Edward J. DeBartolo, Senior (1909-1994) was the most prolific shopping mall developer in the nation.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Twelsht"

Edward John Paonessa was born in Youngstown, Ohio, on May 17, 1909. While attending Youngstown's South High School, he adopted the surname of his stepfather and went to work at his construction business.

As Edward J. DeBartolo, he earned a diploma from South High School (1927) and a degree in civil engineering from Notre Dame University (1932). Following this, he returned to work at the Micheal DeBartolo Construction Company. At the outbreak of World War II, DeBartolo was commissioned into the Army Corps of Engineers.

POST-WAR PLAZAS

DeBartolo returned to Youngstown in March 1946, married and got back into the construction business. A Post-War building boom was underway, with scores of families relocating from the inner city to newly-created, outlying suburbs.

This urban exodus created the need for scores of new homes. DeBartolo was quick to take advantage of this. He formed the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation in 1948. Soon, his prefabricated dwellings were springing up around Greater Youngstown. With these new neighborhoods came the need for more localized shopping options. DeBartolo's first major retail complex, the BOARDMAN SHOPPING PLAZA, was dedicated in 1951.

The BOARDMAN SHOPPING PLAZA opened on June 21, 1951. It spanned approximately 121,800 square feet, housed twenty-eight stores, and provided free parking for 1,200 autos. The complex was built in the southern hinterlands of Youngstown. Short-sighted observers opined that such a remote shopping center would go bust within 6 months. It is still going strong over 70 years later!
Advert from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

MID-CENTURY MALLING

Before long, DeBartolo was flying around the Midwest, picking out potential sites for prospective strip shopping plazas. By mid-1961, the DeBartolo Corporation had developed forty-one. In September 1961, DeBartolo went the next step further and opened Mentor, Ohio's GREAT LAKES MALL. ERIE CENTRAL MALL, in Erie, Pennsylvania, soon followed.

 

Eventually, there were malls going up in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, Melbourne, Florida, and Findlay, Akron and Lima, Ohio. The DeBartolo Corporation was a fully-integrated -"concept to completion"- company. There were departments for legal, finance, engineering, architecture, real estate, construction, maintenance and promotion. Every bureau or office necessary to conceive, build and operate a new shopping center was provided by DeBartolo. 

 

In 1972, Forbes Magazine named "Mr. D" the nation's top mall builder. By late 1973, the DeBartolo Corporation had malls operating in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, Indiana, New York, Tennessee and New Jersey. The Sunshine State became a primary focus of DeBartolo's mall development. 

 

By 1980, there were also DeBartolo malls in Georgia, Wisconsin, Texas, Colorado, Washington State and California. By the mid-1980s, the Corporation was the nation's largest mall owner-operator.

 

In substantial debt by the early 1990s, DeBartolo sold majority interest in several malls. He used profit from the transaction to buy shares in a new REIT (real estate investment trust). The DeBartolo Realty Group was formed in September 1993. 

MEDALS OF MERIT

Delving into other areas of endeavor, DeBartolo opened the Toledo Foreign Trade Zone, purchased several horse racing parks and regional department stores. He also bought the San Francisco 49ers football and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey franchises.

Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. was given the Italian government's Order of Merit in 1981 and received his highest honor when Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 1988. DeBartolo died on December 19, 1994.

 

DEBARTOLO-DEVELOPED MALLS:

 

A list of  malls developed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation between the early 1960s and mid-1990s, with some being joint ventures. Those indicated in green have been inducted into the Mall Hall of Fame. The property indicated in blue is on exhibit at the Shopping Mall Museum site.

 

