into the fountain (as we all did so many times as well with our moms), I hear the distant echoes of people talking in that mall, the ripple of people pulling out chairs along the bricks, and I hear the fountains bubbling. I think some of the sculptures from the mall have been moved to other places from what I heard. I still remember the smell you talked about, the rubbery musty copper metallic smell you smell walking through the door too. This video really took me back.
I grew up about 2 miles east of Bannister Mall. I was 14 when the mall opened and was there on the opening day. Spent a lot of time there in the 80's. @SharonfromMissouri Thank you for posting this video. Many tears both of happiness of my youth and sadness of the way things go.
I remember watching them build the mall. Then to see them demolish it was so sad. Malls were definitely a 80’s thing. As a teen we spent lots of time in Bannister & Oak Park.
Mainly went to ward parkway mall but I do remember going to the theater that was outside the mall to see Ghostbusters II and got to see the car after outside. I think the mall had a sharks surf shop so went there a few times for skateboard stuff in the early 90's, but we stayed away since it was such a scummy gang area.
I remember that my Aunt came from Sedalia just to shop at Bannister Mall for nice work clothes and shoe's. It was a day full of shopping. Then she drove home. Back then it was a 2 & a half hour drive both ways. So it was not only Kansas city people shopping there but the smaller town's from far away.
You're absolutely right about the area, there was no intent to build middle class subdivisions in an area that was being down graded. Therefore, HUD took over and the crime rose tenfold over just a few years...(Democrat policies) and gentrification pushing the crime towards the south so they can attract more upper middle class yuppies to the inner city. Bottom line.
My mother was born in Sedalia in 1911. I was born in 1948 and grew up on a farm north of Kansas City, Missouri and as a kid in 50’s and 60’s we would go down a visit my aunt in Sedalia and go to the State Fair.
I remember watching the mall being built. I worked at the K-Mart across the street from it and lived in Grandview. Everyone in the south KC area was so anxious for it to open. I shopped there weekly after it opened.
I was there about 6 months before you shot this video for a Chiefs game and as soon as as I walked in was immediately harassed by some locals and followed the entire time. I only remember a few air brush shops a hat shop and a few other knock off sport shops. Not long after that the Supercenter , Burlington , and every other business in that area was gone. Sad.
First date with my wife (Spring 1996) was at Annie's Santa Fe at this mall. I also made many trips there to visit Babbage's before they merged with Game Stop (3DO games)! Mall was great until the area became "enriched" and police guard towers had to be brought in due to out of control crime! I now go to search for Blue Ridge Mall... Ty for the video!
I remember going here in the early 90s. I was a young kid. So busy and fun. Then i went in the late 90s.. and it was insanely bad. Crazy something can decline that fast
Bannister Mall was so cool and I'm glad you made this time capsule video for us to enjoy. The area now has changed so much you would never know the mall was there.
@@PunmasterSTP Well looking at from a business perspective it’s better for the company that bought the land. The surrounding community has definitely declined housing and property values aren’t the same anymore not too many stories left only big box stores and hotels can survive.
"It's sad that the mall had to close...and the area turned into like the situation that it did.". It's OK to just say it. It tuned into an indoor slum ghetto run by thugs. Thank you for your post.
Black criminals would take the city bus to Banister mall. They would then steal a van or a pickup from the parking lot. They would then break into the nicer nearby homes using the stolen van or pickup truck to haul the stolen items. There were rapes, beatings, murders, and robberies.
I remember my auntie taking me here and I used to be excited to throw Pennie’s in the fountain, and I remember the last time I went there was Christmas 2006 and my mom and auntie went Christmas shopping, I wish they where still opened and would’ve remodeled it or something 😩
Wow! This is amazing! Your video took me on a virtual time capsule of my childhood🙌🏾 Well said, “Bannister was more than a mall, it was the background of many lives”. I no longer live in MO, but I felt like it was just yesterday. Additionally, you did a fabulous job narrating! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
