Crossroads Mall (San Antonio, TX) Slide show-1987

[@rickysatx79]

I would love to travel back in time to return to grand-opening of this mall to see what life was like in the 60s.

[@erickkylo3857]

I know im asking randomly but does anyone know a way to get back into an Instagram account..? I was stupid forgot my password. I appreciate any help you can offer me!

[@gavinblaze4014]

@Erick Kylo Instablaster ;)

[@erickkylo3857]

@Gavin Blaze thanks for your reply. I got to the site on google and Im trying it out now. Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@erickkylo3857]

@Gavin Blaze it worked and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thanks so much, you really help me out !

[@gavinblaze4014]

@Erick Kylo no problem xD

[@Foxerwolf]

I’m 16 and been going here all my life and it’s always been sad and empty, my dad likes to tell me about the re opening in 87 because he opened the sclotskys there and it was still there up until last few years ago, it’s sad to see how lively it used to be compared to now

[@ecgodsmack86]

I also remember it having 2 arcades and Musicland!

[@steelstreet3765]

I still enjoy this mall...more to remind myself I am getting older:(

[@txdrmr]

First job ever was at Montgomery Ward's at Wonderland/Crossroads. I was 15 and had to get my parents to basically sign off giving me permission to work. I spent the summer tearing down huge metal shelves in the storage/warehouse area. My first paycheck was $128 and I thought I was loaded!! That money went much further back in 85-86...Good times.

[@ecgodsmack86]

Cool.

[@ecgodsmack86]

I remember my Dad getting a TV from Montgomery Wards, there was also a Woolworth and Burger King on the top level.

[@steelstreet3765]

Awesome! You still think of the 80s?

[@ddave7026]

I worked at the Montgomery wards...some good memories

[@stevenvasquez3462]

I'm 19 years old today and I'm glad to say I experienced Handy Andy in my lifetime......How I miss that little Andy 😭 I love my city

[@pvillelde]

Handy Andy is gone?!

[@sherryhannah498]

Steven Vasquez I remember Handy Andy......one was down the street from my grandparents they lived on Pecan Valley. and the Handy Andy was down the street Pecan Valley at Dollarhide..... I hope you will reply to this

[@ecgodsmack86]

Bandera/ Woodlawn. Loved the Rallys Burgers back in the day. Sadly it's gone. Pistol Petes Pizza anyone?

[@looneysprig]

What year did Handy Andy close? I heard my mom say that Handy Andy was what HEB is to me, even though HEB has been around for so long.

[@jacoblara4820]

Who remembers when it got real busy during the jazz festival and the little race track was on the bottom floor? It was always packed then

[@retrocity392]

I remember it was good times. I worked there in 99 - 2002

[@efrem1]

I went to Aladdin's Castle all of the time in its prime in the mid-1980s. It got a lot of traffic next to Ward's which was doing gangbuster business at the time. I live in Arizona now and last visited Crossroads after my father passed away in 2005. As for Burlington, it started off as a Rhodes store, then Liberty House and finally Frost Bros. before Burlington took over in the late 1980s. It is indeed a ghost town now. We can glory in the past, but as the cliche goes, time marches on.

[@u.sprotectionsecurityservi2945]

Yup me too !!

[@retrocity392]

I went to Aladins castle there, then my dad would take me to Burger King upstairs to eat

[@ecgodsmack86]

Wow. Memories Burger King gone for sure. TILT was also another arcade by the food court.

[@retrocity392]

@@ecgodsmack86 yea the 2nd floor where the Covid place was that space was the Burger King my dad and I would eat there after playing the arcade. Best times !

[@utubepunk]

Born in late 70s, grew up loitering @ Ingram Park mall. I do remember going w/ my parents to shop @ Wards & Woolsworth. I liked it because it reminded me of a bigger Wins store. As I recall, it also shared an entrance to Burger King and there used to be a spiffy arcade right outside the lower level of Wards. They've remodeled Crossroads since, but I haven't been in ages. Closest I get is Burlington Coat Factory, which used to be Frost I think? I preferred Aladdin's Castle arcade in IPM.

[@ecgodsmack86]

Yes yes hahaha, Woolworth had and entrance through some wooden style western cowboy door that let you enter the Burger King last time I went through those door was 1993 and they were advertising the release of A Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton movie! Stay Blessed!

[@steelstreet3765]

You still go to the malls to enjoy?

[@utubepunk]

Ah- didn't realize that was an Aladdin's Castle @ Crossroads. Thanks for the history on the building that Burlington is in- didn't realize it had that many occupants. Time does march on, but I often get stuck in the nostalgia of the past.

