Lake View Store U.S. Steel built what may be nation’s first indoor mall

By John Lundy jlundy@duluthnews.com

Considered by some to be the nation’s first indoor mall, the Lake View Store building opened for business July 20, 1916, according to Duluth News Tribune archives.

U.S. Steel began building Morgan Park in 1913 as a bedroom community for its steel mill next door, according to Tony Dierckins’ book, “Zenith: A Postcard Perspective of Duluth.”

Named after U.S. Steel founder J.P. Morgan, the community at the time had the most modern school, hospital and community facilities in the nation, Dierckins wrote.

Lake View Store was built at the heart of the community. According to News Tribune archives, the building had everything people might need: a bank, a barbershop, a dentist’s office, a grocery store, a shoe store and a hair salon. A corridor connected the storefronts, which is why some, at least, consider it to have been the country’s first indoor mall.

The steel mill was starting to reduce operations by the early 1970s, and by 1979 closed down completely. Lake View Store gradually emptied out with it.

Attempts to revitalize the building have met with mixed success at best. The Iron Mug, a coffee shop in one corner of the building, has had two iterations in recent years. It closed most recently in September 2019. u