Randhurst Mall; Mount Prospect, Illinois

Randhurst Mall Promenade entrance in Mount Prospect, IL

Located in a middle class northwest suburb of Chicago called Mt. Prospect, Illinois, Randhurst Mall opened in 1962 to great fanfare.  It had a major significance in the Chicagoland area in that it was the very first major enclosed suburban shopping mall in the region whereas today there are well over 30 suburban enclosed malls in the Chicago area.  Its original anchors were Chicago-area department stores Carson Pirie Scott, Wieboldts, and The Fair.  Also notable, the mall was designed by legendary retail architect Victor Gruen, who was the father of the suburban mall in America.

As an aside, I feel that Gruen’s work went largely unnoticed during his lifetime.  A native Austrian Jew, he was born in Vienna around the turn of the century and emigrated to the United States as a commercial architect during World War II to avoid persecution from the Nazis.  He arrived in the United States as an architect with no money and spoke no english, but before long his misfortune ended.  He started designing pedestrian shopping areas and other small retail venues, but he was most famous for designing (one of) the first large enclosed suburban malls in America.  It was in Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota.  Gruen then went on to design several more large enclosed centers, all with very unique and interesting footprints.  Another one is featured on this site and is also magnificent: Midtown Plaza in Rochester, NY.  It’s actually possible to get lost in some of his malls because of the unique layouts, which make today’s enclosed mall designs pale in comparison.  In Gruen’s designs, different levels don’t line up, there are unique angles and shapes, grand courts with 80 foot ceilings, hallways which weave around and loop back upon each other, and more design features of malls considered nonstandard today. 

Randhurst is surely one of Gruen’s more unique designs, and quite possibly one of the most unique mall designs in the country.  Gruen’s design for Randhurst is “…shaped like an equilateral triangle, with an anchoring department store at each angle. Additional stores lined the sides of the triangle on two levels: a conventional level and a level located half a floor below the first level (down a flight of stairs), facing the first level. A floor of offices occupied the level above this “subfloor” of stores. A ring of clerestory windows was mounted in a domed area over the center of the mall; mounted just inside these windows were numerous stained glass windows in various oval and round shapes, oriented in such a way as to cast beams of colored light into the mall itself. As the mall was built at the height of the Cold War, it included a fallout shelter big enough to hold every citizen of Mount Prospect” (Wikipedia).

Now that you know about Randhurst Mall’s original design, let’s talk about its history and modifications throughout its four decades as a shopping mecca.  Throughout the 60s, 70s, and into the 80s, the mall remained largely the same.  It was extremely successful despite encroaching competition in suburban malls throughout Chicagoland, and the only major change during that time period was the replacement of The Fair department store in 1965 with Montgomery Ward, another Chicago-area brand.

Randhurst Mall in Mount Prospect, IL Randhurst Mall Carson Pirie Scott in Mount Prospect, IL 

However, in 1985, many structural changes took place at Randhurst which modified the center into a much larger retail venue.  The owners, Rouse Company, decided to convert the second level offices above the subfloor into retail space, including a large food court – one of the first in the Chicago area.  The nature of the food court’s design meant that it was atop the subfloor, in the center of the mall, and the rest of the mall’s retail space was on the main level across, about half a floor in between the subfloor and the food court.  Got it?

As if this wasn’t a cool enough design already, by 1990 Rouse decided to expand the mall even more and finish a second level on top of the mall’s main level on the outside of the triangle.  Each department store already had a second level, so it was in their best interest to have both levels opening up into the mall, and the mall also added a lot of extra retail space in turn.  In addition, the second main level was connected into the food court level in the middle of the mall (which is half a level down because it is on top of the subfloor) via a series of ramps and catwalks. 

