Southwestern Ohio's Dayton Mall

The original DAYTON MALL logo, circa-1970.

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

The grand entry into the Gem City's gargantuan DAYTON MALL. Going through its glass doors, one came upon two sweeping semicircular stairways that ascended to a Mezzanine Level.

No vintage photos of DAYTON MALL are available, so I created some images from memory. The mall's Center Court had 2 levels and fronted on Rike's. As originally built, DAYTON MALL was a spartan, no-frills structure with few interior embellishments and no natural lighting of any kind. The wavy ceiling treatment, spanning Center Court, was made of strips of paper.

The south-facing facade of Rike's. Two exterior entries brought customers into its Budget Basement Store (which wasn't in a basement). In its original state, Rike's Dayton Mall included The Amber Lantern, an upscale restaurant.

Penneys anchored the west end of the mall between February 1970 and March 1996. In its original state, the store featured a coffee shop restaurant, beauty salon, lawn & garden center and freestanding Penneys Auto Center. 

A DAYTON MALL logo montage is composed of trademarks of seven charter stores and services. These opened for business in 1969 and 1970.

 

DAYTON MALL, circa-1970. To a budding mallophile such as myself, this 1.2 million square foot facility seemed huge. Of course -in the pre-internet age- I was unaware of larger complexes that existed in the 'burbs of Chicago, Denver, San Francisco-Oakland or New York City.

DAYTON MALL TENANTS 1970:

RIKE'S (with Amber Lantern Restaurant, Snack Bar, Budget Basement Store, Beauty Salon and freestanding Tire Center) / J.C. PENNEY (with Coffee Shop, Lawn & Garden Center, Beauty Salon and freestanding Auto Center) / SEARS (with Coffee House and freestanding Auto Center) / LIBERAL supermarket / Baker's Shoes / Baynham Shoes / Bernard's Wigs / Bresler's 33 Flavors Ice Cream / Brijette Fashions / Brooks Fashions / Birkhardts / Burt's Shoes / Butler's Shoes / Camelot Music / Card Cage / Carousel Snack Bar / Cassano Pizza King / Chess King / Craig's ladies' wear / Dayton Mall Cinema (single screen) / Docktor Pet Center / Dolly Madison Beauty Salon / Donenfeld's ladies' wear / Dunhill's men's wear / Fabric Mart Draperies / Fanny Farmer Candies / Firestone Tire & Appliance / First National Bank / Fitzharris Shoes / Florsheim Shoes / Forum Cafeteria / Foxmoor Casuals / Frederick's of Hollywood / Gallery Three / Ganz Custom Furriers / Gem City Savings / Giddings-Jenny / Gray Drug / Hanover Shoes / Harolde's sportswear / Harris' Beautiful Shoes / Hickory Farms of Ohio / Hobby Center Toys / Hot Sam Pretzels / House of Nine ladies' wear / J.G. McCrory 5 & 10 (with restaurant, snack bar & cafeteria) / Jaccard Jewelers / Joan Bari / Jo-Ann Fabrics / Kinney Shoes / Lane Bryant / Lerner Shops / Leroy's Keepsake Diamonds / London Bobby Fish & Chips / Marshalls Fashions / Mary Jane Shoes / Mayor Jewelers / Mayor Records / Merle Norman Cosmetic Studio / Miles Shoes / Miscellaneous, Incorporated / Mobil Shoes / National Shirt Shops / Parklane Hosiery / Partycard / Regal Shoes / Richman Brothers men's wear / Russell Stover Candies / Schiff Shoes / Spencer Gifts / Thal's ladies' wear / The Children's Photographer / The Fatted Calf restaurant / The Golden Razor barber shop / The Limited / The Metropolitan apparel / The Tie Bar / Thom McAn Shoes / Tobacco Village / Waldenbooks / Walker's men's wear / Wicker World 

The mall's second level Mezzanine, as it was configured during the early years. The area fronting on Rike's, and overlooking Center Court, was a dark, empty dead zone for several years. It would be utilized as a Food Court in 1984.

In the early 1970s, an urban legend circulated saying that reputed psychic Jeane Dixon had predicted that DAYTON MALL was going to come tumbling down. Of course, it never did. I have read that the same "prediction" was made for Georgia's CUMBERLAND MALL, North Carolina's FOUR SEASONS MALL and Tennessee's 100 OAKS MALL.

Photo from Wikipedia / http://paranormal-corner.blogspot.com

The very first renovation of DAYTON MALL was completed in October 1984. Shopping concourses were re-floored, fountains removed or replaced and an upper floor Food Court built. A glass-enclosed elevator was also installed in Center Court.  

Drawing from the JMB Property Management Corporation

In late 1984, the mall has just emerged from its first renovation. Interior spaces have been altered considerably. Liberal Markets pulled up stakes in January 1979, with its vacant store being divided 5-ways. McCrory's was downsized and sub-divided in 1982 (the store would close in 1991). The Metropolitan was shuttered in August 1983 and sectioned 7-ways.

