The basement of Merle Hay shopping mall was frozen in 2000. Explore the abandoned garden court in the mall.
This is the first in the first series that occasionally brings readers into unique places in Iowa, which is not easily accessible to the public.
Stepping into the basement of Melhall Shopping Center, a ghost and weird stare at a ghost in a doll dressed in Christmas costume.
The 30,000-square-foot space of a former McDonald’s house is now abandoned at the foot of the mall. Although it has been unpublished since 2000, Des Moines residents often speculate on what has happened since they were sealed.
Once you enter the space, you will meet the once-old disc jockey. CD shelves have been replaced and now hold the mall’s old drinking fountains, sinks and other pipe parts.
Exterior of cost cutter visible on the first level of the enclosed basement at Merle Hay shopping center in Des Moines on July 17, 2025.
Entering the public area where the escalator is located, empty flower beds and benches are lit up by black antique street lights.
The faint outline of the former McDonald’s logo can still be seen at the plank entrance, while the old-fashioned, brown unspeakable tiles have a light layer of dust that colorizes the floor.
Before the closure, shoppers visited the basement of the Armed Forces Recruitment Center or made quick $10 by completing research firm surveys.
What was the original purpose of the basement of Merle Hay Shopping Center?
The so-called “Garden Court” can do more than just be a place to be a burger or a haircut. The original purpose of the basement was actually a bomb shelter. Shopping centers utilized the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950, which provided matching grants for the construction of air strike shelters.
“There is a very important motivation for commercial property owners to talk about civil-defense buildings,” said Elizabeth Holland, CEO of Merle Hay Investors, which owns the mall.
Merle Hay Plaza opened in 1959 and was developed by Dutch grandfather Joseph Abbell, making her the third generation leading the Des Moines shopping center. The mall captures the expansion of the suburbs in the north and west of Des Moines. At that time, Interstate 235 did not cut traffic in the subway.
Instead, Douglas Avenue is one of the main routes from Des Moines to the growing suburbs. The shopping center crosses the border between Des Moines and Urbandale, effectively acting as the center of a vast subway.
“Today, they are named after shopping malls,” the Netherlands said. “At that time, Merle Hay Road was already Merle Hay Road, and they named Merle Hay Plaza because it was on the road.”
When the tax credit expired, Abel decided to take advantage of the space for commercial purposes. So he converted it into a bowling alley in 1972 and used it for other spaces in the shop in the early 1980s.
“When these tax credits expired, rather than having bunk beds and canned food in the basement, my grandfather developed Merle Hay Lanes,” Holland said. “So we’re in the bowling alley business.”
Is the basement of Merle Hay shopping center bothering?
There was already a buzz about the basement when the Netherlands decided to work for their grandfather 28 years ago.
“I don’t know why people think this is the reason for being bothered 28 years ago,” Holland said.
Christmas decorations are seen in the enclosed basement of the Merle Hay shopping center in Des Moines on July 17, 2025.
Security personnel often travel to the basement. Some of them moved the Christmas dolls so they looked as if they were still alive. The Netherlands has never experienced any supernatural activities in the basement, but as an avid horror movie fan, she can’t help but enjoy guessing.
“It has a lot of different uses, and I think it’s probably a city legend where there are a lot of people growing up there,” Holland said of the rumor.
Why is the basement of Merle Hay Mall closed?
General view of the basement level is closed at Merle Hay Shopping Center in Des Moines on July 17, 2025.
After renovations inside the mall, many tenants requested to move upstairs or move out of the mall.
Therefore, investors believe it is best to close the entrance to the Garden Court District located near the shopping center’s children’s area. The separate entrance still has access to the bowling alley.
What’s next for the basement of Merle Hay Shopping Center?
The mall is in conversation with possible destination entertainment business that may take over the basement. A competitor will develop a talking nightclub that pairs with existing bowling alleys.
The basement reconstruction project will be part of the shopping mall’s large arena project. In April, Merle Hay Shopping Center announced that the arena would become the home of Drake University hockey team. Other tenants who joined the program at the time included the Iowa Demon Eagles Professional Indoor Football Team and Central Iowa Figure Skaters. The Pirates of Des Moines no longer plan to be part of the project.
The Netherlands told the Register that a conversation about reopening the basement is in progress, but now it says what business or who to be with.
“I don’t want to say who it is,” the Netherlands said. “It’s a very powerful local operator of entertainment, but we had some good conversations.”
Kate Kealey is a general assignment journalist for the Register. Contact her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on TwitterKkealey17.
This article originally appeared in the Des Moines Register: The basement of Mel Hyde Shopping Center was abandoned. Seen in Garden Court.
