A cloud of dust and mixed emotions swarmed around the west entrance of the Westminster Mall, as a steel bucket crumbled layers of bricks, shattered glass and scraped away 34 years of memories.

Saturday marked the beginning of the months-long demolition of the Westminster Mall.

More than 200 people gathered to watch the rubble fall and share memories of “cruising” around the outside of the mall, strutting around the fountains or catching a movie at the theater.

Lisa Hoskin, 37, starting going to the mall when she was 12 years old, she said. If she and her friends weren’t at the movies, they were hanging out in the arcade.

“It was the place to go,” Hoskin said. “You went there to be seen.”

In its prime, the mall was a suburban oasis of activity with about 130 stores. But as time passed, Hoskin said, the mall’s once new and glittering allure faded.

“I’m sad to see it go because so many memories were made here,” Hoskin said. “At the same time, I’m excited to see something new happen here, because the mall has been dead for a while.”

The landmark’s demolition should clear the way for developers to create a dense downtown in Westminster, said Brent McFall, city manager.

“It simply was the right venue, at the right location, for its time,” McFall said. “But like all things, that changed and evolved, and it’s time for something new.”

The city bought the mall in May for $22 million. The first phase of demolition will be completed in October, and some of the new developments could be open as early as the spring of 2015, McFall said.

After the new developments, the mall’s 1.2 million square feet of retail space will be replaced by 5 million square feet of residences, retail shops and offices, McFall said.

On Saturday, some former mallgoers nabbed souvenirs.

Trays from the cafeteria, adorend with an illustration of the mall’s iconic hot air balloons, were passed out to members of the crowd.

Officials have not decided what will become of the popular model balloons that dangled above shoppers inside the mall, McFall said.

Jen and Jim Early and their three children watched as chunks of concrete and glass tumbled onto the asphalt.

Jen Early remembers coming to the mall, which opened in 1977, when she was younger, she said. When Early moved back to Westminster in 2001, she was surprised at the mall’s deterioration.

“It was sad to see it so empty,” Early said.

Improvements to the area, located near U.S. 36 and Sheridan Boulevard, should have happened years ago, Early said.

“It’s going to be great to see Westminster become a place with a heart to it,” Jim Early said.

J.C. Penney, Sears, Brunswick Zone, U.S. Bank, Olive Garden and a dental office near the mall will all remain open.

Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com