The mall was given another makeover in the mid-1990s. Penney's relocated from the west end of the mall into a newly-built store at front center. On the periphery of DAYTON MALL, the grand Southland 75, a cool, Mid-Century Modern drive-in, had been bulldozed. The land became too valuable to "waste" as a lowly outdoor movie theater.

After J.C. Penney moved out of the west anchor store, McAplin's moved in. This store was rebranded by Elder-Beerman in July 1998. It is ironic that this chain ever operated in DAYTON MALL. In 1968, Elder-Beerman (then Dayton-based) was blocked -by Federated Stores and Edward J. Debartolo- from being included as a mall anchor. 

 

A circa-2005 aerial, with a section of Elder-Beerman in the upper right. The mall's northwest parking area has been excavated in preparation for a new lifestyle addition.
Photo from www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust

A bird's-eye view of the new VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL lifestyle center. Charter stores opened between September 2006 and December 2007.
Photo from www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust

In a circa-2008 layout, the VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL is shown in light gray. Its construction included new (freestanding) P.F. Chang's China Bistro and Jared The Galleria of Jewelry stores. The mall, excluding its outparcel VILLAGE, now spanned approximately 1,352,600 leasable square feet.

Ann Taylor Loft was a charter VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL tenant. The store was in operation between October 2006 and January 2009.
Photo from www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust

Bravo! Cucina Italiana was another original VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL store.
Photo from www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust

Borders Books was located in an extension of space that had been occupied by The Metropolitan (a large apparel store) in the 1970 mall. The bookstore and cafe were shuttered in April 2011.
Photo from www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust

Abercrombie & Fitch occupied space that was part of a large Donenfeld's apparel store in the 1970 mall.
Photo from www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust

In this view, we see the center anchor and a bit of the mall's Atrium area. This store, originally the Rike's depicted above, had stints as Shillito Rikes, Lazarus and Lazarus-Macy's before receiving a Macy's nameplate, in March 2005.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / "GameKing3"  

Sears was a fixture on the east end of DAYTON MALL for several years. The mall's final original store, it opened in September 1970 and closed for good in November 2018.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / "GameKing3"  

As stated, J.C. Penney has operated out of two different DAYTON MALL buildings over the years. The second store, seen here, was built in front of the original mall's Main Entrance.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / "GameKing3"  

This second store welcomed first shoppers in March 1996.
Photo from https://www.flickr.com / "GameKing3"  

In a contemporary aerial view, J.C. Penney is at front center. Sears would have been on the left.
Photo from http://washingtonprime.com / Washington Prime Group

In December 2015, a 2.2 square mile area of retail stores surrounding (and including) DAYTON MALL was officially designated as the Miami Crossing District.
Graphic from http://miamicrossingdistrict.com 

In September 2020, DAYTON MALL achieved its 50th year in business. At this time, it is saddled with vacant anchors on its east and west ends. In spite of this, the 1,442,600 square foot buying behemoth houses over 170 stores and services.

DAYTON MALL
Miamisburg-Centerville Road and Dayton-Springboro Pike
Montgomery County, Ohio

News of a major south Dayton shopping mall began to surface in August 1967. The complex would be built on a 102-acre site, located 8 miles south of downtown Dayton, in an unincorporated section of Montgomery County known as Miami Township. The land parcel was situated at the intersection of State Routes 725 and 741 and was adjacent to the Interstate 75 expressway.

Construction commenced on the DAYTON MALL project in September 1968. The complex, which was to encompass 1,270,000 leasable square feet, was developed by Youngstown, Ohio's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. Plans were drawn by the firm of Lorenz-Williams-Williams-Lively & Likens. Promoted as the "biggest enclosed mall in the Midwest," the shopping hub had a center section, with an upper level Mezzanine. Two single-level concourses extended toward the east and west, with a fountain situated at the center point of each.

Stores at DAYTON MALL opened in several stages. A 2-level (182,000 square foot), Dayton-based Rike's was dedicated on September 22, 1969. Cassano Pizza King, Hickory Farms of Ohio and The First National Bank were in business by December 1969. The single-screen Chakeres Dayton Mall Cinema showed its first feature on December 25th.

A 2-level (250,000 square foot) J.C. Penney opened its doors on February 11, 1970, with a 2-level (185,000 square foot) Sears dedicated on September 2nd. The Sears store had 2 levels, but only the main mall level was used for retail. A basement housed corporate offices. 

In March 1970, a Preview Opening for the mall was held. Twenty-five stores were up and running. A Formal Opening got underway on September 24th, with a total of 106 operational stores. When fully leased, the 18 million dollar complex contained 118.

Charter tenants included Chess King, Thal's ["thallz"] ladies' wear, Donenfeld's ladies' wear, Mayor's Jewelry & Records, Hot Sam Pretzels, Docktor Pet Center, Leroy's Keepsake Diamonds and Camelot Music. There were also a (20,400 square foot) Liberal supermarket, (60,000 square foot) J.G. McCrory 5 & 10 and (37,500 square foot) Metropolitan apparel.

