Maple Crest was the next mall to be constructed in town. Maple Crest Plaza is at the southwest corner of Lincoln and Washington Streets. Ground was broken for it in March, 1957. Tenants at the opening included Woolworth, Kroger, and National Tea. Estimated cost for the construction was $2,000,000. It originally had 125,000 square feet of building space and parking places for 1115 cars. The plaza was heavily damaged by the Palm Sunday tornado of 1965. Today, there are three main stores: Kroger, Harbor Freight Tools, and Rural King. #HCHistory #CityofKokomo (fb)

How do you do your shopping? Today, the answer is probably online. However, before computers there were strip malls and indoor malls for your local shopping needs. Strip malls were the first to be constructed in Kokomo. The Forest Park Shopping Center is located between Jefferson and Sycamore Streets, just east of Dixon Road. Construction began in 1956 with an estimated cost of $1,000,000. The initial design had more than 42,000 square feet of space and places to park 344 cars. Businesses at the opening included Huddle Restaurant, Ben Franklin 5 & 10 Cent Store, and Forest Park Apparel Shop. Today, the two most prominent stores are Dollar General on the north end and Dairy Queen at the south end. #HCHistory #CityofKokomo (fb)