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Washington Square Mall is a regional shopping mall located on the eastern side of
This mall was built by 
As of August 20, 2014, the mall's Facebook page no longer displays the SIMON logo or any SIMON photos, and the mall's page on the SIMON website has been disabled. Soon after, it was announced Jones Lang LaSalle is now managing the mall. Simon voluntarily handed over the deed to the property Aug. 6, eliminating the need for a costly and lengthy foreclosure proceeding. Simon's financial filings showed the company held $25.5 million in debt on Washington Square, which appears to be more than the mall is worth. By 2013, occupancy slipped under 50 percent but came back to 85 or 90 percent when the mall went to a new owner.
On September 29, 2014, it was announced that Sears would be closing in December 2014.
In 2016 The mall was purchased by Kohan Retail Investment Group for $2.5 million and new management was put in place. The new property owner began neglecting not only the property taxes on Washington Square Mall but also the upkeep of the mall as well. Management had trouble keeping up with garbage collection, maintenance, and other basic needs of the mall when Kohan stopped payments to Washington Square. All things considered, the mall has kept occupancy at a reasonable rate, with small businesses and family-owned shops filling the empty spaces. No major incidents have been reported at the mall by in part due to armed security guards on the grounds at all times.
As of October 2018, Washington Square Mall is up for auction due to unpaid property taxes. The mall as of 2019 is owned by Durga Property LLC.
On January 1, 2020, it was announced that two of the mall's remaining three anchors, Dick's Sporting Goods and Burlington Coat Factory, would be departing the mall, closing those locations and leaving Target as the lone anchor. Further,
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. It opened in 1974 and was renovated/expanded in 1999. Today, the mall consists mostly of Finish Line and Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...
, as well as AMC Theatres.
History
This mall was built by Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
Edward John DeBartolo Sr. (May 17, 1909 – December 19, 1994) was an American businessman. In 1971, his Ohio-based corporation was ranked as 47th among the nation's top 400 construction contractors. In 1983, DeBartolo was included on ''For ...
and opened in April 1974, supplanting Eastgate Shopping Center three miles to the west, which had opened 1957. JCPenney, Sears, and many prime tenants made the move from Eastgate to Washington Square. L. S. Ayres
L. S. Ayres and Company was a department store based in Indianapolis, Indiana, and founded in 1872 by Lyman S. Ayres. Over the years its Indianapolis flagship store, which opened in 1905 and was later enlarged, became known for its women's fas ...
, William H. Block
The William H. Block Company was a department store chain in Indianapolis and other cities in Indiana. It was founded in 1874 by Herman Wilhelm Bloch, an immigrant from Austria-Hungary who had Americanized his name to William H. Block. The mai ...
, and Lazarus were also anchors when the mall was built.
Simon Property Group merged with the DeBartolo company in 1996. Simon renovated the mall in 1999. The mall faced a rough period of decline between 2005 and 2010, at which point several stores, including Old Navy, JCPenney, and Macy's, pulled out. However, with Burlington
Burlington may refer to:
Places Canada Geography
* Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador
* Burlington, Nova Scotia
* Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington"
* Burlington, Prince Edward Island
* Burlington Bay, no ...
occupying the former JCPenney since 2003 and Indy Wholesale recently moving into space formerly occupied by Macy's. Washington Square has all five anchor tenant slots filled for the first time since 2008. Target now occupies the site of Block (later Montgomery Ward), and Dick's Sporting Goods
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc. (stylized as "DICK'S Sporting Goods") is an American sporting goods retail company, based in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The company was established by Richard "Dick" Stack in 1948, and has approximately 854 stores an ...
occupies the site of Lazarus since July 2002. In February 2013, Indy Wholesale Furniture announced that it would be going out of business, soon leaving one of the five anchor spots vacant. In early 2014, Washington Square lost BonWorth, Rack Room Shoes, MCL cafeteria, and Foot Locker, with the former three all closing and the latter moving to Cherry Tree plaza a mile west. The mall then lost Aeropostale in early 2016, as well as Buffalo Wild Wings in mid-2018.
As of August 20, 2014, the mall's Facebook page no longer displays the SIMON logo or any SIMON photos, and the mall's page on the SIMON website has been disabled. Soon after, it was announced Jones Lang LaSalle is now managing the mall. Simon voluntarily handed over the deed to the property Aug. 6, eliminating the need for a costly and lengthy foreclosure proceeding. Simon's financial filings showed the company held $25.5 million in debt on Washington Square, which appears to be more than the mall is worth. By 2013, occupancy slipped under 50 percent but came back to 85 or 90 percent when the mall went to a new owner.
On September 29, 2014, it was announced that Sears would be closing in December 2014.
In 2016 The mall was purchased by Kohan Retail Investment Group for $2.5 million and new management was put in place. The new property owner began neglecting not only the property taxes on Washington Square Mall but also the upkeep of the mall as well. Management had trouble keeping up with garbage collection, maintenance, and other basic needs of the mall when Kohan stopped payments to Washington Square. All things considered, the mall has kept occupancy at a reasonable rate, with small businesses and family-owned shops filling the empty spaces. No major incidents have been reported at the mall by in part due to armed security guards on the grounds at all times.
As of October 2018, Washington Square Mall is up for auction due to unpaid property taxes. The mall as of 2019 is owned by Durga Property LLC.
On January 1, 2020, it was announced that two of the mall's remaining three anchors, Dick's Sporting Goods and Burlington Coat Factory, would be departing the mall, closing those locations and leaving Target as the lone anchor. Further, Bath & Body Works
Bath & Body Works, LLC. is an American retail store chain that sells soaps, lotions, fragrances, and candles. It was founded in 1990 in New Albany, Ohio and has since expanded across 6 continents. In 1997, it was the largest bath shop chain in ...
joined Foot Locker at Cherry Tree Plaza in late 2022, vacating its space in Washington Square Mall.
References
{{Shopping Malls in Indiana Tourist attractions in Indianapolis Buildings and structures in Indianapolis Shopping malls in Indiana 1974 establishments in Indiana Shopping malls established in 1974