Stores in the upper floor Mezzanine began opening on July 6, 1970. When fully-tenanted, the area housed twenty retail spaces. These were leased by Wicker World, Maternity Modes, Town & Country, Card Cage, Brendamour's Sporting Goods and Cassano's Commodore restaurant & Lounge.

The Southland 75 Drive-in, located directly west of DAYTON MALL on State Route 741, had opened July 13, 1964. At the time, the theater had the largest outdoor screen in the Buckeye State. It was twin-screened in the early 1980s, closed for good on July 13, 1986, and was bulldozed soon after. The Southland 75 was replaced by the fifteen-store SOUTHLAND 75 SHOPPING CENTER.

Three mini-cinemas were installed on the DAYTON MALL Mezzanine. Cinema 2 showed a first feature on August 4, 1972. Cinema 3 and Cinema 4 opened on October 6, 1976. The McCrory 5 & 10, on the East Wing of the mall, was downsized. Cinemas 5-8, installed in former McCrory space, were officially dedicated on July 30, 1982.

Meanwhile, the Liberal supermarket was shuttered on January 20, 1979. Ownership of the mall changed soon after. The DeBartolo Corporation sold the complex to Chicago's JMB Property Management Corporation in January 1983. JMB announced plans for a 6 million dollar face lift in April 1984. 

As part of the project, new terra cotta tile was placed over original terrazzo flooring. A Food Court was built in unused space on the Mezzanine. Moreover, Center Court was refurbished with a glass elevator, reflecting pool and soft seating area. In other sections of the mall, new stairs, ceilings and skylights were installed. Lastly, mall entrances adjacent to Sears and Penney's were closed off, with new retail space created. The revitalized mall was re-dedicated on October 26, 1984.

Federated Department Stores had merged their Shillito's and Rike's divisions in April 1982, with Shillito-Rike's nameplates being installed on stores in June. Further consolidation merged Federated's Shillito-Rike's and Columbus-based Lazarus divisions. This merger was announced in January 1986, with Shillito-Rike's units being Lazarus-branded in March. Stores morphed into Lazarus-Macy's in August 2003 and became bona fide Macy's on March 6, 2005.

Meanwhile, a second renovation of DAYTON MALL was underway by the mid-1990s. This 20 million dollar endeavor was done to keep the center competitive with the new MALL AT FAIRFIELD COMMONS (1993) {12.4 miles northeast, in Beavercreek}. A third floor was added to the DAYTON MALL Lazarus. Now encompassing 253,000 square feet, the expanded store held its grand re-opening on January 14, 1994. 

Sears' (35,000 square foot) lower level became an additional sales floor. When the store reconfiguration was completed, Sears encompassed 224,000 square feet. J.C. Penney moved into a new 2-level (179,000 square foot) unit. This was built in front of what had been the mall's Main Entrance. The new Penney's was dedicated on March 6, 1996. The original store, at the end of the West Wing, re-opened as a Cincinnati-based McAlpin's on October 30, 1996.

During the mid-'90s renovation, shopping concourses were refurbished, using a garden motif. New flooring, trellises, park benches, landscaping and a bird bath fountain were installed. Tenants such as Eddie Bauer, Pacific Sunwear, Men's Wearhouse and Rogers Jewelers were brought into the mall. Likewise, the Upper Level Food Court was doubled in size. New vendors included Bagel Cafe, Subway, Sweet Factory, Great Burger & Potato Company and Frullatli.

A revitalized DAYTON MALL was officially dedicated during a 3-day grand opening celebration. This commenced on November 3, 1995. The complex now encompassed approximately 1,221,900 leasable square feet and contained 160 stores and services under its roof. The Columbus-based Glimcher Realty Trust acquired DAYTON MALL in April 1997. McAlpin's was rebranded as a Dayton-based Elder-Beerman in July 1998.

By the early 21st century, several shopping complexes in the DAYTON MALL trade area were in decline. SALEM MALL, Middletown's CITY CENTRE MART and Franklin Township's TOWNE MALL were virtually vacant, or had been demolished all together. DAYTON MALL had to strive to keep a competitive edge. The latest thing in retail was trendy, upscale and open-air; this exemplified by THE GREENE TOWN CENTER {7.3 miles northeast, also in Beavercreek}, which opened in August 2006. News of this complex initiated plans for a open-air "lifestyle component" to be added to DAYTON MALL.

In June 2005, Glimcher initiated construction on the 20 million dollar (90,000 square foot) VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL. This complex was built in the northwest parking area, along State Route 725. It was to add twenty-five tenants to the mall's retail roster.

Bravo! Cucina Italiana served first meals on September 22, 2006. Ann Taylor Loft began business on October 3rd. As the VILLAGE was built, the north-facing facade of DAYTON MALL was remodeled and enlarged. A new Borders Books was created, which opened in May 2006. The grand opening of this store was followed by one for Orvis Sporting Trends, which was dedicated in November of the same year.

