Woodmar Mall was an indoor
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
located at
Indianapolis Boulevard between 165th Street and 167th Street in
Hammond, Indiana. It opened in 1954 and was anchored by
Carson Pirie Scott and Co. The mall was closed and demolished in 2006 except for the Carson's store which remained open until 2018
and which was demolished in 2019.
The site is now occupied by the Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center.
History
The Chicago-based developers Landau & Heyman purchased a 20-acre lot in the
Woodmar neighborhood of Hammond, Indiana in 1953.
They commissioned architect
Victor Gruen
Victor David Gruen, born Viktor David Grünbaum
retrieved 25 February 2012 (July 18, 1903 – February 1 ...
, who designed the mall as a "v" with a
Carson Pirie Scott and Co. store in the center. The shopping center was constructed at a cost of $3 million and opened in early 1954 with eight stores including
J.J. Newberry
J. J. Newberry's was an American five and dime store chain in the 20th century. It was founded in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, United States, in 1911 by John Josiah Newberry (1877–1954). J. J. Newberry learned the variety store business by working ...
and
National Supermarkets
National Supermarkets was a grocery chain in both the St. Louis, Missouri, and New Orleans, Louisiana, areas of the United States. Both firms were owned by Loblaw Companies of Canada, but in June 1995, they were sold by Loblaw to Schnucks Market ...
. Fourteen additional stores opened on May 19 of that year.
The Carson's store was the first one established by the Chicago-based merchant in the state of Indiana and opened on November 1, 1954. In 1964, the Carson's store was expanded from 65,000
sq. ft. to 115,000 with the addition of a third floor. The following year, the mall was enclosed.
After J.J. Newberry left the mall, its former space was subdivided into a 15-store "mini mall" called the "Court of Lions" which opened in September 1975. This generated three times the rent the Newberry's had provided and a combined business volume "between three and four times that of the variety store." The Court of Lions saw its revenues increase by 50% over the course of the next three years. It was modeled after the
Court of the Lions
The Court of the Lions ( es, Patio de los Leones; ar, بهو السباع) or Palace of the Lions ( es, Palacio de los Leones) is a palace in the heart of the Alhambra, a historic citadel formed by a complex of palaces, gardens and forts in Grana ...
in
Granada, Spain.
A similar mini-mall, the "Court of Turtles" opened in 1977 in the space originally occupied by National Supermarkets.
Plans in the early 1980s to add two additional anchor stores were cancelled due to a
recession
In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
and high interest rates. A renovation of the mall began in 1987 and was completed in 1990.
Long-term competition from the
River Oaks Center in Calumet City, Illinois and
Southlake Mall in Hobart, Indiana drew business away from Woodmar and led to the mall's decline.
By 2004, fewer than a dozen stores remained open. In February 2006, the decision was made to demolish the mall except for the Carson's store. The Hammond Redevelopment Commission announced plans in June 2016 for a $12 million sports complex to be built on the site of the former mall. The Carson's store closed in 2018 as part of its
parent company's liquidation.
The Hammond Sportsplex & Community Center opened on the site of the former Woodmar Mall in September 2018.
Demolition of the former Carson's store began in August 2019.
References
External links
Woodmar Mallat the Mall Hall of Fame
{{Shopping Malls in Indiana, state=collapsed
1954 establishments in Indiana
2006 disestablishments in Indiana
Defunct shopping malls in the United States
Demolished buildings and structures in Indiana
Demolished shopping malls in the United States
Hammond, Indiana
Shopping malls disestablished in 2006
Shopping malls established in 1954
Shopping malls in Indiana
Victor Gruen buildings