MEETING MINUTES
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Thompson Community Center
PROGRAM SUMMARY
“The Historic Valley Fair Mall”
CALL TO ORDER BY PRESIDENT TOM SUTTER
TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 97
OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE:
Tom Sutter, Christine Williams, James Richter, Laura Leimer, Mark Moderson, John Marx, Brian Schneider, Gwen Sargeant, Jim Krueger, Diana Sandberg.
REVIEW OF UPCOMING MEETINGS AND PROGRAMS:
March 1 - St. Joseph’s Cemetary – Frank Groh
March 7 – 10th AHS History Fair, City Center
April 8 – Secura Insurance – Steve Smits
May 3 – Jewish History in Appleton - Jerry Zabronsky
June 10 – The Old Third Ward – Antoinette Powell
July 8 – The Post Crescent – Dan Flannery
August 12 – Growing Up in Appleton in the 60s – Jim Krueger
August 23 – Cemetary Walk – “Meet the Mayors” – Riverside Cemetary
September 9 – The History of Catholic Schools by Deacon Tony Abts
October 14th 100 block of E. College Avenue - Dave Buss and Christine Williams
November 11 – Appleton Picture Show
December 5 – 11th AHS History Fair, City Center
APPLETON HISTORICAL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION:
AHS Officers:
A. President - Thomas Sutter
B. Vice President - Christine Williams
C. Secretary – James Richter
D. Treasurer – Laura Leimer
· AHS Board of Directors:
A. Terms through November 2017:
1. Mark Moderson
2. John Marx
3. Laura Leimer
4. Diana Sandberg
B. Terms through November 2016:
1. Linda Muldoon
2. Jim Krueger
3. Gwen Sargeant
4. Brian Schneider
C. Terms through November 2015:
1. Tom Sutter
2. Christine Williams
3. James Richter
Committee Chairs for the organization are as follows:
A. Mark and Karen Moderson, Principal Organizers
B. Brian Schneider, Technical Resources
C. David Buss, Research Specialist
D. Gwen Sargeant, Public Relations and Web Page
PRESIDENT SUTTER ANNOUNCEMENTS:
A. Greetings extended to members and guests.
B. AHS Board Member Linda Muldoon had thoracic aneurysm surgery yesterday. She incurred 11 hours in surgery, and is doing well.
C. Gave thanks to Ed and Clare Hilgendorf for last month’s program “Hearthstone-The Making of a Museum”.
D. We have received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service recognizing our status as a non-profit and acknowledging our 5.01(c)(3) status.
E. Noted that a copper frame from the Appleton Sherman House Hotel is on display in Green Bay.
F. Recognized that AHS member Antoinette Powell has received an Historian of the Year Award.
G. Upcoming Historical Event: Fox River Historic Lock Tours will be given by the Fox Wisconsin Heritage Parkway to a pre-sold group tour from the Milwaukee area on June 24, 2015. This will also include several boat excursions.
H. AHS Co-Founder Mark Moderson will be speaking on Appleton History at the Trinity Lutheran Church on Wednesday, April 15, 2015.
I. Be aware that the Wisconsin State Historical Society sponsors a National History Day each year. This year it’s Sunday, March 8th.
J. The door prize of Bergstrom Car Wash Certificates was won by Pat Collar.
AHS COMMUNICATIONS REPORTS:
Christine Williams, AHS Vice President and Program Committee Chair, gave a summary of upcoming programs and events (See Above).
Gwen Sargeant, AHS Board Member and Book Editor, gave a progress report on the publishing of our book Images of America-Appleton:
A We will be doing a kickoff of the book distribution at our March 7th History Fair to be held at the City Center.
BThe book will be available at monthly AHS meetings from now on.
CBarnes and Noble on Casaloma Drive will be doing a Book Event on the book on Saturday, May 2, 2015.
PLANNING FOR 10TH AHS HISTORY FAIR AT THE APPLETON DOWNTOWN WINTER FARM MARKET – Saturday, March 7, 2015
Jim Richter, Co-Chairman, reported that planning is already underway for the 10th History Fair on March 7, 2015.The event will again be a part of the Appleton Downtown Winter Farm Market held at the City Center.
Our theme will be “Where Friends Meet- Appleton’s Bars, Breweries and Drugstores”. As part of the event we will also have a “Historic Appleton Post Card Show and Swap Meet”.
Co-Chair Mark Moderson already has commitments from at least 10 exhibitors. Just a reminder there is no charge for an exhibit table, as well as no entrance fee to the public.
