 | |
| Coordinates | 42°02′24″N 87°53′16″W / 42.040074982202356°N 87.88764785787377°W |
|---|---|
| Address | 700 Pearson Street |
| Opening date | October 6, 1977 |
| Closing date | October 31, 1996 |
| Developer | J.R. Gottlieb & Co. |
| Management | Richard Pace & Associates (1977-1986), David Friedman and William Fallmer (1986-?) |
| Architect | Erickson and Stevens, Inc. |
| No. of anchor tenants | 1 (Spiegler's) |
| Total retail floor area | 185,000 square feet |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Parking | yes |
The Des Plaines Mall was a 185,000 square foot (17,200 m2)[1] shopping mall in downtown Des Plaines, Illinois. It opened in 1977. It was designed by J.R. Gottlieb & Co. The architect was Erickson and Stevens, Inc.[2]
Planning for the mall began in 1972,[3] with the Des Plaines Mall Corporation formed in 1973.[4] The mall opened October 6, 1977. Its original tennants included Spiegler's, Radio Shack, Hallmark Cards and the Oui Boutique.[5] It was built for about $12 million. Shoppers and employees parked at the nearby Behrel Parking Deck. The intent was to demolish buildings between the mall and the deck, most notably the abonded Spiegler's store, and build a walkway between the two locations.[6]
In 1979 the mall added an area on the lower level called Olde Center Street, a turn-of-the-century theme arcade.[7]
In 1995 the city took control of the mall with the intent of condemning the mall.[8]
Its last day of business was October 31, 1996.[9]
Spiegler's
editSpiegler's[a] occupied 23,000 square feet of the mall.[1] It was founded in 1900[10] at 1467 Ellinwood.
With the mall in decline, the store closed June 28, 1992.[11]
Herbert H. Behrel Parking Plaza
editThe plaza was a 300-car[12] parking deck on Ellinwood Street. The four story cement garage was blamed for the failure of the mall.[13]
Notable events
edit- Soap stars Richard Shoberg and Michael Storm appeared at the mall on November 8, 1980.[14]
- The Des Plaines Public Library held two book sales in the mall in 1996.[15][16]
References holding area
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Superblock mall buoys merchants". The Herald (Arlington Heights, IL). 1976-09-16. sec. 3, p. 6.
- ^ "Superblock nearing completion". Chicago Tribune. 1975-10-12. sec. 12, p. 1.
- ^ "Petition seeks zoning hearing on superblock". The Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL). 1973-03-07. sec. 1, p. 3.
- ^ "advertisement for William L. Kunkel & Co. Realtors". The Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL). 1972-09-04. sec. 3, p. 9.
- ^ "New mall is dream become reality". The Des Plaines Suburban Times. 1977-09-29. sec. 1, p. 1.
- ^ "Mall opens today". The Des Plaines Suburban Times. 1977-10-06. sec. 1, p. 1.
- ^ "DP Mall to feature 'Olde Center Street'". The Des Plaines Suburban Times. 1979-05-04. p. 33.
- ^ Shuman, Mark (1995-12-13). "Des Plaines is new owner of mall". Chicago Tribune. sec. 2, p. 1.
- ^ Davis, Jon (1996-10-31). "Des Plaines Mall's demise complete". Chicago Tribune. sec. 1, p. 6.
- ^ Spiegler, Allan (2019). If a Store Could Talk. Elderberry Press. p. 14. ISBN 9781934956755.
- ^ "Closing Forever June 28th (advertisement)". Des Plaines Journal. 1992-06-24. p. 11A.
- ^ "Demolish Behrel Deck". Des Plaines Journal. 1995-09-29. p. 1A.
- ^ Vinzant, Carol (1991-08-13). "Des Plaines still on life support". Chicago Tribune. sec. 2, p. 1.
- ^ "Fans sigh approval for stars of TV's soap operas 'All My Children,' 'One Life to Live' at D.P. Mall". The Des Plaines Suburban Times. 1980-11-13. p. 15.
- ^ "At the Library". Des Plaines Journal. 1996-03-13. p. 16B.
- ^ "At the Library". Des Plaines Journal. 1996-09-04. p. 12B.
- ^ "ad for Spieglers Department Store". Des Plaines Journal. 1988-01-27.
External links
edit- Des Plaines Memory, contains pictures of the mall