Gage Shopping Center

Gage Shopping Center in Topeka, Kansas, is a large, multi-purpose outdoor retail and office center located just West of the Westboro neighborhood. Planned and constructed in 1959 by Sam Cohen and E.W. Gerlach, the new Gage Shopping Center featured air-conditioned stores, a large central parking area and a design that permitted shoppers to go from store to store on paved sidewalks under canopies. The planned development was estimated to cost $2 million.
Over the next 30 years, the center was a vibrant commercial district. Gage Shopping Center included one of the first multiplex movie theaters with stadium seating, the Gage 4 Cinemas, office space, many retail stores, and a specialized shopping area within the center known as Cobblestone Alley. As the city grew and new housing and shopping developments were built along the far West corridor of Topeka in the 1990's, Gage Shopping Center fell into disrepair and the Gage 4 Cinemas began to screen second-run movies.
The center was revitalized when it was purchased from the Cohen family in 2002 and refurbished at a reported cost of $1 Million for updates.

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