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw continued success for Randhurst Mall and the net addition of more retail space.  In 1987, the entire Wieboldts chain folded and Peoria, Illinois based Bergner’s took over their space.  However, in 1990 Bergner’s closed at Randhurst because Bergner’s bought Carson Pirie Scott which already operated a store at Randhurst.  As a result of this empty anchor space, Carson’s moved into the much grander former Wieboldts/Bergners space and JCPenney entered the mix – opening in the former Carson’s space.  Also in the late 1980s, Elgin, Illinois-based Joseph Speiss & Company built a 61,000 square foot mini-anchor near Wieboldt’s/Bergners, and around the same time the Chicago-based Main Street Department Store chain built another mini-anchor near Montgomery Ward.  Unfortunately, the Joseph Speiss store closed in 1992 amid financial woes (The entire chain closed in 1994).  The Main Street store became a Kohls Department store in 1989 following the purchase of Main Street by Kohls, a Wisconsin retailer who would later go on to become one of the larger chains in the country, in one of Kohls’ first expansions.  In 1995, the empty Joseph Speiss store became Circuit City and Old Navy, and a Filene’s Basement occupied a large portion of the subfloor.  The mid 1990s were the pinnacle of Randhurst’s success: it had three major anchors: Wards, JCPenney, Carson Pirie Scott and four minor anchors: Filene’s Basement, Old Navy, Circuit City, and Kohls.  This was unfortunately the last hurrah for Randhurst as the next decaded proved an uncertain future for an ailing mall.

In 1996, just as Randhurst reached its biggest capacity things started to go sour. Chicago’s largest shopping center, Woodfield Mall, embarked on a massive expansion project which extended a wing of the mall, added a Nordstrom, and gave it the status of largest mall in the nation in terms of retail space for some time.  This spelled major trouble for Randhurst, being only 15 minutes away from Woodfield, and devastated its customer base.  In-line mall stores began disappearing, and the Filene’s Basement was the first of the more major anchors to close in 1999.

The early 2000s continued the downward spiral for Randhurst as two major anchor stores left at the same time in 2001: Montgomery Ward and JCPenney.  Wards left as the entire chain went out of business, and JCPenney was amid financial woes and identified the Randhurst location as an underperforming store.  Also, Chicago’s first lifestyle center, Deer Park Town Center, opened farther out into the northwest suburbs in 2000, further decimating Randhurst’s customer base.  Then, in 2003 Kohls announced they were jumping ship for a better location at a former Venture store on the south end of town.  All three of these departures were devastating to the mall, and many more inside stores closed.  Articles surfaced about Randhurst on the site deadmalls.com and although there are several glaring factual errors and the two articles seem to disagree with each other, it was not a good omen for Randhurst. 

2004 saw some resurgence of the mall with a few additions and cosmetic updates.  Both the former JCPenney and Kohls anchors were razed for a 150,000 square foot brand new Costco anchor.  Similarly, most of the Wards anchor was also torn down, giving way to a brand new entrance called the “Promenade” with new restaurants Applebees and Buffalo Wild Wings.  In 2005, Circuit City and Old Navy closed amidst the new construction, but were quickly replaced by Steve and Barry’s University Sportswear and Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  In addition, Jewel-Osco, Borders Books, and a Home Depot continue to operate on the outlots.

Today, the mall is humming along and appears to be holding its own.  The Limited, Victoria’s Secret, and American Eagle Outfitters all continue to operate, along with about 90 other stores and services (including outlots).  Hopefully, with the recent updates and continued pandering, shoppers will still frequent this outdated mall and keep it open, at least for us Vic Gruen fans.

The pictures below of Randhurst were taken in October 2005.  The man seen in one of them with what looks like a large orange cone was standing in the middle of the parking lot between Borders and the mall’s Promenade entrance spinning the orange cone on its top repeatedly.  He was middle aged and kind of looked like Mike Ditka (or one of the other Superfans) and just kept spinning that cone, like a small child would do.  Only he was a middle aged man with a moustache.  He also didn’t pay any attention to anyone driving by.  Must have been fun. 

