Century Mall

Last updated
Century Mall
Century Mall
Location Merrillville, Indiana, United States
Coordinates 41°28′12″N87°20′05″W / 41.469993°N 87.334796°W / 41.469993; -87.334796
Address8275 Broadway
Opening date1979
Closing date2001
(demolished 2002)
DeveloperBass Financial
OwnerTri-Land Properties
No. of anchor tenants 2 (1979-1982, 1995-2001) [1]
3 (1982-1995)
Total retail floor area 415,138 square feet (38,567.6 m2)
No. of floors1

Century Mall was an indoor shopping mall located on the southeast corner of Broadway (Indiana 53) and US 30 in Merrillville, Indiana, United States. The mall opened in 1979 with anchor stores Goldblatt's and Montgomery Ward. Competitive and economic factors sent the mall into steady decline and national retail chains left throughout the 1990s until the mall was ultimately sold for redevelopment in 2001 then closed and largely demolished in 2002. The mall's interior stores also suffered following Montgomery Ward's remodeling. Montgomery Ward removed their mall entrance and told customers that no stores remained, when in reality close to a dozen stores were still open. A strip mall development named Century Plaza now occupies the land and some of the former anchor store buildings.

Contents

History

The mall broke ground in September 1977. Developed by Bass Financial of Los Angeles, California, it was set to feature two Chicago-based department stores as the anchor stores: Montgomery Ward and Goldblatt's. [2]

Between its 1979 opening and 1982, it was only 70 percent leased. Simon Property Group bought the mall in August 1982, a day before Goldblatt's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed its store there. Simon then split the Goldblatt building among Burlington Coat Factory and Service Merchandise. [3] The company also converted the mall to an off-price and discount-oriented concept, similar to what it had done at Eastgate Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana and Arborland Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. [3]

A small food court was located near the south side of the mall, located near the long corridor leading to Service Merchandise and Burlington Coat Factory. The food court contained many small local restaurants, but also included a Schoop's Hamburgers and a Subway. The mall at one time housed R-Way, a drug store located on the north side, just outside Montgomery Ward. Outlot buildings include (or included at one time) White Castle, Shakey's Pizza, Checkers Drive-in and a Shell gas station.

In 1990, in cooperation with the Northwest Indiana Walkers, Century Mall opened the interior of the mall to accommodate mall walkers. [4]

Despite the initial success of the off-price format, the mall continued its economic decline. Service Merchandise relocated in 1995 to a new store roughly half a mile away at the Crossings at Hobart shopping center. [5] Burlington Coat Factory then expanded into the former Service Merchandise space. The Montgomery Ward anchor store closed in March 2001 when the entire chain filed for bankruptcy. [1] Century Mall and the surrounding land were purchased by Tri-Land Properties in February 2001 with the intent to convert the space to a power center. [6]

Century Plaza

Under mall's new ownership, all of the then-current tenants relocated with the exception of Burlington Coat Factory. [6] The central enclosed portion of the mall was demolished leaving only the Burlington Coat Factory and former Montgomery Wards stores standing. [1] In June 2002, the shopping center was renamed Century Plaza to reflect the new configuration of the retail space. [1] Developed as a strip mall with a series of big box retailers, Century Plaza now includes a small variety of national chain shops and eateries, with Old Time Pottery in the former Montgomery Ward. In March 2008, a 20,400 square feet (1,895.2 m2) Staples office supply store opened. [7] In September 2010, Burlington Coat Factory moved to the nearby Crossings at Hobart and the anchor remains vacant.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Mall (Florida)</span> Shopping mall in Florida, United States

University Mall, previously University Square Mall, is a shopping mall located near the University of South Florida, just north of the city limits of Tampa on Fowler Avenue. The property is located just east of I-275. The Mall has decreased in popularity over the years as online shopping and gentrification of the surrounding area has started to take effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sawgrass Mills</span> Shopping mall in Florida, United States

Sawgrass Mills is a shopping mall in Sunrise, Florida, owned by Simon Property Group. With 2,370,610 square feet (220,237 m2) of retail selling space, it is the eleventh largest mall in the United States, the largest single story outlet mall in the U.S., the largest shopping mall in Broward County, the second largest mall in Florida and the Miami metropolitan area after the Aventura Mall, and the third largest shopping mall in the southeastern United States. With over 21 million annual visitors, Sawgrass Mills is one of the most visited attractions in the state of Florida.

