Old Quail Springs Mall Photos

[Questor]

Does anyone have any old photos of Quail Springs Mall from long ago when it had the red sculpture out in front of it and the glass roof behind that?

[oki]

Does anyone have any old photos of Quail Springs Mall from long ago when it had the red sculpture out in front of it and the glass roof behind that?

Wow, I would like to see photos of it back in the day too. I forgot about the red sculpture. Wish I had photos of the ramp and tree area too. That area was kind of fun for kids.

I would be a bit surprised if anyone had many, especially from the film camera days of the 1980s and 1990s when film was more treasured. People didn't used to take as many photos of daily life, and most people don't take photos at malls even now. They really should. It's interesting to see how malls, restaurants, and general daily living places and things change over the years.

All I found was one overhead newspaper photo of the 1980 construction of the mall:
Google Image Result for http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/browns/browns_1_20_1980.jpg


I Googled Quail Springs Mall 1980s and 1990s, looked on Flickr, etc. and can't find any old photos of it.

Anyone have any?

[MonkeesFan]

Jennette Mccurdy at Quail Springs Mall?! I would have loved to meet her!

[Sonny_Crockett]

Remember when Shepherd Mall was a MALL! That was ages ago just like the Oklahoma City 89ers.

[SwissHoek]

I tried contacting the QSM General Manager for old pics of the John A Brown. No help at all!

[Pete]

Here's an 1980 photo from the Oklahoman:

[OklahomaNick]

Just seeing this post brings back some OLD memories! I totally remember the red sculpture in front of the main entrance. I believe the AMC Movie theater opened in 1999, so construction would have probably broken ground in 1997 or 98. I remember walking in by the red sculpture and walking right in the dreary old dark brown brick multi-level food court. The old entrance hallways are still there if you look down the hall to the north of Express and the south of GAP on either side of the food court. The hall ways just dead end now.

Walmart building at Memorial and Penn is what REALLY salvaged Quail Springs. It was the only thing out there for a VERY long time! And a lot of people thought it might die.

[Pete]

People forget that QS really struggled for quite some time.

It's one of the greatest planning blunders of all time for OKC, and that's saying something. It was built without anything being anywhere close -- including homes -- and merely hurt downtown and Penn Square.

It eventually led to the horrific sprawl along and north of Memorial, which is nothing but a sea of big fake-stucco boxes and parking lots.

[Jettmiester]

Thanks for sharing this. I always said the AMC theatre in.front of.the mall ruined the aesthetics of this building. I miss the way it used to look every time I drive by it.

[bchris02]

People forget that QS really struggled for quite some time.

It's one of the greatest planning blunders of all time for OKC, and that's saying something. It was built without anything being anywhere close -- including homes -- and merely hurt downtown and Penn Square.

It eventually led to the horrific sprawl along and north of Memorial, which is nothing but a sea of big fake-stucco boxes and parking lots.

OKC has never been able to support three super-regional malls at once. In the 1980s, Penn Square and Crossroads were booming, but Quail Springs was struggling. In the 2000s, Penn Square and Quail Springs were booming, while Crossroads slowly died. Today, I am wondering what effect the new Outlet mall is having on the existing malls, especially Quail Springs. OKC today, at 1.2 million people in the MSA, may finally be large enough to support three malls, but time will tell.

[Teo9969]

I was a wee-lad when they changed QS Food-court (still in Elementary). I vaguely remember the multi-level food court, but I do remember liking the architecture back then. I'd really love to see pictures of it again and jog that nostalgia. There was an A&W in there and being a kid, I would get the mini corn dogs and dip them in the cheese sauce...mmmmmmm.

I now officially miss being a kid :-(

[Questor]

I always liked the original layout of the mall and the look of it. If I remember correctly, the guy who did the Trans America tower in San Francisco designed Quail Springs Mall.

[traxx]

Jennette Mccurdy at Quail Springs Mall?! I would have loved to meet her!

?

That seems like a bit of a non sequiter. Are you big iCarly fan?