Update 10/6/08: Randhurst has closed for good after 46 years, as of September 30, 2008.  At the end of the month of October a sale of Randhurst’s holiday wares, benches, and other doo-dads that can be stripped from the mall will be for sale inside the former Steve and Barry’s location.  However, the mall’s carousel won’t be for sale; it’s already on its way to California to be used in another shopping center.  I hope they deserve it.  Look for a new development called Randhurst Village to emerge from the mall’s rubble sometime in 2010.  And finally, for some really awesome vintage shots of Randhurst check out John Gallo’s blog Stores Forever.

Randhurst Mall Carson Pirie Scott exterior entrance in Mount Prospect, IL Randhurst Mall in Mount Prospect, IL Randhurst Mall Carson Pirie Scott exterior in Mount Prospect, IL

Randhurst Mall exterior in Mount Prospect, IL Randhurst Mall man spinning orange cone in parking lot in Mount Prospect, IL Randhurst Mall parking lot in Mount Prospect, IL

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Downtown to Become Lifestyle Center

LL Bean Store in Freeport, Maine

According to GlobeSt.com, the flagship L.L. Bean Store–which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is the epitome of the outdoor lifestyle brand–is going to be redeveloped as a $40 million dollar, 113,000 square-foot lifestyle center, anchored by a revamped L.L. Bean store.

Of course, the original L.L. Bean store is actually located right in the heart of scenic Freeport, Maine, a picturesque coastal town just north of Portland, and it has been the town’s focal point since at least 1917. The store attracts many tourists, and its presence has caused the downtown to fill with outlet stores for many of the most popular mall merchants, including Gap, Banana Republic, and Abercrombie & Fitch. In other words, L.L. Bean is sort of an anchor store of an actual, real life, classic New England town center, the kind of place that lifestyle centers try to emulate. And of course, we’ll now have an actual lifestyle center moving into the very place it’s trying to mimic! Try and wrap your head around that one!

Snark aside, the fact that L.L. Bean is shaking up its mix is worth mentioning. Long a major outdoor lifestyle brand (alongside Cabela’s, Orvis, Bass Pro Shops, and Land’s End in one corner, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, Sports Authority, and others in another), L.L. Bean has been in the process of stepping up their efforts to compete against expanding outdoor brands, especially Bass Pro Shops. Just last week, they began their new roll-out of stores outside of Maine with the opening of a two-level store in the Wayside Commons lifestyle center in Burlington, Massachusetts, and they plan a string of new stores in the new future. What’s in store for these, as compared to the failed concept they rolled out in 2000? Essentially, “mini-me” versions of their gargantuan Freeport flagship, complete with nearly every item currently featured in their catalog. L.L. Bean will likely be attempting to introduce themselves nationally as the more upmarket, granola cousin to stores like Bass Pro Shops, where the emphasis is less on guns and more on butter (and kayaks). Interestingly, L.L. Bean told The Boston Globe last week that they plan to avoid malls and cling to the lifestyle format, relaying an anecdote that customers (understandably) don’t like lugging kayaks through malls. Still, it seems to me that most who shop at the ‘ol Bean are moneyed, yuppie types buying more clothing and housewares–they sell deliciously tasteful dinnerware–than true outdoor gear, though I suppose the lifestyle center format takes dead aim on this particular demographic regardless of what they’re really buying. The canoes hanging from the ceiling may merely be for effect, but I suppose they achieve their purpose.

It’ll be interesting to see if the market can support so many similar competitors. I secretly suspect I’m too young, too poor, and too indoorsy to fall into L.L. Bean’s real target demographic but as a lifelong Yankee, I wish them luck.

Boston Globe Editorial on the Death of the Department Store

Filene's store in Boston's Downtown CrossingI highly recommend checking out this editorial in today’s Boston Globe, written by Jan Whittaker (the author of Service & Style: How the American Department Store Fashioned the Middle Class). It makes for very interesting reading on the week that we’re saying goodbye for good to many of our most beloved regional department store nameplates. Here’s a snippet:

“The stores’ attractions were free and open to all. Of course department stores are businesses that must focus intently on the bottom line, but they built their fortunes on the notion that as their customers prospered and developed more artistically discriminating tastes, they would buy better merchandise and profits would rise accordingly.

