West County Center

West County Center is a shopping mall located in Des Peres, Missouri, originally built in 1969. The original mall closed in 2001, and a new mall on the site opened in 2002. From the mid 1990s-2007, the mall was known as Westfield (Shoppingtown) West County and was one of 7 St. Louis malls owned by the Australian mall company until CBL & Associates acquired 4 out of 5 Westfield St. Louis malls in October, 2007.

The new West County Center, featuring 1,138,813 sq. ft., opened on September 20, 2002. The new mall featured as anchor stores: Famous-Barr (now Macy’s), JCPenney, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom, and Galyan’s Sports and Outdoor Adventure (now Dick’s Sporting Goods). Lord & Taylor closed in June 2006, and a new lifestyle center, featuring Barnes and Noble and other tenants, is being built on the site. One of the two Apple Stores in the St. Louis area is located here.

Dove sign

The most famous part of the mall is the large dove sign that sits outside the mall next to Interstate 270. Created by Joe Thaler, it has become a meeting place for thousands of people during its nearly 40-year life. The removal of the dove in early 2001 caused minor controversy among nearby churches. The dove was refurbished during the renovation, and in mid 2002, returned to its original perch. Today, it is in the parking lot outside of Nordstrom.