1. GREAT LAKES MALL, Mentor, OH (September 1961)
2. ERIE CENTRAL MALL-ERIE CENTRAL OUTLET MALL-NORTHGATE COMMONS, Erie, PA (October 1961)
3. FORT FINDLAY VILLAGE CENTER-FORT FINDLAY VILLAGE MALL, Findlay, OH (August 1962)
4. AKRON SQUARE PLAZA, Akron, OH (August 1962-June 1994)
5. GLEN BURNIE MALL-CENTRE AT GLEN BURNIE, Anne Arundel County, MD (February 1963)
6. BREVARD MALL-FLORIDA MARKETPLACE & CONVENIENCE CENTER, Melbourne, FL (March 1963)
7. KOKOMO MALL-KOKOMO TOWN CENTER, Kokomo, IN (October 1963)
8. CALUMET CENTER, Munster, IN (August 1964)
9. MANSFIELD SQUARE-KINGSGATE CENTER, Mansfield, OH (October 1964)
10. SUMMIT MALL, Fairlawn, OH (October 1965)
11. LIMA MALL, Allen County, OH (November 1965)
12. RICHMOND SQUARE-RICHMOND MALL, Richmond, IN (May 1966)
13. RICHMOND MALL-RICHMOND TOWN SQUARE, Richmond Heights, OH (September 1966)
14. PALM BEACH MALL, West Palm Beach, FL (October 1967-January 2010)
15. LAFAYETTE SQUARE, Marion County (Indianapolis), IN (August 1968-August 2022)
16. WOODVILLE MALL, Northwood, OH (April 1969-February 2013)
17. DAYTON MALL, Montgomery County, OH (March 1970)
18. SOUTHERN PARK MALL, Mahooning County, OH (March 1970)
19. NORMANDY MALL, Jacksonville, FL (November 1970-March 1994)
20. CHAUTAUQUA MALL, Chautauqua County, NY (April 1971)
21. RALEIGH SPRINGS MALL, Memphis, TN (August 1971-April 2011)
22. UPPER VALLEY MALL, Clark County, OH (August 1971-June 2021)
23. EASTERN HILLS MALL, Erie County, NY (November 1971)
24. CASTLETON SQUARE, Indianapolis, IN (September 1972)
25. SECURITY SQUARE, Baltimore County, MD (September 1972)
26. TYRONE SQUARE, St. Petersburg, FL (October 1972)
27. BRUNSWICK SQUARE, Middlesex County, NJ (April 1973)
28. DESOTO SQUARE, Brandenton, FL (August 1973)
29. WASHINGTON SQUARE, Indianapolis, IN (April 1974)
30. ALTAMONTE MALL, Altamonte Springs, FL (August 1974)
31. UNIVERSITY SQUARE-UNIVERSITY MALL-UPTOWN, Hillsborough County, FL (August 1974)
32. VOLUSIA MALL, Daytona Beach, FL (October 1974)
33. RED BIRD MALL-SOUTHWEST CENTER MALL, Dallas, TX (June 1975)
34. AURORA MALL-TOWN CENTER AT AURORA, Aurora, CO (August 1975)
35. OCEAN COUNTY MALL, Ocean County, NJ (July 1976)
36. RANDALL PARK MALL, North Randall, OH (August 1976-March 2009)
37. EAST LAKE SQUARE, Tampa, FL (August 1976-September 1997)
38. PINELLAS SQUARE-PARKSIDE, Pinellas Park, FL (April 1977-June 2004)
39. RICHARDSON SQUARE MALL, Richardson, TX (October 1977-December 2005)
40. REGENCY MALL, Augusta, GA (July 1978-March 2002)
41. UNIVERSITY PARK MALL, St. Joseph County, IN (March 1979)
42. CENTURY III MALL, West Mifflin, PA (October 1979-October 2020)
43. ALDERWOOD MALL-ALDERWOOD, Snohomish County (Lynnwood), WA (October 1979)
44. MISSION VIEJO MALL-THE SHOPS AT MISSION VIEJO, Mission Viejo, CA (October 1979)
45. GULF VIEW SQUARE, Pasco County, FL (March 1980)
46. PADDOCK MALL, Ocala, FL (August 1980)
47. BAY PARK SQUARE, Ashwaubenon, WI (October 1980)
48. BOYNTON BEACH MALL, Boynton Beach, FL (October 1980)
49. MIAMI INTERNATIONAL MALL, Doral, FL (August 1982)
50. MELBOURNE SQUARE, Melbourne, FL (October 1982)
51. AVENTURA MALL, Dade County (Aventura), FL (April 1983)
52. CORAL SQUARE, Coral Springs, FL (October 1984)
53. THE FLORIDA MALL, Orange County, FL (March 1986)
54. RIVERCENTER MALL-SHOPS AT RIVERCENTER, San Antonio, TX (February 1988)
55. LAKELAND SQUARE MALL, Lakeland, FL (March 1988)
56. TREASURE COAST SQUARE, Martin County, FL (March 1988)
57. NEW ORLEANS CENTRE, New Orleans, LA (August 1988-August 2005)
58. PORT CHARLOTTE TOWN CENTER, Port Charlotte, FL (August 1989)
59. CHESAPEAKE SQUARE, Chesapeake, VA (October 1989)
60. ASHLAND TOWN CENTER, Ashland, KY (October 1989)
61. BILTMORE SQUARE MALL- Buncombe County (Asheville), NC (October 1989-January 2014)
62. NORTHFIELD SQUARE MALL, Bourbonnais, IL (August 1990)
63. THE AVENUES, Jacksonville, FL (September 1990)
64. CRYSTAL RIVER MALL, Crystal River, FL (October 1990-August 2022)
65. MALL OF THE MAINLAND, Texas City, TX (March 1991-January 2014)
66. COOLSPRINGS GALLERIA, Williamson County, TN (August 1991)
67. VIRGINIA CENTER COMMONS, Glen Allen, VA (October 1991-October 2022)
68. PEMBROKE LAKES MALL, Pembroke Pines, FL (October 1992)
69. BRANDON TOWN CENTER-WESTFIELD SHOPPINGTOWN BRANDON-WESTFIELD BRANDON-BRANDON MALL, Hillsborough County, FL (February 1995)
70. INDIAN RIVER MALL, Vero Beach, FL (November 1996)

NOTE: Redeveloped or acquired properties are not included on this list.

