The Last Visit to Bannister Mall in Kansas City Missouri - 05/17/2007 

It was a great time to be 17 in 1987 where the mall ruled the weekends. Now look what we got in 2021. Sad.

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.

I totally want to build a house around the aesthetics this mall had. All the beautiful wood/glass hand rails, and trees and skylights.

It became apparent that the mall owners did NOTHING to renovate the property all those years. Still it was a fascinating time capsule to travel through.

A lots of theft and fights and crimes brought this beautiful mall down to its knees.

I remember the mall vary well. I remember it being built, the opening (it had a lot of shoe stores). Later, in 1988 I worked there on maintenance, mostly working in food court. Fun Factory was the arcade, and it was on the second level, next to the Food Court, and had a separate entrance as well. They lost their lease in 1989 because of the problems it created. In the late 80's, there where several issues with teens, which is why the tables were removed by the food court escalators, and the pay phones by the entrance. I miss the old mall. It had been the place to go.....

Thank you for speaking for so many people, cultures watching this brings tears to my eyes.

Thanks for posting this. I grew up in a small town a couple hours south of KC, went in there several times as a kid in the late 80s-early 90s during visits to the "big city".

Thanks for sharing! Grew up in Merriam in 70s and 80s... NEVER WENT TO BANNISTER! We went to Metro North, Indian Springs, Blue Ridge, Metcalf South, Antioch Center, Independence Mall, Crown Center, Oak Park, Mission Shopping Center, Ward Parkway, Great Mall of the Great Plains saw movies at Ranchmart, Glenwood, Truman Corners never went to Bannister, I'm going to ask my Mom why that was! LOL!! This is the only way I get to see the inside! Thanks for preserving and sharing! Almost everything from my childhood has been demolished! Save but the few that still remain.

I miss it. It brought culture & a healthy ambiance. I miss KCMO's only mall.

I was there as a 10 year old when it opened. Endless weekends with friends at the upper level arcade and food court, where we'd just be dropped off by our parents for a few hours. Saw about 80% of movies there. The Waldenbooks there was my first job as a teenager. I appreciate this video! Bannister is an absolute chapter of my life!

Thanks for sharing. I grew up about a half mile from the mall. I do remember going there! It was definitely unique.

Such a beautiful mall. The architecture was fantastic. I loved all of the curves and shapes used.

I grew up in Kansas City around the same time. I lived North of the river, so my childhood malls were Metro North and Antioch. Both have been demolished over the last 10 years or so. I actually remember people talking about Bannister mall and how the area had become dangerous. I never had the chance to visit. It's so weird, South of the river was like a whole other world to me as a teenager. As an adult, I moved to Manhattan (NYC, not Kansas) for 10 years and now I live in Chicago.

I have never been to Bannister Mall, but I can feel your loss. It feels like something you cherished is gone forever. I first came across this mall in watching You Tube videos back in 2012. It reminded me of a mall that is near to where I live, with four anchors in each corner but some have closed. At least you have a positive outlook for what is replacing the site.

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 the movie theater it was all good until fights started happening ...

I was a teen in the heyday of Bannister Mall, '80s-early '90s, and have many a happy memory there: went on my first date there; saw a ton of movies in both the in-mall theater and the one across the street. Also witnessed the beginning of the end for the mall. It came quickly. The neighborhoods surrounding the mall had been in decline for a long time (white-flight), practically since the mall first opened, but it remained a popular draw from the outer suburbs and rural areas. Then sometime in the mid-'90s a series of muggings, car-jackings, and fights happened--mostly in its acres of parking lot surrounding the mall. In the space of a year, Bannister earned the reputation of being dangerous, and people stopped going there (myself included). I think the last time I set foot in the place was 94 or 95?, and the decline had already begun.

Great piece. You captured my memories of the building as well!

Thank you for sharing this! It’s so sad to see the fate of malls all across America. When I was growing up, the mall was the place to go. There are some still open where I live in Illinois. But they are mostly empty store fronts and there’s not a lot of people there unless it’s around the holidays. Seeing videos like this brings back memories of days gone by, and oh the nostalgia. Thank you again for sharing! 😊

I spent a lot of time in this mall in the '80s. I remember watching it being built. Four of my friends worked in various stores there. It was a fun place for many years until shoplifters caused all the stores to move out. Nice video.

