University Park Mall

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Coordinates: 41°43′10″N 86°11′22″W / 41.719493°N 86.18945°W / 41.719493; -86.18945
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University Park Mall
A set of automatic doors leading into a shopping mall. Above the doors is the text "University Park Mall" in white text on a brown arch.
A mall entrance in 2024.
Map
LocationMishawaka, Indiana, U.S.
Address6501 Grape Road
Opening dateMarch 14, 1979; 45 years ago (1979-03-14)
DeveloperEdward J. DeBartolo Corporation, George and Donald Cressy
ManagementSimon Property Group
OwnerSimon Property Group
No. of stores and services137
No. of anchor tenants4 (3 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area918,559 square feet (85,336.9 square meters)
No. of floors1 (2 in JCPenney, Macy's, and former Sears)
Parking4,300+
Public transit accessBus interchange Transpo
Websitewww.simon.com/mall/university-park-mall

University Park Mall is a shopping mall in Mishawaka, Indiana, United States. It serves the South Bend and Michiana areas. Opened in 1979, the mall features Barnes & Noble, JCPenney, and Macy's as its anchor stores, with one vacant anchor previously occupied by Sears. The mall was built by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation along with George and Donald Cressy. It opened with JCPenney, Sears, L. S. Ayres, and Hudson's, the last of which converted to Marshall Field's in 1997. Marshall Field's was closed in 2006 and demolished for a lifestyle center, while L. S. Ayres was converted to Macy's. Sears closed in 2019. The mall has undergone a number of renovations in its history, including the addition of a food court in 1995 and removal of a movie theater in 2000. University Park Mall features over 100 stores within over 900,000 square feet (84,000 m2) of mall space. It is owned and managed by Simon Property Group.

History[edit]

A series of storefronts in a shopping mall. Visible at the end of the hallway is signage reading "JCPenney"
The mall's JCPenney wing.

Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation first announced plans for University Park Mall in 1976. The company, working in a joint venture with local developers George and Donald Cressy,[1] proposed a one-level complex located along Indiana State Road 23 (SR 23) and Grape Road in the city of Mishawaka, Indiana. Research conducted by the DeBartolo corporation determined the site to be suitable for a mall, given its proximity to residents with high levels of disposable income, as well as its proximity to the University of Notre Dame in nearby South Bend. Construction was slated to begin by May 1976, with plans calling for four anchor stores, with estimated building costs of $35,000,000.[2] One of the first stores confirmed was a Sears department store; in mid-1976, the company confirmed it would be closing its store in downtown South Bend in favor of moving to the mall. Sears's decision to close the downtown South Bend store was met with concerns from local citizens, many of whom thought the closure would draw business away from downtown South Bend. In response, many neighborhood groups and local unions sent letters to Sears in an attempt to prevent them from opening a store at the mall.[3] Despite the local protests, Sears executives confirmed by November 1976 their decision to move to the mall. At the time, the firm also had a store in Niles, Michigan, and representatives were uncertain if that location would also close or convert to a catalog store.[4] DeBartolo confirmed the mall would consist of about 964,051 square feet (89,563.3 m2) of retail space with a targeted opening date of 1978.[1] Margaret Prickett, then-mayor of Mishawaka, thought construction of the mall would help improve the town's economy and increase the likelihood of the city receiving a direct exit off the Indiana Toll Road.[1]