Universal Shopping Center, formerly Universal Mall and Universal City, is a redeveloped open-air power center located in Warren, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The first phase opened in mid-2009 with Target, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls, and Petco.

The Shoppes at South Hills, formerly South Hills Mall, was a shopping mall on U.S. 9, now converted into a strip mall, in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York. The 675,000 ft² plaza opened in 1974 and included two anchors, Sears and Kmart, at opposite ends of the mall. Currently, The Shoppes at South Hills are owned and operated by DLC Management Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Square Mall</span> Shopping mall in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

Lafayette Square Mall is a defunct shopping mall in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Developed in 1968 by Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., the mall is locally-owned by Sojos Capital Group. The anchor store is Shoppers World. There are three vacant anchor stores that were once Sears, L. S. Ayres, and Burlington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesee Valley Center</span> Shopping mall in Michigan, United States

Genesee Valley Center is an enclosed shopping mall located in Flint Township, Michigan, outside the city of Flint, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1970, the mall is 1,272,397 square feet (118,209.5 m2) of leasable area. The mall has two anchor tenants: JCPenney and Macy's. It comprises more than 120 tenants, including a food court, and an external concourse called the Outdoor Village which also features a Barnes & Noble bookstore. The mall is located on Miller Road and Linden Road, near the junction of Interstate 69 (I-69) and I-75.

Westgate Center is a 640,000 sq ft (59,000 m2) regional outlet shopping center located in the West San Jose neighborhood of San Jose, California, United States. The mall is located at the intersection of Saratoga Avenue and Campbell Avenue. Current major anchor tenants include Burlington Coat Factory, Nordstrom Rack, Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx, and Target, along with Michael's, Old Navy, Gap Factory Store, and Nike Factory Store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springdale Mall</span> Shopping mall in Mobile, Alabama

Springdale Mall is a shopping center located in Mobile, Alabama, United States, directly across from The Shoppes at Bel Air. Opened in 1959 as an open-air shopping center, Springdale Mall was later redeveloped as an enclosed shopping center. Facing competition from larger shopping centers in the area, Springdale was demolished in stages in the 2000s, with most of the former enclosed mall being replaced with big-box stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunrise Mall (Corpus Christi)</span> Shopping mall in Texas, United States

Sunrise Mall was a two-story, enclosed shopping mall in Corpus Christi, Texas. It is located at the intersection of Airline Rd. & S. Padre Island Drive. Current tenants include Planet Fitness, New Life Church, Freedom Fitness, and Little Woodrow's Bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Plaza (mall)</span> Chicago-area shopping mall

The Plaza, formerly known as Evergreen Plaza, was a shopping mall in Evergreen Park, Illinois, United States. It was legally organized by Arthur Rubloff, who is also credited with coining the phrase "Magnificent Mile" describing the upscale section of Michigan Avenue north of the Chicago River to Oak Street. Rubloff secured the funding for the Evergreen Plaza from the Walgreen family who lived nearby in Beverly, Chicago. The Evergreen Plaza operated from 1952 to 2013. It featured over 120 stores, as well as a food court. The mall closed in 2013 and became an outdoor shopping center. Anchors include Whole Foods Market, and Burlington Coat Factory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southwest Plaza</span> Shopping mall in Jefferson County, Colorado

Southwest Plaza is an enclosed shopping mall in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, immediately south of Denver. Littleton, Colorado is commonly indicated in the mall's postal address because its ZIP code is primarily associated with that city, which lies some two miles east. The mall has two levels with over 150 stores and a food court.

Laurel Mall was a shopping mall located on the west side of U.S. Route 1 in Laurel, Maryland. The mall opened on October 11, 1979 and connected two pre-existing structures – the freestanding Montgomery Ward on its south side and Laurel Shopping Center to the north. The mall closed permanently on May 1, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Security Square Mall</span> Shopping mall in Maryland, U.S.

