The shopping center got its start in 1944, when Kemper Freeman Sr. began buying property with the help of his father, Miller Freeman. Building materials during wartime were hard to come by, but the Freemans were able to convince the government to give them permission to build a movie theater as a homefront morale booster. Construction began before war's end, and the 550-seat Bel-Vue Theatre opened on March 20, 1946.