The first DeBartolo-built mall was located 3.4 miles from the Lake Erie shoreline in Mentor, an outer ring suburb of Cleveland. GREAT LAKES MALL was inaugurated in September 1961. It was an open-air facility with an enclosed section in the middle. The entire shopping concourse had been roofed-in by the late 1960s.

Photo from https://www.cleveland.com / Simone Jasper, Northeast Ohio Media Group

The second Buckeye State DeBartolo mall project was developed in the northeastern hinterlands of Findlay and was entirely open-air in format. Charter stores in FORT FINDLAY VILLAGE CENTER were dedicated between August 1962 and April 1964.

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation 

Although the DeBartolo Corporation hailed from Ohio, several of its mall projects would be built in the Sunshine State. The first Florida foray was the open-air BREVARD MALL, whose original stores opened between March and August of 1963.

Photo from "System Change / Cities, 1945-1990" / Marion Brady

South Florida's PALM BEACH MALL was promoted as the largest in the Southeast when it was officially dedicated in October 1967. The fully-enclosed retail hub spanned 860,000 leasable square feet and housed eighty-six stores and services.

Photo from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

Ohio's SOUTHERN PARK was the DeBartolo Corporation's hometown shopping mall. Developed on the southern outskirts of Youngstown, its first stores opened between October 1969 and May 1970.

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

Edward DeBartolo, Senior (on the left) assists with the official ribbon-cutting at Florida's ALTAMONTE MALL, in August 1974. To his right, we see Delta Burke, "Miss Florida 1974."

Photo from www.floridamemory.com / State Library & Archives of Florida / Jim Wright

Mr. DeBartolo's "showplace" was the enormous RANDALL PARK MALL, which was built in the Village of North Randall, an inner ring suburb of Cleveland. Christened in August of 1976, the super-sized shopping hub encompassed an astounding 2,196,100 leasable square feet and contained over 150 stores and services under its roof.

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation 

By the late 1970s, the DeBartolo Corporation had expanded its scope all the way over to America's Pacific coast. The first stores in Greater Seattle's ALDERWOOD MALL began business in October 1979. 

Drawing from http://www.historylink.org / University of Washington Special Collections

Orange County, California's MISSION VIEJO MALL was another "left coast" DeBartolo development. The complex, also dedicated in October 1979, morphed into THE SHOPS AT MISSION VIEJO in 1999.

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

Back east, Greater Pittsburgh's CENTURY III MALL was the third DeBartolo project to be christened in October 1979. The massive complex originally encompassed 1,273,000 leasable square feet, with a tenant list of 170 stores and services.

Photo from http://c3nostalgia.livejournal.com / "Century 3 Nostalgia"

Sources:

 

The Youngstown Vindicator
The Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph
The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH)
The Lakeshore Visitor (Erie, PA)
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The News Free-Press (Fort Myers, FL)
DeBartolo Corporation mall list / 1980
https://www.encyclopedia.com / "DeBartolo, Edward John, Senior"
https://www.referenceforbusiness.com / "History of Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation"
www.anchorcle.com / Boardman Plaza
https://clevelandmagazine.com / Cleveland Magazine
https://debartolodevelopment.com / DeBartolo Development
"Edward J. DeBartolo, Senior" article on Wikipedia

 

DeBartolo Malls:

Cleveland's Great Lakes Mall

The first shopping mall developed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation was located approximately 20 miles northeast of downtown Cleveland, in the bedroom community of Mentor. A sign such as this beckoned mid-century shoppers.  

 

 

A June 1961 ad commemorates the "fabulous," shiny new, GREAT LAKES MALL. 

Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation. 

Some of the original GREAT LAKES MALL stores. Theses opened for business between 1961 and 1963.

From humble beginnings! In 1963, the fledgling shopping center spanned around 275,000 leasable square feet. It consisted of two open-air concourses on the north and south, with an enclosed section in the middle. Free parking was provided for 2,000 autos.

GREAT LAKES MALL TENANTS 1963:

J.J. NEWBERRY (with restaurant and snack bar) / J.C. PENNEY / KROGER supermarket / FISHER FOODS supermarket / Associated Hardware / Bond Clothes / Diamond Brothers men's wear / D.O. Summer's / Doctor Hefenback / Elsie O'Brien Beauty Salon / Frank's Village Dairy / Firestone Tire & Appliance / First Federal Savings & Loan / Gray Drug (with luncheonette) / Kinney Shoes / Lake County National Bank (outparcel) / Mall Barber Shop / Nobil Shoes / Optometrist / Palumbo Bakery / Plaza Restaurant / Record Carnival / Red Robin / Richard's Jewelery / Schauer's Meats / Sherwin-Williams Paints / Signal Finance / The Curiosity Shoppe gifts / The Fun Shop Toy & Hobby / The Trio Shoppe ladies' wear / Watkins Furniture 

The GREAT LAKES Newberrys store was located along the covered mall concourse.

