Woodfield Mall facts for kids
Woodfield Mall entrance
|
|
| Location | Schaumburg, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°2′48″N 88°2′13″W / 42.04667°N 88.03694°W |
| Opening date | September 9, 1971 |
| Developer | Taubman Centers Homart Development |
| Management | Simon Property Group |
| Owner | CalPERS (50%) Simon Property Group (50%) |
| Architect | Charles Luckman & Associates |
| No. of stores and services | 234 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 (4 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 2,150,557 square feet (199,793.3 square meters) |
| No. of floors | 2 with partial 3rd floor (3 in Macy's and Nordstrom) |
Woodfield Mall is a very large shopping mall located in Schaumburg, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. You can find it where Golf Road and Interstate 290 meet.
This mall is the biggest in Illinois and one of the largest in the entire United States. It's about 27 miles away from downtown Chicago. More than 27 million people visit Woodfield Mall every year!
The mall has 234 stores and several main "anchor" stores. These include JCPenney, Macy's, and Nordstrom. It also has the biggest Sears store in the country. You can also find restaurants like Red Robin, Uncle Julio's, P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Panda Express, The Cheesecake Factory, Kinfork BBQ, and Texas de Brazil.
The mall was first built by Taubman Centers. Later, it was sold to other companies like CalPERS. Simon Property Group now helps manage the mall.
History of Woodfield Mall
How Woodfield Mall Started
Construction on Woodfield Mall began in July 1969. The mall officially opened its doors on September 9, 1971. When it first opened, it had 59 stores.
By 1973, it had grown to 189 stores. It also had a tall, 135-foot water tower to provide water for the mall and the nearby village. At the time, Woodfield Mall was the largest mall in the United States. Today, it is still one of the biggest.
Woodfield's Name and Early Days
Woodfield Mall got its name from two important people. One was General Robert E. Wood, who was in charge of Sears. The other was Marshall Field, who started Marshall Field and Company.
The mall opened on what used to be 191 acres of farmland. Famous singer Carol Lawrence and actor Vincent Price were there for the grand opening. They even had two marching bands!
When it opened, Woodfield Mall claimed to be the biggest shopping center in the world. By the end of September 1971, 28 more stores and restaurants had opened. That first year, the mall had 138 specialty shops.
Mall Size and Growth Over Time
When it first opened, Woodfield Mall had about 1.9 million square feet of shopping space. Today, it has grown to over 2.15 million square feet. This makes it one of the largest malls in the U.S.
In 1973, a new section was built for Lord & Taylor. This addition also brought 50 more stores to the mall.
Entertainment and Dining Changes
Over the years, many restaurants and entertainment spots have opened and closed at Woodfield. Sbarro opened in 1984, and A&W opened in 1985.
The mall used to have several movie theaters. A 5-screen cinema opened in 1971. There were also two other movie theaters outside the mall. All these older cinemas closed down in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The space where the 5-screen cinema was became a themed restaurant called Mars 2112. Later, in 2006, it turned into an Improv Comedy Club.
New Stores and Village Growth
In 1994, Panera Bread and Hooters opened near the mall. For its 20th birthday in 1991, Woodfield added 23 more stores, including The Disney Store.
In 1995, the mall grew even more with a $110 million expansion. This added 50 new specialty stores. Rainforest Cafe also opened that year. In 1996, a new, larger Nordstrom and Lord & Taylor store opened.
As Woodfield Mall grew, so did the village of Schaumburg. The population of Schaumburg grew from 19,000 in 1970 to over 75,000 by 2000. The mall helped Schaumburg become a major center for businesses and development.
Water Tower Makeovers
In 1995, the mall's water tower got a new paint job. It cost a lot of money to paint both the inside and outside. The tower was drained and cleaned before the new paint was put on.
The outside of the tower was painted light gray with four teal "W"s for Woodfield. In 2005, the water tower was repainted again. Now, it has "Woodfield Mall" written in black, with white clouds and blue skyscrapers.
Mall Features Removed
In 2004, some popular features were removed from the mall. These included fountains, a waterfall, and aquariums.
Woodfield as a Test Market
Woodfield Mall is a very popular place, with about 27 million visitors each year. Because so many people visit, new stores sometimes choose Woodfield to test out their ideas. For example, Ruehl No.925 by Abercrombie & Fitch first opened here in 2004.
More Recent Store Openings
- In 1999, DSW and Linens 'n Things opened outside the mall. Ashley Furniture later took over the Linens 'n Things spot in 2010.
- In 2001, Red Robin and The Cheesecake Factory opened inside the mall. Olive Garden also opened nearby.
- An Apple Store opened in 2001.
- Hot Topic opened in 2002.
- In 2006, the Marshall Field's store became a Macy's.
- In 2012, the McDonald's inside the mall was updated. Pink by Victoria's Secret also opened.
- In 2013, Forever 21, a two-story H&M, and a Microsoft Store opened.
- In 2014, lululemon and Arhaus opened. Columbia Sportswear also opened but closed in 2019.
- In 2015, part of the Sears store became Level 257, a Pac-Man-themed restaurant with bowling and arcade games. Zara, Timberland, Kids Foot Locker, and rue21 also opened.
- In 2016, Uncle Julio's opened, replacing Ruby Tuesday.
- In 2017, Victoria's Secret was remodeled.
- In 2018, a large new "Dining Pavilion" food court opened on the second floor. It has places like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Blaze Pizza.
- Blocks To Bricks, a store and museum for Legos, opened in 2018.
- Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing store, opened in 2018.
- In 2019, it was announced that Rainforest Cafe would close and be replaced by the Peppa Pig World of Play.
- Woodfield Mall temporarily closed in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It reopened in May 2020 with safety rules like social distancing.
- In 2020, Lord & Taylor closed its store at the mall.
- As of February 2021, Woodfield Mall's Sears store was the last one still open in Illinois.
Performances at the Mall
Sometimes, famous people perform at Woodfield Mall.
- In 1987, singer Tiffany Darwish performed for three days.
- In 2013, the band Weezer played at the grand opening of the Microsoft Store.
Renovations and Updates
Changes to the Food Court
In the 1990s, Woodfield Mall closed an "underground" food court. The area was covered up and later completely changed during other renovations.
Major Mall Makeover in 2015
In January 2015, Woodfield Mall announced a big renovation project costing $13.8 million. This makeover included updating the main court area. They removed old brick features and made the multi-level floors flat.
The renovation also brought new flooring for both levels of the mall. They replaced two old elevators and added a brand new one. This big project was finished by the end of 2015.
New Food Court in 2017
In 2017, Woodfield planned another $14 million renovation. This project was to create a new food court in the Sears section of the mall.
This new food court, called the "Dining Pavilion," has seating for 820 people. It offers fast-casual restaurants like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Blaze Fast Fire'd Pizza.
Bus Routes to Woodfield Mall
You can get to Woodfield Mall using Pace buses. Here are some of the routes:
- 208 Golf Road
- 554 Elgin/Woodfield
- 604 Wheeling/Schaumburg
- 606 Rosemont/Schaumburg Limited
