Nonsense observation...disagree completely. There was almost no way the developers could have predicted how the area west and north of the mall would deteriorate; but I have often wondered if Crossroads might not be in at least marginally better shape had they built somewhere on the south side of I-240 rather than the northside.

When Crossroads was built, it was an attraction unto itself that really should have invigorated development throughout that corridor. Heck, that was arguably the "east end" of town at the time; but the city grew financially more toward the southwest and south along the I-44 corridor rather than the more eastward I-240 area. At the time, there was a Leonhardt's lumberyard to the north, an OG&E facility to the south (which is still there), and that industrial overtone has hung over that area. Leonhardt's closed years and years ago, and numerous highway projects never made development of the area a very attractive project.

I suppose you could argue that Crossroads contributed to its own decline in at least a small way in that it did not make sufficient efforts to keep itself up-to-date. I think it underwent only one, perhaps two, significant remodels since it opened, and still today retains much of that original, clunky, 70's lots-of-angles and concrete floor architecture prevalent at the time. I always heard there were divided ownership groups that never agreed on how to market, upgrade, and advertise the mall, thus nothing ever got done. Don't know if that's true, but sadly, the result of the inaction is self-evident...

-David