This is the first in an occasional series taking readers inside unique places in Iowa that aren’t readily accessible to the public.
Stepping down into the Merle Hall Mall basement, one is greeted by the ghosts of former stores and eerie stares from dolls dressed in Christmas apparel.
The 30,000-square-foot space, once the home of a McDonald’s, Cost Cutters and more, is now abandoned under the feet of mall-goers. Despite being closed to the public since 2000, Des Moines residents often speculate about what’s gone on down there since it was sealed off.
Upon entering the space, you run into what used to be the old Disc Jockey. CD shelves have been replaced and now hold the mall’s old drinking fountains, sinks and other plumbing parts.
The exterior of Cost Cutters is seen in the closed basement level at Merle Hay Mall on July 17, 2025, in Des Moines.
Moving into the common area where the escalators were located, empty flower beds and benches are lit by black antique street lights.
A faint outline of the former McDonald’s sign is still visible on the wooden panel entrance, and the old-school, brown nonslip tiling has a light layer of dust tinting the floor.
Before the closure, shoppers visited the basement for the Armed Forces Recruiting Center or to make a quick 10 bucks by completing a survey for a research company.
What was the original use of the Merle Hay Mall basement?
What was known as the “Garden Court” could do much more than serve as a place to get a burger or a haircut. The original use for the basement was effectively a bomb shelter. The mall took advantage of the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950, which offered matching grants to states for constructing air raid shelters.
“Commercial property owners had a pretty significant incentive to build, what they would say would be, a Civil Defense-rated building,” said Elizabeth Holland, the CEO of Merle Hay Investors, which owns the mall.
Merle Hay Plaza opened in 1959, and it was developed by Holland’s grandfather, Joseph Abbell, making her the third-generation to lead the mall in Des Moines. The mall captured the expansion of the suburbs to the north and west of Des Moines. Back then, Interstate 235 wasn’t there to cut traffic through the metro.
Instead, Douglas Avenue served as one of the main routes from Des Moines to the growing suburbs. The mall straddles the border of Des Moines and Urbandale, effectively serving as the epicenter for the sprawling metro.
“Nowadays, they name the road after the shopping center,” Holland said. “Back then, Merle Hay Road was already Merle Hay Road, and they named Merle Hay Plaza because it was on the road.”
When the tax credits expired, Abbell decided to take advantage of the space for commercial use. So he converted it into a bowling alley in 1972 and additional spaces for stores in the early 80s.
“When those tax credits expired, rather than having bunk beds and canned foods in the basement, my grandfather developed Merle Hay Lanes,” Holland said. “And so we were in the bowling alley business.”
Is the Merle Hay Mall basement haunted?
When Holland decided to work for her grandfather 28 years ago, there were already rumblings of the basement being haunted.
“I don’t know the genesis of why people thought it was haunted other than 28 years ago, people already thought that,” Holland said.
Christmas decorations are seen in the closed basement level at Merle Hay Mall on July 17, 2025, in Des Moines.
Security officers make frequent trips down to the basement. Some of them move the Christmas dolls around to make it seem as if they are alive. Holland never experienced any paranormal activity in the basement, but as an avid horror film fan, she can’t help but enjoy the speculation.
“It had so many different uses that I think it was probably an urban legend that grew up around having lots of people down there,” Holland said of the rumors.
Why did Merle Hay Mall’s basement close?
A general view of the closed basement level at Merle Hay Mall on July 17, 2025, in Des Moines.
After a renovation of the mall’s interior, many tenants requested to move to the upstairs or out of the mall.
So, investors decided it would be best to close the entrance to the Garden Court area, which was located near the mall’s children’s area. A separate entrance still allows access to the bowling alley.
What’s next for Merle Hay Mall basement?
The mall is in conversation with a possible destination entertainment business that would take over the basement. One contender would develop a speakeasy-type nightclub to pair with the existing bowling alley.
The basement’s redevelopment project would be part of the mall’s larger arena project. In April, Merle Hay Mall announced the arena would be home to Drake University’s hockey team when it opens. Other tenants joining in the project at the time included the Iowa Demon Hawks professional indoor soccer team and the Central Iowa Figure Skaters. The Des Moines Buccaneers no longer plan to be part of the project.
Conversations about reopening the basement are ongoing, but it is too soon to say what business or who they are with, Holland told the Register.
“I don’t want to say who it is with,” Holland said. “It’s a very strong local operator of entertainment venues, but we have had some good conversations.”
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The Merle Hay Mall basement is abandoned. See inside the Garden Court.