Photo from J.J. Newberry Company Annual Report 1961

"May's Great Lakes" was added in 1964. The store included the Circle of Beauty Salon, Mentor Room restaurant and freestanding May Company Tire Center. It is said that Edward DeBartolo sold May Company the land for the store for 10 dollars. 

The north shopping concourse was enclosed and climate-controlled as part of the May Company's construction. The south concourse would be roofed-in in 1970.

Photo from https://cityofmentor.com

By 1971 a tiny community-class complex had evolved into a superregional-size center! Penney's was enlarged into a full-line store in 1966. Higbee's joined the mall in 1969, with a south-end Sears having just opened for business at the time of this plan. GREAT LAKES MALL now encompassed around 1,114,600 leasable square feet, with over 4,000 free parking spaces.

This exterior view shows the appearance of the mall following a 1988-1989 renovation.

Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

An interior view, taken after the completion of the late '80s redo.

Photo from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

The North Coast complex, as it was configured in late 1989. A fifth anchor, Joseph Horne Company (Horne's), was added in 1977. The 13-bay Treats Food Court (in medium gray) has just been completed. These improvements expanded the mall's gross leasable area to around 1,258,000 square feet.

Above and below are renderings that show the results of a 2011 GREAT LAKES MALL face lift. In the first, we see the remodeled Food Court Entrance. 

Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

Here, we see the modernized mallway.

Drawing from www.simon.com / Simon Property Group

The latest mall modifications added a sixth anchor and repurposed an existing one. Dick's Sporting Goods opened in May 2014. Dillard's consolidated a "Double-Header" into its former Women's Store, in May 2017. The vacant Dillard's Men's was renovated and opened, as a Round 1 Bowling & Amusement Center, in March 2018. As this was transpiring, the mall's 47-year-old Sears shut its doors. Macy's followed suit in April 2021.

GREAT LAKES MALL TENANTS 2022:

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS / DILLARD'S / J.C. PENNEY (with Optical Department, Portrait Studio, Styling Salon and Sephora store) / A Daley Bridal / Aeropostale apparel / All In Adventures / All Natural Glow / All Smiles Aboard mall train / Amazon Lockers / American Commodore Tuxedo & Gowns / American Eagle Outfitters / Ashcroft & Oak Jewelers / Atlas Cinemas Great Lakes Stadium 16 (outparcel) / Auntie Anne's Pretzels (kiosk) / BJ's Restaurant & Brew House (outparcel)  / Barnes & Noble Booksellers (outparcel) /  Bath & Body Works / Body Jewel Piercing Studio / BoxLunch / Brow Art 23 / Build-A-Bear Workshop / Busy Bees Pottery & Arts Studio / C-Town Sports Cave / Cardinal Ink / Charlotte Russe ladies' wear / Chase Bank (outparcel) / Claire's Boutique ladies' wear / Comics & Friends / Customized Tee's (kiosk) / Dakota Watch Company (kiosk) / Express Factory Outlet / Fan 4 Life apparel / Finish Line / First Nails / Forever 21 young ladies' wear / Fuji Japan Steakhouse / Fresh Hair / G I O / GameStop / Gloria Jean's Coffees (kiosk) / Headspace Creative Studio / Health Plan Superstore 1 / Health Plan Superstore 2 (kiosk) / Hibbett Sports / Hobby Lobby (outparcel) / Home Spa / Hope Fit / Hot Topic apparel / Howard's Jewelry Center / Ivy's Urban Couture apparel / Jacqueline & Company jewelry / Jewelry Box (kiosk) / Jewelry by George / Journeys shoes / Kay Jewelers / Kicks in the 216 shoes / Lake County Locals gifts 1 / Lake County Locals gifts 2 / LensCrafters / Lids hats / Mobile Station (kiosk) / Nail City / Ocean Blue Jewelers (kiosk) / Olive Garden (outparcel) / Outback Steakhouse (outparcel) / PacSun apparel / Pandora accessories / Peace & Love apparel / Perfume Collection / Piercing Pagoda (kiosk) / Pink ladies' wear / Planet Fitness / Posh Pet Boutique / Prelude Photography / Professional Hair Styler / Quick Fix USA / Rose & Remington ladies' wear / Round 1 bowling & amusement center / Rug Barn / Salma's Snacks & Lottery / Salon Pizzo / Seasons on the Lake gifts / Select Jewelers / Shelby's Sugar Shop / Shoe Department Encore / Signature Jewelers (kiosk) / Sisters Unique Boutique ladies' wear / Sleep Number / Spencer Gifts / Tami's Brows (kiosk) / The Brew Kettle / The Buckle shoes / The Children's Place / The Icing /  The Professional Group / The Yard / Things Remembered / Tony Sacco's Coal Oven Pizza / Torrid ladies' wear / Victoria's Secret / Vision Works / White Barn Candle Company / Windsor shoes / Wonder Cleveland / Yankee Candle

FOOD COURT:

Asian Chao / Asian Mart / Charley's Philly Steaks / Chick-fil-A / Dairy Queen-Orange Julius / Sarku Japan / Subway / Vietnamese Pho & Grill / Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen 

A high-definition view of GREAT LAKES MALL. This snapshot was taken looking toward the southwest. The mall's new Dick's Sporting Goods (a white-roofed building) is seen at the center of the image.

