West Belvidere Road and South Waukegan Road
City of Waukegan, Illinois
The first regional-class shopping mall in Greater Chicago's Lake County was built on 80 acres, lying 43 miles northwest of The Loop. Planning for LAKEHURST MALL got underway in late 1968, when the aforementioned land parcel was acquired. The City of Waukegan soon annexed the property.
Construction on the bi-level complex began in September 1969. Victor Gruen Associates of Los Angeles were assisted by New York City's Sidney H. Morris & Associates firm. Gruen, himself, did not have any input in the design of the project. The shopping center was developed by a joint venture of Carson Pirie Scott & Company, Wieboldt Stores and Chicago's Arthur Rubloff, who had built the Windy City's EVERGREEN PLAZA mall in the early 1950s.
LAKEHURST MALL opened for business -with sixty-five stores and services- on August 19, 1971. The mall would eventually house 120. The grand opening celebration was attended by Robert Sabonjian (Mayor of Waukegan) and Pamela Eldred, "Miss America 1970."
The complex spanned nearly 1.2 million leasable square feet and was anchored by a 3-level (226,000 square foot), Chicago-based Carson Pirie Scott, 2-level (191,800 square foot), Chicago-based Wieboldt's and 2-level (173,800 square foot) J.C. Penney.
Charter inline stores included Globe apparel, Chess King, Foxmoor Casuals, Chas. A Stevens ladies wear, J. Riggings men's wear, Bresler's 33 Flavors ice cream, Orange Julius, Hickory Farms of Ohio, Singer Sewing Center, Camelot Music, B. Dalton Bookseller and Waldenbooks. An outparcel Convenience Center was located west of the mall proper. It included a (43,000 square foot) Jewel Foods supermarket, Osco Drug, Lakehurst Liquors, Lakehurst Car Wash and Ace Hardware.
The nearest major shopping hub was BELVIDERE MALL (1965) {1.8 miles northeast, also in Waukegan}. At 300,000 square feet, it was dwarfed by LAKEHURST, which was four times its size. In the end, BELVIDERE MALL survived long enough to eclipse its larger counterpart.
The General Cinema Corporation Lakehurst Cinema was built on a pad southeast of LAKEHURST MALL. The theater opened, as a 3-screen venue, on February 15, 1974. It became a 5-screen operation in 1984 and 12-screen in 1987. The Lakehurst Cinema 12 was shuttered in 2001. It operated as the Village Theatres Lakehurst 12 between 2004 and January 2007. The building was demolished in August 2007, with a Holiday Inn Express built in its vicinity.
A face lift refurbishment had been done to LAKEHURST MALL in 1982, with much of its early '70s decor replaced by a more muted color palette. In 1985, the center was acquired by Cleveland's Richard E. Jacobs Group. They would never renovate the property.
Meanwhile, the overmalling of Chicagoland was beginning to take its toll on LAKEHURST. This downturn in fortune was exacerbated by the shuttering of Wieboldt's, in August 1986. After a brief stint as a temporary elementary and middle school, the lower level of the building was sectioned into six retail spaces. The upper level re-opened, as an (81,500 square foot) Montgomery Ward, on April 12, 1988.
The completion of GURNEE MILLS (1991) {3.9 miles northwest, in Gurnee} signaled the beginning of the end for LAKEHURST. Early in the decade, the retail roster had listed 100 tenants. By 1997, this number was down to fifty. J.C. Penney was shuttered on December 27, 1997. Montgomery Ward was also out of business by year's end. In the year 2000, a mere five stores were still in operation.
LAKEHURST MALL closed for good on January 31, 2001. The Carson's store remained in business until January 15, 2004. The mall's demolition had actually begun in the previous November. By May 2004, the once-mighty shopping venue had been reduced to rubble.
The mall site, now cleared of all structures, was redeveloped gradually. This project was overseen by the Oak Brook, Illinois-based Shaw Company, who had acquired the moribund mall in 2003. The first new building, a 1-level (204,000 square foot) Wal-Mart SuperCenter, opened in April 2006.
