Former Jamestown Mall Bought By St. Louis County Port Authority

CLAYTON, MO — The St. Louis County Port Authority announced yesterday that it has purchased the last buildings at the former Jamestown Mall site, bringing the entire property under its control. Plans for the buildings and grounds, which once housed Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's and Sears department stores, as well as a movie theater, were not revealed, though county officials have said they will seek ideas. The county paid $2 million.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:

The port authority had filed an eminent domain lawsuit this year but continued to negotiate with Carlyle Group, the New York-based owner of the final pieces. The port authority said it would withdraw the suit after closing. A Carlyle representative could not be reached Monday for comment.

The port authority had been sued by a faith healer and his ministry who claimed the port authority and other county officials cheated him out of an opportunity to redevelop the site for its headquarters, and that the port authority had no jurisdiction away from navigable waterways. The plaintiffs withdrew the suit in September with a plan to amend it. A St. Louis County Circuit Court judge agreed parts of the suit could be refiled, but as of Monday they had not been. A lawyer for the ministry could not be reached.

The mall closed for good in 2014 when Macy's, the last of its anchor stores, left. Read more from the Post-Dispatch.

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