By the 1960s, a large US middle class took it for granted that local department stores were reliable links to the mores, manners, and material accoutrements of mainstream American life. But, despite success as social arbiters, the big stores’ high cost of distribution — due in part to special events and lavish services — undermined profits. In city after city they closed or were consolidated in buyouts.

The department store represented a historic confluence of merchandising creativity and social aspirations that may be impossible to replace.”

American Mall; Lima, Ohio

American Mall pylon in Lima, OH

American Mall opened in 1965 along West Elm Street on the west side of Lima, Ohio.  Anchored by northwest Ohio-based full-service department store The Andersons and Value City, American Mall is listed as having about 450,000 square feet according to the International Council of Shopping Centers directory

The design of the indoor portion of the mall is a straight shot from the western anchor The Andersons to Value City.  Until 2003, a Phar-Mor location anchored near the middle of the mall but it closed when the entire chain folded.  According to deadmalls.com, there are also a handful of other stores and a Regal Cinemas. 

American Mall’s decor is rather spartan with some interesting features.  First, the floor is an M.C. Escher-like black and white checkered design throughout the mall.  Second, the ceiling is encircled by an inlay of lights that emanates this green orb-like glow onto the ceiling and the sides of the mall.  It’s really unique and kind of creepy, like you’re inside the set from some extra-terrestrial themed movie or something.  The seating and decorations are also very old, and there are small plants and trees throughout the length of the mall.  Another truly unique feature of the mall are the Television kiosks.  There were two of them when I visited in the Summer of 2005; one featured CNN and another featured WLIO-TV 35, the local NBC affiliate.  Kind of neat, huh?

As of recent, there is speculation that the Cafaro company who owns and manages the mall is going to shutter the mall and convert it into a lifestyle-type center, much like Easton Town Center in Columbus on a smaller scale.  The mall has been on relatively hard times in recent years, with a large rate of vacancy.  The stores actually in the mall number relatively few and of them, even fewer are national chains.  One of them is actually called Butterfly Love and appears to sell T-shirts and knick-knacks, and has a very homemade-looking sign.  Competition from nearby Lima Mall, which has all the traditional mall stores and department store anchors Macys, JCPenney, and Sears, has taken a great deal from American Mall.  More simply put, Lima, with a population of 40,000, cannot support two enclosed malls.  Perhaps the original developers thought Lima would be able to support two of them because of its distance from larger cities.  Lima is a little over an hour from Toledo, Dayton, and Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Too bad it didn’t work.

The pictures below were taken in June 2005.  As always, any and all comments are appreciated.

American Mall in Lima, OH American Mall TV kiosk in Lima, OH American Mall Value City in Lima, OH

American Mall in Lima, OH American Mall Butterfly Love in Lima, OH American Mall The Andersons in Lima, OH

American Mall TV kiosk in Lima, OH American Mall crazy green ceiling orb in Lima, OH American Mall in Lima, OH

American Mall Value City in Lima, OH American Mall former Phar-Mor in Lima, OH American Mall Andersons in Lima, OH

Las Vegas Outlet Center; Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas Outlet Center in Las Vegas, NV

It’s time to wrap up my Las Vegas series with this relatively unremarkable little bonus, the Las Vegas Outlet Center. Located on South Las Vegas Boulevard a few miles south of the strip, this half million square-foot, fully enclosed outlet center strays a bit outside of the kind of thing we’d usually devote inches to on Labelscar, but it does have a few neato indoor mall features that merit inclusion. I’m probably being a bit of a completist here, but I feel that it’s part of the overall picture.

Since this is an outlet mall, it doesn’t have any real anchors… apart from a VF Factory Outlet (the anchor of outlet malls everywhere!) and a Nike store and some other miscellany. The Las Vegas Outlet Center does host many of the common players at outlet malls everywhere, including Van Heusen and Music For Less and Nautica, many offering items at a dubiously small discount from what they’re sold for at full-priced stores. Like a lot of outlet malls, the decor leaves something to be desired, with exposed girder rooflines and a general lack of true decor. Unlike the pretty-cool Mills Malls, the Las Vegas Outlet Center is pretty cut-rate. The floorplan is almost like two “E”s stacked on top of one another; judging by the different roofing colors from the satellite photo and the fact that the mall is designed as a mirror image of itself, I wouldn’t be surprised if its two halves were constructed at different times. But maybe not.

