Midtown Plaza was America's first downtown mall. The mall was open from 1962-2008. I have many memories of going there as a chid, especially around Christmas time. There was a monorail that would take kids through Santa's mountain. There were several large department stores. One large store had a lunch counter I remember going to with my grandmother. The property now is a vacant lot.. There have been several ideas on redeveloping the site, including a performing arts center. Who knows if it will ever happen.