Malls · Wyoming
Cole Shopping Center
Cole Shopping Center opened 1954, declined after anchor closures, demolished 2019 for Blue Federal Credit Union headquarters and retail center. · summary, model-written
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile5 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)
This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with thisHigh tornado risk
This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: Blue Federal Credit Union headquarters and Blue Diamond Center retail center extraction · all sites with thisOffice
This site: Blue Federal Credit Union headquarters and Blue Diamond Center retail center extraction · all sites with thisRetail (continued)
This site: …e Federal Credit Union headquarters and Blue Diamond Center retail center extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Demolishedextracted, unreviewed documentedit was demolished for Blue Federal Credit Union's world headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail center. |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed documentedit was demolished for Blue Federal Credit Union's world headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail center. |
| New uses | office, retailextracted, unreviewed reported |
| What is there now | Blue Federal Credit Union headquarters and Blue Diamond Center retail centerextracted, unreviewed documentedit was demolished for Blue Federal Credit Union's world headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail center. |
| Retrofit year | 2019extracted, unreviewed reported |
| Redeveloper | Blue Federal Credit Unionextracted, unreviewed reported |
Site context
| Transit within 800 m | no rail station; 6 bus stops within 400 mOpenStreetMap |
|---|---|
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 3: BLUE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION HQ; CHEYENNE VA MEDICAL CENTER; SAFEWAY STORE #2469EPA FRS |
| Census tract 56021000602 | 2,965 people, 4,010 per sq mi; median household income $82,647; median gross rent $938; 41% renters; 0.0% vacant units; 0.1% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 5 of 6 daily needs: 0 grocers, 3 schools, 31 parks or playgrounds, 5 health, 4 civic, 11 food and drink; 8 cycleway segments, 138 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| Housing permits, Laramie County (WY), 2024 | 104 units in 5+ unit buildings, 61 in 2–4, 332 single-family; 2023: 8 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.58; socioeconomic 0.37; housing and transport 0.57; 18% below 150% of poverty; 4% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Overture Maps | no place match; building footprint 3,571 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 1,203 since 2015; 437 in the last 12 months (-3% vs the prior 12); peak 2024-01 with 64Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | tract boundary changed between the 2010 and 2020 census; no 2013 comparisonCensus ACS |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | relatively low overall (score 48.5); expected annual loss $1.1M; high: tornado, winter weather, ice storm, cold wave, lightning; community resilience relatively lowFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | noneHUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 5,188 jobs in 320 establishments; average annual pay $39,731; employment location quotient 1.07; employment -0.6% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 1,387 jobs; 217 in retail trade, 2 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 56021000602)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 43th income percentile as adults; 2.9% incarcerated at the 2010 count (595 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | low-access at 1 mile, not low-income; 34% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 11.6%; median family income $73,875; 202 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Laramie County School District 1 (KG-12); 8 public schools within 1 mile: East High School; Carey Junior High School; Alta Vista Elementary; Arp ElementaryNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 6,066 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 551 county-logged events: 387 hail, 102 thunderstorm wind, 39 flash flood, 18 tornado; $1,487,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 82001, 2026-09 | median list price $390,000 (+3.2% on the year); 118 active listings; median 40 days on market; 17% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 374 establishments (+1%); 6,416 jobs (+15%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $390,068 (+3% 1 yr, +16% 5 yr); typical rent $1,529/mo (+6% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2025 | 428 (2000 = 100); +5.2% 1 yr, +40% 5 yr, +81% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 24,970 vehicles a day on Unknown (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 153 trucks; 26 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Cole Shopping Center opened in 1954 as a mall developed by Frank Maurice Cole. Over time, anchor tenants such as Safeway, RadioShack, and the cinema closed, leaving the property largely abandoned. In 2019 the site was demolished and redeveloped into Blue Federal Credit Union's headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail center.
Why. The decline was driven by the loss of key anchors—Safeway closed in 2016, RadioShack also closed in 2016, and Cole Square Cinemas closed in 2010—leading to reduced foot traffic and vacancy. The record does not cite debt, competition, or other financial pressures as causes.