Photo from https://washingtonprime.com / Washington Prime Group

GREAT LAKES MALL

Mentor Avenue / US 20 and Plaza Boulevard
Mentor, Ohio

The first shopping mall developed by Youngstown, Ohio's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation was built on a 95-acre parcel. This was located 20.9 miles northeast of Cleveland's Public Square, in suburban Mentor. The single-level shopping center consisted of two open-air concourses that extended from an enclosed center section. The mall was designed by the DeBartolo Corporation's in-house architecture department.

Originally a community-sized complex of approximately 275,000 leasable square feet, GREAT LAKES MALL did not have a full-line department store, or stores, as its anchors. The center was situated around a 1-level (58,200 square foot) J.C. Penney, that was dedicated on July 13, 1961. The second anchor was a 1-level  (55,000 square foot) J.J. Newberry 5 & 10. 

A (20,400 square foot) Kroger supermarket had opened its doors on January 17, 1961, followed by a (17,000 square foot) Fisher Foods. Firestone Tire & Appliance held its grand opening on September 14, 1961, with Bond Clothes dedicated on September 28th. Other charter tenants included Gray Drug, Nobil Shoes, Sherwin-Williams Paints, Richard's & Lewell's Jewelry, The Curiosity Shoppe Cards & Gifts, Trio Shoppe ladies' wear, Kinney Shoes, Record Carnival and Associated Hardware.

The first mall expansion got underway on May 17, 1963. Ground was broken for a 2-level (165,000 square foot), Cleveland-based May Company of Ohio. This was attached to the north end of the shopping center. The north concourse was enclosed as part of the department store's construction. "May's Great Lakes" welcomed first shoppers on April 22, 1964. 

J.C. Penney was expanded into a 2-level (162,700 square foot), full-line store during 1966. A freestanding Auto Center was also built. Subsequent enlargement of the shopping complex brought a 2-level (167,300 square foot), Cleveland-based Higbee's, which held its grand opening on October 13, 1969. The mall's south concourse had been enclosed by this time. It extended to a 2-level (234,100 square foot) Sears, that was dedicated on April 14, 1971. With all construction completed, GREAT LAKES MALL encompassed approximately 1,114,600 leasable square feet.

The Associate Theatres Great Lakes Mall Cinema had opened, as an eastern outparcel, on March 26, 1969. It was twinned in 1973, expanded into a five-screen venue in 1978 and a nine-screen venue in 1990. The cinema closed in January 2004. It was substantially remodeled and re-opened, as the Atlas Cinemas Great Lakes Stadium 16, in September 2007.

Meanwhile, the May Company store had been remodeled in 1974-1975, with its area expanded to 189,100 square feet. A 2-level (118,200 square foot), Pittsburgh-based Joseph Horne Company became the mall's fifth anchor on August 9, 1977. The mall now spanned approximately 1,258,000 leasable square feet.

Major shopping hubs in the GREAT LAKES trade area included RICHMOND MALL-RICHMOND TOWN SQUARE (1966) {10.3 miles southwest, in Richmond Heights} and EUCLID SQUARE MALL (1977) {8.4 miles southwest, in Euclid}. The MENTOR MALL mini-mall (1975) was located on a pad southwest of GLM.

A 20 million dollar renovation was officially dedicated in November 1989. During the project, a 13-bay Food Court was installed in existing space. The interior and exterior of GREAT LAKES MALL were given a makeover, with new skylights added. Around this time, the Newberry's store was also shuttered, with its area being sectioned into seven store spaces.

Anchor rebrandings commenced in the early 1990s. The Higbee's chain had been owned by a joint venture of DeBartolo-Dillard's since 1988. Dillard's established full ownership. Higbee's stores were rebranded as Dillard's August 12, 1992, with five Ohio Horne's stores also receiving a Dillard's banner.

A Dillard's "double header" was created at GREAT LAKES MALL, with the Higbee's location becoming Dillard's South (a Women's Store). Horne's morphed into Dillard's North (which carried Men's, Children's & Home merchandise). May Company was rebranded as a Pittsburgh-based Kaufmann's on May 31, 1993 and morphed into a Macy's on September 9, 2006.

The mall had changed hands in 1996, as a result of the merger of the DeBartolo Realty Corporation and Simon Property Group. At this time, GREAT LAKES MALL housed 110  tenant spaces, with seven store's in the periphery of the complex. These included Office Max, Barnes & Noble, Olive Garden and Max & Erma's.

