Washington Square Mall (Indianapolis) facts for kids
| Location | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°46′37″N 85°59′17″W / 39.777°N 85.988°W |
| Opening date | 1974 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. |
| Management | Jones Lang Lasalle |
| Owner | Durga Property LLC |
| No. of stores and services | 80+ |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (1open, 4 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 965,000 sq ft (89,700 m2). |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Parking | surface parking |
| Public transit access |   8, 10, 21, 87 |
Washington Square Mall is a large shopping center located on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana. It first opened its doors in 1974. The mall was updated and made bigger in 1999. Today, you can find popular stores like Finish Line, Bath & Body Works, and Target there. It also has an AMC Theatres movie theater.
Mall History: How It Grew
This mall was built by Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. and welcomed its first shoppers in April 1974. It took the place of an older shopping center called Eastgate, which was about three miles away. Many stores, including JCPenney and Sears, moved from Eastgate to the new Washington Square Mall. Other big stores that opened with the mall were L. S. Ayres, William H. Block, and Lazarus.
Changes in Ownership and Stores
In 1996, a company called Simon Property Group joined with the DeBartolo company. Simon updated the mall in 1999. The mall had a tough time between 2005 and 2010, and some stores like Old Navy, JCPenney, and Macy's left.
However, new stores moved in! Burlington took over the old JCPenney spot in 2003. Target now stands where the Block store used to be. Dick's Sporting Goods moved into the Lazarus spot in 2002. For a while, all five main store spots were filled, which was great news for the mall.
Later, in 2013, Indy Wholesale Furniture, which had moved into the old Macy's space, announced it was closing. This left one of the main spots empty again.
New Management and What Happened Next
By 2014, the mall got new managers, Jones Lang LaSalle. The previous owner, Simon, decided to hand over the mall. This meant a new chapter for Washington Square.
In September 2014, it was announced that Sears would close its store in December of that year.
In 2016, a new company, Kohan Retail Investment Group, bought the mall. They put new people in charge of running it. The mall has worked to keep its stores open, with many small and family-owned businesses filling the spaces. The mall also has security staff to help keep everyone safe.
By October 2018, the mall was put up for auction because of unpaid property taxes. As of 2019, Durga Property LLC became the owner of Washington Square Mall.
On January 1, 2020, two of the mall's main stores, Dick's Sporting Goods and Burlington Coat Factory, announced they would be leaving. This left Target as the only big anchor store remaining at the mall.
