River Hills Mall
 | |
| Location | Mankato, Minnesota, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°10′22″N 93°57′13″W / 44.1729°N 93.9536°W |
| Address | 1850 Adams Street |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Developer | General Growth Properties |
| Owner | Summit Properties USA[1] |
| Stores | 85+ (at peak) |
| 7 (5 open, 2 vacant) | |
| Floor area | 716,224 sq ft (66,539 m2)[2] |
| Floors | 1 |
| Parking | 3,443 free spaces (7 parking lots) |
Public transit |  MTS |
| Website | https://www.riverhillsmall.com |
| [2] | |
River Hills Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Mankato, Minnesota featuring retailers such as Target, Scheel's, Barnes & Noble, and JCPenney. The mall has a carousel in the food court, and is surrounded by businesses such as Olive Garden, Chick-Fil-A, PetSmart, and several hotels.
History
1987-1991: Planning and Construction
The River Hills Mall was constructed on former farmland by General Growth Properties, with surveying and planning beginning in 1987. The land, owned by Paul Radichel and his family, had been rezoned in 1989 by the Mankato city council after arguments with existing business owners, and the competing Madison East mall.[3]
1991-2008: Grand Opening and Early Years
The mall opened under the management of Paul Wilke in 1991 with less than 26 stores, and just 3 anchor stores; Herberger's, Target and JCPenney.[4] Sears became the fourth anchor in 1993,[5] and Scheels constructed a new space in 2006, becoming the fifth anchor, after relocating in 1994 from its previous location at Madison East Center.[6] A health clinic opened at the mall in 2007,[7] and Barnes & Noble moved from an existing nearby location in 2008,[8] taking over the original Scheels space.
2008-Present
After reports of financial struggle, Sears closed in early 2017, and the space has since sat vacant. With the announcement of Herberger's parent company, The Bon Ton being bought out by liquidators, Herberger's closed in mid 2018, and the space has since sat vacant. River Hills Mall was sold to the Kohan Retail Investment Group in 2021 for $29.4 million.[1][9]
PetSmart opened outside the mall on January 5, 2018.[10]
A Chick-Fil-A was constructed on the former Party City lot outside the mall in 2026. An A&W location in the mall with front signage closed April 2026[11]
References
- 1 2 Thomas, Dylan (September 8, 2021). "Mankato's River Hills Mall sells for $29.4 million to Burnsville Center owner". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
- 1 2 "River Hills Mall". Brookfield Properties Retail Group.
- ↑ tkrohn@mankatofreepress.com, Tim Krohn (January 23, 2016). "River Hills Mall transformed Mankato". TheLandOnline. Retrieved June 15, 2026.
- ↑ Pioneer Press: Search
- ↑ Gant, Tina (2004). International directory of company histories - Jay P. Pederson, Tina Gant - Google Books. St. James Press. ISBN 9781558625082. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ↑ Thomas, Dylan (April 2, 2006). "Shoppers flock to Scheels opening » Local News » The Free Press, Mankato, MN". Mankatofreepress.com. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ↑ Tim Krohn (September 19, 2007). "NEW: Mankato Clinic site opening in R.H. Mall » Local News » The Free Press, Mankato, MN". Mankatofreepress.com. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
- ↑ Tim Krohn (January 10, 2008). "Former Barnes and Noble strip mall sold » Local News » The Free Press, Mankato, MN". Mankatofreepress.com. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Krohn, Tim (July 30, 2021). "River Hills Mall has a new owner". Mankato Free Press. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ↑ "Mankato PetSmart opens today". January 5, 2018.
- ↑ Staff, KEYC News Now (April 29, 2026). "Mankato A&W location closes". www.keyc.com. Retrieved July 14, 2026.