The mall and its peripheral open-air VILLAGE now housed 184 tenant spaces. The shuttering of Borders Books, in early 2011, created a vacancy that was filled when DSW, in the mall's East Wing, closed and moved. The new store held its grand opening on February 23, 2012. With the old DSW space now vacant, plans were finalized for a new Dick's Sporting Goods. The old DSW, and an adjacent space previously occupied by FYE, were expanded by an additional 19,000 square feet. The (50,000 square foot) Dick's opened for business on November 7, 2012.

DAYTON MALL and VILLAGE AT DAYTON MALL now encompassed around 1,442,600 leasable square feet. By this time, another potential competitor had come on the scene. AUSTIN LANDING {2 miles southwest, in Montgomery County} was an open-air, mixed-use complex. Segments of its retail component opened for business between 2011 and 2014.

Indiana's Simon Property Group created a spin-off Real Estate Investment Trust in May 2014. Known as the Washington Prime Group, it merged with the Glimcher Realty Trust in early 2015. As a result, DAYTON MALL was brought under the ownership and management of the Columbus, Ohio-based Washington Prime Group.

The mall lost one of its four anchors on August 29, 2018. Elder-Beerman, an operative of the Bon Ton Stores conglomerate since 2003, shuttered its 20-year-old DAYTON MALL store. Soon after, another anchor went dark. 

 

Sears closed for good on November 25, 2018. The abandoned building was repurposed as the Crossroads Church, which housed a 1,500-seat auditorium and day care center. A grand opening was held on April 20, 2025. The Hull Property Group, headquartered in Augusta, Georgia, bought DAYTON MALL in  October 2025.

 

Sources:

The Journal Herald (Dayton, Ohio)
Personal recollection of the author
http://www.daytonmall.org  (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)

https://www.daytonmall.com
https://www.cinematour.com

https://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.glimcher.com / Glimcher Realty Trust (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
http://www.whio.com / WHIO-TV
http://www.fds.com / Federated Department Stores
http://www.thegreene.com

https://www.daytondailynews.com
http://www.daytonhistorybooks.citymax.com
https://www.hullpg.com / Hull Property Group

DAYTON MALL MUSINGS:

My fascination with shopping malls began in the late "classic mall era," when I was still living in southwestern Ohio (between Dayton and Cincinnati). Until 1969, I had never visited an enclosed shopping mall. At this time, I was a wide-eyed kid, infatuated with drawing house plans, building plans and structural renderings. I didn't have a clue about shopping meccas in the nearby "big city."

This all changed when -in 1969- my stepfather took me on an insider tour of the site where he had been doing electrical wiring over the past year. When I first visited DAYTON MALL, construction was about three-quarters complete. The Rike's department store was ready to open. As I recall, it was a stipulation of Federated Stores, that their Rike's was to be the first store opened in the mall. Rike's originally had 2 levels. It was larger than its sibling shopping center store, which had opened, on Salem Avenue, 6 years before.  

What I recall most about the DAYTON MALL Rike's was the optical illusion-design carpeting in the men's clothing section. It could made you dizzy if you stared at its patterns while walking through the department, lol.

In keeping with the times, the DAYTON MALL Rike's was a full-service department store. There was a snack bar on the first level, and electronic / tv department on the second. This was back in "the day," before big box stores cornered the electronics / tv marketplace, and made such a retail section in a mid-tier department store obsolete.

I also recall venturing to (what would be) the DAYTON MALL Sears. The store was still under construction and didn't -yet- have walls. It wouldn't be opening for nearly a year. 

The mall's three shopping concourses converged upon a 2-story Atrium, in front of Rike's. Upon my first visit to "The Mall," workmen were polishing new terrazzo floors. The huge ceiling fixture above had been completely installed. It extended the length and breadth of the area and was made of strips of PAPER (I don't know if many people visiting the original DAYTON MALL were aware of this).

In fact, the mall, as it was opened in 1969 and '70, was built in a very spartan fashion. There were no skylights anywhere. There were two rather basic, no frills, fountains at the midpoint of the East and West Wings, with no water feature in the Atrium.

It was as if the builders of the original mall wanted it to be BIG....really BIG. In order to do this, corners were apparently cut, in regard to architectural embellishment of the interior spaces. In 1970, the major feature of the brand-new DAYTON MALL was its physical SIZE. With nearly 120 stores, and over 1 million leasable square feet, it was larger than any of the malls that existed in the suburbs of Cincinnati or Dayton.

Although interiors were rather sterile and plain, the Main Entrance at DAYTON MALL was built on a grand scale. It was an imposing, 2-story edifice, something like a '70s Mod southern mansion. There was a sheet of glass across the entire front of the 2-level entry corridor, behind a stand of pillars. 