PROGRAM : “The Historic Valley Fair Mall”
Presenter: Jason Webber
Speakers Background:
Jason Weber has worked in law enforcement for the past 24 years. He has been with the
Town of Menasha Police Department since 1992 and is currently assigned to the
investigations division as the department’s Community Liaison Officer and Media
Spokesperson. He also serves on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Crime
Prevention Practitioners Association and the Wisconsin State TRIAD.
Jason was awarded the 2010 Law Enforcement Partner of the Year from the WI
Prevention Network on Substance Abuse and the 2010 Crime Prevention Practitioner of
the Year from the WI Crime Prevention Practitioners Association. In May of last year,
Jason received the 2014 Fox Valley Technical College’s Outstanding Alumni Award.
Jason teaches a variety of policing topics for the National Criminal Justice Training
Center and is an instructor for the WI Department of Public Instruction on drug abuse
prevention and active shooter response. Jason is also a published author; having written
two books on the history of the Town of Menasha and the Village of Kimberly and was
named the 2011 Historian of the Year by the Outagamie County Historical Society.
The Presentation:
In the early 1950’s a large, 50 acre parcel of land stood vacant on South Memorial Drive. The Harley Davidson franchise purchased a parcel from it’s west end facing Chain Drive. Of the remaining 42 acres, Gerald Hoffman purchased 26 acres to create a shopping mall. Hoffman was a local builder and developer with a great vision.
Hoffman’s vision was to construct a large, shopping mall that would be weather protected. His plans included free, off street parking.
Here’s how it all evolved:
A. Construction started in 1953 with an initial construction cost of $1,000,000.
B. Two years later the Mall had it’s Grand Opening.
C. The name Valley Fair Mall was chosen from entries in a public contest.
D. The first six stores that opened:
(1) Krambo’s.
(2) W.T. Grant.
(3) House of Cameras & Cards.
(4) Woolworth’s.
(5) Badger Paint & Hardware.
(6) Walgreen’s.
E. By the time of the Grand Opening 18 stores were operational.
F. The Valley Fair Mall had steady growth into the 1960’s with store additions like
Scanlan’s Jewelers and Donald’s Gifts.
G. The Mall’s Flowered Center Court became the site of many seasonal and community
events. There were Beauty Pageants and Fashion Shows. Even a Hula Hoop Contest
was held in 1958.
H. For a number of years they hosted a Circus outside on the property’s southwest corner.
I. 15 years after the Mall opened, it employed over 300 people.
J. Other features added over the years:
(1) A large slide outside at the rear of the building.
(2) A go cart track on the west side of the property.
(3) Plant and floral exhibits were placed throughout the Mall with a major display in
the Center Court. These were maintained by Memorial Florists.
K. A big expansion of the mall in 1978-1979 put less emphasis on local businesses and
more on Nationally known tenants.
L. There was an extreme makeover in the 1980’s with the construction of Kohl’s Grocery
and Department Stores on the east end of the property.
M. Through the 1980’s and 1990’s the Mall changed ownership many times, but new
stores kept coming in, like Mother’s Ice Cream.
N. In the 1980’s Mall Wars started with the construction of Northland Mall, Fox River Mall,
and the Avenue Mall.
O. On December 9, 1983, the Valley Fair Mall along with other area properties were taken
from the Town of Menasha and annexed into the City of Appleton.
P. In 2002 Youth Futures, a Christian oriented group, bought the Mall. They
unsuccessfully tried to make it a Youth Mall with youth oriented focus in it’s stores and
events.
Q. In 2006 the Mall was closed to the public, at which time it was bought by a partnership
of Commercial Horizons Real Estate, Rollie Winter & Associates, and Bomier for
$2,300,000.
R. The new ownership group had the majority of the buildings demolished from 2008 to
2009.
Over the years there has been a national controversy on the location of the First Enclosed Mall. The biggest competitor for the honor had been the Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota. Careful joint study found that Valley Fair was really the first. It was proven that the Edina Mall opened on October 8, 1956.
Since 2006 the property has had success with the construction of the large Copps Food Center near it’s middle and the now Kwik Trip Gas Station Convenience Center on it’s northwest corner. Now Secura Insurance will be taking over the long vacant Kohl’s Food Store building on the far east side of the property. Secura will be making the building it’s Information Technology Department.
Speaker’s Closing Comments:
The Valley Fair Mall made a major mark in the history of the Fox Valley. It was the biggest and best in it’s time. For those who would like more information, Jason invites them to contact him by phone at (920)720-7160.
Respectfully, James L. Richter
AHS Secretary, 2/24/15