Merry Xmas From the Dead Malls

Metcalf South Shopping Center in Overland Park is one of the area's oldest malls and one of the most meticulously maintained. The beige-and-salmon-colored tile floors shine. Skylights bathe the concourse. Gurgling indoor fountains emit the somehow comforting smell of chlorine.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, draws near. Yet on this day, the portion of the mall between its two anchors, Sears and the Jones Store, is virtually vacant. Just about the only activity is from a blond-haired woman who carefully applies blue paint to a wheelchair-access ramp. The absence of people seems strange in relation to the state of the physical surroundings. The mall opened in 1967, but its tidy interior belies its age. Inside, the mall looks as good as new. The customers appear to have been swept away by the biblical Rapture in the middle of their shopping.

Of course, people are not the only thing missing from Metcalf South. Stores are, too. County Seat, Hannoush Jewelers, The Limited, Victoria's Secret, KG Men's Store, Mr. Bulky Treats & Gifts — all gone. Most stores have left behind clear evidence of their former presence; a stenciled window tells of departed video retailer Suncoast.

Metcalf South is a mall in decline. Sears and the Jones Store remain, and the three-screen Glenwood Arts theater appeals to niche audiences with films such as Pride & Prejudice and The Squid and the Whale. But the mall's depressed state is evident in the presence of a volunteer center, a karate club and the storefront occupied by adult-learning franchise Fred Pryor Seminars. The mall's owner, Sherman Dreiseszun, concedes that Metcalf South is not the draw it once was — at least for people who actually buy things. "We've got walkers," Dreiseszun says. "We've got to maintain it well. There are no customers, but there are walkers."

Malls tend to change hands frequently, yet Dreiseszun has held onto Metcalf South for nearly four decades. The 83-year-old also owns Metro North and once held a stake in the successful Oak Park Mall. But things haven't always been good for Dreiseszun. In 1992, Dreiseszun was indicted on charges that he took part in a scheme to rig bids for government office space. The target of the investigation was Frank Morgan, a banker and developer who was Dreiseszun's nephew. Morgan died before trial, and Dreiseszun and the two remaining defendants eventually entered misdemeanor guilty pleas, agreeing to pay $1.5 million in restitution.

Metcalf South was the second mall Dreiseszun developed, and it appears to occupy a place in his heart as well as on his asset sheet. "It's pretty tough to tear something down," he says. An employee in one of the remaining Metcalf South stores says Dreiseszun employs a larger maintenance and custodial staff than the mall needs, which helps explain its immaculate condition. Dreiseszun shows loyalty to his employees and vice versa. The head of security, Vernon May, has worked at the shopping center for 20 years.

His apparent conscientiousness notwithstanding, Dreiseszun is not to be pitied. After all, by investing in nearby Oak Park, he created his own competition. Besides, developers of his era benefited richly from the federal housing and highway subsidies that powered suburban growth. In 1954, Congress changed IRS rules to effectively make shopping malls the mother of all tax shelters. The change allowed developers to depreciate, or write down, the value of new buildings in seven years instead of 40. The rule made it easy for developers to show losses instead of profits and encouraged the frequent trading of property, which led to the shoddy construction and inadequate maintenance that have contributed to today's dead-mall phenomenon.

As for the future of Metcalf South, Dreiseszun offers few clues. "We're trying to work on something, but I can't talk about it," he says. "I don't know if it's going to happen or not." Dreiseszun notes that Sears owns its building, and the Jones Store's lease won't expire for eight years.

Overland Park officials recently formed a committee to look at options to encourage development in the area that includes Metcalf South. "I think it's obvious that mall is nearing the end of its useful life, at least in that configuration," Overland Park City Manager John Nachbar tells the Pitch.

Meanwhile, groups lead unconventional activities in the space where Johnson County residents once brought their credit cards and holiday shopping lists. Perhaps the most glaring sign of the death of Metcalf South came the week after Thanksgiving. At a job and health fair conducted on an upper floor of the mall, Spanish speakers could pick up pamphlets describing la gonorrea and other sexually transmitted diseases.

A couple of mall walkers trip the motion sensor on the robotic Santa planted outside Jesus de la Torre's jewelry store at Indian Springs Marketplace in Kansas City, Kansas. Santa's hips jerk, and he begins to sing "Deck the Halls" from a puppetlike mouth. Another passer-by elicits a Spanish-language rendition of "O, Christmas Tree."

De la Torre says he bought the bilingual Santa to appeal to children. He likes kids and often gives his customers a Dora the Explorer or Spider-Man plush blanket. He named his store, Joyeria Estrella, after his 10-year-old daughter. De la Torre comes from a family of jewelers, and he expects Estrella to continue the tradition. "She knows this is her future," he says.