Thank you for this wonderful video. I have many fond memories visiting this mall as a teen in the 1980s -- such a cool, fun place and always busy. I wish there was some footage from during its heyday.

I spent much of my youth at this mall. Thank you for capturing images of it.

Grew up there. Ruskin heights myself. Thank you for the stroll down memory lane

Fun Factory was the arcade. Grew up in Loma Vista. Looking at the area today. It's hard to express to people. How much of a happening place it was. Not just the Mall, but the entire area.

I definitely contributed at least a couple coins into the Bannister Mall fountain as a small child lol. I grew up closer to Oak Park Mall but I do remember visiting Bannister whenever we visited my grandparents who lived in Jackson County. I remember in late 1990/early 1991 walking through Bannister and passing a Spencer's Gifts. There were these Gremlins 2 little plastic figure things that I wanted really bad and never got. I was 7 or 8 at the time. I don't know why I still remember that to this day.

Thank you for sharing this video. Your commentary was a spot-on review of the mall.

It was a very beautiful building this used to be my favorite mall in all times it sucks it was gone I still remember it by heart and I'm 21 I used to like the light poles when I was a little kid it made the whole mall come out beautiful

Bannister Mall was a big part of my last year of high school and early college years, but more than that, I LOVED Bodee's Barbecue that used to be in the outer parking lot of the mall. When I got married, my cousin sent me a case of Bodee's barbecue sauce. Those were some great memories. Too bad the gangs took over and ruined it.

Thanks for sharing this footage. Really brings back my childhood.

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!

Thank you for sharing. It is bittersweet.

As I teenager, I worked at the JCPenny and later at the Waldenbooks. My sister worked at the Sears. Thanks for the video, fond memories of Bannister Mall.

Thanks for sharing! That was a beautiful mall, we never had any malls that pretty down south.

When my husband was stationed at Whiteman AFB, we'd make the journey here on weekends. I did most of my Christmas shopping here. Our first outing after our daughter was born was to Bannister Mall. Good memories.

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.

Aaahhh thank you for posting this! I was just sitting here feeling so sad I don't have any photos or videos of the mall, and was wishing I had a video walk through so I could remember the parts I've forgotten. How did I forget the sculptures?!

I miss Bannister Mall and the shopping/entertainment area. It was the most beautiful and unique mall in Kansas City at the time. I had so much wonderful memories going to it in the 90's to early 2000's. Had the displeasure to witness it's downfall and the shopping/entertainment/food areas around it. As a Black person, it pains me to see so many ignorant Black people take pride in destroying something than making something and then take no responsibility when their is long term negative effects. And destroying Bannister was not enough. People put their destructive energy into places like Grandview Skate Land, Ward Parkway Mall, and Independence Mall which resulted in people within the Bannister/Hickman Mills/Ruskin Heights area struggling to find jobs during the recession. I had to job search 20 to 30 miles from my home WITH NO CAR thanks to destructive posers trying to gain street cred from other posers. If people would've acted right I could've walked, road a bike or even taken a 5-8 minute bus ride to my destination. My first job could've been at the mall or one of the many outlets, but instead my first job was 30 miles away and the bus ride was a little over 4 hours in total. No joke. Seeing Bannister Mall makes me really sad. I was one of the people that supported putting our tax dollars into revamping the mall, but instead it went towards a soccer stadium that stopped constructed because the Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) had a last minute change of heart in it's stadium location. That last minute change of heard left us without a stadium and without a mall to revamp. What we got instead was another Cerner building close by another Cerner building a decade LATER and somehow the NEW Cerner building is supposed to appeal with retailers to bring back jobs to Bannister. And here is the jacked up part. Cerner is partial owners of Sporting Kansas City and the community put money towards the the stadium that they moved over to Kansas. The area the stadium moved to witness a retailing boom while the Bannister area only consist of Cerner, Homedepot, a new police station, a few fast food chains and Price Chopper. With the revamp that is going on now, Bannister just got a new taco bell awkwardly placed (LMAO!), a new Price Choppers (which was a long time coming), and a random ass hotel that's currently still being built. The hotel is place in the corner off of I435 where a restaurant used to be that used to sit in front of Bannister Mall. According to multiple reports, they are still struggling to bring retail businesses back. So my tax dollars went down the gutter and into Cerner's hands.

