An aerial photo of Twin Peaks Mall taken in 1987 reveals where the edge of town was when the mall had opened two years earlier.

The Times-Call archive image, which shows a recently added but yet to open Sears store, includes fields south of Ken Pratt Boulevard (then Florida Avenue) and west of Hover Street. A farm house with outbuildings is nestled on the northwest corner of Hover and what is now Clover Basin Drive, where Chili’s now sits.

Studying the photo, a longtime resident might be amazed at how much this city has changed since the mall opened. But it has been a generation since Twin Peaks Mall opened — a few weeks shy of 29 years — and the world today is as different from 1985 as 1985 was from the mid-1950s.

Neighborhoods now spill west and south of the mall, and shopping centers line the roads across from Twin Peaks. As much as mall traffic has waned in recent years, shoppers have flocked to those other stores, several of which — anecdotally — are among the best performing in the state for sales. Even J.C. Penney, one of the original mall anchors, moved across the street.

As a generation has passed, and as tastes and habits have changed, Twin Peaks mall has slowly gone dark and quiet.

It wasn’t always like that.

For years, Twin Peaks was the center of activity in Longmont, hosting concerts, art displays, fashion shows, baseball card shows and blood drives — that is, in addition to being packed with shoppers. As the aerial photo and other archive photos illustrate, hundreds of people could be found at the mall on any given day, drawn by more than 70 retailers, fountains, the food court, and even a carousel. During busy shopping seasons, thousands filled the massive structure.

One might conclude that the neighboring shopping centers can thank Twin Peaks for their success. For decades, the mall was the draw along South Hover Street. It helped move Longmont south and west. It delivered the sales tax dollars that helped build a vibrant city.

Today, after the last afternoon showing at the mall theater, Twin Peaks Mall’s doors will close for the last time. In less than two weeks, machines will begin tearing down the walls that were erected more than 29 years ago.

Longmont, take one last look at your mall, because it’s about to give way to another generation.

And be thankful for those who more than 30 years ago had the vision to build it, and to those who for years have kept it operating.

Goodbye, Twin Peaks Mall.