History
Louis Joliet Mall opened in 1978 with anchor stores Sears and Marshall Field's. Bergner's and JCPenney were added to the mall in 1979. Homart Development Company a subsidiary of Sears financed construction with the structure being designed by Architectonics, Inc. The single story mall featured cathedral ceilings and atriums. [2]
The mall barely escaped destruction in 1990 when the Plainfield Tornado passed within a few hundred yards of the southwest entrance. Some shoppers report seeing nothing but a huge, black wall when they looked to the southwest. In 1991, Circuit City opened outside of the mall. The chain went bankrupt in 2009. It was replaced by hhgregg in 2011. [3] Six years later in 2017, hhgregg filed for bankruptcy as well. It was replaced by Binny's Beverage Depot in the fall of 2018. [4]
In 2000, a Texas Roadhouse restaurant opened in the surrounding area. [5]
Panera Bread opened at the mall in December 2000. [6] Twenty-two years later, on August 30, 2022, the store closed. [7]
A Hooters restaurant would officially open outside the mall in 2006. [8]
The Marshall Field's store was officially renamed Macy's on September 9, 2006. [9]
Cinemark officially opened at the mall on May 8, 2009. [10]
Tilted Kilt opened in 2011, but closed in early 2017. [11] On October 29, 2019, Cajun Boil & Bar opened in its former spot. [12] A little over three years later, the space is vacant again after Cajun Boil & Bar shut down on February 7, 2023. [13]
H&M and Pandora opened in December 2014. [14]
In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off 235 of its properties, including the Sears at Louis Joliet Mall, into Seritage Growth Properties. [15]
On February 16, 2017, MC Sports announced that all 66 stores would be closing. [16] That same year, a Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel was built outside of the mall. [17]
On April 18, 2018, it was announced that Carson's would close as the parent, Bon-Ton Stores, was going out of business. The store closed on August 29, 2018. [18] On August 2, 2018, it was announced that the Senior Services of Will County might move into the former Bernger-Weise/Carson's space. [19]
On October 15, 2018, it was announced that Sears would also be closing as part of a plan to close 142 stores nationwide. The store closed on January 6th, 2019 which left JCPenney, Macy's, and Cinemark as the only anchor stores left. [20]
In February 2023, BrandX.com owned Carson's reopened.
In July 2023, the mall was sold to Namdar Realty Group for $31 million. [21]
A Tru by Hilton hotel opened in the surrounding area in June 2025. [22]
