The Plaza (mall)
 | |
| Location | Evergreen Park, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1952 |
| Developer | Arthur Rubloff[1], Charles R. Walgreen, Jr.[2] |
| No. of stores and services | 120+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 1.2 million ft.²[3] |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | The Plaza |
The Plaza, formerly known as Evergreen Plaza[1], is an enclosed shopping mall located in Evergreen Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The mall is anchored by Carson Pirie Scott and Office Depot; it also features over 120 stores, as well as a food court. Some sources claim that Evergreen Plaza was the first major suburban shopping center in the Midwest.[4][5]
History
Developer Arthur Rubloff first conceived a shopping mall in the Evergreen Park area in 1936[6]. Opened to the public in 1952, the mall was originally a 500,000 square foot open-air shopping center anchored by The Fair Store, Lytton's and Walgreens. The center also contained a supermarket, which featured a conveyor belt that carried groceries from the store to a parking lot kiosk.[6] The mall's Walgreens was the second self-service Walgreen pharmacy in the chain[7]; it was also the chain's first location in a shopping center.[8]
Carson Pirie Scott was added as another anchor, and the mall was later enclosed. Also, The Fair Store was converted to Montgomery Ward in the 1970s. Circuit City came in the early 1990s. Other additions over time included a food court.
Montgomery Ward closed its four-story store in 2001 as the chain declared bankruptcy. Shortly aferward, Village of Evergreen Park officials submitted proposals for Target Corporation to open in the former Wards; however, these deals fell through.[9]
In 2003, a parking garage on one corner of the mall was demolished for landscaped parking, and parking entrances were widened. That same year, Applebee's opened on an outparcel.[1]
Discount chain National Wholesale Liquidators opened in 2004, occupying two levels of the four-level anchor slot once occupied by Montgomery Ward. Walgreens closed in the 2000s, and has been replaced with Office Depot. Also, Circuit City closed in 2005.[10]
References
- ^ a b c http://www.theplazamall.org/plaza.php?page=history History info from The Plaza's official website
- ^ http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/VNU-0016-15456385.htm CNNMoney.com: Former Walgreens Chairman Dies at 100
- ^ http://www.theplazamall.org/plaza.php?page=leasing#more Leasing info from The Plaza's official website
- ^ http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1995/ihy951209.html Evergreen Park
- ^ http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/mag/search.pl?showSummary=true&article=true&case=s&search_type=phrase&keyword=St.%20Xavier%20University&limit=10&limit=20 Chicago Business News, Analytics & Articles - Crain's
- ^ a b http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1068.html Retail Geography
- ^ http://www.irma.org/retailersoftheyear/contentview.asp?c=5348 Irma.org
- ^ http://americanroadmagazine.com/forum/index.php?s=131d6ce369ac38583c534c1925c89159&showtopic=82&pid=6496&st=0&#entry6496 Obituaries in the News - AMERICAN ROAD FORUM
- ^ http://www.icsc.org/srch/sct/sct0504/page138.php ICSC.org: Shopping Centers Today
- ^ http://newsroom.circuitcity.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=155982 Circuit City Announces 19 Superstore Closings as Part of Its Ongoing Initiatives to Improve Financial Performance