Growing up we usually went to Independence Center or Blue Ridge Mall because they were closer for us. I do remember my mom and dad would go to Bannister Mall to eat at a Mexican restaurant but I do not know the name of it. Thank you for sharing this video. I really do miss these old malls and I hate that younger Generations don't get to experience malls the way we used to.

Thanks for this! I was a kid and moved from KC when Bannister Mall was brand new. I always wondered how long it made it in the big scheme of mega malls.

Thanks for this, grew up in that mall, really miss that place, still go to independence mall but its not doing so great these days either but that one was so full of life in the day, the theater the food court, annies santa fe, so much to remember, saw so many movies there, star trek the motion picture it was great, that arcade spent hours in. brother worked there, in the end the crime and just no one felt safe there, I started getting in my car from one end driving to other because the middle was just didn't feel safe anymore.

Been a long time since I have seen these sights. I always felt like it could have been saved, but I guess it couldn't in the end.

Fond memories with my Mom❤️thank you!

i remember being a little kid and loving this mall. so many memories. it started getting bad during the weekends and after school let out. people would drop their h.s. age kids off and fighting/stealing would start. i remember large groups of teenagers roaming around in droves at that mall acting like complete fools...the best times to go to avoid the crowd was always during day time on weekdays lol when my mom would let me stay home from school if i was sick. that was always the best time to go to bannister.. i miss this mall and blue ridge so much

I remember this mall. My gf worked at Wicks-n-sticks in the late 80’s/early 90’s. Now, it’s gone like the Blue Ridge Mall, etc. What a bummer.

I was in high school when it opened in ‘80. Lots of memories of Bannister and Blue Ridge before that when I was a child. Oh well…….gone but not forgotten.

Your video was great but I must admit it was hard for me to watch. Only because I could feel the longing for those simpler times of my own childhood. My favorite mall as a kid has also been demolished though a vid does remain on here. But I miss the flair these malls had such as the fountains and unique architecture. Many malls in my area still remain and are quite busy so at least I still have them. One is the biggest mall in Texas the Houston Galleria it goes strong but has been made so bland architecturally. I take hope in one mall that just did some renovation (Memorial City) as it added painted tile floors, painted ceilings, vintage looking seating, and beautiful hanging plants under a skylight. Its beginning to look like malls used to and I hope they keep going. My favorite mall was Town & Country here in Houston. Beautiful full red tile floor 3 lvl natural lit atrium all through. Thanks for the memories I have similar ones.

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.

Omg...so many memories

I was there the last day it was open. The arcade was up by the food court. 4:11 the spot next to that jewelry store was my store. 7:22 Where that Hat Zone was where my store was from 94-2000. Excellent video.

Practically grew up at that mall. Saw Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Arthur there (among others). I'll never forget gorging on a Stromboli at Original Pizza. That whole area was so active.

The bad element drove the paying customers away same old story!

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!

Oh wow my hometown I remember my friends and I and family use to hang there all the time I was not to far I stayed in Grandview m.o never missed a day to go be there I remember everything I left 25 years ago and never know it closed best days for me.

I worked there in the ‘90’s. Sears doing tire and battery, then managing a cart in the middle of the mall, then for the mall itself, in visual merchandising, maintenance and housekeeping. No one wants to hear it but we all knew two words that led to the downfall of the place even then: Troost bus. The owners then didn’t know how to manage and market the place, but it was hard to do when it was turning into a fortress. Looking at your video, I could place every step you were taking, remembering the stores and people from the early to mid 90’s. Shame it went downhill, but I’m glad I got out and moved to OP when I did.

Thanks for the video. Metcalf South was the mall I spent most of my childhood in because that was my mother's favorite mall. It is also gone. Oak Park Mall is starting to look the same way. Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever. Except taxes.