But, you know what? The Las Vegas Outlet Center has two food courts, and a weird neon rainbow ceiling, and those are both worth something, right? This ends my trek to Nevada: beginning with the next post, we’ll return to the good ol’ chilly, stodgy northeast.

Las Vegas Outlet Center in Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Outlet Center in Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Outlet Center in Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas Outlet Center in Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Outlet Center in Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Outlet Center in Las Vegas, NV

Galleria at Sunset; Henderson, Nevada

Galleria at Sunset sign in Henderson, Nevada
Opened in 1996 in the far-flung southeastern Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, The Galleria at Sunset was constructed to capitalize on the growth spurt of the Las Vegas area, and was an attempt to move more retail out to where people were moving. The area around the mall today is one of the largest retail districts in all of suburban Las Vegas, and serves a relatively affluent corner of the metropolitan area. The mall is owned and managed by Forest City Enterprises.

Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada

The Galleria at Sunset is a two-level, “Y” shaped mall with just over a million square feet of floor space, including 110 stores and 5 anchors: JCPenney, Mervyn’s, Dillard’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Robinsons-May (soon to be Macy’s). Unlike its twin mall, Meadows Mall, located on the city’s northwest side, The Galleria at Sunset sports a bright and airy decor complete with pastels and tropical plantlife. Its architectural highlight is a large series of fountains in the center court, which is something of a rarity in newer malls.

Of course, being only ten years old, there isn’t a ton of drama to the Galleria at Sunset either, which makes my job pretty boring. However, if you want more, there’s a good photo set of the Galleria, including a page devoted entirely to the mall’s grand opening ceremony. Enjoy the pictures!

Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada

Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada Galleria at Sunset in Henderson, Nevada

Meadows Mall; Las Vegas, Nevada

Meadows Mall sign in Las Vegas, Nevada
Other than the malls of the strip and the nearby Boulevard Mall, the vast suburban expanse of Las Vegas, Nevada–much of which has been built in the last decade or two–is covered by only two full-line enclosed shopping malls, on the southeast and northwest sides of the city. The Meadows Mall, which is a 900,000 square foot, two level enclosed mall located in the city of Las Vegas itself but which serves the large and sprawling suburb of Summerlin (the largest planned community in America) as well, is the one on the city’s northwest side.

Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall Macy's in Las Vegas, NV

Perhaps because so much of Las Vegas’ first tier shopping is clustered in the center of the city, and because so much of the city is so new that it contains many big box plazas, lifestyle centers, and other newer styles of development, the malls don’t feel as important as they do in many older and more established cities. Meadows Mall is certainly functional, with anchor stores like Macy’s (a former Broadway store), Sears, Dillard’s, and JCPenney, but for the most part it is a functional and unremarkable suburban mall, neither high nor low end but comfortably treading middle ground. The decor inside and out is pretty standard, though I give high marks to the mall’s sign, with its faux-grass scheme.

Apparently, many local residents think even less of it, often referring to it as the “Ghetto Meadow” or “The Ghettos,” possibly because of its relative proximity to downtown Las Vegas. It’s also about to face new competition from the proposed Great Mall of Las Vegas in Centennial Hills, a 1.6 million square foot, hybrid indoor-outdoor mall planned to be built in the northwestern suburbs of Las Vegas.

Judging by my experiences in Las Vegas, they seem to have pretty high standards. While the Meadows Mall may have been the least successful of Las Vegas’ enclosed malls, it wouldn’t be considered as such almost anywhere else. It seems that maybe the pace of change in the valley is determined to swallow this one up before its time.

Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV

Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV

Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall food court in Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall in Las Vegas, NV