Where Lincoln Shopped Before the Chains Came
Before Target and Amazon Prime began slicing into foot traffic, Lincoln had the Gateway Mall. Built in 1960, it wasn’t trying to be a spectacle. It was practical.
Air didn’t circulate through the corridors then because there weren’t any enclosed ones yet. You parked near Montgomery Ward, walked to Miller & Paine, and maybe stopped at the open-air fountain.
Generations who lived near 60th and O knew exactly where their first pair of school shoes came from. Even today, you’ll hear it in casual conversation – someone will still refer to it as Gateway Shopping Center…