Park Forest Plaza

Last updated
Park Forest Plaza
Park Forest Plaza
Location Park Forest, Illinois, United States
Coordinates 41°29′0″N87°40′46″W / 41.48333°N 87.67944°W / 41.48333; -87.67944
Opening date1949
Developer Philip Klutznick
OwnerVillage of Park Forest
Public transit access Pace

Park Forest Plaza was a shopping center located in the planned community of Park Forest, Illinois, United States, that opened in 1949. The center was developed by Philip M. Klutznick, (1907-1999), who was also a prominent leader in the national Jewish community and later served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under 39th President Jimmy Carter. The architects were Loebl, Schlossman and Bennett. [1]

Park Forest Plaza was one of the first major regional shopping centers in the United States of the post-World War II era and it served as the downtown to the adjacent village. Klutznick followed many of same principles and concepts in architecture, land use and design espoused by nationally famous developer James W. Rouse (1914-1996) of Baltimore. The distinctive clock tower in the open courtyard became the symbol of both the shopping center and the village. The grass and tree-lined courtyard gave the center an airy attractiveness which was popular much of the year. The mall was anchored by a Marshall Field's, Sears, and Goldblatt's department stores [2]

Competition from a new larger indoor mall in nearby Matteson, Illinois three decades later in the early 1970s ultimately doomed Park Forest Plaza. The mall did survive until 1996 when Field's closed and Sears moved to nearby Lincoln Mall.

The village has now converted what was left to a "regular" downtown area with local services, including retail stores, a banquet hall, a cultural arts center, a dance studio, a movie theater, a senior residential community and the Village Hall. Single-family homes are also being built on the outskirts of the downtown area.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park Forest, Illinois</span> Village in Illinois, United States

Park Forest is a village located south of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, with a small southern portion in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village was originally designed as a planned community for veterans returning from World War II. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 21,687. Park Forest has multiple public and private schools. In addition to the arts and culture scene including Tall Grass Arts Association and the Illinois Theatre Center, residents also have access to a myriad of recreational opportunities for both children and adults such as the Park Forest Aqua Center. Notable people from Park Forest include the former artistic director of the Illinois Theatre Center, Etel Billig. Park Forest is bordered by Olympia Fields to the north, Chicago Heights to the east, University Park to the south, and Richton Park and Matteson to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shopping center</span> Commercial trading complex

A shopping center, shopping centre, also called a shopping complex, shopping arcade, shopping plaza or galleria, is a group of shops built together, sometimes under one roof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of Prussia (shopping mall)</span> Shopping mall in Pennsylvania, U.S.

King of Prussia is a shopping mall located in the community of King of Prussia in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is the largest shopping mall in Pennsylvania and the fifth-largest shopping mall in the United States in terms of gross leasable area. It is an upscale mall with 450 retailers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Coast Plaza</span> Shopping mall in Costa Mesa, California, United States

South Coast Plaza is a regional shopping mall in Costa Mesa, California. The largest shopping center on the West Coast of the United States, its pre-COVID sales of over $1.5 billion annually were the highest in the United States. Its 275 retailers represent the highest concentration of design fashion retail in the U.S., with the second highest sales-volume in California at $800 per square foot ($8,600/m2)—second only to Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose-Santa Clara, at $809 per square foot ($8,710/m2). The national average is $411 per square foot ($4,420/m2). The mall is anchored by three Macy's stores, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The South Coast Plaza is the largest shopping mall in California and the 4th largest in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicollet Mall</span> Shopping, transit and pedestrian space in Minneapolis

Nicollet Mall is a twelve-block portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is the shopping and dining district of the city, and also a pedestrian mall and transit mall. Along with Hennepin Avenue to the west, Nicollet Mall forms the cultural and commercial center of Minneapolis.

Marshall Field & Company was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Marshall Field, was a pioneering retail magnate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SouthPark Mall (North Carolina)</span> Shopping mall in North Carolina, U.S.

SouthPark is an upscale shopping mall in the affluent SouthPark neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina. The mall is located approximately five miles (8 km) south of Uptown Charlotte, at the corner of Sharon and Fairview Roads. With 1,688,480 square feet (160,000 m2), It is one of the most profitable malls in the country with sales at over $700 per square foot. It is the 10th largest on the East Coast and is the 28th largest in the United States. SouthPark is the most congested shopping area in the United States during Black Friday weekend. The mall is visited by more than 12 million visitors a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodfield Mall</span> Shopping mall in Schaumburg, Illinois

Woodfield Mall is a shopping mall located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, United States, at the intersection of Golf Road and Interstate 290. The mall is the largest shopping mall in the state of Illinois, the second largest being Oakbrook Center in Oak Brook. It is also one of the largest shopping malls in the United States. The mall features the traditional retailers JCPenney, Macy's, Nordstrom, and Primark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boise Towne Square</span> Shopping mall in Boise, Idaho

