WHITE OAKS MALL

Wabash Avenue / US 36 and South Veterans Parkway
City of Springfield, Illinois

The first -and only- shopping mall in Illinois' capital city was developed by a consortium of Indianapolis-based Melvin Simon & Associates (today's Simon Property Group), Springfield-based Park Realty Company and Chicago-based Arthur Rubloff.

Originally envisaged as WESTROADS MALL, the prospective complex was renamed WHITE OAKS MALL in honor of the Illinois State Tree. Occupying an 80-acre plot, located 3.3 miles southwest of the Illinois State House, the complex would span 896,200 leasable square feet and eventually contain 120 stores and services.

A 2-level (143,500 square foot) Montgomery Ward was dedicated, along with fifty-nine inline stores, on March 31, 1977. A 2-level (117,300 square foot), Springfield-based Myers Brothers made its debut on August 2nd. St. Louis-based Famous-Barr inaugurated their 2-level (104,200 square foot) store on August 6th.

WHITE OAKS MALL was officially dedicated on August 24, 1977, when a 2-level (186,000 square foot) Sears opened its doors. Several dignitaries, sports stars and celebrities were on hand to commemorate the grand opening and a hot air balloon race was held. Ed McMahon, co-host of NBC-TV's "Tonight Show With Johnny Carson," served as Master of Ceremonies. 

Attending the dedication celebration were Artis Gilmor, Bruce Jenner, Bobby Riggs and William Tedford (Mayor of Springfield). Nancy Rae Beatty, "Miss Illinois 1978," was also in attendance, as was Billy Carter, brother of President Jimmy Carter (D).

Among the mall's eighty-six charter stores were Osco Drug, Topps & Trowsers, Bresler's 33 Flavors Ice Cream, an MCL Cafeteria and 2-level (60,000 square foot), Springfield-based Bressmer's. The General Cinema Theatres White Oaks Mall Cinema I-II-III showed its first features on June 17, 1977. The in-mall venue was divided into a 5-screen house in the early 1980s. It was sold to the Kerasotes chain in 1988 and shuttered in September 2008.

Meanwhile, the first nameplate conversion at WHITE OAKS MALL had taken place in 1979, when Bressmer's was rebranded by St. Louis-based Stix, Baer & Fuller. The Stix store would be short-lived. It was shuttered on July 31, 1982, with the space assumed by Wisconsin-based Kohl's on November 1 of the same year. In 1983, the Myers Brothers store was rebranded by Bergner's, then based in Peoria.

A 14 million dollar renovation began in January 1993, with the mall's interior given an upscale update. Several decorative features were installed, such as skylights, Doric columns, pink neon signage, Lebanese black olive trees and ceramic tile flooring. All common area stairways were replaced by escalators and an open-air elevator now operated in Center Court.

Moreover, store space in the southeast corner of the complex was repurposed. The area had been vacated in 1992, when Kohl's relocated into WHITE OAKS PLAZA (a strip center located across Veterans Parkway from the mall). Lower Level space was divided into inline stores. 

An 8-bay Food Court was built in Upper Level space. Its six initial vendors were The Great Steak & Potato Company, Villa Pizza, A & W Hot Dogs & More, Tasty Basket, Mandarin Express and Filia's Greek cuisine. The renovation was officially dedicated on October 15, 1993. New inline stores included Victoria's Secret, Petite Sophisticate, The Disney Store, Deck the Walls and Lane Bryant.

Two WHITE OAKS MALL anchor stores were also enlarged as part of the remodeling. Bergner's was expanded, by 25,000 square feet, into a 129,200 square foot unit. Famous-Barr's addition increased its area to 162,000 square feet. This store held its grand re-opening on August 12, 1994.

The shuttering of Montgomery Ward, on March 4, 2001, created a vacancy that would not be filled for 3 years. Dick's Sporting Goods opened, in the upper level of the old Wards store, on July 28, 2004. Later in the year, Linens 'n Things and Cost Plus World Market dedicated their stores, which occupied the first floor of the building. A second anchor rebranding at the mall was completed on September 9, 2006, when Famous-Barr became a Macy's.

The Great Recession contributed to the shutterings of four WHITE OAKS MALL stores. Linens 'n Things and Cost Plus World Market went dark in 2008. These closings were followed by those of Borders Express and FYE (For Your Entertainment), which transpired in 2009.

In the 2010s, WHITE OAKS MALL was 81-percent Simon-owned. It encompassed approximately 945,300 leasable square feet, with 110 store spaces. A multi-million dollar face lift got underway in August 2011 and was completed in May 2012.

Bergner's anchored the shopping hub for 23 years. The chain became a division of Pennsylvania's Bon Ton Stores conglomerate in 2006. As a result of the bankruptcy of Bon Ton Stores, Bergner's locations were shuttered on August 29, 2018. Sears presided over the north end of the shopping hub for over 40 years. This store closed for good in September 2018. 

 

The abandoned Sears was purchased by the State of Illinois who converted it into offices for the Department of Innovation, Pollution Control Board and Environmental Protection Agency. The Bergner's building was reconfigured as a Malibu Jacks indoor theme park, which opened on November 3, 2023.

Sources:

The Illinois Times (Springfield, Illinois)
The State Journal-Register (Springfield, Illinois)

The Herald & Review (Decatur, Illinois)

http://www.springfieldrewind.com
www.simon.com (Simon Property Group)
Sangamon County, Illinois property tax assessor website
www.waymarking.com
www.springfield.com