History of Mall of America in Timeline

Mall of America (MoA), opened in 1992, is a major shopping mall in Bloomington, Minnesota, within the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area. It is located near the junction of Interstate 494 and Highway 77 and the Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport. Notably, MoA stands as the largest mall in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, and ranks as the twelfth largest worldwide.

June 3, 1967: Harmon Killebrew's Home Run

On June 3, 1967, Harmon Killebrew hit a 520-foot home run at Metropolitan Stadium, which was commemorated with a plaque and seat at the exact location within Mall of America after the stadium's demolition.

1972: 30th Anniversary Screening of The Godfather

In 1972, Mall of America was the location of the 30th anniversary screening of The Godfather.

1982: Metrodome Opens

In 1982, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened, leading the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins to relocate from Metropolitan Stadium, the eventual site of the Mall of America.

1986: Agreement with Bloomington Port Authority

In 1986, the Bloomington Port Authority signed an agreement with the Ghermezian organization to begin development on the Mall of America.

June 14, 1989: Groundbreaking for the Mall

On June 14, 1989, groundbreaking for the Mall of America took place, with organizations like Melvin Simon and Associates and Teachers Insurance and Annuity involved.

August 11, 1992: Mall of America Opens to the Public

On August 11, 1992, Mall of America opened to the public with Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Sears as its anchor stores. It quickly gained nicknames like "The Megamall" and "Sprawl of America".

1992: Mall of America Opens

In 1992, Mall of America opened and became the largest mall in the United States, as well as the largest in the Western Hemisphere and the twelfth largest in the world.

1992: Sears Opened

Since the opening of the Mall of America in 1992, Sears has been part of the mall.

1999: Simon Properties Purchase

In 1999, Simon Properties purchased Teacher's Insurance's 27.5% equity stake in the Mall of America, leading to a legal dispute with the Ghermezian brothers.

2000: Premiere of Digimon: The Movie

In 2000, Mall of America was the location of the premiere of Digimon: The Movie.

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2000: Fat Tuesday Closes

In early 2000, Fat Tuesday, a Mardi Gras-themed bar, closed at Mall of America due to indecent exposure and alcohol-related offenses.

2003: Federal Appeals Court Ruling

In 2003, after a six-year legal battle, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Ghermezian brothers/Triple Five Group, giving them control of the Mall of America after a dispute with Simon Property Group.

July 2004: IKEA Opens

In July 2004, IKEA opened and provided 1,407 parking spaces for the Mall of America.

November 3, 2006: Ghermezians Gain Full Control

On November 3, 2006, the Ghermezians gained full control of Mall of America by spending US$1 billion.

May 18, 2008: Tax Break for Expansion

On May 18, 2008, the Mall of America received a tax break for a proposed $2 billion expansion, allowing Bloomington to increase taxes to finance a parking ramp.

2008: Congressional Testimony on Security

In 2008, Doug Reynolds, the former Security Director at the mall, provided congressional testimony about Behavior Detection Officers (BDOs) and their training in Israel, focusing on detecting intent rather than means.

2010: Mall Renovations Begin

In 2010, a series of renovations began at the Mall of America that lasted until 2015, leading to a unified and more luxurious style and coinciding with the mall's first major expansion.

2010: Suspicious Behavior Guidelines

In 2010, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported that mall security officials were instructed to question or detain individuals exhibiting what they deemed "suspicious behavior", leading to concerns about potential infringement of rights.

November 29, 2011: Google Announces Indoor Maps

On November 29, 2011, Google announced indoor maps for Mall of America, along with other public spaces.

2011: Security Abuse Documented

In 2011, NPR's All Things Considered and Morning Edition and PBS's NewsHour aired programs documenting security abuses by the mall's security personnel.

January 3, 2012: Bloomingdale's Closure Announced

On January 3, 2012, Macy's Inc. announced it would close its Bloomingdale's location at the Mall of America after nearly two decades.

March 24, 2012: $200 Million Expansion Announced

On March 24, 2012, the Triple Five Group and DLR Group announced a $200 million expansion into the north parking lot, including a hotel and additional retail space.

2012: Native-American Round Dance Held

In 2012, a successful Native-American round dance was held at the mall.

2013: Expansion Broke Ground

In the fall of 2013, the $200 million expansion broke ground and began opening in stages in the summer of 2015.

December 31, 2013: Idle No More Protest

On December 31, 2013, members from the First Nations protest movement Idle No More attempted to repeat a successful Native-American round dance held at the mall in 2012, but failed after being stopped by mall security. Organizers were arrested for trespassing.

March 2014: JW Marriott Hotel Groundbreaking

In March 2014, ground was broken on the north side for the $104 million, 14-story JW Marriott hotel, owned and financed by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.

