History of mall Oklahoma City oilman and industrialist Charles L. Jenkins and Texas banker James Doss first announced their plans for a $15 million, 540-acre shopping center in 1963. The pair boasted the mall at NW 23 and Villa would be the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi River and would be home to 70 stores that would employ more than 2,000.

The chosen spot was part of 160 acres originally home...