In March 2011, the Simon Property Group embarked on a major renovation. New soft seating areas, lighting, flooring and landscaping were installed. The Food Court was upgraded and all mallways and entrances rebuilt. The project was completed in late 2011.

Simon 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" properties, including GREAT LAKES MALL. In early 2015, the Washington Prime Group merged with Columbus, Ohio's Glimcher Realty Trust.

Meanwhile, Dick's Sporting Goods had joined the shopping hub as a sixth anchor. The 1-level (55,000 square foot) store held its grand opening on May 31, 2014. Sears pulled up stakes in September 2017, with Macy's abandoning their GLM store in April 2021. 

Sources:

The Cleveland Plain Dealer

The News-Herald (Willoughby, Ohio)
J.J. Newberry Company Annual Report 1961
https://www.cinematreasures.org
https://auditor.lakecountyohio.gov / Lake County, Ohio 

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

https://washingtonprime.com / Washington Prime Group

https://shopgreatlakesmall.com

"Great Lakes Mall" and "Higbee's" articles on Wikipedia

Baltimore's Glen Burnie Mall

The fifth in the succession of Greater Baltimore malls, the GLEN BURNIE complex was developed on a plot located 7 miles south of the center city.
Graphic from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation 

Montgomery Ward's 161,000 square foot store was the first operational GBM tenant. The store opened for business in February 1963.
Graphic from Montgomery Ward & Company

A mall soon followed. The original plan was for J.C. Penney to co-anchor the complex, with their store presiding over its north end. However, Penney's backed out of the plan. In spite of this, mall construction proceeded, with the first inline stores opening in late 1964.
Drawing from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

In early 1964, GLEN BURNIE MALL encompassed approximately 329,000 leasable square feet and housed eighteen stores and services. Free parking was provided for 3,500 autos.

GLEN BURNIE MALL TENANTS 1964:

MONTGOMERY WARD (with snack bar and freestanding Auto Center) / G.C. MURPHY 5 & 10 (with snack bar) / A & P supermarket / American Finance Corporation / Arcade Snack Bar / Beacon Pharmacy (with luncheonette) / Bond Furniture / Carpet Fair / Equitable Trust Company / Glen Burnie Mall Theatre (single-screen) / Glidden Decorating Center / Lamp Post Restaurant / Paramount Barber Shop / Popcorn Village / The Card Mart / Thom McAn Shoes / Valentine Cards / Vincent et Vincent Hair Stylist / Webster men's wear

The north anchor store proposed in the early 1960s was not completed until 1969. A Mid-Century Modern entrance, depicted here, was added to the mall at the same time. The adjacent anchor store was built as a Topps discount mart. After this closed, the space was taken by Toys "R" Us. They would operate at GBM for over 43 years.

By the early 1980s, GLEN BURNIE MALL was in need of refurbishment. A 3 million dollar face lift commenced in July 1981 and was complete by the following November. The interior of the complex was remodeled with new tile flooring, skylights and decorative lamp posts.
Drawing from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

 

 

The post-renovation shopping center encompassed approximately 418,000 leasable square feet and contained forty-one stores and services. In 1983, Toys "R" Us, which had occupied the entire north anchor space in 1974, downsized into its eastern half. An Epsteins department store set up shop in the western half.

GLEN BURNIE MALL TENANTS 1983:

MONTGOMERY WARD (with Buffeteria snack bar and freestanding Auto Center) / G.C. MURPHY 5 & 10 (with snack bar) / EPSTEINS / PLUS DISCOUNT supermarket / A.S. Beck Shoes / Added Touch Jewelry / Athletic Attic / Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Store / Chess King men's wear / Cushner's men's wear / Equitable Trust Company / Foxmoor Casuals ladies' wear / Fun-N-Games / Gemstone Jewelry / Glen Burnie Mall Theatre (single-screen) / Hair 2000 Beauty Salon / Hanover Shoes / Hot Sam Pretzels / House of Fries restaurant / Jean Nicole ladies' wear / Jo-Ann Fabrics / Kay Jewelers / Kid's Stuff children's wear / Kinney Shoes / Lamp Post Restaurant / Marianne Shops ladies' wear / Marvin's Sport City / McKeever's restaurant / Morrow's Nut House / Mother Goose Shoes / Parklane Hosiery / Radio Shack / Record Bar / Revco Drugs / Small World Giftland / Tees For Two / The Card Mart / Things Remembered / Thom McAn Shoes / Toys "R" Us / Zales Jewelers 

In 2005, the mall has just been reborn as CENTRE AT GLEN BURNIE. An abandoned Montgomery Ward was knocked down and replaced by a new store block (in medium gray). Vacant 5 & dime and supermarket spaces have also been bulldozed. New Dick's Sporting Goods and Target stores have taken their place. These are also indicated in medium gray. 