[@retrocity392]

I went to Aladins castle there at the mall great memories. 1st floor by the stairs

[@ecgodsmack86]

There was also TILT the other Arcade there by the food court. Anyone remember Pop N Go video store?

[@retrocity392]

@@ecgodsmack86 yes Tilt that was a cool arcade room and yes pop n go back on Fred rd owner was real nice guy

[@steelstreet3765]

The past is cool. IF only if it stayed like that.

[@looneysprig]

@@ecgodsmack86 I remember going to that video store with my dad. There used to be in Fredericksburg Rd, which has now become an Aaron’s. When it closed, we started going more to the Blockbuster that was across, which later closed down in 2011.

[@ansemthewise210]

2023 still emptier as ever

[@marcosovideo]

Yep, the mall as it is now, in super empty, only a hand full of stores are open. It's a shame

[@steelstreet3765]

marcoso94 i went today and its not the same.

[@ecgodsmack86]

I would love to see it return to glory, one last time!

[@ladyi7609]

I LOVE THIS SLIDE SHOW! One of the places my family and I frequented when I was growing up was Crossroads Mall, and when it was newer, it was a fantastic place to go. I think what struck the death knell for the shopping center was the death of Montgomery Ward -- that was the major anchor for the mall, so when that went, so did the mall. It's on life support now thanks to the Bijou (the only awesome local movie theater), but for all intents and purposes it's a goner. :/

[@leoconchola3163]

how times have changed from 1961 to 2016. things have come and gone in the mall and its amazing. I started going,there in the mid 1990's and a lot has change

[@steelstreet3765]

Leo Conchola seems that past had better stuff and was alive.

[@leoconchola3163]

I have to agree with you and it's sad that it's not like that's

[@steelstreet3765]

Leo Conchola i see this video from time to time and go back to that mall to eat only or just to walk.

[@leoconchola3163]

Same here not a lot of variety but it's good prices

[@soulmate3210]

Thanks for sharing I wasn't born but I shop at Stein Mart Burlington Marshalls these stores warrant around in 1961 thanks for sharing

[@mlphotovideo]

Glad you liked it!

[@ddave7026]

Love your name! Praise be to the most high!

[@997Productions]

Its 2017 and its not as spectacular as it shouldve been. Someday things will be great again...

[@997Productions]

@Jaime Rodney Absolutely no fuck was given.

[@steelstreet3765]

I still go to this mall every little chance I get.. I only go to eat at side wok cafe.. the lady that works there that's told me she's worked there for 30 years and she serves me lot of food.

[@ladyi7609]

My late mom used to eat a lot at Side Wok Cafe whenever we would pay the mall a visit. I would get something from Sbarro, later Goomba's. Now I don't go anymore except if there's a really good movie there.

[@steelstreet3765]

@@ladyi7609 any cool movie lately?

[@frankchappell9000]

I continue to go to the Bijou there , and look up at the balcony for the lounge that overlooked the pool . It seems like a great place for a Starbucks , but without other businesses , it might not work out . And the pool is not filled all the time .

[@tommytruth7595]

Malls have had their day.

[@nickmartel]

I always wondered where Rudy went after Aladdins castle closed. Does anyone know? He was the coolest game attendant. That was my go to place in the early 90's. I was in middle school, so my friends and I would take the bus there to go play Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Killer instinct. Tilt was the other arcade at the movie theater entrance next to Sbarros Pizza (Now Goombas). They had a girl with big hair running Tilt, so my friends and I thought she was awesome. Sometimes the mall had a Pepsi and Coca Cola booth. You were given both sodas in a small sample cup and had to guess which soda you were drinking. If you got it right they would spin a prize wheel and you would win something. I cant remember what the prizes were. Crossroads/Wonderland is still my favorite mall because of how relaxed it is during the week, and I have a lot of great childhood memories there. It still has several good stores, random shops; and a movie theater which is cozy for a date night, with art on the walls by different artists available for purchase. Thank you Mark for posting this footage!

[@SamPendleton]

THANK YOU for this post! I remember Rudy at Aladdin's Castle, too! There was also a cool lady who worked there and who would give my sister and me free games on occasion (we beat Ninja Turtles one afternoon on a stack of her sympathy tokens). I fondly remember the Pepsi Challenge, too; scoring free soda was bad-a**. We played at Tilt as well (Final Fight and SFII), and my cousins and I would go all over the mall in the summertime while my grandparents walked their laps (remember that?) and people-watched. I'm glad you still like going there; I've cruised through a few times and find it depressing now, but I'm glad it's still serving the community. Thanks again for the memories; it's fun to reminisce.

