Hilldale Shopping Center facts for kids
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| Location | Madison, Wisconsin |
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| Coordinates | 43°4′22″N 89°27′12″W / 43.07278°N 89.45333°W |
| Opening date | October 1962 |
| Developer | UW Foundation |
| Owner | WS Development |
| No. of stores and services | 50+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| No. of floors | 2 |
Hilldale Shopping Center, often called Hilldale, is a popular shopping area in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. It's a mix of an indoor mall and an outdoor shopping street. Hilldale first opened its doors in October 1962. It has four main stores: Macy's, Target, Metcalfe's Market, and the AMC Dine-In Madison 6 movie theater. As of 2018, it also has over 40 other unique stores.
The History of Hilldale
Hilldale was first planned as part of the Hill Farms Neighborhood in Madison. In the early 1950s, the University of Wisconsin–Madison decided to sell some of its farmland. This land was then used to expand the city of Madison.
A company called Kelab Inc. was created in 1958. Its job was to manage the shopping center, which covered about 33 acres. Construction was delayed for a while because of a lawsuit. But in 1961, the Supreme Court of the United States allowed the project to move forward.
Hilldale officially opened on October 25, 1962. It had a large department store called Gimbels. This store later became a Marshall Field's in 1986. Then, in 2006, it changed again to a Macy's. Hilldale grew bigger with expansions in 1969 and 1985. It was also updated in 1997.
From 1983 to 2004, the Hilldale parking lot hosted the famous Brat Fest. This big event happened every Memorial Day weekend. People would gather to grill and eat brats. By 2005, Brat Fest became too big for Hilldale. It then moved to Willow Island at the Alliant Energy Center.
Modern Updates and Changes
In 2004, a company named Joseph Freed and Associates LLC bought Hilldale. They started a big project to update and expand the center. This work was finished in 2006.
Some of the major changes included:
- Two large parking garages were built in front of the mall.
- New restaurants and stores were added in a strip next to the mall.
- A row of townhouses was built in the front part of the shopping center.
- The inside of the mall was completely refreshed.
Hilldale was also chosen by Sundance Group for its first Sundance Cinema. This movie theater, called Sundance Cinemas 608, opened on May 11, 2007. It showed independent, documentary, and foreign films. The theater was named after the area code 608 for Madison.
In 2012, WS Development bought Hilldale. This company changed most of the mall from an enclosed space to an open-air design. The Sundance Cinema chain was sold to Carmike Cinemas in 2015. Then, AMC Theatres bought Carmike in 2016. Because of this, Sundance Cinemas 608 became the AMC Dine-In Madison 6 in 2017.
Today, Hilldale has many popular stores. These include the Apple Store, Metcafe's (a local grocery store), Hollander Cafe, and a brew pub. Other well-known shops are Michael Kors, Anthropologie, lululemon, and Lucky Brand Jeans.
