Wausau Center was an enclosed shopping mall which opened in 1983 in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin . The last remaining anchor store was HOM Furniture, which still stands in a space that had previously been a Younkers. There were two vacant anchor stores that were once JCPenney and Sears . It was managed by Mid-America Real Estate Group.
18-543: The downtown area of Wausau was blighted by many vacant buildings in the late 1970s. A referendum passed in 1979 to allow Richard E. Jacobs ' Jacobs Visconsi & Jacobs Group to build the mall. Approximately 67 buildings were demolished to make way for the mall, which opened on August 3, 1983. To commemorate the opening, a five-day celebration was held. Its original anchors were J. C. Penney , Sears , and Prange's (later Younkers ). Walgreens , an original tenant, moved out in 2003 relocating to central Bridge Street. In 2006,
36-933: A general contracting company that concentrated on the building of small strip malls. The company grew rapidly and by 1992, the Jacobs Group ranked fourth in the nation in the development and management of enclosed malls owning 40 malls in 16 states outright; they also owned 31 Wendy's fast-food restaurants and several Marriott Hotels & Resorts . The Jacobs Group company builds and leases shopping centers , offices, and hotels. Among its properties are Key Tower and Westgate Mall in Cleveland, Ohio , and Triangle Town Center in Raleigh, North Carolina . His company also built Westland Mall , Northland Mall , and Eastland Mall in Columbus, Ohio . Along with his brother, Jacobs
54-537: The Colorado Rockies at the plate. The teams of the two former Montreal Expos teammates had faced each other about one month prior. However, when Johnson started on June 12, Walker chose not to play, explaining that, "I faced Randy one time in spring training and he almost killed me." In this All-Star Game, Walker batted against Johnson, who theatrically threw over his head. Ever adaptable, Walker placed his batting helmet backwards and switched sides in
72-707: The Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. , Richard E. Jacobs Group, and owner of the Cleveland Indians from 1986 to 1999. Jacobs was born in 1925 in Akron, Ohio In 1943, he served in the Army during World War II . In 1949, he graduated from Indiana University with a degree in business administration and accepted a job with a development company in Akron. In 1955, he and his brother, David H. Jacobs, started
90-689: The National Anthem following the commercial break. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of baseball's breaking of the color barrier, the ceremonial first pitch featured former Indian Larry Doby , the first African-American player to play in the American League. One of the more colorful moments in All-Star Game history occurred during an at bat with Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners pitching and Larry Walker of
108-897: The 7th inning when Javy López of the Atlanta Braves would tie the game with a home run of his own. However, in the bottom of the 7th, Bernie Williams of the New York Yankees walked and then Sandy Alomar Jr. of the Cleveland Indians hit a home run to give the American League the lead and the win, as they held on to defeat the National League 3-1. All the runs were driven in and scored by players either born (Alomar, López & Williams) or raised (Martinez) in Puerto Rico. Winning pitcher José Rosado's family roots are also from that island. The loudest ovation of
126-528: The All-Star Game, which came early in the player introductions, was reserved for Kenny Lofton, whom the Indians had traded to the Atlanta Braves prior to the start of the 1997 season. Lofton was on the National League roster, but was injured and did not play. Also in the pregame ceremonies, Albert Belle , who was representing the Chicago White Sox , was booed for leaving the Indians as a free agent
144-468: The batters' box to stand right-handed for one pitch. He ended the at bat by drawing a walk. The incident momentarily drew mirth and laughter from players in both dugouts , fans and announcers, and comparisons to Johnson pitching against John Kruk in the 1993 All-Star Game , in which he also threw over his head. In spite of garnering a reputation of avoiding Johnson, Walker batted .393 (11 hits in 28 at bats) against him in his career, nearly double
162-463: The buildings and foundations, with HOM Furniture, the two parking ramps, and the JCPenney building remaining. The JCPenney building will temporarily remain in place due to its location above the west parking ramp but is planned to be removed later. Richard E. Jacobs Richard E. "Dick" Jacobs (June 16, 1925 – June 5, 2009) was an American businessman and real estate developer who co-founded
180-629: The fifth time the All-Star Game was held in Cleveland and first since 1981 . It was also the first All-Star game held at Jacobs Field, which opened three years earlier. Players in italics have since been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame . The American League jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning led by a home run by Edgar Martínez of the Seattle Mariners. No one would score after that until
198-451: The mall owners began a renovation that included new seating areas and an improved mall entrance. Two years later, the food court was expanded, using space vacated that same year by a McDonald's . The mall lost all three anchor stores between 2014 and 2018, with Younkers being the last of the three to close; in June 2019, HOM Furniture opened as the center's sole anchor store, having acquired
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#1732779966531216-523: The previous winter. Unlike past years, the performance of O Canada , this year by the McAuley Boys , was not televised. Instead, the Fox network, airing its first All-Star Game, went into a commercial break, resulting in angry phone calls from Canadian television viewers. The Canadian National Anthem was later shown on tape delay after the game in the Cleveland area. Country star LeAnn Rimes sang
234-593: The previously closed Younkers location. On February 4, 2020, the mall was sold to Wausau Opportunity Zone, Inc. (WOZ). The acquisition does not include HOM Furniture or the two parking ramps. It was planned for demolition sometime in 2021 to make way for a multimillion-dollar redevelopment, which will include residential and retail areas, office space, restaurants, entertainment, and green spaces. The mall closed permanently in April 2021. Demolition began on May 17, 2021. It took up to eight weeks for construction crews to remove
252-683: The rate of all left-handed batters at .199. Alomar was named MVP of the game, becoming the first player to win the All Star Game MVP award as a member of the host team ( Pedro Martínez in 1999 and Shane Bieber in 2019 would later win MVP awards in their home ballparks). After the game, Major League Baseball CEO Paul Beeston presented Alomar with the MVP Award in lieu of the Commissioner of Baseball , who would not be named until after
270-462: The team went 1119-1080 during the regular season, and 25-22 during the postseason, reaching the World Series on two occasions ( 1995 , and 1997 ), and winning American League Central Division championships in five consecutive seasons (1995-1999). Under Jacobs ownership the Indians also hosted the 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game , the first held in Cleveland in sixteen years. Jacobs
288-604: Was a co-owner with his son, Jeff Jacobs , of Jacobs Entertainment, Inc. , a casino and racetrack company after they merged companies in 2002. Jacobs died on June 5, 2009, after a long illness at his Westlake home. The funeral was held at the Rocky River United Methodist Church. He was buried at Lakewood Park Cemetery in Rocky River, Ohio . 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game The 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
306-450: Was also well known for owning the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 1999; after David's death in 1992, Richard operated the team on his own. In 1994, Jacobs Field would open as the new venue of the Indians in downtown Cleveland. The ballpark bore his family name from its opening in April 1994 until January 2008. Jacobs' tenure as Indians owner marked one of the team's most successful periods in franchise history
324-464: Was the 68th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball . The game was held on July 8, 1997, at Jacobs Field in Cleveland , the home of the Cleveland Indians of the American League. The game resulted in the American League defeating the National League 3-1. The game marked
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