I was almost in tears watching this I remember first time I visit banister mall with my siblings. 1997 We used to always go shopping there, for hours, then we get on the last bus to go home. it was a time I came back to the theater to see movie bone collector with a family friend and December I999 with my big brother and it was a huge fight that broke out before we even got to see the movie. It was crazy the girl was getting jump, and then her grandma had bust through one of the windows to grab a bat out of one of the stores and chase them down the hall. Way It was the most craziest things I witnessed, but still can remember to this day went to see a couple more movies best man and big mama house a little bit after that though in 2001 they shut down the theater. They said of number of reasons one, someone put a legal needle in one of the seats and someone sit down on it It just start falling apart. That was one of the things I do miss back home in Kansas City I miss the old days😢 I hate that they couldn’t keep it together. I missed the whole mall and stores. We had that huge Walmart red lobster blockbuster IHOP Burlington savers we had everything just that era was everything now it’s all gone.

Just like Indian Springs Mall, there is a very real reason why it became a place that wasn't safe, therefore shoppers went elsewhere. But we can't talk about that.

I worked at estee lauder at the jones store from 99-2003 we had a alot of theft

Ive bought much attire in Bannister Mall! ❤that MALL!! My best mall story is tho… I raised my son in Calico Farms & Stratford Estates. He also graduated Ruskin ‘12 top 5%. In the opening year, my son got a job at THE BEST offices in Hickman Mills: CERNER! Right there at Bannister Mall 😊 Lots of history for us too at Bannister Mall. Heck, he learned to drive there while the lot was empty & all beat up.. dry & in the snow ❄️😂 Thank you for the Fun Flashback!

Thanks for the memories. Your vlog was very kind not stating the REAL reason Bannister Mall went bust. My wife and I would go there regularly because we loved Annies Santa Fe restaurant, we still miss that place. However, she stopped going in the early 90's because of the influx of young seemingly unemployed males who presented themselves as predators. My wife was pushing a stroller with another child in tow and could not use the ATM because of these guys hanging around intimidating those who may try. Time to go to Oak Park or Independence Center. Many, many vulnerable women reacted the same way and took their business elsewhere. Bannister Mall did nothing to correct this and acted like it didn't exist. Bye bye Bannister, hope Independence Center doesn't go the same way

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.

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.

Last time I've been inside that mall was in 2004

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

This was one of the malls that I hung out at as a kid. I watched it go downhill. It became a thug fest like something you'd see in a gangsta rap video. My wife and I stopped by there in the latter 1990's and we got out of there so fast it would make your head spin. There was nothing but thug gangsta wanna be's yelling across the mall to each other, gold chains dangling, pants down to the knees, and mall cops running from one store to the next (usually theft related). As we were leaving the entrance where the movie theater was located a fight broke out and then the place was swarming with cops within a few minutes.

Love this!!

I work at bannister at the jones store from 1996..to 2004

Damn, and were there literally ANY stores open when you made this visit? Didn't seem like it at least! (L.O.L.!) I remember when this mall was featured in a segment of Unsolved Mysteries, which was the Micki Jo West case too.

I remember going there the first week it opened. It was like going to Disneyland, then as time went on, everyone became afraid of going there. You started to fear for your life. Indepedence Center is about the only one left and I'm sure the crime and the fact that people don't want to walk will close it too.

I lived in Raytown early 2000, hypermart walmart brought crime and decay. Raytown had little to offer and I flighted to overland Park. 🤷‍♂️

I lived in North KCMO and remember taking my children there in the 90s. Sadly, most malls are closed or are closing for online shopping. Where's the thrill in that?

worked at Macy's and Dillards in 85....so cool to be there then.

White flight to Lee's Summit. Inner city bussing to Hypermart. We know why this happened.

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 😩

I'm a truck driver and saw that mall from 435 all the time and wondered how it could be closed. Seeing the inside now, it was still in pretty decent shape. It was a shame to see that disappear and I never set foot in the place. I do not go through there any longer, did anything get built on that site? I know they did a lot of excavating afterwards.

Ah, the memories. Bannister Mall, Walmart Hypermart, and Gamestop.

They did this everywhere.

