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Midway Mall

Coordinates: 41°23′48″N 82°06′43″W / 41.39675°N 82.11188°W / 41.39675; -82.11188
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Midway Mall
Entrance to Midway Mall, July 2013
Map
LocationElyria, Ohio, USA
Opening date1966
Closing datestill open
DeveloperRichard E Jacobs Company
ManagementLorain County Port Authority
OwnerLorain County Port Authority
No. of stores and services0 (120 at peak)
No. of anchor tenants0 (6 at peak)
Total retail floor area940,174 sq ft (87,345 m2)
No. of floors1 (2 in former Dillard’s, former JCPenney and former Sears)

Midway Mall was a 940,174 sq ft (87,345 m2) square foot regional shopping mall in Elyria, Ohio. Lorain County's only enclosed regional mall, it sits on Ohio State Route 57, about 1/8 mile from Interstate 80 (the Ohio Turnpike) and Interstate 90. As of 2023, with former anchor Dunham's Sports closing its branch there, it is a dead mall.

History

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Developed by the Visconsi, Mead-Jacobs company, Midway Mall was originally slated to open in late August 1966[1] but was delayed until September 22, 1966.[2] Its anchor stores were Higbees, which opened August 1, 1966; JCPenney, September 29, 1966, and Sears, late 1967.[1][2]

In 1995, Best Buy replaced Woolworth, which closed in 1994. Higbee's became Dillard's after being acquired in 1992. 

The mall was renovated in 1989. When completed in August 1990, there was a new wing with a new May Company Store, several stores, and a new food court. The May Company store became on Kaufmann's January 31, 1993, then Macy's on September 9, 2006.

In 2001, the Jacobs Group sold it as part of a divestment program to The Westfield Group, which renamed it Westfield Shoppingtown Midway. In spring 2006, Westfield announced that the mall did not fulfill their "strategic plan" and sold it in May 2006 to Centro Properties Group,[3][4] which reverted the name to Midway Mall. Several years later, the mall was managed by The Woodmont Company.

Dillard's closed in 2007,[5] Macy's in 2016,[6] and Sears in 2017.[7] In 2018, Johnny K's Power Sports moved into the former Macy's space.[8] The mall was then owned and managed by Namdar Realty Group.

On February 28, 2019, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing as part of a plan to close 27 stores nationwide. The store closed on July 5, 2019.[9]

On January 6, 2020, it was announced that Best Buy would close when its lease ran out. The store closed on March 7, 2020, leaving Dunham's Sports and Johnny K's Power Sports as the mall's only anchors.[10]

On January 12, 2023, the Lorain County Port Authority voted to buy and develop the mall site.[11] On May 1, 2024, the port authority named Industrial Commercial Properties to redevelop the mall into an industrial park.[12]

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Midway Mall Set to Open in Late August". The Amherst News-Times. Amherst, Ohio. June 16, 1966. p. 3. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Midway Mall Grand Opening Set for Today". The Amherst News-Times. September 29, 1966. p. 3. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Crain's Cleveland Business: Midway Mall part of bigger deal
  4. ^ "Centro Watt Enters Mall Business; US Platform Well-Positioned to Continue Growth". www.businesswire.com. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  5. ^ Chronicle-Telegram-Staff (February 5, 2008). "Value City no more". Chronicle-Telegram. Elyria, Ohio. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  6. ^ Weinberger, Jodi. "Macy's at Midway Mall to close". Chronicle-Telegram. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  7. ^ Weinberger, Jodi (June 6, 2017). "Sears officials announce closing of Midway Mall store". Chronicle-Telegram. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Contreras, Briana (December 11, 2017). "Johnny K's Powersports taking over Macy's at Midway Mall". The Morning Journal. Lorain, Ohio. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ O'Brien, Dave (March 1, 2019). "JCPenney closing at Midway Mall". Chronicle-Telegram. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Yost, Laina (January 6, 2020). "Best Buy to close in Elyria (UPDATED)". Chronicle-Telegram. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  11. ^ Martin, Kevin (January 12, 2023). "Lorain County Port Authority to buy Midway Mall". Chronicle-Telegram. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  12. ^ O'Brien, Dave (May 1, 2024). "ICP to pay $17 million for Midway Mall; part of $42 million total investment". Chronicle-Telegram. Retrieved May 2, 2024.

41°23′48″N 82°06′43″W / 41.39675°N 82.11188°W / 41.39675; -82.11188