Security Square Mall is a mall in Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore, in the United States. The mall features over 100 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court. One section of the mall, Grand Village Plaza, previously included Korean shops and restaurants; however, most of these establishments had closed by 2010. Security Square Mall is located adjacent to the North American School of Trades. The anchor stores are Bayit Furniture, Set the Captives Free Outreach Center, Burlington, and Macy's. There is one vacant anchor store that once housed Sears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harbor Square</span> Shopping mall in New Jersey, United States

Harbor Square, formerly Shore Mall, is a shopping plaza in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey in the United States on U.S. Route 40/U.S. Route 322 originally known as "Searstown". The plaza is accessible from Exit 36 off the Garden State Parkway. The plaza is owned by Aetna Realty. The plaza has a gross leasable area of 337,423 ft², formerly 620,000 ft² when it was a mall, located on 73 acres (300,000 m2) of land. The plaza's anchor stores include Boscov's, Restaurant Depot and Proshot Pickleball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre of Tallahassee</span> Shopping center and entertainment venue in Tallahassee, Florida, US

The Centre of Tallahassee, formerly Tallahassee Mall, is a local semi-enclosed mixed-use shopping, entertainment, and work office complex located at the intersection of North Monroe Street and John Knox Road in Tallahassee, Florida. Since the official close of the faltering Northwood Mall in 1986, The Tallahassee Mall became the older of two surviving enclosed malls in the Tallahassee area, the other being Governor's Square.

Peninsula Town Center is an open air mixed-use development located in the Coliseum Central Business improvement district of Hampton, Virginia in the Hampton Roads region. The Town Center is located on the site of the original Coliseum Mall, an enclosed facility constructed in 1973 by Mall Properties Inc. of New York, its only owner. At 991,000-square feet, Peninsula Town Center is the largest redevelopment project in Hampton's history. Mall Properties has teamed with Steiner + Associates, which developed Easton Town Center in Columbus; Zona Rosa in Kansas City; The Greene Town Center near Dayton; and Bayshore Town Center near Milwaukee to create Peninsula Town Center.

The Centre at Salisbury is an 862,000-square-foot (80,082 m2) super regional mall in Salisbury, Maryland. The mall is the only regional shopping mall in a 60-mile (97 km) radius. The mall's anchor stores include Boscov's, Burlington, and Dick's Sporting Goods. It also features a 16 screen cinema stadium-style Regal Cinemas movie theater. The Centre at Salisbury is the largest shopping mall on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bella Terra</span> Shopping mall in California, United States

Bella Terra is a lifestyle center in Huntington Beach, California. It was built on the site of the former Huntington Center. The center's current anchors are; Kohl's, Burlington, Barnes & Noble, Cinemark Theaters, Whole Foods Market, and Costco Wholesale.

The Village Shopping Center is an enclosed shopping mall in Gary, Indiana. Built in 1955, it includes vacant anchors last occupied by Marshalls and US Factory Outlets.

Mercury Plaza Mall was a shopping mall located in Hampton, Virginia. The shopping mall opened in 1967 as Mercury Plaza. The mall was the Virginia Peninsula's first indoor shopping complex. Montgomery Ward, Roses and Giant Open Air Supermarket served as the mall's primary anchors.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Laverty, Deborah (2002-06-13). "Merrillville, Ind., Mall Renamed to Set Tone for Future Development". The Times of Northwest Indiana.
  2. "Ceremony initiates Century Mall complex". The Times. Munster, Indiana. September 16, 1977. p. 3. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
  3. 1 2 "MALL SUCCEEDS - THE HARD WAY CENTURY'S WOES WOULD HAVE KILLED MANY OPERATIONS". Post-Tribune. 6 March 1988. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  4. Glover, Penny (1990-03-18). "Walkers take steps in the right direction". The Times of Northwest Indiana .
  5. "Service Merchandise Planning to Open Store in Hobart, Indiana". Tribune Business News. 1994-05-17.
  6. 1 2 Laverty, Deborah (2006-05-04). "New plans for Century Plaza". The Times of Northwest Indiana.
  7. Erler, Susan (2008-02-14). "Staples to open Saturday in Merrillville". The Times of Northwest Indiana.