Upon entering through the main doors, one stood in a 2-story concourse. There was a hallway going off to the right, with a Liberal supermarket at its end. Looking ahead, there were two, sweeping, semi-circular stairways; one on either side of the mallway. Stores on this first level included Cassano Pizza King, Docktor Pet Center, Hot Sam Pretzels and Chess King (what major shopping mall in 1970 didn't have one?).

At the end of the entry concourse was the 2-level Atrium and an imposing, brick and stone, Rike's storefront. On the Upper Level Mezzanine were lots of stores, but I can only recall a coin shop. The area in front of Rike's was a dark, dead zone. There was floor space enough for all sorts of kiosk-type retailers.......but, in 1970, such a "specialty leasing" concept was not being utilized.

Going off to the right of the Atrium, on the Lower Level, was the West Wing, which included the (single-screen) Dayton Mall Cinema. Farther on was a large Metropolitan apparel store, with a Spencer Gifts across the mall. At the end of the West Wing was a 2-level J.C. Penney.

The East Wing extended from the other end of the Atrium. Along its length were a Donenfeld's apparel store, McCrory 5 & 10, Hickory Farms of Ohio and -my favorite store out of the other 115- Camelot Music. Walking into this store in 1970, one would find no compact discs and no home video. The first major home video format, VHS (video home system), would come on the market 7 years later. Compact discs were not to be seen for another 7 years.

Camelot Music had lots of LP record albums (selling for around 5 to 6 dollars each). 45 rpm singles were going for 79 cents. One would also have seen several cases filled with 8-track cartridge tapes and pre-recorded cassettes.

Walking out of Camelot, and heading farther east in the mall, one would eventually come to Sears, which sat at the end of the East Wing. At this time, the retail area of this store had only 1 level. There was a basement (which had frontage on a lower level parking lot), but this was used as office space until the mid-'90s.

DAYTON MALL 2000 +

As one might expect, a trip to the DAYTON MALL in the new millennium would reveal quite a different shopping center. The blandly-built interior spaces were spruced up in the mid-1980s and (again) in 1994-1995, with a glass elevator installed in the Atrium area.

A 14-bay Food Court was built in the empty Upper Level Mezzanine "dead zone." Of course, the Rike's store no longer goes by that name. After going through two nameplate changes, it was rebranded by Macy's" on March 6, 2005.

J.C. Penney, once at the end of the West Wing, moved into a brand new store. This was built in front of the original Main Entrance in 1995-1996. The previous Penney's became a McAlpin's and then operated, as an Elder-Beerman, for 20 years. The original cinema folded in 2001. With the shuttering of Sears, in late 2018, no original mall stores remain.  

Youngstown's Southern Park Mall



The original trademark of the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation's hometown shopping mall. Sears, the first operational anchor store, opened its doors in October 1969.   

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

A Kroger grocery was one of the first operational inline stores at SOUTHERN PARK MALL. It welcomed first shoppers on March 3, 1970.

Advert from The Kroger Company

Youngstown-based Strouss' became the second operational SOUTHERN PARK anchor in March 1970. Some features of the store included The Terrace Room Restaurant & Coffee Shop, a Beauty Salon and Budget Store.

Advert from May Department Stores 

The third -and final- original anchor at SOUTHERN PARK MALL was a full-line "Penneys." This store, officially dedicated in April 1970, included a Coffee Shop, Beauty Salon, Patio Shop and freestanding Auto Center.

Drawing from the J.C. Penney Company

The Southern Park Cinema, an in-mall motion picture venue, opened in April 1970. On the bill was Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland starring in "M*A*S*H." 

Graphic from National Drive-In Theatres

Above and below, two snapshots show the mall's fountained and festooned Center Court.

Photo from http://www.flickr.com / SPM History 

These images were taken in July 1970.

Photo from http://www.flickr.com / SPM History 

"The shopping city of the '70s" is depicted in a circa-1973 site plan. This diagram shows the original configuration of the mall in black and new fourth anchor (Joseph Horne Company) in dark gray. With this addition, the complex enveloped approximately 1,001,500 leasable square feet, housed 101 stores and services, and provided free parking for over 6,000 autos. 

Horne's Court, in the original SOUTHERN PARK MALL.

Photo from https://www.reddit.com / "r/youngstown"

The Strouss' store was rebranded as a Kauffman's in 1986. Horne's was converted into a Dillard's in 1992, with the SOUTHERN PARK location being expanded. In 1996, the Simon Property Group and DeBartolo Corporation merged. Following this, the Simon-DeBartolo Group gave the mall a face lift. As part of the project, a Food Court was added and freestanding megaplex built.

An early 2000s view of the north end of SOUTHERN PARK MALL. J.C. Penney is seen on the left.

Photo from Wikipedia / "Nyttend"

Another early 2000s snapshot shows the mall's Main Entrance. This leads into a 9-bay Food Court, added to the complex in the late 1990s.

Photo from Wikipedia / Larry Hachucka

A 2010s view of the mall's expansive Center Court. Visible stores include Journeys Shoes, Build-A-Bear Workshop and Home Spa. The east entrance of the aforementioned Food Court is seen in the distance.  