[@efrem1]

I used to visit this mall frequently back in the day. I would say shadow that the mall started going downhill before you were born. Ward's closed up in the late 1990s and the Supertarget does not allow access to the mall. It had promise when it was remodeled in 1987, but Ingram Park Mall was clobbering it with its own expansion and the with the rise of the big-box stores, Crossroads fate was sealed. What a shame.

[@claystunna5030]

I remember woolworth upstairs and there was more stores there at that time.. probably early 90s..oh yeah and burger king..

[@downtownman7916]

I still go there to eat...whenever I can and play this video. Who can I contact to add this audio to smartphone video ?

[@mlphotovideo]

I don't have the rights to the music...you would need to purchase the tunes from your music provider.

[@looneysprig]

I remember Burlington having another floor. I don’t know exactly when they got rid of that other floor, but I believe they got rid of it sometime in mid-late 2015 or 2016. I also used to go to the arcade when I was little and it’s a shame they got rid of it. I remember having so much fun. I believe what was the arcade is where the train model is. The only thing close to an arcade is this Speed car place, but I haven’t really been there and it doesn’t look as fun as the old arcade

[@retrocity392]

No more arcade there anymore :( but I remember the arcade your talking about by the food court.

[@looneysprig]

@@retrocity392 for some reason, I remember there being a glass elevator where you could see the people riding it. But I must be thinking of another mall since I did go to the Ingram Mall and North Star Mall when I was little. I also remember there being a fountain that I always wanted to come back to it

[@retrocity392]

@@looneysprig no your correct, Burlington had a glass elevator you can see people through the glass doors in the parking area they would enter through there or inside the mall

[@looneysprig]

@@retrocity392 went there last weekend and turns out they got rid of the clock fountain and the movie theater

[@retrocity392]

@@looneysprig sadly that’s correct, a store I liked moved to rolling oaks mall and some of the events. It’s not what it use to be anymore :(

[@tinsote7176]

What's pretty ironic is that the mall is in Balcones Heights, TX not San Antonio.

[@mlphotovideo]

True...

[@looneysprig]

I don’t know why they got rid of some of the indoor fountains. I know there still is a fountain on the food court and in the clock/tower that are rarely turned on, but there was a pool shaped fountain in the entrance. I feel like there were a couple of pool shaped fountains, but I only found a picture of one and my mom said that it was just one. I was a toddler, so I don’t remember. I remember being to that pool fountain and always wanted to see it. I have a grandma that lives near the mall, and I remember one day as 2 year old going to the mall with my mom early that day before going to grandma’s house. When we were leaving grandma’s house that night to go home, I was trying to walk back to the mall but I was stopped. My parents were scared to see me walk away by myself since I was a toddler. They asked me where I was going, and I said “water” so they knew it was the mall because I loved the fountain. It’s a shame they got rid of it. I still see a bit of blue on the floor covered by a mat of what seemed to be from the fountain. I also remember a glass elevator, but my mom told me that I was probably thinking of Ingram Mall or those other malls we went to.

[@retrocity392]

Correct there was a fountain at the lower entrance under Burlington where people would throw pennies in. It was refreshing hearing the water fountain. Now it’s just a sitting area :-/

[@looneysprig]

@@retrocity392 under the mat of the sitting area, I was able to see a bit of that blue tile floor where the fountain was. It’s a shame that they got rid of it.

[@retrocity392]

@@looneysprig I agree, I worked there 99-2002 as a security guard and loved everything about that mall at the time. More stores, people, it was fun. I still go there to shop at the little shops of wonderland cool shops but that’s about it :-/

[@looneysprig]

@@retrocity392 is it true that there was JCPenney in the mall during that time? My grandma said there was since she lived near there, but it only lasted like 2 years

[@retrocity392]

@@looneysprig I never saw one there

[@mav3783]

Roll on 1987 i carn't wait

[@steelstreet3765]

I want to go back in time.

[@QBCNetwork]

Originally from Houston, TX Wonderland/Crossroads Mall was the best for me. I enjoyed Woolworths & the other shops offered @ the time, plus staying @ nearby Rodeway Inn along with taking the VIA Park & Ride to avoid downtown parking. But the greatest Crossroads memory happened on September 16, 1991 when Saved By The Bell's Lark Voorhies & Mario Lopez did an autograph session! I was lucky to meet Mario & he took a pic with me, plus signed my snare drum head! I had won $500 on bingo.

[@ecgodsmack86]

Very cool

[@causeway7005]

I worked there at Burger King when It opened on the second level connected to Woolworths.