By the beginning of 1977, DeBartolo had confirmed L. S. Ayres as the second anchor store, their second in the South Bend area after Scottsdale Mall. DeBartolo was undergoing negotations with JCPenney, Carson Pirie Scott, and William H. Block Co. as possible tenants.[5] JCPenney was confirmed by mid-year as the third anchor store. This company also had a location in downtown South Bend; unlike Sears, representatives of JCPenney stated they had no intentions to close the downtown store or any others in the Michiana area, and that they would also move the Niles store to a larger location.[6] DeBartolo acquired a permit to open an L. S. Ayres store at the mall in October 1977. Also undergoing negotations for a possible tenancy at the mall was Robertson's, a local department store which operated in downtown South Bend as well.[7] By March 1978, negotations with Carson Pirie Scott, William H. Block Co., and Robertson's had all been withdrawn. Representatives from Gamble-Skogmo, the parent company of Robertson's, stated that they chose to retain the downtown store as they did not think the closure of Sears would negatively impact it or other businesses downtown, and that a location at University Park Mall would draw business away from the downtown store.[8] Detroit, Michigan-based Hudson's was confirmed as the fourth anchor store in July 1978. The two-story, 122,000-square-foot (11,300 m2) store would be their first in the state of Indiana.[9]

1979–1980s: Opening and early years[edit]

The first store to open at the mall was Sears, which did so on March 1, 1979. The 196,000-square-foot (18,200 m2) store featured a 17-bay automobile repair shop, a dedicated area for catalog orders, and a centralized solar heating unit. Opening ceremonies of the store were attended by Miss Indiana 1978 Terry Jean Kaiser and local sportscaster Tom Denin.[10] The former Sears in downtown South Bend was closed in favor of this store; by February 1980, the downtown location was converted to a Chevrolet dealership.[11]

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the mall's grand opening on March 14, 1979. Nearly 70 of the 100 inline stores were open for business that day, including Sears; L. S. Ayres was targeted for a May opening, with JCPenney and Hudson's both slated to open by 1980. Overall, about 95 percent of the mall's space was leased on opening day.[12] The mall included several restaurants on opening day, such as Chick-fil-A, Hot Sam, Orange Julius, Bresler's 33 Flavors, Burger Chef, and Wag's. Also present were Osco Drug, Brown's Sporting Goods, and a three-screen movie theater.[13] The two-story, 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) L. S. Ayres store opened on May 6, 1979, representing the 13th location in the chain. By the time L. S. Ayres opened, 17 other stores within the mall had done so as well.[14] It was followed by JCPenney on Janary 2, 1980. Consisting of 144,000 square feet (13,400 m2), the store also featured a restaurant, automotive repair, and an area for catalog orders.[15] Hudson's became the last anchor store to open, doing so on February 7, 1980. Three days before it opened for business, the store was used by the South Bend Symphony to host a preview of the store. For a donation of $15 each, 500 local residents were allowed to tour the store before its opening, while also being served champagne and hors d'oeuvres alongside performances by the symphony and a fashion show.[16]

University Park Mall hosted a number of events throughout 1980. One such event was a "singing Christmas tree" formed by 40 choir members, who did seven performances of Christmas carols throughout December of that year.[17] A year later, the mall hosted a Christmas tree where patrons could honor donations to the American Lung Association by hanging decorative snowmen on it.[18] During the 1981 Christmas season, a large number of workers at University Park and Scottsdale malls expressed concerns over both malls' policies that employees park further away from the mall property to leave spots closer to the mall available for shoppers. Many of these workers were fined or fired for refusing to comply with this policy; in response to this, the managers of both malls confirmed that such a policy was common at the time, and that University Park employed over 20 off-duty police officers as part of its security force.[19] General Cinema Corporation, which operated the three-screen theater in the mall, built another complex with six screens outside the mall in 1986.[20]

University Park Mall had a significant impact on retail in the area throughout the 1980s and onward. As Scottsdale Mall was located in a residential area far off a major highway, many stores that had locations at both malls (such as The Limited and Spencer Gifts) closed their Scottsdale locations in favor of focusing on the University Park locations, creating a number of vacancies at Scottsdale throughout the 1980s.[21][22] In turn, a number of retail developments around University Park Mall. One of the first was Indian Ridge Plaza, located across the Indiana Turnpike from the mall This center opened in 1987 with a TJ Maxx as one of its major tenants.[23] Four years later, city council approved zoning for a shopping center named University Center to be built across from the mall along Grape Road.[24]

1990s[edit]

