Charlestowne Mall

Charlestowne Mall was a shopping mall located in St. Charles, Illinois, United States. It was the second mall to serve the city of St. Charles, 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 (then known as Carson Pirie Scott). JCPenney closed in 2000 and became Von Maur The mall suffered from vacancy for most of its existence, losing Sears in 2011 and Kohl's in 2016. During this period, Charlestowne Mall was intended to be re-developed as The Quad. The mall was closed entirely in 2017 except for Von Maur and Carson's, the latter of which closed one year later. As of 2021, the mall remains entirely vacant except for Von Maur and a movie theater.

Charlestowne Mall
The interior of Charlestowne Mall on its final day in business
LocationSt. Charles, Illinois, United States
Coordinates41°55′24.5″N 88°16′9″W
Opening dateApril 6, 1991
Closing dateDecember 1, 2017
DeveloperWilmorite Properties
ManagementThe Krausz Companies Inc.
OwnerThe Krausz Companies Inc.
No. of stores and services120
No. of anchor tenants4
Total retail floor area773,665 sq ft (71,876 m2)[1]
No. of floors2

History

Wilmorite Properties, a shopping mall developer based in suburban Rochester, New York, first announced the plans for what was then to be called Charlestowne Centre Mall in 1989. The developers chose a site east of St. Charles, Illinois, on Illinois Route 64. [2]

The first store at the mall to open was Sears, which did so in April 1991.[3] In 1994, Wilmorite planned to expand the mall with a new anchor store.[4][5]

The opening of Charlestowne Mall had an immediate impact on St. Charles Mall, an existing shopping center in St. Charles which had become entirely vacant in late 1995 after both of its anchor stores had closed. Due to this, St. Charles Mall was slated for demolition in 1996.[6]

JCPenney closed in 2000 and became Von Maur the same year.[7]

The mall was 40% vacant in 2007. Only a year later it increased to 75-80%. In June 2010, a California-based investment group acquired the mall with plans to revitalize it.[8][9] However, as of early 2012, there were numerous vacancies in the mall.[10] After over a year, there had been no indications of communication between mall ownership and the city in terms of beginning construction for these projects,[11] On January 4, 2011, Sears announced that their Charlestowne location would close before April 3, 2011 after negotiations between the new mall management company and Sears officials broke down,.[12]

A corridor of Charlestowne Mall in 2014.

After two years of no contact with the mall's ownership, city officials stated a plan in 2012 to spend $35,000 on a study to determine the best options for the mall site.[11][13] In mid-August the abandoned mall was put under contract to be sold by Mark Goodman & Associates. They hoped to close on the property as soon as mid-September, according to the Daily Herald. A full presentation of the future plans of the mall was to be given to the city within the next 30–45 days they stated. "Goodman said his group 'absolutely' intends to keep the mall property as some form of a shopping center."[14]

The Quad St. Charles

On November 14, 2013, The Krausz Companies Inc acquired the mall property and renamed it from Charlestowne Mall to The Quad St. Charles. The new owners planned to demolish the current Sears wing of the mall and completely remodel the interior and exterior of the mall. "The inspiration for The Quad name centers on the "neighborhood feeling" the company is trying to bring to the mall through a redesign. Outdoor patio dining and exterior merchandised retails will be part of the mall for the first time. There will also be a 'welcoming center' with a fireplace as the key attraction for families and shoppers to gather. The existing abundant natural light will be retained in the new environment" said Krausz Executive Vice President Jay E. Krigsman. Construction was expected to start in April 2014 and completed by Fall 2015.[15] The mall's famous 2 level Italian carousel was also put up for sale due to there being no room for it in the mall's new floor plan.[16] As of April 2014, the only true tenant left in the mall was Lenscrafters (excluding anchor stores). Lenscrafters, the anchor stores, and the movie theater planned to stay open during construction.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in August 2014, and mass earthworks were in process at the site preparing for the redevelopment of the main mall buildings. Updating the city council in April 2015, representatives of Krausz shared that the project was proceeding with a grand reopening contemplated for 2016.

