Chapel Hill Mall facts for kids
Entrance to J. C. Penney at Chapel Hill Mall, 2018.
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| Location | Akron, Ohio, United States |
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| Coordinates | 41°06′50″N 81°28′07″W / 41.113997°N 81.468655°W |
| Opening date | 1967 |
| Developer | Forest City Enterprises and R.B. Buchholzer |
| Management | McKinley Management Company |
| Owner | Kohan Retail Investment Group |
| No. of stores and services | 56 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 (0 open, 3 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 860,000 sq ft (80,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in former JCPenney and former Macy's) |
| Parking | 4,200 |
Chapel Hill Mall was a large, one-story shopping mall located in Akron, Ohio. It covered about 860,000 square feet (80,000 m2). The mall first opened its doors on October 12, 1967.
It was built by Richard (R.B.) Buchholzer and a company called Forest City Enterprises. They owned the mall for many years. Later, it was sold to other companies. At its busiest, Chapel Hill Mall had over 100 stores. Big department stores like Sears, JCPenney, and Macy's were the main "anchor" stores.
The Mall's Beginning
Chapel Hill Mall was built on land that once belonged to Richard Buchholzer's father, J.J. Buchholzer. The Buchholzer family believed that the city of Akron would grow towards the north. They thought it would be a great spot for a department store.
Soon, they realized an even bigger idea was possible: a large, indoor shopping mall. This would be a place where people could shop comfortably, no matter the weather. Richard Buchholzer worked with Forest City Enterprises to make this dream come true. They planned to build Akron's very first indoor mall.
In the 1930s, young Richard Buchholzer found something interesting on his father's land. It looked like an old meeting place used by Native Americans. Because of this discovery, Buchholzer decided to name the new shopping area "Chapel Hill."
Mall Changes Over Time
Over the years, there were many ideas to make Chapel Hill Mall even bigger. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, plans often came up to add another department store called Higbee's. One plan in 1988 suggested adding 90,000 square feet for a new store.
In 1990, a newspaper even announced that Higbee's would be coming to the mall. It also said a new food court and more shops would open by 1991.
In 1994, the mall finally got some big updates. A new food court was added, along with more space for shops. The mall also got new floors, ceiling tiles, a new fountain, and brighter lights.
Main Stores and What Happened to Them
Chapel Hill Mall used to have several major stores that attracted many shoppers. These big stores are called "anchors."
- JCPenney: This store opened in 1966, even before the rest of the mall. It was one of the longest-lasting stores.
- Macy's: This store was originally a local chain called O'Neil's. Then it became May Co., and later Kaufmann's. Macy's took over in 2006 but closed in 2016.
- Sears: Sears opened in 1967, at the same time as the mall. It was a popular anchor store for many years.
There was also a movie theater at the mall. It started with two screens in 1966 and grew to five screens. Later, bigger movie theaters opened nearby. The mall's cinema closed in 1996. A clothing store called Old Navy then took its place until it closed in 2016.
Another store called Woolworth was at the mall until 1997. After that, a Gap clothing store moved in, but it also closed later.
In 2017, Sears announced that its Chapel Hill store would close. Then, in 2020, JCPenney also announced its closure. This meant that Chapel Hill Mall no longer had any of its main anchor stores open.
As of October 2020, the mall had fewer stores. Some of the remaining shops included Bath & Body Works, Finish Line, Foot Locker, Journeys, Party City, and Shoe Dept. Encore.