The DeBartolo corporation announced a renovation of University Park Mall in 1995, with estimated costs of $15,000,000. As part of this project, the L. S. Ayres store would be expanded by about 33,000 square feet (3,100 m2), and a food court with ten restaurants would be added near Sears. Coinciding with this expansion, the interior of the mall received new décor with images intended to reflect celebrities native to Indiana, such as David Letterman and James Dean. Also joining the mall during the renovation were Aéropostale, Disney Store, Eddie Bauer, and Gymboree. Expiration on the leases of original stores allowed for these and other stores to join the mall, as part of what mall owners termed a "re-merchandising".[25] During these renovations, the DeBartolo corporation merged with Melvin Simon & Associates to form Simon Property Group, a move which the mall's manager confirmed would not affect operations or the condition of the renovations. By March 1996, shortly before the merger occurred, tenants confirmed for the food court included Charleys Philly Steaks, Panda Express, and a relocation of Chick-fil-A.[26]

In 1997, Dayton-Hudson Corporation (now Target Corporation), owners of the Hudson's chain, converted all of the Hudson's stores outside the state of Michigan to Chicago-based Marshall Field's, of which they were then-owner as well. This decision was made due to a perception that the Hudson's name lacked recognition in Indiana when compared to Marshall Field's.[27] Between late 1999 and early 2000, further lease expirations resulted in the closures of Lechters Housewares, Osco Drug, and Bresler's 33 Flavors. This allowed for mall owners to sign leases with other new tenants such as The Children's Place.[28] The original three-screen theater in the mall closed in March 2000, due to expiration of its lease and competition from larger theaters which had opened throughout the 1990s.[20] By 2001, the former cinema space had been re-divided among several other stores, one of which was PacSun.[29]

The concourse of a shopping mall, showing several of its storefronts.
A wing of the mall in 2024.

21st century[edit]

University Park Mall underwent several store closures in 2006. These included KB Toys, Sam Goody, Casual Corner, and the Marshall Field's department store. Mall management attributed the closures to the condition of the retail sector at the time, noting that these were among the retailers which were undergoing bankruptcies or consolidations.[30] In particular, Marshall Field's was closed due to both it and L. S. Ayres coming under the ownership of Federated Department Stores (now Macy's, Inc.), which was consolidating all of its brands to the Macy's name. As several malls in Indiana had both L. S. Ayres and another department store owned by Federated, the company chose in all cases to close one and convert the other to Macy's, and the company selected the L. S. Ayres location at University Park Mall for conversion to Macy's.[31][32] Following the closure of Marshall Field's in March 2006, Simon Property Group announced plans to demolish the location in favor of smaller stores.[32] By 2008, the former site of Marshall Field's had been cleared for a series of stores in a lifestyle center section called the Village.[33] Among the stores confirmed to open at this point were Barnes & Noble, Five Guys, Ulta Beauty, Bar Louie, Lane Bryant, and Jared. All of these were to be arranged along an outward-facing courtyard. Barnes & Noble closed an existing store along Grape Road in favor of the location at the mall,[34] which opened for business on April 8, 2009.[35]

Following the opening of Barnes & Noble, University Park Mall continued to attract new tenants. One of these was Apple Store, opened in November 2010. A spokesperson for Simon Property Group stated that Apple chose to open a store in the South Bend area due to the presence of the University of Notre Dame.[36] In 2011, University Park Mall and 20 other malls owned by Simon Property Group became among the first in the nation to offer charging stations for electric vehicles.[37] Simon announced a second renovation of the mall in December 2013. These consisted of adding new flooring and lighting, along with carpeting in the JCPenney wing and a reconstruction of the restrooms. At the time, University Park Mall held a 95 percent occupancy rate, and had recently added more upscale tenants to complement Apple Store, such as Coach and Michael Kors.[33] By July 2014, renovations to the food court had been reconfigured to have more seating, while also adding a second restroom complex for families with small children. Additionally, rue21 and Starbucks joined the mall, and several kiosk shops along the main concourse were reconfigured.[38] Although Gap closed at the mall in 2016, a number of other tenants opened that same year, including Dry Goods, a clothing store owned by Von Maur.[39]

