Brittain Road and Independence Avenue
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
The story of Akron's second shopping mall goes back to The Great Depression and Julius Johannes ("J.J.") Buchholzer, who owned the local Hower's department store. He envisioned the family farm, located 4.5 miles northeast of the center city, as a prime spot for a branch location.
By the early 1960s, it was clear that the site could support a large suburban shopping center. Buchholzer's son Richard teamed up with Cleveland's Forest City Enterprises. Ground was broken for CHAPEL HILL MALL in late 1965. The mall-to-be was designed by New York City's Lathrop Douglass.
The first operational store, a 1-level (146,000 square foot) Sears, debuted on September 29, 1966. Next came the General Cinema Corporation Cinema I & II, which showed its first features on October 9. Seventeen inline stores opened their doors on November 17. These included Spencer Gifts, Thom McAn Shoes, Paul Harris, a Kroger supermarket and (10,000 square foot) Gray Drug.
A 2-level (165,100 square foot), Akron-based O'Neil's welcomed its first shoppers on February 16, 1967. J.C. Penney, with a 2-level (194,100 square foot) store, commenced operation on August 17. A mall-wide grand opening was held October 11, 1967, which featured a sunken treasure exhibit and puppet show.
The sprawling CHAPEL HILL MALL was built on an 80-acre spread. The complex, which included its own power plant, was comprised of a single-level and spanned approximately 838,000 leasable square feet. At the center of the retail hub was the Grand Mall. "The Four Seasons," a statue designed by Brian Plesmid, was its focal point. The North Court and South Court included a "Musical Fountain." These were created by Jack Erbe.
When fully-leased, the shopping center housed fifty-five tenants. Among these were Cleveland Fabrics, Faflik Shoes, Le Petit Cafe, Parklane Hosiery, Record Land, Winkelman's ladies' wear, Zales Jewelers, an A & P supermarket and (60,000 square foot) F.W. Woolworth 5 & 10. This store included a Luncheonette and adjacent Harvest House Cafeteria.
The existing movie house was divided into a triplex and re-opened, as the General Cinema Corporation Cinema I-II-III, on November 2, 1973. It was eventually reconfigured as a five-screen venue. A freestanding theater, the General Cinema Corporation Plaza 8 At Chapel Hill, was built .5 mile northwest of the shopping complex and was dedicated September 25, 1988. Another venue, the Regal Independence 10, was built directly southwest of the mall. Its first features were shown on October 18, 1996. With the completion of this venue, the original in-mall theater was shuttered.
Regional-class shopping centers in the CHAPEL HILL MALL trade area included SUMMIT MALL (1965) {7.6 miles northwest, in Fairlawn} and ROLLING ACRES MALL (1975) {7.2 miles southwest, in Akron}.
As with other stores in the O'Neill's chain, the CHAPEL HILL location was rebranded as a Cleveland-based May Company of Ohio on January 27, 1989. Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's took over on January 31, 1993, followed by Macy's, on September 9, 2006.
A prospective expansion of the CHAPEL HILL property had been announced in 1988. This project, which would have added a Cleveland-based Higbee's and several inline stores, was eventually abandoned. A bona fide remodeling did get underway in March 1994. A 12-bay Food Court, which included a hand-crafted Carousel, was built at the mall's Main Entrance.
The existing complex was also given a face lift, which included new lighting, ceilings and a water feature. The remodeling, completed in November 1994, increased the gross leasable area of CHAPEL HILL MALL to approximately 861,000 square feet.
Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates Properties acquired CHAPEL HILL MALL in May 2004 and started a mall-wide refurbishment. The facility was re-dedicated on November 4, 2006, but soon entered a downward spiral. This was exacerbated by an increase in crime in and around the complex and competition from other area malls...namely SUMMIT.
In order to avoid foreclosure, CBL gave CHAPEL HILL MALL back to the lending entity in June 2014. Ownership reverted to US Bank. They brought in Ann Arbor, Michigan's McKinley Management to oversee operations.
Chattanooga-based CBL & Associates Properties acquired CHAPEL HILL MALL in May 2004 and started a mall-wide refurbishment. The facility was re-dedicated on November 4, 2006, but soon entered a downward spiral. This was exacerbated by an increase in crime in and around the complex and competition from other area malls...namely SUMMIT.
In order to avoid foreclosure, CBL gave CHAPEL HILL MALL back to the lending entity in June 2014. Ownership reverted to US Bank. They brought in Ann Arbor, Michigan's McKinley Management to oversee operations.
Several key tenants, such as The Gap and Game Stop, had pulled up stakes. Then, two anchor stores closed for good. Macy's went dark in March 2016. Sears followed suit in March of the following year. Meanwhile, a new mall owner had come on the scene. Great Neck, New York's Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired CHAPEL HILL MALL in June 2016.
J.C. Penney went dark on July 21, 2020, after anchoring the shopping hub for nearly 53 years. This left the mall with no operational anchors. The virtually vacant complex was sold again, with Solon, Ohio-based Industrial Commercial Properties taking possession in March 2021. They shuttered the mall on April 18, 2021.
ICP renovated the former retail hub into the CHAPEL HILL BUSINESS PARK, a light industrial facility and office complex. 26 million dollars were spent repurposing the property. Its first operational tenants, Craft33 and Driverge, were up and running by 2022.
Sources:
The Akron Beacon Journal
The Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.cinematreasures.org
http://www.movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
http://www.thedepartmentstoremuseum.org
Summit County, Ohio tax assessor website
www.cblproperties.com / CBL & Associates Properties)
http://www.movie-theatre.org / Mike Rivest
http://www.thedepartmentstoremuseum.org
Summit County, Ohio tax assessor website
www.cblproperties.com / CBL & Associates Properties)
http://www.yourpublisher.com / "Akron History Trails"
https://www.wkyc.com
https://www.wkyc.com
https://www.wksu.org
https://www.cleveland.com
https://www.icpllc.com / Industrial Commercial Properties
"Chapel Hill Mall" article on Wikipedia