I also don't like the look of the front of the mall with the AMC theater on it. To me it looks tacked on but maybe that's just because I remember what it looked like before. I remember the dark brown tile and the overall dark tone of the building back in the 80s. We lived in Warwick when I was a teen so QS was the go to mall for us.

[SomeGuy]

I did find this photo of when they were doing the food court renovations many years ago

[MonkeesFan]

?

That seems like a bit of a non sequiter. Are you big iCarly fan?


I also don't like the look of the front of the mall with the AMC theater on it. To me it looks tacked on but maybe that's just because I remember what it looked like before. I remember the dark brown tile and the overall dark tone of the building back in the 80s. We lived in Warwick when I was a teen so QS was the go to mall for us.

Yeah I am a big ICarly fan

[Elliott]

* Bump - Does anyone have any old higher quality photos of the old entrance / from the inside of the Mall in the 80s / early 90s? I'd love to see some, but couldn't find any online.

[Elliott]

Just figured I'd give this post its yearly *bump* - hoping someone might come through with a few photos.

[oki]

Annual bump

[Elliott]

Well folks, I did some digging through the Oklahoma Historical society archives, and came up with quite a few interesting photos.

Enjoy!

Earlier stage of construction.



As interiors were being built.



Interior work moving closer to completion.



Dillard's interior during construction.



Dillard's escalators just before the mall opening - it appears that there were functioning skylights and several planters that filled the (now empty) space.



Painters walking out of the mall during construction.



Workers walking through the east corridor when the interior was just starting to come together.



Entrance closer to completion.



The Mall Manager, Marilyn R. Bush (Left) in the food court. Old elevator is in the backdrop.



Elderly couple walking through Quail Springs before shoppers arrived in the early 80s.



Another perspective of the old entrance.



Hefner cheer squad performing at Quail Springs mall in the early 80s. It looks like we had a Johnston & Murphy!



Skylight illuminating a planter.




Hopefully you liked these, please feel free to contribute your own / anything you find!

[Richard at Remax]

The old tiered food court is all i can remember (I am 33). Used to like all the plants and stuff they had to go along with the brown tile. It would be ugly now but it was cool as a little kid. I also remember the corn dog place where the workers had to wear those silly hats.

[traxx]

Great pics Elliott. Thanks so much for those.

I kinda miss the glass front.

I think I knew a couple of those girls from Hefner but don't remember any names.

[scottk]

Here is another look at the food court area in Quail Springs Mall from 1986:

[corwin1968]

Well folks, I did some digging through the Oklahoma Historical society archives, and came up with quite a few interesting photos.

Enjoy!

Earlier stage of construction.

My wife spent many years working in the food court while she was in college but she has never seen the mall before AMC and the modern food court were built. Thanks for finding and posting these!! I've e-mailed several of them to her so she can see the Quail Springs I grew up with.

[turnpup]

Elliott, so glad you found what you were looking for after all these years! Thanks for posting the photos and video.

When I was growing up my family lived in a small town south of the metro, so Crossroads was our go-to place. This is back when Crossroads was all new and shiny. I remember going to QS a few times after it opened, and it seemed like it took FOREVER to get all the way up there. I believe it was before or during the time when Broadway Extension between I-40 and I-44 was being built, so we took I-35 to Lincoln, then up to Broadway/77, then got off on Memorial. There was no Kilpatrick at that time, either. It was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, if my recollection serves.

There was a place somewhere along Broadway/77 (Maybe around Hefner Road) called Clementine's Mud Wrestling. It had a neon sign you could see from the road. Does anyone remember that?

[BlackmoreRulz]

Clementine's was originally the "20th Century Electric Company", it was a disco that had a dance floor with different colored flashing lights in the floor. It was rebranded to Clem's sometime after that with mud wrestling, a ladies night with male strippers that they wouldn't let the guy's in till after the strippers were through 9 or 10pm, 3 for 1 happy hour. There was another name for the place either before or after it was Clem's but I can't remember it now, yes it was a couple of blocks west of the Broadway Extension on Hefner Rd.

I actually worked on the interior construction at QSM, starting in the main building then in the retail buildouts of the Rothschild's, Radio Shack, JC Penney's and a couple other ones that names escape me.