Photo from Wikipedia / Larry Hachucka

A 2010s aerial view includes two soon-to-be-shuttered anchor stores. Sears closed down in July 2018, after anchoring the south end of the mall for over forty-eight years. Dillard's pulled up stakes in May 2019. They had maintained a SOUTHERN PARK store for over twenty-six years.  
Photo from https://www.globest.com / ALM Globest 

Our most recent SOUTHERN PARK plan dates to the year 2022. At this time, the mall houses approximately 1,018,400 leasable square feet and contains eighty-nine stores and services. The abandoned Sears has been demolished and replaced by DeBartolo Commons.

SOUTHERN PARK MALL TENANTS 2022:

J.C. PENNEY (with Styling Salon, Optical Department, Portrait Studio and Sephora store) / MACY'S (with Salon and Backstage store) / Ace's Break Away & Play Arcade / All Smiles Aboard mall train / American Commodore Tuxedo / American Eagle Outfitters / Art Cafe Studio / Ashcroft & Oak Jewelers / Auntie Anne's Pretzels (kiosk) / Bath & Body Works / BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse (outparcel) / Buffalo Wild Wings / Build-A-Bear Workshop / Caricatures by Paris (kiosk) / Champs Sports / Chick-fil-A / Chili's Grill & Bar (outparcel) / Cinemark Tinseltown (outparcel) / Claire's Boutique / Cru Monroe Boutique / Double Bogey's Bar & Grill / EcoATM / Escape Boardman 2 / Excalibur Barber Grooming Lounge / Express apparel / Finish Line / Firestone Tire & Auto (outparcel) / Foot Locker / FVDE barbers / Gamer Lounge / Gloria Jean's Coffee / Gold Rush / H & M apparel / Hair & Beauty Bar (kiosk) / Hibbett Sports / Hollister Company apparel / Home Spa / Hot Topic apparel / Jared the Galleria of Jewelry (outparcel) / Journeys shoes / Kay Jewelers / Lids / Lundon ladies' wear / Mask Meadow / Maurices ladies' wear / Mia Emilia gifts / Miracle Ear / New York & Company ladies' wear / Ocean Nails / One Step Forward shoes / Party Pals (kiosk) / Perfume Collection / Piercing Pagoda 1 (kiosk) / Piercing Pagoda 2 (kiosk) / Pink ladies' wear / Planet Fitness / PNC Bank (outparcel) / Royal Renees-The Venue / Rose & Remington ladies' wear / rue21 ladies' wear / Sawa Japanese Steakhouse / Shail Jewelers (kiosk) / Shelby's Sugar Shop / Shoe Department Encore / Sleep Number / Smoothie Land / Spencer Gifts / Steel Valley Brew Works coffee house / Sunglass Hut / Superbrow Salon & Spa / T-Shirt Corner / T-Mobile / The Buckle shoes / The Bunker golf / The Children's Place / The Selfie Space / The Watch Box (kiosk) / Things Remembered / Tilly's apparel / Totally Pagoda / Touchdown Gifts / Tri-Health / Victoria's Secret / White Barn Candle Company / Yankee Candle / Youngstown Clothing Company / Zales Jewelers / Zumiez apparel

IN THE FOOD COURT:

Asian Chao / Bobba Tea / Charley's Philly Steaks / Coney Island Hot Dogs / Frullati Cafe / Sarku Japan / Sbarro Italian Eatery / Vitamin World

DeBartolo Commons incorporates restaurant, athletic and entertainment components. The greenspace area was officially dedicated in the fall of 2021, with new restaurants and entertainment venues opening in early 2022. The Bunker is an indoor golf entertainment center. It includes the Ben Curtis Golf Academy and Double Bogey's Bar & Grill.

Drawing from https://wpgus.com / The Washington Prime Group 

SOUTHERN PARK MALL

Boardman-Poland Road / US 224 and Market Street

Mahoning County (Boardman Township), Ohio

 

The  Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation's hometown shopping mall was built on a 92.3-acre parcel, located 4.8 miles south of Youngstown's urban core. The site was in an unincorporated section of Mahoning County known as Boardman Township (or "Boardman").

SOUTHERN PARK MALL was named as a homage to Southern Park, a horse racing venue in operation between 1911 and 1925. This facility occupied land located near the future mall site. Originally planned as a joint venture with Youngstown developer William M. Cafaro, the mall project became solely a DeBartolo endeavor when his company bought out the Cafaro Company in 1968. Cafaro went on to develop EASTWOOD MALL (1969) {13.7 miles northwest of Southern Park Mall, in Trumbull County}.

Enveloping approximately 905,600 leasable square feet, SOUTHERN PARK MALL opened in stages. Its 2-level (175,600 square foot) Sears became the first operational store, on October 13, 1969. A 2-level (167,000 square foot), Youngstown-based Strouss' was dedicated in March 1970. J.C. Penney's 2-level (135,000 square foot) unit opened its doors on April 2, 1970.

