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Location | Hammond, Indiana, United States |
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Coordinates | 41°35′38″N87°28′54″W / 41.593897°N 87.481668°W |
Address | Indianapolis Boulevard between 165th Street and 167th Street |
Opening date | 1954 |
Closing date | 2006 (demolished 2006 and 2019) |
Developer | Landau & Heyman |
Architect | Victor Gruen |
No. of anchor tenants | 1 |
No. of floors | 1 (3 floors for the Carson Pirie Scott and Co. store) |
Public transit access | ![]() |
Woodmar Mall was an indoor shopping mall located at Indianapolis Boulevard between 165th Street and 167th Street in Hammond, Indiana. It opened in 1954 and was anchored by Carson Pirie Scott and Co. The mall was closed and demolished in 2006 [1] except for the Carson's store which remained open until 2018 [2] and which was demolished in 2019. [3] The site is now occupied by the Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center.
The Chicago-based developers Landau & Heyman purchased a 20-acre lot in the Woodmar neighborhood of Hammond, Indiana in 1953. [4] They commissioned architect Victor Gruen, who designed the mall as a "v" with a Carson Pirie Scott and Co. store in the center. [5] The shopping center was constructed at a cost of $3 million and opened in early 1954 with eight stores including J.J. Newberry and National Supermarkets. Fourteen additional stores opened on May 19 of that year. [4] The Carson's store was the first one established by the Chicago-based merchant in the state of Indiana and opened on November 1, 1954. [6] In 1964, the Carson's store was expanded from 65,000 sq. ft. to 115,000 with the addition of a third floor. [7] The following year, the mall was enclosed. [4]
After J.J. Newberry left the mall, its former space was subdivided into a 15-store "mini mall" called the "Court of Lions" which opened in September 1975. This generated three times the rent the Newberry's had provided and a combined business volume "between three and four times that of the variety store." [8] The Court of Lions saw its revenues increase by 50% over the course of the next three years. [9] It was modeled after the Court of the Lions in Granada, Spain. [4] A similar mini-mall, the "Court of Turtles" opened in 1977 in the space originally occupied by National Supermarkets. [4] Plans in the early 1980s to add two additional anchor stores were cancelled due to a recession and high interest rates. [10] A renovation of the mall began in 1987 [11] and was completed in 1990. [12]
Long-term competition from the River Oaks Center in Calumet City, Illinois and Southlake Mall in Hobart, Indiana drew business away from Woodmar and led to the mall's decline. [4] By 2004, fewer than a dozen stores remained open. [13] In February 2006, the decision was made to demolish the mall except for the Carson's store. [14] The Hammond Redevelopment Commission announced plans in June 2016 for a $12 million sports complex to be built on the site of the former mall. [15] The Carson's store closed in 2018 as part of its parent company's liquidation. [2] [16] The Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center opened on the site of the former Woodmar Mall in September 2018. [17] Demolition of the former Carson's store began in August 2019. [3]
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. First settled in the mid-19th century, it is one of the oldest cities of northern Lake County. As of the 2020 United States census, it is also the largest in population. The 2020 population was 77,879, replacing Gary as the most populous city in Lake County. From north to south, Hammond runs from Lake Michigan down to the Little Calumet River; from east to west along its southern border, it runs from the Illinois state line to Cline Avenue. The city is traversed by numerous railroads and expressways, including the South Shore Line, Borman Expressway, and Indiana Toll Road. Notable local landmarks include the parkland around Wolf Lake and the Horseshoe Hammond riverboat casino. Part of the Rust Belt, Hammond has been industrial almost from its inception, but is also home to a Purdue University campus and numerous historic districts that showcase the residential and commercial architecture of the early 20th century.
Carson Pirie Scott & Co. is an American department store that was founded in 1854, which grew to over 50 locations, primarily in the Midwestern United States. Sold to the holding company of Bon-Ton in 2006, but still operated under the Carson name, the entire Bon-Ton collection of stores, including Carson's, went into bankruptcy and closed in 2018. Bon-Ton's intellectual property was quickly sold while in bankruptcy, and the new owners reopened shortly afterwards as a BrandX virtual retailer.
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.
Hawthorn Mall, formerly Westfield Hawthorn, is a shopping mall in Vernon Hills, Illinois. It was developed by Urban Investment and Development Co, and anchor stores Sears and Marshall Field & Company as part of New Century Town, a community with 5,000 condominiums and townhomes planned at the time. Current anchor stores are AMC Theatres, Dave & Buster's, JCPenney, and Macy's
Fox Valley Mall, formerly Westfield Fox Valley, is a shopping mall in Aurora, Illinois. The mall's anchor stores are JCPenney, 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.
Southlake Mall is a shopping mall in Hobart, Indiana that is marketed as being in Merrillville, Indiana, due primarily to being served by the 46410 postal Zip Code. The tract of land on which it sits was annexed by the city of Hobart from unincorporated Ross Township in 1993. It lies in the Chicago metropolitan area. Southlake Mall is the only enclosed super regional mall in Northwest Indiana, as well as one of largest in the state overall along with Castleton Square in Indianapolis and Glenbrook Square in Fort Wayne. The mall's anchor stores are Kohl's, JCPenney, Macy's, H&M, and Forever 21. There are three vacant anchors stores that were once Dick's Sporting Goods, Carson Pirie Scott, and Sears. The Macy's store was an L. S. Ayres store prior to September 9, 2006. The mall first opened with only two anchor stores – JCPenney and Sears – and the north and south anchor wings were added later. The former Carson's had housed the cafeteria-style "The Garden Restaurant" by the entrance near the security garage on the south side of the mall from 1975 to 1989.