I'm 42 and I cringe when I hear myself say things like " these kids nowadays don't know how to socialize with each other unless it's in front of a screen" but it's true because these stupid kids nowadays don't know how to socialize with each other unless it's in front of a screen. I'm sure old people who lived their youth before the indoor shopping mall boom hit but even down here in South Florida where there are still many surviving and functioning indoor malls they don't feel the same. When I was a little kid growing up my mom worked for Sears in Pompano Beach. Back in those days in the 1980s Sears was a popular place and I remember the kids at school thinking it was so cool that my mom worked there and I could go anytime I wanted. Even when I was a teenager in the late 1990s the malls work such a cool place because even if you didn't have a ton of money you could still live a pretty good life if you have at least a $20 bill. You could eat at the food court maybe catch a movie chill with your friends or whatever. My sister and I used to make jokes that if Sears didn't carry it we didn't get it. Jeffrey Appliance was Kenmore all of my dad's tools were Craftsman, all of our clothes where Sears house branded even all of the Linens in our house we're Sears brand. I Remember When Tiffany West popular and she made a lot of Mall appearances during one of her tours. Early 1988 she came to Pompano Square and since my mom worked for Sears and I was always forced to do any of the Little fashion shows in the mall almost at gunpoint my mom pulled some strings and I got to go up on stage with her while she was singing I Think We're Alone Now. Pompano Square mom was one of the first indoor shopping malls and was built at the beginning of the big indoor shopping mall boom in the 1960s. When it was built the city of Pompano Beach was so excited they literally built a lot of the city's infrastructure around the mall itself. Dave Thomas who was the founder of Wendy's built the first Wendy's restaurant across the street from the mall. In the mid-1980s during the Miami Vice craze the mall was completely remodeled and given that Miami Vice Art Deco Vibe where everything became pink and turquoise. Also in the mid-1980s is when the big retro 1950s thing with popular with the neon lights and that 1950s Diner look. Pssm was a perfect combination of the three and it was popular for a while but unfortunately just like banister the neighborhood surrounding the mall started to become more and more black so of course you know what that means. At one point the mall was rated as the most likely place in Broward County to have your car stolen. As white flight hit everybody started moving farther and farther west of Fort Lauderdale which of course brought much newer and much more modern malls. When the mall was sold in 2004 the developers decided to tear the old Mall down leaving the four existing anchors which were Sears JCPenney burdines/ Macys and replacing the empty Dillards formerly Jordan Marsh with a brand new Lowes. They made the outside into an outdoor shopping mall area which actually did bring a lot of new life because around that time the housing bubble started to grow in the area started to go from black to Hispanic. Hispanics are much more family-oriented something new Pompano Citi Centre cater to that by having weekly family events and did well for the next decade and a half but as three out of the four anchors closed it left a lot of empty space so they've recently started converting the old anchor stores into Condominiums.

I remember being at a radio contest there with the power rangers in 96-97 maybe 98 it was awesome

80s style is the best and classiest design.

Went to this mall as a teen was so fun. What was the Mexican Restaurant there? Man what fun in the 80s.

Saw Rocky 3 here with my folks 😌

I remember when it first opened up.

These were the good days ❤🎉

There was toys r us in bannister mall which closed in 2006

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.

My mother and my younger sister stopped there moving from Lawrence Co MO to Holt CO MO. Small town people. 1994. Got robbed. They popped our trunk lock. Lived in the 64138 in 2019-2020. Wife worked for Cerner. It's a Murder Center. It's Awful. Zero Stars over the last 20+ years.

that's where I saw the Masters Of The Universe movie...

My 80s mall

It actually closed because of major retail theft and the increased chance violence.

First visit. 1990... Was a Big Deal... From small town. Far away..

Have u heard of any murder crimes happening here,I saw this strange video of a women named,Gina who supposedly died here on december 19th 2009 inside a mattress,but I have not found anything on her picture or the strange autopsy picture any info would help,thank you.

Hi. I have been trying to remember the name of the philly cheese steak place there in the food court. Do you remember their name? I thought they made the best philly cheese steak.

In the 70s up to around 2005. The Malls were a part of every bodies life young and old. But when the gangs got a hold. The people were afraid to come to the Malls. The parents would drop their kids off and the kids would cause havoc. Along with the car breakins and petty theft etc. A friend of my family daughter was raped at the Indian Springs Mall. So then they had to come up with something to keep the retail sales up. That's when online purchasing blew up especially around 2005 or so. Which ended a quite of few of the retail jobs. So people relied on convience for their shopping. Such as Amazon/Ebay etc.

I also had my ears pierced at clairs my sister took me and said she was my mom it was so cool I was 7

Bars on everything? And broken glass everywhere?

❤

😢

Video looks like it was taken at 1997 not 2007.