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Woodfield Mall

Coordinates: 42°2′48″N 88°2′13″W / 42.04667°N 88.03694°W / 42.04667; -88.03694
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Woodfield Mall
Map
LocationSchaumburg, Illinois, United States
Coordinates42°2′48″N 88°2′13″W / 42.04667°N 88.03694°W / 42.04667; -88.03694
Opening dateSeptember 9, 1971
DeveloperTaubman Centers
Homart Development
ManagementSimon Property Group
OwnerCalPERS
Miller Capital Advisory
Simon Property Group (50%)
ArchitectCharles Luckman & Associates
No. of stores and services300
No. of anchor tenants5
Total retail floor area2,172,434 sq. ft.
No. of floors3 [1]

Woodfield Mall is a shopping mall located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, United States, at the intersection of Golf Road and Interstate 290.

Woodfield Mall is the largest shopping mall in the state of Illinois and one of the largest shopping malls in the United States. The mall is located approximately 27 miles from the Chicago Loop and attracts more than 27 million visitors each year. The mall features nearly 300 stores and is anchored by J.C. Penney, Lord & Taylor, Macy's (formerly Marshall Field's), Nordstrom, and the country's largest Sears store at 416,000 square feet (38,600 m2), though in 2015, a portion of the second level was subleased to Level 257, a Pac Man-themed restaurant.

The mall was originally developed by Taubman Centers, who later sold the mall to CalPERS, Miller Capital Advisory, and GM Pension Trusts. Taubman continued to manage the mall until December 31, 2012, when GM Pension Trusts sold their stake in the mall to Simon Property Group, who took over management effective January 1, 2013.

History

Woodfield Mall opened on September 9, 1971, with 59 stores, growing to 189 stores with 1.9 million retail square feet by 1973, along with a large 135 feet water tower to supply water to the mall and the nearby village. It was the largest mall in the United States at the time of its opening. It is the 10th largest mall in America to this date.[2][3] It is currently the largest mall in the Chicago area, with over 285 stores and restaurants.[4] Woodfield is part of a group of three malls located in Schaumburg, Illinois, along with Woodfield Village Green, and The Streets of Woodfield. Woodfield is a major tourist destination in the state of Illinois[5] In the year 2000, Chicago's visitors voted Woodfield Mall as their favorite suburban attraction.[6]

Woodfield Mall is named for former Sears board chairman General Robert E. Wood and Marshall Field and Company founder Marshall Field.[7] It debuted on September 9, 1971, on 191 acres (0.77 km2) of prairie land, previously occupied by farms, cows, and a village tavern.[7] Singer Carol Lawrence, actor Vincent Price, and two marching bands entertained at the debut. At the time of its opening, it claimed to be the world's largest shopping center.[8] By the end of September 1971, another 28 stores and restaurants had opened and that first business year finished with 138 specialty retailers. Many of those retailers—Johnston & Murphy, Stride Rite, and New York & Company (formerly Lerner New York) are still at Woodfield Mall today.

Originally 1,900,000 square feet (180,000 m2) of retail space, Woodfield Mall today is 2.7 million feet of retail space. In 1973, Lord & Taylor opened and brought along 50 additional new retailers and a whole new wing. In celebration of its 20th anniversary in 1991, Woodfield added 23 more stores and then in 1996, Woodfield grew again with a $110 million wing. This new wing included a three-level Nordstrom, a larger replacement Lord & Taylor, and 50 new specialty stores. Of these new stores, nearly 40 debuted flagship concepts and designs, with about 27 of them the largest in their chains.

While all of this expansion continued at Woodfield Mall, the surrounding village of Schaumburg grew as well. In 1970, the population was 19,000; in 1980, it mushroomed to 55,000; and, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Schaumburg had over 75,000 people in 2000. Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson observed that, "Woodfield established a focal point for development throughout all of the northwest suburbs. Without Woodfield, we wouldn't have office towers in Itasca or corporate development in Hoffman Estates."

