However, in the late 1970s and the 1980s, new competition from other malls in the area harmed sales for Cinderella City, and the building itself was also plagued with structural problems.

The land is now occupied by a transit-oriented development, and the only remaining portion of the mall was converted to the Englewood Public Library and City Hall.

Cinder Alley, one of the two basement corridors in the mall, simulated a New York City street, complete with outdoor-esque facades and streetlamps.

The names and large head and shoulder shadow profiles of those responsible for the building of Cinderella City were memorialized on the floor of the Blue Mall.

In the early 1960s, developer Gerri Von Frellick proposed to build a new shopping center on what was then the KLZ (560 AM) radio tower property in Denver.

Neighboring residents around the proposed property were asked for their opinion on the new shopping center, and fearing a disruption in their community, rejected the idea,[2] and in turn the zoning board did the same.

After being rejected in Denver, Von Frellick approached Englewood in an attempt to buy a park spanning more than 60 acres (240,000 m2) to build his mall.

Construction of the 1,350,000-square-foot (125,000 m2) structure was difficult due to the sheer size of the project but was also complicated by the fact that the land was a landfill prior to being a park.

Dedication and official opening of the mall was marked by Von Frellick's wife turning on the 35-foot (11 m) fountain in the center court.

A few weeks later, after the east end of the mall was finished, a second grand opening was held to officially dedicate the rest of the stores.

[citation needed] Guy "Yug" London, a professional artist, painted surrealistic work in a public area in the mall.

During a routine structural inspection, workers found cracking on a pillar in the JCPenney store on the mall's north side.

As other shopping center competition popped up, Cinderella City management, now in the hands of KRAVCO, decided to embark on an enormous renovation project for the mall that would last three years, 1981 to 1984.

This modification of the original design also took away the automobile underpass that allowed drivers to avoid driving all the way around the mall to find a parking space.

Cinder Alley's collection of oddball stores and head shops were forced out during renovations, leaving it empty except for two arcades.

Catalyzed by a future Regional Transportation District (RTD) light rail station, Englewood planned on remaking the former mall site as a "downtown", complete with luxury apartments, mixed-use retail and residential buildings, and "big box" stores such as Walmart, Office Depot, and The Sports Authority.

Due to the presence of asbestos and lead-based paint in the mall, as well as oil and gas hazards at the JCPenney Auto Center, Englewood had to form a new committee for large-scale environmental cleanups.

During the long asbestos abatement process, immigrant workers were caught engaging in misconduct inside of the mall, reportedly throwing hazardous materials at each other.

The only original structure left in the redevelopment was the former Foley's building, which was renovated to house the new Englewood Public Library and City Hall.