At the end of May 2015, the carousel was disassembled.

On March 16, 2016, it was announced that Kohl's would be closing as part of a plan to close 18 stores nationwide. The store closed on June 25, 2016.

In early 2017, the Classic Cinemas received a new exterior entrance.

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants opened outside of the mall on May 15, 2017.[17]

The original plan for redevelopment was canceled in 2017.

In mid-2017, the east wing of the mall, spanning the center court to Carson's, was closed; its mall entrances permanently locked, and a large wall was constructed on both floors near the center court. The rest of the mall interior, originally announced to close on October 31, 2017, finally closed December 1[18] with the exception of Carson's, Von Maur, Classic Cinemas; and accessible via the theatre: a long-standing kiosk, and a gymnasium still leasing a former Deb between the theatre and the vacant Sears anchor, on the second floor. On April 18, 2018, Bon-Ton Stores Inc. announced the closure of Carson's, leaving Von Maur, Classic Cinemas and Power Athletics as the last stores in the mall.[19]

In September 2021, the City of St. Charles announced another redevelopment plan that will replace the former mall with a planned unit development that will include a hotel, residential, and retail space. The mall will be demolished with the exception of the Classic Cinemas and Von Maur buildings.[20]

In Early 2022, Toyota filmed a commercial inside and outside the mall promoting the new 2022 Toyota GR86 Sports Car showing off its capabilities, viewers were not expecting it to be driven inside the mall. The commercial was first aired on March 22, 2022.[21]

References
  1. "City Of St. Charles PUD for Charlestowne Mall (The Quad)" (PDF). Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  2. "Additional space planned for mall". Chicago Tribune. September 7, 1990. pp. 2–3. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  3. Young, David. "SEARS BEATS MALL TO GRAND OPENING".
  4. Gregory, Shirley Siluk. "CHARLESTOWNE MALL'S EVENTUAL GROWTH OKD".
  5. Writer, Barbara Sherlock, Tribune Staff. "MALL FINDS TENANT FOR ANCHOR SPACE".
  6. Allison Kaplan (October 26, 1996). "'Shoppers' may purchase St. Charles Mall at bargain price". The Daily Herald. p. 3. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  7. "Von Maur likely adding its style to suburban shopping". Crain's Chicago Business.
  8. "California investment firm acquires Charlestowne Mall". REJournals.com. June 30, 2010. Archived from the original on July 7, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  9. "Charlestowne Mall sold to California investment company". mysuburbanlife.com. St. Charles Republican. June 16, 2010. Archived from the original on June 22, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2010.
  10. "Charlestowne Mall plans addition of recreation corridor". TribLocal. March 27, 2012. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  11. "St. Charles ready to crack down on Charlestowne Mall". Daily Herald. April 10, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  12. "Sears Closing Charlestowne Mall Store". Daily Herald. January 4, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  13. "Upgrades may help struggling mall". Chicago Tribune.
  14. "Charlestowne Mall buyers may force decision on new taxes". Daily Herald. August 16, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
  15. "Renovations at The Quad expected to start in April". Daily Herald. November 14, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  16. "Owners have big plans for ailing Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles". Chicago Sun-Times. February 19, 2014. Archived from the original on June 18, 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  17. "Cooper's Hawk to open May 15 in St. Charles, more planned".
  18. Walker, Janelle. "St. Charles mall closing Friday; anchor stores and theater to remain open". chicagotribune.com.
  19. "Bon-Ton Stores expected to close; Younkers, Boston Store and Carson's included". 18 April 2018.
  20. "Charlestowne Mall". City of St. Charles, Illinois.
  21. "The Focus Group" | 2022 Toyota GR86 Commercial | Toyota, retrieved 2022-03-24
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