Lincolnwood Town Center

Lincolnwood Town Center
Main entrance in 2026
LocationLincolnwood, Illinois, United States
Coordinates42°00′36″N 87°42′50″W / 42.01°N 87.7138°W / 42.01; -87.7138
OpenedMarch 15, 1990 (1990-03-15) [1]
ClosedJuly 23, 2026[2]
ManagementFriedman Real Estate
Stores83
2
Floor area421,000 square feet (39,112.2 m2)
Floors2
Public transit
CTA, Pace
WebsiteOfficial website at the Wayback Machine (last available archive)

Lincolnwood Town Center was a shopping mall located in Lincolnwood, Illinois. The mall opened in March 1990. It featured three anchor stores at its peak: Carson's and Kohl's.[3] The mall is managed by Friedman Real Estate, while the property itself is owned by Prairie Ridge Development and Xroads Real Estate Advisors.

History

Interior of the mall from 2007

The site of Lincolnwood Town Center was formerly occupied by the headquarters of Bell & Howell. Developers Melvin Simon & Associates (now known as Simon Property Group and Chicago-based Hawthorn Realty first proposed to build a 1.2-million-square-foot (110,000 m2) mall on the site in 1985, but the plan was turned down by city trustees. A second plan, calling for a smaller shopping mall and offices, was approved in 1987 after then-mayor Frank Chulay cast the tie-breaking vote.[4][5]

Upon opening in 1990, the mall featured two anchor stores, both of which were Chicago-based department stores: Madigan's and Carson Pirie Scott (later known as Carson's), with space for up to 90 mall shops within 430,000 square feet (40,000 m2) of total shop space. Representatives of Melvin Simon & Associates noted that the mall's development was indicative of a trend toward building malls within urban settings as opposed to suburbs.[1]

Madigan's closed in 1991 after only a year in business, and was replaced that same year by J. C. Penney.[6] This store was closed in 2001,[7] and in 2002, it was converted to Kohl's.[8]

In 2018, the Carson's store was shuttered following the bankruptcy of parent company The Bon-Ton. Following this announcement, an article published by RE Journal analyzed several Chicago-area malls which were all about to lose a Carson's store, and noted that Lincolnwood Town Center posed a risk of tenancy loss given its smaller size compared to other area malls.[9]

TheRoomPlace opened in the former Carson's spot in August 2019.[10]

In June 2021, the Washington Prime Group, the mall's parent company, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. The announcement came during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had greatly limited the amount of foot traffic in the mall.[11]

In 2022, the Lincolnwood village board proposed a plan to redevelop the mall and its adjacent land into a mixed-use commercial, residential, and entertainment space. The plans were spurred by rising vacancies in the mall. The village at one point explored leveraging eminent domain to take ownership of the mall.[12]

In December 2025, Prairie Ridge Development and Xroads Real Estate Advisors acquired the property for $12.3 million.[13] In April 2026, the village board approved a plan to redevelop the property into a large retail store, an automobile dealer, and other commercial or retail spaces.[13] In April, the village announced the mall would be demolished in three phases beginning sometime in May.[14] The mall's food court and most smaller businesses closed by May 1.[15] Old Navy is expected to stay open until the mid-section of the mall is demolished, while Kohl's is expected to remain open until the final phase of demolition.[16][17]

A small portion of the enclosed mall remained accessible for Old Navy, whose manager said the store had not received a notice to vacate and raised concerns about customer access if demolition of the mall began.[18]

Demolition was initially expected to begin in May 2026, but was delayed, with partial demolition later expected to begin in June 2026. The full shutdown of the mall expected by the end of July 2026, except for Kohl's.[19]

Bus routes

Bus stop at the entrance of the Lincolnwood Town Center

CTA

Pace

  • 210 Lincoln Avenue (weekdays only)[22]
  • 290 Touhy Avenue[23]

References

  1. 1 2 "NEW LINCOLNWOOD MALL REFLECTS URBAN TREND". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Lincolnwood Town Center". Village of Lincolnwood. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  3. ↑ Hayes, Natalie (November 25, 2016). "Consumers: Less frenzied Black Friday at Lincolnwood mall than in years past". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  4. ↑ "LINCOLNWOOD OKS PLAN FOR SHOPPING MALL". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ Jakubowski, Cyryl (April 24, 2026). "Lincolnwood Town Center faces demolition but its origin and legacy was fraught with local political controversy". Nadig Newspaper. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  6. ↑ "PENNEYS TO REPLACE MADIGANS AT LINCOLNWOOD". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Rare openings in Lincolnwood retail market". Chicago Business Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Malls, downtowns peacefully coexist". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Anchors away: Are these malls in danger?". RE Journal. June 5, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  10. ↑ "The RoomPlace Opens Two-Story, 84,000 SF Location at Lincolnwood Town Center".
  11. ↑ "Washington Prime Group, Parent Company Of Lincolnwood Town Center Mall, Files For Bankruptcy". CBS Chicago. June 14, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  12. ↑ Swidler, Francie (September 4, 2025). "Lincolnwood exploring using eminent domain to take over, redevelop once-bustling mall". WMAQ-TV. Retrieved April 17, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Lincolnwood Town Center | Lincolnwood Village, IL". www.lincolnwoodil.org. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ Harrington, Adam (April 23, 2026). "Lincolnwood Town Center mall in Chicago's north suburbs to be torn down beginning in May". CBS Chicago. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Editorial: Demolition looms for Lincolnwood Town Center, as shopping malls across the country struggle to find new life". Chicago Tribune. May 1, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  16. ↑ Roeder, David (April 30, 2026). "Demolition and gradual demise in store for Lincolnwood Town Center". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Lincolnwood Village Board approves pre-development agreement for Lincolnwood Town Center". Chicago Tribune. April 27, 2026. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  18. ↑ Mack, Emily (April 22, 2026). "The End of an Era For Lincolnwood Town Center". City Cast Chicago. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Lincolnwood Town Center". Village of Lincolnwood. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
  20. ↑ "82 Kimball-Homan (Bus Route Info)".
  21. ↑ "96 Lunt (Bus Route Info)".
  22. ↑ "210 - Lincoln Avenue | Pace Suburban Bus".
  23. ↑ "Pace Bus - Route 290".
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