Stratford Square Mall is a shopping mall that opened on March 9, 1981, in Bloomingdale, Illinois, a northwestern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m2) There are 6 vacant anchor stores that were last occupied by JCPenney, Carson Pirie Scott, Sears, Round One, Century Theatres, and Burlington. The former Marshall Fields/Macy's space was demolished in 2019 to make way for a new Woodman's Food Market grocery store building. The mall is managed and owned by Namdar Realty Group.
Spring Hill Mall is a shopping mall in West Dundee, Illinois. The mall's anchor tennants are Kohl's and Cinemark. There are four vacant anchor stores that were once Carson Pirie Scott, Sears, Macy's, and Barnes & Noble.
Omni Superstore was a chain of supermarkets in the Chicago area and was owned by Dominick's. In 1997, Dominick's phased out Omni and converted the stores into Dominick's because the concept was not generating enough revenue compared to other Dominick's stores.
Ridgedale Center, colloquially known as Ridgedale, is an enclosed shopping mall in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a western suburb of the Twin Cities. It is directly located off I-394/US 12 between Ridgedale Drive and Plymouth Road. Ridgedale Center comprises 1,105,337 square feet (100,000 m2) of leaseable retail space, and contains approximately 140 retail tenants. It is currently jointly owned by Brookfield Properties and CBRE Group, and managed by Brookfield. The anchor stores are JCPenney, Nordstrom, Macy's, and Dick's House of Sport.
Northtown Mall is a shopping mall located in Blaine, Minnesota, United States. The mall's anchor stores are Hobby Lobby, LA Fitness, Best Buy, 2 Becker Furniture World stores, and Burlington. In addition, Northtown Mall features over 100 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court and Paladin Career and Technical High School public charter school which was open in September 2002. The mall is owned by Washington Prime Group. Over 5.5 million people visit the mall every year.
Charlestowne Mall was a shopping mall located in St. Charles, Illinois, United States. It was the second mall to serve the city after St. Charles Mall. Built by Wilmorite Properties, Charlestowne Mall opened for business in April 1991. Its original anchor stores were Kohl's, JCPenney, Sears, and Carson's. Regal Cinemas added a movie theater in 1999 which was sold to Classic Cinemas two years later, while JCPenney closed in 2000 and was converted in 2001 to Von Maur. The mall began experiencing a decline in tenancy in the 21st century due to its size, its location, and the opening of Geneva Commons in Geneva, Illinois in 2002. Although Wilmorite sold most of its shopping malls to Macerich in 2005, Charlestowne Mall was not included in the sale; it then changed ownership multiple times, with many of the following owners announcing plans to renovate it. None of these plans were executed, and many stores closed over time, including Sears in 2011 and Kohl's in 2016. The mall was entirely closed in 2017 except for the movie theater, Von Maur, and Carson's, which itself closed a year later. The vacant mall is owned by Urban Street Group.
Glenbrook Square is a shopping mall at 4201 Coldwater Road, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The anchor stores are JCPenney, Macy's, and Barnes & Noble.
Yorktown Center is a shopping mall located in the village of Lombard, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The mall's anchor stores are JCPenney, Marshalls, and Von Maur, with one vacant anchor store that was once Carson Pirie Scott. The Von Maur store is the second largest in the chain, the largest being at Perimeter Mall that opened in 2012 in Dunwoody, Georgia. The mall also features more than 100 other stores on its two levels. Other amenities include a food court and an outdoor concourse of shops known as The Shops on Butterfield.
Lincoln Mall was a shopping mall located at the corner of U.S. Route 30 and Cicero Avenue in Matteson, Illinois, a south suburb of Chicago.
Randhurst Village is a shopping mall located at the corner of Rand Road and Elmhurst Road in Mount Prospect, Illinois. The mall took its name from combining the names of these two roads.
Century Mall was an indoor shopping mall located on the southeast corner of Broadway 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.
North Riverside Park Mall is a shopping mall located in North Riverside, Illinois. It is owned by The Feil Organization and the mall's anchor stores are JCPenney, Forman Mills and Round 1 Entertainment. There is 1 vacant anchor store last occupied by Carson's.
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.
The Brickyard, sometimes known as the Brickyard Mall, is a shopping mall located in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Built in 1977 as an enclosed shopping mall featuring J. C. Penney, Kmart, and Montgomery Ward, it was redeveloped in 2003 as a strip mall. The center's anchor stores are Jewel, Target, Marshalls, and Lowe's. The Brickyard is owned and managed by CBRE Group.
The demolition of Woodmar Mall, expected to be completed by the end of September [2006], appears to be nearing the halfway point. After its completion, only the Carson Pirie Scott building will remain standing.
Carson's will close its department stores in Southlake Mall in Hobart, the Marquette Mall in Michigan City and in Hammond, where the three-story store is all that remains of the once-thriving but now largely demolished Woodmar Mall.
After 65 years, the Carson's department store that long anchored the Woodmar Mall is coming down, marking the end of an era in Hammond's evolving retail landscape.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)A $9 million refinancing loan has been obtained by Woodmar Mall in Hammond to complete renovation at the 32-year-old [ sic ] shopping center.
The final phase of a three-year renovation program at Woodmar Mall here has begun, said Manager Larry Davis. The project began May 21 and is expected to be completed by the end of July [1990].
With less than a dozen stores remaining, promised improvements undone and missing management, Woodmar shoppers, employees and store managers all are wondering if there's a future for the 50-year-old enclosed mall.
Hammond officials on Thursday cut the ribbon on the city's new 135,000-square-foot, $18 million sportsplex that took over the majority of the land that used to be home to the Woodmar Shopping Center.
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