Dick's 60,800 square foot store opened for business in October 1995.
Photo from www.petrieross.com / Petrie Ross Ventures

Target's 123,700 square foot store welcomed first shoppers in October 2004.
Photo from www.petrieross.com / Petrie Ross Ventures

Best Buy, which encompassed 49,000 square feet, assumed a vacant Epsteins space in November 1994.
Photo from www.petrieross.com / Petrie Ross Ventures

CENTRE AT GLEN BURNIE began to decline in the early 21st century. Major tenants pulled up stakes. A power center demalling was announced in 2017. The enclosed shopping concourse was stripped away, with all stores oriented to the west and south parking areas. The new "premier outdoor shopping center" emerged in 2018. It encompassed around 424,600 leasaable square feet, with free parking for 1,400 autos.

In this view, we see the revitalized shopping center's southwest corner. Cold Stone Creamery was one of many pre-renovation tenants who remained in business.
Photo from www.segallgroup.com / Segall Group

The south facade of CENTRE AT GLEN BURNIE is seen here. Madrag and Vox Nail Spa are newer tenants.
Photo from www.segallgroup.com / Segall Group

The Burlington store relocated from the nearby HARUNDALE PLAZA in September 2019.
Photo from www.segallgroup.com / Segall Group

GLEN BURNIE MALL
Governor Ritchie Highway and East Ordnance Road
Anne Arundel County (Glen Burnie), Maryland

The fifth mall-type shopping center developed by Ohio's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation was constructed on a 41.7-acre plot, located 7.2 miles south of center city Baltimore. The site was in an unincorporated section of Anne Arundel County known as Glen Burnie. The mall was designed by the DeBartolo Corporation's in-house architecture department.

Plans for GLEN BURNIE MALL were announced in January 1962. A thirty-store, fully-enclosed shopping complex would be anchored by a single-level Montgomery Ward on its south end. A 2-level J.C. Penney would anchor the mall's north end. By mid-1963, J.C. Penney had backed out of the project.

On February 13, 1963, a 2-level (161,100 square foot) Montgomery Ward became the first operational GLEN BURNIE MALL store. A (32,000 square foot) G.C. Murphy 5 & 10 held its grand opening on January 15, 1964. The Broumas Theatres Glen Burnie Mall Theatre showed its first feature on the same day.

By this time, there were eighteen stores and services. These included Webster men's wear, Bond Furniture, Glidden Decorating Center, Beacon Pharmacy, Carpet Fair, The Card Mart, Arcade Snack Bar and an A & P supermarket.

It would take 5 years for a second anchor store to be completed. A 1-level (89,000 square foot), Topps Discount City took the space originally plotted for J.C. Penney and opened for business on March 17, 1969. This store was shuttered in 1974. By September of the same year, the vacant Topps space had been leased as a Toys "R" Us (both Topps and Toys "R" Us being divisions of Interstate Stores).

The original rivals of GLEN BURNIE MALL were all located in Anne Arundel County and also fronted on Governor Ritchie Highway. The first, HARUNDALE MALL {2.5 miles south}, had opened in October 1958. MARLEY STATION MALL {3.3 miles south} debuted in February 1987.

A 3 million dollar face lift got underway at GLEN BURNIE MALL on July 1, 1981. The project would install a new roof, forty-two skylights, decorative lamp posts, quarry tile flooring and several ficus trees. The parking area would also be repaved.

On October 24, 1981, a fire damaged stores on the north end of the complex. The center, except for Montgomery Ward, was closed while repairs -and the remainder of the renovation- could be completed. A grand re-opening was held for the New GLEN BURNIE MALL on November 21, 1981. Forty-one stores and services included Chess King, Foxmoor Casuals, Record Bar, Revco Drugs and Zales Jewelers.

By this time, Toys "R" Us had been downsized into the eastern half of its original space. The store now encompassed 47,500 square feet. The western section was leased as a (49,000 square foot), Baltimore-based Epsteins department store. It welcomed first shoppers on March 2, 1983.

Epsteins was in operation until January 1991. The space sat vacant until November 18, 1994, when a Richfield, Minnesota-based Best Buy made its debut. A & P had reconfigured their space as an A-Mart and then Plus Food Store discount grocery. This went dark in September 1983.

The G.C. Murphy at GLEN BURNIE MALL, vacant since 1994, was shuttered, demolished and replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods. This 1-level (60,800 square foot) store held its grand opening in October 1995, as a mall-wide face lift was being done. The renovation was completed in November 1995.

Montgomery Ward went dark in March 2001. Its space was used for a Sticks 'n Stuff Furniture for 2 years. The mall was acquired by Annapolis-based Petrie Ross Ventures in August 2002. A large scale redevelopment was announced in mid-2003. Demolition commenced in August. A 1-level (123,700 square foot) Target was built in place of A & P and held its grand opening on October 10, 2004.

A block of thirteen inline stores replaced a razed Wards building. The rest of the complex was given a complete makeover, with many stores reoriented with outside entrances. A new name -CENTRE AT GLEN BURNIE- was bestowed in May 2004. A mall-wide dedication was held in the summer of 2005. The complex now encompassed approximately 428,300 leasable square feet, with forty-six retail spaces.