Boise Towne Square is a mall in the western United States, located in Boise, Idaho. The largest retail complex in the state, it opened in 1988 after more than 20 years of planning, and features 150 stores, with Macy's, JCPenney, Kohl's and Dillard's as anchor stores. The mall also includes the first Apple Store in Idaho. Boise Towne Square is owned by the Chicago-based Brookfield Properties and is located near the junction of Interstate 84 and Interstate 184.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown Janesville</span> Shopping mall in Wisconsin, United States

Uptown Janesville is an enclosed shopping mall located in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. Opened in 1973, the mall has more than 68 tenants. The anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty, and Kohl's. There are 3 vacant anchor stores that were once Sears, Boston Store, and JCPenney.

The William H. Block Company was a department store chain in Indianapolis and other cities in Indiana. It was founded in 1874 by Herman Wilhelm Bloch, an immigrant from Austria-Hungary who had Americanized his name to William H. Block. The main store was located at 9 East Washington Street in Indianapolis in 1896. The company also identified itself as The Wm. H. Block Co., and Block's.

River Oaks Center is a shopping mall located at the southeast corner of River Oaks Drive and Torrence Avenue in Calumet City, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago. River Oaks Center is the seventh largest in the Chicago metropolitan area totaling 1,379,824 square feet (128,190 m2). Today, there are over 140 stores and two anchors including JCPenney and Macy's with two vacant anchors last occupied by Carson Pirie Scott and Sears. Namdar Realty Group and Mason Asset Management manages and owns River Oaks Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fox Valley Mall</span> Shopping mall in Aurora, Illinois

Fox Valley Mall, formerly Westfield Fox Valley, is a shopping mall in Aurora, Illinois. The mall's anchor stores are JCPenney and Macy's. Some larger non anchor stores include H&M and Forever 21. A Round One Entertainment is located in the former Sears wing. The Westfield Group acquired the shopping center in early 2002, and renamed it "Westfield Shoppingtown Fox Valley", dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005. Westfield Group sold 80% interest in mall as of December 2015.

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

Great Northern Mall, is a single-level enclosed shopping mall in North Olmsted, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Its anchor stores are Dick's, Dillard's, J. C. Penney, and Macy's.

Plaza West Covina is a large regional shopping mall in West Covina, California, owned by the Starwood Capital Group. Its anchor stores are Macy's, JCPenney, XXI Forever, Nordstrom Rack, Best Buy, and Gold's Gym with one vacant space last occupied by Sears. Westfield America, Inc., a precursor to Westfield Group, acquired the shopping center in 1998 and renamed it "Westfield Shoppingtown West Covina", dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005. In October 2013, the Westfield Group sold the mall to Starwood Capital Group and the mall is now managed by Pacific Retail Capital Partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise Valley Mall</span> Former shopping mall in Phoenix, Arizona

Paradise Valley Mall was a shopping mall located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The last remaining anchor stores were JCPenney and Costco. There were 3 vacant anchor stores that were once Sears, Dillard's, and Macy's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza</span> Shopping mall located in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza is a shopping mall located in the Baldwin Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. This was one of the first regional shopping centers in the United States built specifically for the automobile. Two anchor buildings, completed in 1947, retain their original Streamline Moderne style. Since the mid-1960s, the mall has become a major economic and cultural hub of surrounding African American communities which include a spectrum of socioeconomic classes.

Lake Forest Plaza was a shopping mall in New Orleans East, Louisiana, United States that opened in 1974. It had been closed before being flooded during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the ruins were demolished in 2007.

Northland Mall was a shopping mall located on the north side of Columbus, Ohio, at the intersection of Morse Road and Karl Road. It opened in 1964 as an open-air shopping center. Northland was the first of the four directionally-named shopping hubs in Columbus, along with Eastland, Westland, and Southland. Though popular through the 1990s, three new shopping centers were completed in the late 1990s and early 2000s that took businesses and shoppers away from Northland. It closed in 2002 and was demolished in 2004. The site has subsequently been redeveloped as Northland Village, a multi-use complex containing government offices, retail stores and the Franklin County Dog Shelter and Adoption Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edens Plaza</span> Shopping mall in Wilmette, Illinois

Edens Plaza is a strip mall in the town of Wilmette, Illinois. It was built by Carson Pirie Scott & Co. (Carson's) in 1956, and, until 2018, was anchored by one of their stores. It is located on a triangular parcel of land between Lake Avenue, Skokie Boulevard and the Edens Expressway.

References

  1. Young, David (11 November 1991). "Park Forest Dilemma: What Happens When Mall Grows Old?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  2. Village of Park Forest, Illinois 60466 (708) 748-1112 Archived 2008-03-16 at the Wayback Machine