Among 101 charter tenants were Donuts Galore, House of Nine, National City Bank, Mode O' Day Frock Shop, National Record Mart, Bond Clothes, Mother-to-Be Maternity, Hughes & Hatcher men's wear, Baker's Shoes, Gray Drug, The Razor's Edge hairstyling salon, Leroy's Keepsake Diamonds, The Limited and De Bay Sports Center. 

Junior anchors were a 1-level (43,500 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10 and (20,800 square foot) Kroger supermarket. Across the mallway from Kroger was the National Drive-In Theatres Southern Park Cinema. This single-screen venue showed a first feature on April 10, 1970. It was twinned in 1977 and shuttered in 1989.

Plans for a fourth SOUTHERN PARK anchor were announced in November 1971. The Pittsburgh-based Joseph Horne Company built a 2-level (95,900 square foot) branch, the chain's eleventh, which opened for business on August 1, 1973.

Anchor rebrandings commenced at the Strouss' store. In January 1986, Strouss' merged with another May Department Stores division, Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's. Strouss' stores operated under a joint Strouss-Kaufmann's banner between January and August of 1986, when they received Kaufmann's nameplates. Soon after, the SOUTHERN PARK branch was expanded to 186,900 square feet.

In 1988, a DeBartolo-Dillard's joint venture sought to acquire stores owned by the Joseph Horne Company. However, the deal was abruptly terminated when Horne's filed a lawsuit. The issue was settled in February 1992, with Dillard's agreeing to buy five Horne's locations, including the SOUTHERN PARK store. It was shuttered on July 12, 1992 and re-opened, as a Dillard's, on August 12 of the same year. The building was eventually expanded to 187,500 square feet.

A 1996 merger between the mall's developer, now known as the DeBartolo Realty Corporation, and Simon Property Group brought SOUTHERN PARK MALL under the Simon-DeBartolo Group heading. The official name of the company reverted to "Simon Property Group" in 1998. Immediately after the conclusion of the DeBartolo-Simon merger, a 19 million dollar expansion and renovation was done to SOUTHERN PARK MALL. A 9-bay Food Court was installed as part of a reconfigured Main Entrance and courts and concourses were refurbished.

A 7-screen megaplex was also built in the southeast parking area. The Cinemark Tinseltown USA 7 opened for business on December 13, 1996. With these improvements, SOUTHERN PARK MALL enveloped around 1,030,000 leasable square feet and housed 117 stores and services.

The Simon Property Group created a spin-off Real Estate Investment Trust in May 2014. Known as the Washington Prime Group, it assumed ownership of forty-four of Simon's "Grade B" malls, including SOUTHERN PARK MALL. In early 2015, the newly-formed Washington Prime Group merged with Columbus, Ohio's Glimcher Realty Trust.

Sears shuttered their SOUTHERN PARK store in July 2018. Dillard's followed suit in May 2019. Demolition of the abandoned Sears, and its Auto Center, commenced in September 2019. These were replaced by an open-air plaza, named in honor of the developer of the mall. DeBartolo Commons, which included restaurant, entertainment and athletic components, was officially dedicated on October 23, 2021.

A 4-acre green space included a soccer field, live performance venue, seating areas and wintertime ice rink. New business opened in a reconfigured South Wing. These included a (12,000 square foot) Steel Valley Brew Works and (38,000 square foot) The Bunker. This featured golf simulators, a golf academy and Double Bogey's Bar & Grill. 

As the Commons was nearing completion, it was revealed that the Washington Prime Group was having financial problems. The Real Estate Investment Trust filed for bankruptcy protection in June 2021 and exited the proceeding in October 2021. In December 2024, an entity known as Southern Park Mall Realty Holdings, Limited Liability Company acquired the shopping complex. The LLC had been set up by Great Neck, New York's Kohan Retail Investment Group.

Sources:

The Youngstown Vindicator

https://www.farmanddairy.com 

https://www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

https://movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest

http://www.debartolocommons.com

https://www.cnbc.com

https://businessjournaldaily.com

https://www.kohanretail.com

"Southern Park Mall" article on Wikipedia

Greater Seattle's Alderwood Mall

A rendering of the prospective Jet City shopping center. As it turned out, the completed complex was a bit different than what is depicted here. Two additional anchor stores would be attached to the north side and The Bon Marche would not be built with a recessed (basement level) parking area.
Drawing from http://www.historylink.org / University of Washington Special Collections

In 1980, the DeBartolo-developed ALDERWOOD MALL encompassed approximately 965,000 leasable square feet and contained 136 stores and services under its roof. There was free parking for  6,000 autos.

Zooming through time to the year 1999, we come to an expanded ALDERWOOD MALL. A Southwest Wing (medium gray) was built in 1995. It added a Food Court and increased the gross leasable area of the shopping hub to approximately 1,051,000 square feet. The retail roster now lists 155 stores and services. 

