The mall was developed in 1976 by Homart Development Company and originally had wood and glass railings and an overall off-white and brown theme. The pillars in the mall were made of white pebbles. There was no elevator in the mall and originally the mall featured a large ramp for access to the second floor by wheelchair. The mall was designed with a sunken basement-level foodcourt. The mall featured the department stores Powers Dry Goods and Sears. Powers' store became Donaldson's in 1985, then Carson Pirie Scott in 1987. In 1984, a Target store was constructed adjacent to the mall and connected by a walkway.
The 1990s
The mall underwent a major renovation and the color scheme was changed to a pink and aqua pastel theme. The white pebble pillars were covered with pastel aqua round casings. The ramp was removed and replaced with a free standing elevator. The glass and wood railings were replaced with aqua painted metal. The food court was decorated with large neon palm trees and given a fountain that changed colors. The Carson Pirie Scott store became a Mervyns, and work began on adding a Kohl's department store. A second United Artistsmovie theater was built, called "Eden Prairie East" and the old theater located beneath the Target walkway was renamed "Eden Prairie West". The mall entrances at this time had large white pyramids. In June 1997, General Growth purchased the rest of the development that it did not already own from Homart.
Present day
The mall underwent the most major renovation in 2001. A new wing was added to the mall and the floor plan changed considerably to make the mall more modern and upscale. The food court was moved out of the recessed basement, which has been sealed in and now serves as the mall offices and other offices, changing the mall's store layout from a three-story mall to two stories. A large AMC movie theater was added to the mall and the two United Artists theatres have closed. The Target expanded into a Target Greatland and connected to the mall, replacing the old walkway. A Von Maur department store was added to the mall in August 2001, the mall entrance utilizing space that had been smaller mall stores near the old food court area. The mall has a simplified stylized "EP" logo to replace the older handwritten style logo, and the pastel theme disappeared in favor of wood and stonework. After the Mervyns store closed in August 2004, the owner of the mall acquired the store. Department Store Discounters had a brief stay in the Mervyn's location in 2005. J. C. Penney opened a new store in the former Mervyn's location in March 2007. The current department stores in the mall are JCPenney, Kohls, Target, and Von Maur. In October 2013, General Growth Properties sold the mall to Cypress Equities for $99 million. Sears closed in 2016 and will become Scheels All Sports in 2020. On June 4, 2020, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing as part of a plan to close 154 stores nationwide.
Film Appearances
The Kevin Smith movie Mallrats was filmed inside the Eden Prairie Center Mall in 1995. Smith decided to film the movie at the mall after various malls objected to content in the film, and refused to allow the production to be shot there.
The mockumentary Drop Dead Gorgeous has a scene filmed in the parking lot of the Eden Prairie Center, when they are allegedly parking in the parking lot of the nearby Mall of America; one of the 1990s era pyramid entrances is clearly visible in the background.
