Lakeland Square Mall

28°05′29″N 81°58′41″W / 28.091359°N 81.977932°W / 28.091359; -81.977932

Lakeland Square Mall
Entrance to Lakeland Square Mall, April 2017
LocationLakeland, Florida
Opened1988 (1988)
DeveloperEdward J. DeBartolo Corp. and Homart Development Co.[1]
ManagementSpinoso Real Estate Group
Stores92
7 (5 open, 2 vacant)
Floor area890,000 sq ft (83,000 m2)
Floors1
Parking4,500
Public transit
Bus transport Citrus Connection bus: 1, 15, 47, 61
Websitewww.lakelandsquare.com
[2]

Lakeland Square Mall is a shopping center situated on the northern side of Lakeland, Florida. Serving Polk County as one of only two enclosed malls, it holds the distinction of being the sole shopping destination off I-4 between Tampa and Orlando. Presently, the mall is anchored by Dillard's, Bin Chasers Lakeland, J. C. Penney, Urban Air Adventure Park, and Cinemark Theatres.

History

Developed by Edward J. DeBartolo and Homart, Lakeland Square Mall opened in 1988. When it first opened, the mall featured anchor stores such as Mervyn's, Sears, and Belk (originally signed as Belk-Lindsey), followed shortly by the addition of Maison Blanche, which was originally planned to be Robinson's of Florida, which was acquired by Maison Blanche in 1987. In 1990, J. C. Penney joined the mall, and in 1994, Burdines also became part of the lineup, relocating from downtown Lakeland.[3] Dillard's took over the space previously occupied by Mervyn's in 1997.[4]

In 1995, General Growth Properties acquired the Homart Company, and management was subsequently transferred to General Growth Properties.

In 1998, Maison Blanche, after being acquired by Dillard's, became Dillard's North, housing the women's departments, while the former Mervyn's location became Dillard's South, housing the men's, children's, and home departements.[5] In 2004, Burdines transformed into Burdines-Macy's and completed its transition to Macy's in 2005. Belk closed its doors later in the same year, coinciding with the opening of a new Belk location in Lakeside Village.[6] The vacant space left by Belk was filled by a Burlington Coat Factory in the fall of 2007.[7]

Dillard's South ceased operations in 2012, consolidating its presence to the former Maison Blanche store.[8] The vacant anchor spot once occupied by Mervyn's was demolished in 2012 to make way for the construction of a new 12-screen Cinemark Theatres and Sports Authority. This new complex opened in 2013.[9][10]

In 2015, the Sears property was among the 235 properties sold by Sears Holdings to Seritage Growth Properties.[11][12] Sports Authority closed along with the rest of the chain in 2016,[9] and its space was later occupied by Urban Air Adventure Park in August 2018.[13] Macy's closed in 2017, and Resale America took over the space in November 2019.[14]

Sears, as part of a 142-store closure round, also closed in 2018.[15] Charlotte Russe, which had closed earlier in the year, reopened at the mall as part of the chain's plan to open 100 stores in 2019.[16] In 2022, Burlington closed its doors and relocated across the street to the Shoppes of Lakeland shopping center.

Flacks Group originally had plans to turn the closed Sears store at the mall into a 320-unit luxury apartment complex. The development was to offer one to three-bedroom units with rents ranging from $1,450 to $1,900. Amenities were to include a clubhouse, pool deck, dog park, and yoga garden. The project was to provide direct mall access to boost economic support. However, these plans since shifted to a mixed-use development with apartments.

After Resale America closed in 2024, Bin Chasers opened as a new anchor store in the former Resale America space. Bin Chasers is a store that sells heavily discounted merchandise of a wide variety.

References

  1. ↑ Kuhn, Brad (May 8, 1995). "New Mall Brings Developer Back Homart Teamed Up On Various Projects". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.("Homart teamed up with DeBartolo again for Lakeland Square Mall, which opened in 1988.")
  2. ↑ "Lakeland Square Mall". Brookfield Properties.
  3. ↑ "Lakeland: Two decades after the road diets | Modern Cities". www.moderncities.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  4. ↑ Writer, DAVID ALTANER Business. "MERVYN'S GIVING UP ON FLORIDA". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  5. ↑ Journal, Emily Nelson and Robert Berner (May 19, 1998). "Dillard's to Pay $2.9 Billion To Acquire Mercantile Stores". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  6. ↑ Ledger, JEREMY MAREADYThe. "Belk Will Close Its Mall Store". The Ledger. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  7. ↑ Ledger, JEREMY MAREADYThe. "Burlington Coat Factory Coming to Lakeland". The Ledger. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  8. ↑ KENNEDY, KYLE. "Dillard's to Close One Of Lakeland Mall Stores". The Ledger. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  9. 1 2 report, Ledger staff. "Sports Authority location in Lakeland Square Mall set to close". The Ledger. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Cinemark building 12-screen movie theater in Lakeland". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  11. ↑ "At Lakeland Square | Seritage".
  12. ↑ Corporation, Sears Holdings. "Sears Holdings Completes Seritage Growth Properties Transaction". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Photos: Urban Air Adventure Park opens in North Lakeland". News Chief. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  14. ↑ Re-Sale America Lakeland Grand Opening 2019, retrieved December 8, 2019
  15. ↑ Pera, Eric. "Lakeland Sears part of corporate shutdowns". The Ledger. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  16. ↑ Inc, Y. M. "Charlotte Russe Retail Locations Relaunched". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved December 8, 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
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