ALDERWOOD MALL TENANTS 1999:

J.C. PENNEY (with Beauty Salon and Portrait Studio) / LAMONTS / NORDSTROM (with Cafe Nordstrom and  Espresso Bar & Grill) / SEARS (with Garden Center and attached Auto Center) / THE BON MARCHE / Abercrombie & Fitch apparel / Aldo Shoes / American Eagle Outfitters / Andrew's Hallmark Shop / Ann Taylor ladies' wear / Anna's Linens / Athletes Foot shoes / Auntie Anne's Pretzels (kiosk) / Aveda cosmetics / Avon cosmetics (kiosk) / BC Surf & Sports apparel / B. Dalton Bookseller / Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream / Banana Republic apparel / Bath & Body Works cosmetics / Ben Bridge Jewelers / Biagio Luggage & Gifts / Camelot Music / Carlene Research / Carlton Cards / Cathy Jean Shoes / Century 21 realty (kiosk) / Champs Sports shoes & apparel / Cristian Supply / Claire's Boutique accessories / Deck The Walls home accessories / Expressly Portraits / Eddie Bauer apparel / Electronics Boutique / Express ladies' wear / Flickering Images home accessories / FootAction USA / Foot Locker shoes / Fredericks of Hollywood / Fred Meyer Jewelers / Fun & Games / GNC / Games Workshop / Garden Botanika cosmetics / Gap Kids children's wear / Gene Juarez Salon & Spa / Godiva Chocolatier (kiosk) / Gordon's Jewelers / Gymboree children's wear / House Of Cutlery / Hot Topic apparel / Imaginarium children's wear / Inprints home accessories / Jay Jacobs apparel / Journeys Shoes / Juxtapose ladies' wear / Kay-Bee Toys / Kay Jewelers / Kennelly Keys Music / Kenneth Behm Galleries / Kitchen & Company / Kits Camera & 1-Hour Photo / Lady Foot Locker shoes / Lane Bryant ladies' wear / Lids hats / Lucca's Pasta Bar / Made In Washington gifts / Mariposa ladies' wear / Miller's Outpost apparel / Mrs. Field's Cookies / Mister Rags men's wear / Motherhood Maternity / Mulberry Lane home furnishings / Natural Wonders children's wear / Nine West shoes / Northern Reflections / Northwest Eye Associates / Pacific Sunwear apparel / Papyrus stationers / Pearle Vision Center / Piercing Pagoda (kiosk) / Rags 2 children's wear / Regaldo D' Oro jewelers / Regis Hairstylists / Sam Goody Music / Sanrio / Select Comfort / Simply Seattle gifts / Software Etcetera / Spencer Gifts / Starbucks Coffee / Store of Knowledge / Structure men's wear / Suncoast Motion Picture Company / Sunglass Hut (kiosk) / Sunshade Optique / Surprises children's wear / Sweet Factory / Tall's AirTouch Cellular (kiosk) / Tall's Camera & Video / The Bombay Company home furnishings / The Bon Trim-A-Home / The Disney Store / The Gap apparel / The Limited ladies' wear / Things Remembered (kiosk) / Tiny Computers / Totally Wireless (kiosk) / Track 'n Trail shoes / Trade Secret cosmetics / Victoria's Secret Beauty / Victoria's Secret lingerie / Waldenbooks / Watches, Watches, Watches (kiosk) / Watch World International (kiosk) / Wet Seal ladies' wear / Whitehall Company Jewelers / Wilsons The Leather Experts / Winters Formal Wear / Yankee Candle Company / Zales Jewelers / Zumiez apparel 

FOOD COURT:

Acropolis Gyros / Auntie Anne's Pretzels / Cajun & Grill / Cinnabon / Ivar's / Kidd Valley / Kojo of Japan / Orange Julius / Panda Express / Pizzeria Uno and Chicago Bar & Grill / Quizno's Subs / Sbarro the Italian Eatery / Steak Escape / Taco Time 

By the early 2000s, ALDERWOOD MALL was ready for another expansion and makeover. Above is a GGP-generated rendering of a proposed The Village lifestyle component.

Drawing from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

Among other things, the 2002-2004 renovation brought a new (and substantially larger) Nordstrom. It replaced a vacant Lamonts and opened for business in September 2003.
Photo from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties

The open-air The Village concourse was constructed on the north side of the existing mall. This addition was dedicated in November 2004 and included tony establishments, such as Red Mango, Lucky Brand Jeans and Blue C. Sushi.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Marcusaxavier77"

A rendering of The Terraces, a second lifestyle component added to the southwest corner of the ALDERWOOD complex. It was also dedicated in November 2004 and included Ruby's Diner, Japan Cafe, Starbucks and Jamba Juice.
Drawing from www.ggp.com / General Growth Properties
 

The freestanding Loews Alderwood Mall 16 showed first features in March 2005. It was rebranded by AMC Entertainment in 2006. An IMAX auditorium was installed in 2009.
Photo from Snohomish County, Washington