The Chesterfield Mall has been nothing but an empty piece of concrete for the past few years, but that is changing. On Oct.15, the mall is set to be demolished to make way for a $2 billion development created by the Staenberg Group. “Downtown Chesterfield,” is the name they have coined. This 117 acre development will have new stores, parks, work spaces, housing and much more.

President of the Staenberg Group, Michael Staenberg spoke about how this plan started and why he decided to create it in the first place.

“I started thinking the mall was going down. It had been going down for many years, and then I said, well, how do I create something that’s unique to St. Louis?” Staenberg said. 

He took this and created the idea of a downtown, and how he would make it work.

“So I came up with this idea of building a downtown,” Staenberg said. “A gentleman that works for me named Tim low said, we should buy it, and that way we have a seat at the table, and nobody can take that mall and convert it to an entertainment district like I was doing.”

Staenberg has big plans for the downtown Chesterfield project, he wants it to be something that we have not seen before.

“I want to be unique and cutting edge and something that will stand the test of time.” Staenberg said.

Along with this, downtown Chesterfield will include housing, offices, and more.

“We’re going to work,” Staenberg said. “We’re going to put a nice three and a half acre park in the middle. We’re going to have 2400 residential units, and we are going to have a million square feet of offices.”

While the residential units and offices are going to be an important part of downtown Chesterfield, it will also feature places to shop, eat and hang out.  

“We’re gonna have a million square feet of retail, high end restaurants, and it will be a place to gather.” Staenberg said. 

Although the entire project will not see completion for the next 10-15 years, many parts of the project will be finalized in the near future.

“We’ll have buildings open and operating in the next three or four years.” Staenberg said. 

Over the past few years, many stores and businesses have been forced to either close or relocate. The Parkway Spark! Program was one of them. Spark! operated in the Chesterfield Mall, but with the mall’s permanent closing on Aug. 30, the program relocated to a new location. Drew McAllister, a director with Spark! talked about what the mall meant to the program.

“Locating Spark! at Chesterfield Mall allowed Spark! associates from Parkway and Rockwood high schools to gather in a professional space.” McAllister said. “We were able to grow businesses, develop software, and engineer solutions to the physical world just down the road from professionals who do that same work every day.”

The Spark! program moved to an office building off of Highway 40 and Mason Road. While moving can be challenging, McAllister believes this change to be beneficial. 

“The new location honors the original vision of Spark!’s founders even more closely than our earlier ones, and we couldn’t be more excited about the future.” McAllister said.

While this new project brings excitement to the Chesterfield area, there are people who grew up around the mall who are feeling upset because it was a big piece of their childhood. PCH Alumni Alec Rothman has been going to the mall since she was a kid.

“I had been going to the Chesterfield Mall since I moved here. My mom and I would go and walk around and I have such fond memories of that,” Rothman said.

The Chesterfield Mall remained an important part in Rothman’s life throughout her teenage years. 

“I was a frequent visitor to the mall when I was a teenager, you would find me and my friends there every Friday and Saturday night growing up,” Rothman said. “The mall meant a lot, honestly. I grew up there, experienced a lot of good and bad, and it was such a staple to the town.”

The Chesterfield mall meant a lot to Rothman, so when she heard that it was closing, she was understandably upset. 

“I was incredibly bummed out when I heard about the mall closing I felt…old.” Rothman said. “So many of my childhood years were spent in that building. The next chapter of life was starting, and it brought nostalgia to the forefront of my mind and heart.”

One of the last remaining businesses that operated in the mall was Arch Badminton Center. Seniors, Charan Ramidi and Anant Bhagat used to play at the Chesterfield Mall courts  Before the mall closed, Ramidi would go almost every weekend with his friends.

“The courts at the mall hold a sentimental value as I grew up going to the mall almost every weekend. Ramidi said. “I was devastated when I found out that the mall was going to close, especially since that was my go-to spot to play pickleball with my friends.”

Bhagat enjoyed playing Pickleball and Badminton at the mall, and was disappointed when he found out that it was closing.

“The courts at the mall were a great place to play badminton and pickleball indoors. Bhagat said.  There aren’t a lot of places to do either, especially badminton, so having a place and people to play with felt nice. Getting to play badminton is a rarity and I was disappointed that I lost one of the only places nearby to play. It was super convenient and reachable.” 

Time is limited to get your last glimpse at Chesterfield Mall, as demolition starts on Oct. 15. Although we will never see the mall again, parts of downtown Chesterfield will be open as soon as 2027.