Markland Mall facts for kids
| Location | Kokomo, Indiana, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°28′26″N 86°06′36″W / 40.474°N 86.110°W |
| Address | 1114 17th Street |
| Opening date | 1968 |
| Developer | Melvin Simon & Associates |
| Owner | Washington Prime Group |
| No. of stores and services | 40+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 9 ( All Open ) |
| Total retail floor area | 312,579 sq ft (29,039.5 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
Markland Mall is a popular shopping mall located in Kokomo, Indiana. It's a place where you can find many different stores and activities all under one roof! This mall first opened its doors in 1968. Today, some of its biggest and most well-known stores include Target, Dunham's Sports, Books-A-Million, Carter's, PetSmart, Party City, Ross Dress for Less, ALDI, and Gravity Trampoline Park. The mall is managed by a company called Washington Prime Group.
Contents
History of Markland Mall
How the Mall Started
The idea for Markland Mall began in 1967. A company called Melvin Simon & Associates announced they would build this new shopping center. When the mall first opened in 1968, it had several main stores. These included Sears, a store called Danners 5 & 10, a Kroger supermarket, SupeRx drugstore, and a discount store called Ayr-Way.
Changes Over the Years
Over time, many stores at Markland Mall changed. In 1974, the Danners store became William H. Block Co. A big change happened in 1981 when the Ayr-Way store turned into Target. This happened because the entire Ayr-Way chain of stores was converted to Target.
In 1985, the William H. Block store got bigger. It took over some space that used to be a mall hallway and another store. This was part of a larger update for the mall. New floor tiles were added, and skylights were installed to let in more natural light. Some store entrances were also changed to make the hallways look more interesting. The Block store later became Lazarus in 1987. After that, it briefly became Macy's before it closed down.
Recent Updates and New Stores
In 2001, a popular clothing store called Old Navy opened at the mall. It took the place of a former Goodyear service center. The Lazarus/Macy's store closed in 2005. The movie theater, which had been there since the mall opened, closed in 2006.
In 2011, the old Lazarus space became a new department store called Carson's. This led to another store, Elder-Beerman, closing at a nearby mall. Old Navy closed its doors in 2016. Then, in 2017, both Sears and MC Sports also closed.
Later in 2017, exciting news came for the mall. The old Sears building was torn down to make way for several new stores. These new additions included Aldi, Party City, PetSmart, and Ross Dress for Less. A fun place called Gravity Trampoline Park also opened in the space where MC Sports used to be. Finally, Carson's closed in the summer of 2018, along with all other Carson's stores. In 2020, Dunham's Sports moved into the space that Carson's used to occupy.