A major vacancy was created when Best Buy moved out, in January 2010. The store relocated into the CHESAPEAKE SQUARE strip center (across Governor Ritchie Highway); re-opening on January 30, 2010.

The vacant CENTRE AT GLEN BURNIE space was divided into two stores. A (30,300 square foot), Indianapolis-based hhgregg began business on May 6, 2010, followed by an (18,000 square foot), Boca Raton-based Office Depot. This store was dedicated on November 10 of the same year. Dick's Sporting goods shut down in 2013. The store space would never be retenanted.

Petrie Ross Ventures morphed into a new entity, known as Petrie Richardson Ventures, in January 2015. They soon relinquished ownership of CENTRE AT GLEN BURNIE. The partially vacant shopping hub was acquired by a division of Greenwich, Connecticut's Starwood Property Trust in March 2016. They hired Jenkintown, Pennsylvania-based Goodman Properties as a managing agent.

A demalling renovation was proposed, that would raze the vacant Dick's structure and eastern half of the mall. The Toys "R" Us-hhgregg-Office Depot and Target buildings would remain intact along with the western store block. A new megaplex cinema would be built on space previously occupied by Dick's. Unfortunately, two CENTRE AT GLEN BURNIE tenants would not be part of a revitalized power center. In May 2017, the hhgregg chain went out of business. Toys "R" Us followed, in June 2018.

 

New stores opened over the next few years. A (47,700 square foot), Harrisburg-based Ollie's Bargain Outlet welcomed first shoppers on November 14, 2018. This store dedication was followed by one for a (37,900 square foot) Burlington, which was dedicated on September 6, 2019. On November 7, 2024, a (42,000 square foot) Amazon Fresh supermarket opened its doors.

Sources:

The Baltimore Sun
http://www.petrieross.com / Petrie Ross Ventures (website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
https://www.cinematreaures.org
https://sdat.dat.maryland.gov / Anne Arundel County, Maryland

https://www.starwoodpropertytrust.com / Starwood Property Trust

http://www.goodmanproperties.org / Goodman Properties

http://www.segallgroup.com / Segall Group

https://investors.ollies.us / Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Incorporated

"Centre At Glen Burnie" article on Wikipedia

Northwestern Ohio's Lima Mall

The eleventh mall-type complex developed by Ohio's Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation was located in the northwest corner of the Buckeye State. LIMA MALL was officially dedicated, with thirteen stores, in November 1965. 

Drawing from the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation

A full-line "Penneys," anchoring the west end of LIMA MALL, opened its doors in January 1966.

Photo from Curteichcolor

While the DeBartolo Corporation was developing LIMA MALL, another Youngstown-based company was building their own "Limaland" shopping complex. Stores in William Cafaro & Associates' AMERICAN MALL began opening in February 1965.

Graphic from William Cafaro & Associates 

The cinema that never was. In September 1965, plans for a Lima Mall Theatre were announced. The 900-seat venue would connect into the climate-controlled shopping concourse and feature an ultra-wide screen and stereophonic sound. Although the theater is included on some 1965 and '66 tenant lists, it was never completed. The last mention of the prospective movie house was in March 1966.

Drawing from Broumas Theatres 

LIMA MALL, circa-1966. The tri-anchor facility encompassed approximately 500,000 leasable square feet and contained twenty-nine stores and services. Free parking was provided for 4,500 autos. LIMA MALL was the third fully-enclosed shopping center in Ohio; the first and second having been Greater Cleveland's SEVERANCE CENTER and Greater Akron's SUMMIT MALL.

LIMA MALL TENANTS 1966:

SEARS (with Coffee House, lawn & garden center and attached Auto Center) / J.C. PENNEY (with Coffee Shop, beauty salon, lawn & garden center, portrait studio and freestanding Auto Center) / THE LEADER (with beauty salon, bridal shop and Art Needle Workshop) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Abraham's ladies' wear / Butler's Shoes / Claire Hats / Cleveland Fabrics / Corwin's Pastries / First Lady Beauty Salon / Holloway House Cafeteria / Howard's Camera Shop / Kinney Shoes / Lima Optical Fashion Center / Madison's apparel / Metropolitan Bank / Moore's Auto Supply / Neumode Hosiery / Pangles Master Market (with InStore Bakery and Snack Shop) / Paul Harris ladies' wear / Petrie's ladies' wear / Richman Brothers men's wear / Sills Shoes / Singer Sewing Center / Suburban Barbers / The Hobby Center / Thrift Drug (with luncheonette) / United Men's Wear / Zale's Jewelers

The LIMA MALL Lazarus opened in late 1971, as a part of a West Wing expansion. The original store encompassed 165,000 square feet and featured two restaurants; The Skyline Room and Inn-A-Hurry Coffee Shop.
Photo from Wikipedia / "Dirty Harry"