In 1995, Woodfield Associates commissioned a brand new $128,000 paint job for the mall water tower. Woodfield paid an additional $97,000 for the exterior painting. Both the interiors and exteriors of the water tower were completely repainted. The tower was completely drained of water before the new paint job could be applied. Afterwards, the interior and exterior of the tower were thoroughly cleaned and rust spots were treated properly. The painting of the interior began after the cleaning and treatment, followed by the painting of the exterior. For the exterior, Woodfield chose a base layer of light gray, along with four continuous, teal “W’s” ( for Woodfield ) around the bowl of the tower. The entire painting process took around 350 gallons of paint.

In 2005, only ten years after the water tower received a new look, it was again repainted and has not been repainted since. The current scheme includes small, black text reading "Woodfield Mall" with large white clouds in the background, along with a representation of Schaumburg's skyscrapers in blue right below the text. Blue sky can be seen above the clouds, covering the very top of the bowl.

In September 2006, the Marshall Field's location at the mall was rebranded as Macy's after the acquisition of Marshall Field's.

In 2015, a portion of the second level of the Sears was subleased to Level 257, a Pac Man-themed restaurant.

In 2018, a large food court, known as the 'Dining Pavilion' within the mall, opened on the second floor in the east court ( Sears wing ) opposite of the main mall entrance.

The GLA of the mall today is 2,174,000 square feet (202,000 m2), making it the fifth largest shopping mall in the U.S. and ninth largest in terms of shopping area.[9][10] The mall is a highly visited tourist destination in the Chicago metropolitan area, with about 27 million annual visitors. Woodfield is often used as a test market for retailers; a recent example was the 2004 opening (and nationwide debut) of Ruehl No.925 by clothier Abercrombie & Fitch.

Woodfield Mall interior shot
Woodfield Mall another interior shot

Renovation

In January 2015, Woodfield had planned and announced a $13.8 million renovation. The makeover consists of an updated grand court, taking away the bricks. The renovation also includes new flooring for both lower and upper levels, and also new elevators, including a 3rd one. The renovation was predicted to be finished by the end of the year.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.simon.com/mall/woodfield-mall/map
  2. ^ "Big, Bigger And Then There's Woodfield Mall". Chicago Tribune. February 24, 1995. Retrieved March 14, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)("When Woodfield Mall opened in 1971, it covered 2.3 million square feet and featured 224 shops, making it the largest mall in the United States at the time. It is now the 9th largest mall in America.")
  3. ^ "Woodfield Mall still largest in the nation". Chicago Tribune. October 15, 1978. Retrieved March 14, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)("Schaumburg's Woodfield Mail still tops the list of the nation's largest shop ping centers, according to the latest standings compiled by Shopping Center World-magazine in its September issue.")
  4. ^ "Largest Shopping Malls in the United States (2004)". American Studies at Eastern Connecticut State University.
  5. ^ "AMERICA'S LARGEST SHOPPING CENTERS". Daily News Record. December 23, 2002. Retrieved March 14, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)("Operated by The Taubman Co., the mall is Illinois' most popular tourist attraction and it erects the tallest (54 feet) indoor Christmas tree in the U.S. every winter.")
  6. ^ "About".
  7. ^ a b Andrew H. Malcolm (October 17, 1973). "Farm Now a Theater--Another Mall Built". The New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Nagelberg, Alvin (September 13, 1971). "Woodfield Mall: Land Price Boom". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 14, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)("Woodfield Mall, the world's largest shopping center, opened last week in Schaumburg, 25 miles northwest of Chicago")
  9. ^ http://www.simon.com/Mall/LeasingSheet/Woodfield.pdf
  10. ^ http://www.chicagorealestatedaily.com/article/20130204/CRED03/130209963/woodfield-mall-now-half-owned-by-simon
  11. ^ "Woodfield Mall plans $13.8 million renovation". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
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