West Towne Mall facts for kids
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| Location | Madison, Wisconsin |
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| Coordinates | 43°03′25.98″N 89°30′21.30″W / 43.0572167°N 89.5059167°W |
| Address | 66 West Towne Mall, 53719-1019 608-833-6330 |
| Opening date | October 15, 1970, renovated 1989, 2003 |
| Developer | Jacobs, Visconsi, and Jacobs Co., Cleveland, Ohio |
| Owner | CBL Properties |
| Architect | Lou Resnick, Jacobs, Visconsi, and Jacobs Co. |
| No. of stores and services | 129 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 7 (5 open, 2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 915,307 square feet (85,034.8 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (2 in Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, and future Von Maur) |
| Parking | 7,870 |
| Website | www.shopwesttowne-mall.com |
West Towne Mall is a large shopping mall located in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. It is owned by a company called CBL Properties. This mall was special because it was the first enclosed shopping center within 70 miles (110 km) of Madison. It officially opened its doors on October 15, 1970.
The mall was designed by an architect named Lou Resnick. It was built by Jacobs, Visconsi, and Jacobs Co., from Cleveland, Ohio. This same company also built Brookfield Square in Milwaukee. West Towne Mall is like a twin to the East Towne Mall, which opened just one year later. The mall used to have a large Manchester's store, which was later changed into a food court. Today, the main stores, called anchor stores, are JCPenney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Dave & Buster's, Total Wine & More, and Maurices. There are also two empty anchor stores that used to be Boston Store and Sears.
Contents
The Early Years: West Towne Mall in the 1970s
West Towne Mall and its sister mall, East Towne, were first built by the Jacobs, Visconsi, and Jacobs Company. This company later became known as the Richard E. Jacobs Group. When West Towne Mall first opened, its main stores were Prange's, Sears, J. C. Penney, and Manchester's. The Manchester's store was their biggest one at the time. It was later replaced by a food court where people could eat.
Building the Mall: From Pasture to Shopping Hub
West Towne Mall was built on what used to be a cow pasture on the west side of Madison. This area was originally planned for factories and industrial buildings. However, after the mall was built, it quickly became a huge area for shopping.
Inside the mall, there were Palm trees and other tropical plants. These trees were shipped all the way from Florida. They almost died when a cold snap hit because there was a delay in getting the glass for the main entrance. Workers had to use emergency heaters to keep the plants alive. The main entrance featured very thick glass, about 13 mm thick, made in England. It was hung in a special way, looking like a curtain without visible supports. This glass covered a large area of 50-by-27-foot (15.2 m × 8.2 m). To control the temperature inside the building, a helicopter was used to place 30 large HVAC units on the roof.
Grand Opening Day: A New Era for Shoppers
West Towne Mall officially opened on Thursday, October 15, 1970, at 9:30 a.m. There was no big ceremony or ribbon cutting. The mall's manager, James M. Roche, said that the opening itself was the celebration. He explained, "Our 'grand opening' will be symbolized by all stores opening their doors promptly at 9:30 a.m."
As part of the opening, young women called "mall-ettes" gave out balloons, flowers, and mall maps to shoppers. Only 28 stores were open on the first day. Two of the main stores, Sears and J. C. Penney, opened later.
Art and Design: Sculptures and Fountains
Two artists were hired to create special artwork for the mall's main areas. Joseph A. McDonnell, a sculptor from Detroit, made five metal sculptures. Four of these sculptures were motorized and could rotate. He also created a large 15-by-15-foot (4.6 m × 4.6 m) chandelier-like piece that hung near the east entrance. McDonnell was surprised by how much money the mall developers wanted to spend on art.
Clarence Van Duzer, another sculptor from Cleveland, Ohio, helped design three of the four fountain areas. He also created a suspended sculpture and a water sculpture in the center of the mall. The central fountain had a 19-foot-tall (5.8 m) metal piece that circulated 800 US gallons (3,000 L) of water every minute. He also made four magnesium sculptures that hung from the ceiling. These fountains and special sunken seating areas were removed when the mall was updated in the late 1980s.
Legal Challenges: West Towne Mall in the 1980s
West Towne and East Towne malls were part of an important legal case in the mid-1980s. This case went all the way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. A dance group called the Nu Parable dancers, who were against nuclear weapons, wanted to perform a dance that ended in a "die-in" at the mall. The mall owners stopped them.
The main question was whether people had the right to use private property for freedom of speech without permission. In 1987, the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided that the mall owners had the right to stop the Nu Parable dancers from performing at both malls.
Modern Updates: West Towne Mall in the 2000s
In late 2000, CBL Properties bought West Towne Mall, along with West Towne Crossing and East Towne Mall. This was part of a huge deal that included 23 properties and cost $1.2 billion. The deal was finalized on February 1, 2001. West Towne Crossing is a shopping area right next to West Towne Mall. It includes stores like Best Buy, Kohl's, Office Max, Nordstrom Rack, Metcalfe's Market, and Barnes & Noble.
CBL Properties updated both East Towne and West Towne malls. These changes were revealed in November 2003. The updates included more skylights, family restrooms, better interior design, new seating, and new flooring. The updates to West Towne Mall cost $2.8 million. This was the first major change to the mall since a fourth anchor store was added in 1989. CBL said that the new design used ideas from the Wisconsin State Capitol, like the tall chandeliers and wooden tables and benches.
In 2003, the old Boston Store buildings at both East Towne and West Towne were torn down. New Dick's Sporting Goods stores were built in their place. These new stores opened in October 2004. The Boston Store itself moved to the location that was originally occupied by Prange's in both malls.
Recent Changes: West Towne Mall in the 2010s
Several stores closed in the 2010s. These included Granite City, Charming Charlie, Apple, Toys "R" Us, Payless ShoeSource, and Gymboree.
In 2015, Sears Holdings separated 235 of its properties into a new company called Seritage Growth Properties. The Sears store at West Towne Mall was one of these properties.
On April 18, 2018, it was announced that Boston Store would be closing. Its parent company, The Bon-Ton, was going out of business. The store was expected to close in August 2018. Later, on October 4, 2019, it was announced that Von Maur would open in the former Boston Store space in 2021. However, this was delayed to 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
On June 28, 2018, it was also announced that Sears would be closing. This was part of a plan to close 78 stores across the country. The Sears store at West Towne Mall closed in September 2018. Parts of the old Sears building are expected to become Dave & Buster's and Total Wine & More.