[@tracywebb1604]

I live 6 blocks frm there Fredericksburg

[@utubepunk]

Yeah, the movie theater now is more of the artsy type that has indy films. Do you remember the restaurant across from Ingram Park mall, in the shopping center to the right of Best Products? It was a place w/ nice booths & tiffany lamps that had awesome shakes. It was in the same shopping center as all the recruitment offices (Navy, Army, Air Force, etc).

[@ladyi7609]

You mean the GOOD movies! The Bijou is pretty much the only thing that would attract me to the Wonderland of the Americas. Well, that and the threat of an impending wrecking ball, just for one last walk around.

[@SamPendleton]

You're talking about Swensons; I remember it well. I enlisted in the Marines at that recruiting office, and I had my first job at the Toys'R'Us across the street.

[@bassage13]

The theater was an indie theater in the 90s. I went there a lot back then. It was the only place I could see Fargo and Mall Rats.

[@utubepunk]

@@SamPendleton Yup, that was it! I only remember going there a few time for dessert & it was amazing to a kid. The Toys R Us you used to work at was great. It was the one I went to & have good memories of.

[@Joshcom88]

I like Crossroads I just wish they had good stores. I grew with it being called "Crossroads" and now they call it "Wonderland" again... Schlotzsky's is STILL there... lol

[@steelstreet3765]

Josh R is it still there in 2018?

[@ladyi7609]

I was there some time in 2017 -- whenever T2 Trainspotting was released -- and was shocked to find that the Schlotzsky's is no more! I don't even know if Goomba's Pizzeria is still operating there.

[@looneysprig]

@@ladyi7609 Goomba’s is still there. I remember having it a few months ago

[@steelstreet79]

I haven't gone in a year. I am in New Zealand now 😂 the only Hispanic man here.

[@fuge90]

Hi great slide show ,what kind of equipment were you using?,thanks

[@peterblue2708]

Yeah I remember Burger King being there. I don't know why they got rid of it. But I do believe that Ross has the spot where Woolworth and Burger King used to be. The only places I know that are still there from when I was a kid is Burlington, Hobby Lobby, Schlotzky's, and the movie theater. It used to be a Regal theater but Santiko's took over. But there's only adult movies or some random movies you never heard of.

[@ladyi7609]

^^ Dear lord, the last sentence here indicates the kind of ignorance I have to live with around these parts.

[@downtownman7916]

Do people still hang out there?

[@997Productions]

Downtownman79 If events are happening yes but nowadays its like any other dead mall.

[@looneysprig]

I sometimes do.

[@steelstreet3765]

Looney Tunes Girl i only go there to eat lol.

[@looneysprig]

Street steel2.0 I sometimes eat there too.

[@steelstreet3765]

Looney Tunes Girl i was there 2 hours ago. Just walking.

[@robertsimpson5136]

The Lendorf project was really well done....architecturally. It was good retail design, with a good mix of vendors. But it just never seemed to accomplish the intent which was to build the mall traffic back up to the 70's levels. I always loved it....but could see that it just wasn't the success it needed to be. All of the Malls were in decline....and the project didn't save it. Had they just been off conceptually....it could have been fixed.....but there was a cultural shift that none of the retailers could ever solve.

[@downtownman7916]

was this video shown to public? Anymore information?

[@mlphotovideo]

It was shown at the grand-reopening.

[@pasttimes3068]

I have the original metal plaque that was outside the door To Montgomery wards on the wall in my house 🏠

[@Be_Kind7683]

Fun to learn and continue to do more research isn't it?

[@mlphotovideo]

Yes!

[@trudykraft5110]

I loved the big beautiful carousel. But the last time I saw hundreds of people there waa during the massive blood drive after the A&M bonfire collapse. I donate often, I stood in line a couple of hours. The bad thing, is that no blood was needed and so much was discarded. This made so many so upset they did not want to donate again.

[@SteveVi0lence]

Hey remember how it was renamed because of some movie

[@shadowknight227]

It's ashame it's basically gone, now. I was born in '97, and I remember it was filled much more than it is today, April of 2011. Basically, it lost all it's competition to North Star mall. The only reason I go there is because SAMRA moved there model train layout out there (which I run my trains on every other Sundays.) from the Quarry.

[@peterblue2708]

Oh and I forgot Stein Mart.

[@steelstreet3765]

Peter Bautista its still there.

[@thesaexplorer]

Sadly they closed their doors a few months back

[@ecgodsmack86]

Bring back malls and video rental stores. Rallys Burgers? Pistol Petes Pizza? Even the Alamo Dome isn't what it was upon opening. Sad.

[@Zones33]

The mall seemed like a good idea but it ruined our cities