Where it stands. Today the site is occupied by Blue Federal Credit Union's headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail center, under the control of Blue Federal Credit Union.
For a planner
- The site followed a redevelopment strategy from mall to office/retail, completed in 2019.
- County population grew 3.0% between 2018 and 2023, indicating regional growth pressure.
- The retrofit is already built, so no further adaptive reuse opportunities remain.
- Open questions include long-term traffic impact, zoning compatibility, and any remaining environmental considerations.
For a developer
- Site comprises over 350,000 square feet of land.
- Control is held by Blue Federal Credit Union, which executed the redevelopment.
- Entitlement stage is complete: demolition finished 2019 and new buildings constructed.
- Context-layer constraints (flood risk, transit access, environmental factors) are not detailed in the record.
What we do not know yet
- Exact timing and reasons for earlier anchor closures beyond Safeway, RadioShack, and cinema are not specified.
- Financial details such as debt, financing structure, or public incentives used for the redevelopment are absent.
- Environmental or flood‑risk assessments, transit proximity, and zoning designations are not provided.
- The record is marked as draft (verified: draft), indicating possible data quality issues.
- No information on current occupancy rates or lease terms for the new office/retail components.
Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.
Similar sites
- Crossroads Mall, Omaha, NE · Malls · opened 1960; same strategy: redevelop
- Eastland Center, Harper Woods, MI · Malls · opened 1957; same strategy: redevelop
- Heart of Huntsville Mall, Huntsville, AL · Malls · opened 1961; same strategy: redevelop
- Parkdale Plaza, Corpus Christi, TX · Malls · opened 1957; same strategy: redevelop
Elsewhere on the web
Pages with photos
- CLASSIC CHEYENNE: The Cole Shopping Center kingfm.com
- Blue Federal Credit Union plans to develop Cole Shopping Center by 2… wyomingnews.com
- New cafe opening at Cole Shopping Center! (now Blue Dia… optopolis.blogspot.com
- Blue Federal Credit Union selects Cole Shopping Center for future ... northfortynews.com
- NEW @ Cole Shopping Center: Shops @ Blue FCU 2020 [Part 1] (… youtube.com
- Apartments near Cole Shopping Center in Cheyenne, WY - Pa… apartments.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
- county grew 3.0% 2018–23
Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.
History and original facts
| Opened | 1954extracted, unreviewed |
|---|---|
| Original developer | Frank Maurice Coleextracted, unreviewed documentedFrank Maurice Cole bought the land that would eventually be occupied by Safeway as well as many smaller-format businesses that made up Cole Shopping Center. |
| Anchors | Safeway |
| County | Laramie County |
| Census division | 8 · Mountain |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres, GLA. Know it? Tell us.
Background
The Cole Shopping Center was a shopping plaza in the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Located just east of Converse Avenue and between E Pershing Blvd and Chestnut Dr, the plaza occupied over 350,000 square feet of land. Frank Maurice Cole bought the land that would eventually be occupied by Safeway as well as many smaller-format businesses that made up Cole Shopping Center. The plaza was easily recognized by its neon sign. In the end, after several years of being mostly abandoned, it was demolished for Blue Federal Credit Union's world headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail center.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1954 Cole Shopping Center opened
- 1976 Restaurant built north of new Safeway building
- 2010 Cole Square Cinemas closed
- 2016 Safeway at Cole Shopping Center closed
- 2016 RadioShack closed
- 2018 Blue Federal Credit Union announces headquarters plan
- 2019 Demolition begins
- 2019 Groundbreaking for world headquarters
- 2019 Demolition completed
Sources
- Wikipedia: Cole Shopping Center · supports: after notes, original developer, status, strategy, year opened
14 quoted sentences
Cole Shopping Center opened in 1954.
Frank Maurice Cole bought the land that would eventually be occupied by Safeway as well as many smaller-format businesses that made up Cole Shopping Center.
it was demolished for Blue Federal Credit Union's world headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail center.
it was demolished for Blue Federal Credit Union's world headquarters and the Blue Diamond Center retail center.