December 21, 2014: Black Lives Matter Protest

On December 21, 2014, thousands of protesters attended an unauthorized Black Lives Matter demonstration in the mall's rotunda in response to the shooting of Michael Brown and the death of Eric Garner, leading to the closure of areas around the rotunda and the arrest of 25 demonstrators.

February 2015: Al-Shabaab Threat

In February 2015, the al-Shabaab militant group released a propaganda video calling for attacks on the Mall of America and other Western shopping centers, leading to tightened security and a Department of Homeland Security alert.

December 23, 2015: Restraining Order Against Black Lives Matter

On December 23, 2015, mall officials filed a restraining order against Black Lives Matter activists to prevent another demonstration, seeking to prohibit demonstrations and require the deletion of social media posts, leading the ACLU to call it an unconstitutional overreach.

2015: Mall of America Statistics

As of 2015, Mall of America had 42 million annual visitors, employed over 11,000 workers year-round and 13,000 during peak seasons.

2015: Mall Renovations Complete

In 2015, a series of renovations that began in 2010 were completed at the Mall of America, leading to a unified and more luxurious style and coinciding with the mall's first major expansion.

2015: Expansion Opened in Stages

In the summer of 2015, the $200 million expansion began opening in stages.

December 2016: Theatres at Mall of America Closes

In December 2016, The Theatres at Mall of America closed permanently after being operated by mall management.

2017: CMX Cinemas Replaces General Cinema

In late 2017, CMX Cinemas, a Cinemex subsidiary, replaced The Theatres at Mall of America.

December 28, 2018: Sears Closing Announced

On December 28, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 80 stores nationwide.

2018: Indoor Water Park Proposed

In 2018, MOA proposed building an indoor water park, with a cost between $150 and $200 million for the project.

April 12, 2019: Boy Thrown from Balcony

On April 12, 2019, a five-year-old boy was thrown from the third-story balcony by Emmanuel Deshawn Aranda and landed near the Michael Kors store. The boy recovered, and Aranda was sentenced to 19 years in prison.

October 2019: 30th Avenue Station Upgrade Completed

In October 2019, a $25 million upgrade to the 30th Avenue station near the Mall of America was completed.

2020: Mall Closure Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

In early 2020, Mall of America closed for twelve weeks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, starting on March 17 and reopening on June 10 with only 150 tenants. The reopening was delayed due to civil unrest in the Twin Cities.

2020: M&M's Store Opens

In late 2020, a 24,000-square-foot M&M's retail store opened in Mall of America, replacing American Girl.

2021: B&B Theatres Replaces CMX Cinemas

In 2021, CMX Mall of America closed down due to CMX Cinema's bankruptcy proceedings and was replaced with B&B Theatres.

December 31, 2021: Gunshot fired, mall lockdown

On December 31, 2021, a gunshot was fired on the third floor of the Mall of America, prompting a lockdown. A man was shot in the leg, and another person was grazed by the bullet. The mall was closed for the rest of the day following the incident.

January 3, 2022: Arrest made in connection to Mall of America Shooting

On January 3, 2022, an 18-year-old man was arrested for aiding and abetting first-degree assault in connection to a shooting at the Mall of America.

March 2022: Water Park Plan Approved

In March 2022, the plan to build an indoor water park at MOA was approved by the Bloomington City Council.

August 4, 2022: Mall of America Lockdown After Shooting at Nike Store

On August 4, 2022, the Mall of America was put under lockdown after a shooting at the Nike store. Two men fired gunshots and fled the scene. NASCAR champion Kyle Busch and his family were present but unharmed. The shooters were apprehended a week later.

August 2022: Chapel of Love Closed

In August 2022, the Chapel of Love inside the Mall of America closed. This chapel's existence was previously referenced in the How I Met Your Mother episode "Slap Bet".

December 23, 2022: Fatal Shooting at Nordstrom; Mall Lockdown

On December 23, 2022, a fatal shooting occurred inside the Nordstrom department store at the Mall of America, resulting in a lockdown. A 19-year-old male was killed, and a bystander sustained minor injuries.

January 2023: Religious Solicitation Policy

In January 2023, a TikTok video showed a man wearing a "Jesus saves" T-shirt and the Coexist logo crossed out being asked to remove it or leave the mall, with security citing the mall's policy against religious solicitation as the reason.

2023: Toys "R" Us Opens

In 2023 a Toys "R" Us opened in the mall.

2024: Sentencing in 2022 Mall of America Shooting

In 2024, TaeShawn Adams-Wright and Lavon Longstreet were sentenced to 30 years and seven months in prison for the second-degree murder and second-degree assault related to the December 23, 2022, shooting at the Mall of America.