Wal-Mart was followed by Fifth Third Bank, a Murphy USA filling station, Sweet Tomatoes restaurant, Chili's Grill & Bar and Spring Hill Suites by Marriott hotel. A (50,400 square foot) strip plaza, FOUNTAIN SQUARE OF WAUKEGAN, opened in 2008. The grand opening of this complex was followed by those for Bank of America, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panda Express.
Sources:
The Chicago Tribune
The Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois) / "Lakehurst Mall In Waukegan Holds Rich History" / Diana Dretsky
http://www.lakehursttmall.net / Nicole Yugovich
"Illinois' Dead Mall: Preserving The Memories of Lakehurst Mall" / John Revelle
Lake County, Illinois tax assessor website
The nearest major shopping hub was BELVIDERE MALL (1965) {1.8 miles northeast, also in Waukegan}. At 300,000 square feet, it was dwarfed by LAKEHURST, which was four times its size. In the end, BELVIDERE MALL survived long enough to eclipse its larger counterpart.
The General Cinema Corporation Lakehurst Cinema was built on a pad southeast of LAKEHURST MALL. The theater opened, as a 3-screen venue, on February 15, 1974. It became a 5-screen operation in 1984 and 12-screen in 1987. The Lakehurst Cinema 12 was shuttered in 2001. It operated as the Village Theatres Lakehurst 12 between 2004 and January 2007. The building was demolished in August 2007, with a Holiday Inn Express built in its vicinity.
A face lift refurbishment had been done to LAKEHURST MALL in 1982, with much of its early '70s decor replaced by a more muted color palette. In 1985, the center was acquired by Cleveland's Richard E. Jacobs Group. They would never renovate the property.
Meanwhile, the overmalling of Chicagoland was beginning to take its toll on LAKEHURST. This downturn in fortune was exacerbated by the shuttering of Wieboldt's, in August 1986. After a brief stint as a temporary elementary and middle school, the lower level of the building was sectioned into six retail spaces. The upper level re-opened, as an (81,500 square foot) Montgomery Ward, on April 12, 1988.
The completion of GURNEE MILLS (1991) {3.9 miles northwest, in Gurnee} signaled the beginning of the end for LAKEHURST. Early in the decade, the retail roster had listed 100 tenants. By 1997, this number was down to fifty. J.C. Penney was shuttered on December 27, 1997. Montgomery Ward was also out of business by year's end. In the year 2000, a mere five stores were still in operation.
LAKEHURST MALL closed for good on January 31, 2001. The Carson's store remained in business until January 15, 2004. The mall's demolition had actually begun in the previous November. By May 2004, the once-mighty shopping venue had been reduced to rubble.
The mall site, now cleared of all structures, was redeveloped gradually. This project was overseen by the Oak Brook, Illinois-based Shaw Company, who had acquired the moribund mall in 2003. The first new building, a 1-level (204,000 square foot) Wal-Mart SuperCenter, opened in April 2006.
Wal-Mart was followed by Fifth Third Bank, a Murphy USA filling station, Sweet Tomatoes restaurant, Chili's Grill & Bar and Spring Hill Suites by Marriott hotel. A (50,400 square foot) strip plaza, FOUNTAIN SQUARE OF WAUKEGAN, opened in 2008. The grand opening of this complex was followed by those for Bank of America, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panda Express.
Sources:
The Chicago Tribune
The Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois) / "Lakehurst Mall In Waukegan Holds Rich History" / Diana Dretsky
http://www.lakehursttmall.net / Nicole Yugovich
"Illinois' Dead Mall: Preserving The Memories of Lakehurst Mall" / John Revelle
Lake County, Illinois tax assessor website
Lakehurst Mall brochure 1993 / Paul Meissner
http://www.shaw-co.com/properties.html / The Shaw Company
"Lakehurst Mall" article on Wikipedia
http://www.shaw-co.com/properties.html / The Shaw Company
"Lakehurst Mall" article on Wikipedia