More stores closed at the mall between 2018 and 2019. One of these was Ulta Beauty, which moved across Grape Road to a larger store in 2018.[40] Sears closed its location at the mall in late 2019 as part of a series of store closings for the chain. The closure ended the chain's 91-year history in the South Bend area.[41] Also closing at the mall in 2019 were Gymboree, Things Remembered, Charlotte Russe, and Payless ShoeSource, all due to the respective bankruptcies of those brands. Despite these closures, Simon representatives expressed confidence in replacing these with other retailers.[42] University Park Mall was shuttered in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but reopened for business a month later alongside 49 other malls owned by Simon.[43] Despite this, several individual stores within the mall did not immediately reopen. JCPenney was one such store, not reopening until May.[44] Disney Store also chose not to reopen its University Park Mall location, announcing in July 2020 that it would be closing permanently.[45]

In September 2020, a 23-year-old man was killed in a shooting outside JCPenney.[46] Another shooting occurred at the mall in 2022,[47] and a third in May 2024.[48] The mall held a second ribbon-cutting ceremony in March 2024 in honor of its 45th anniversary. Mishawaka mayor Dave Wood and representatives of Simon Property Group were present. These festivities coincided with the addition of several new stores, including KPot Korean Hotpot & BBQ and a LoveSac furniture store.[49] Despite the Sears space remaining vacant, University Park Mall continues to hold an occupancy rate above 90 percent.[50] A 2023 report by USA Today cited University Park Mall as an example of a shopping mall which had remained viable in spite of the large number of store closures in the retail apocalypse and decreased shopper traffic during the pandemic.[51]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Don Porter (December 4, 1976). "New mall may generate $1.5 million in taxes a year". The South Bend Tribune. p. 13. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  2. ^ "New shopping mall". The South Bend Tribune. April 2, 1976. p. 25. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  3. ^ Marchmont Kovas (October 4, 1976). "Unions join 'keep Sears' effort". The South Bend Tribune. p. 16. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  4. ^ James Wensits (November 16, 1976). "Sears makes it official: downtown store to close". The South Bend Tribune. pp. 1, 15. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "Fourth major tenant for mall still unnamed". The South Bend Tribune. January 4, 1977. p. 15. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Jeanne Derbeck (September 7, 1977). "Penney's might keep downtown store open". The South Bend Tribune. p. 15. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Don Porter (October 13, 1977). "Ayres' permit boosts mall work". The South Bend Tribune. p. 35. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Ray M. Leliaert Jr. (March 18, 1978). "Downtown store only: Robertson's". The South Bend Tribune. p. 1. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  9. ^ Ray M. Leliaert Jr. (July 11, 1978). "Hudson's to open store at mall". The South Bend Tribune. p. 21. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Sears' opening jumps gun on rest of mall". The South Bend Tribune. March 13, 1979. pp. A13. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  11. ^ "Gates Chevrolet opens new showroom". The South Bend Tribune. February 21, 1980. pp. 2A. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "Leasing success keys excitement". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A7. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  13. ^ "Here it is: Mall tenants from A to T". The South Bend Tribune. March 13, 1979. pp. A5. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  14. ^ Ray M. Leliaert Jr. (May 6, 1979). "Ayres opening store at University Park site". The South Bend Tribune. p. 73. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "New JCPenney store opens tomorro". The South Bend Tribune. January 1, 1980. pp. 2A. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  16. ^ "Music, fashion merge". The South Bend Tribune. February 4, 1980. p. 14. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "Choir to sing at University Park Mall". The South Bend Tribune. December 11, 1980. p. 47. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  18. ^ "Christmas seal tree takes root at Grape mall". The South Bend Tribune. November 28, 1981. p. 11. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  19. ^ Kathy Harsh (December 13, 1981). "Some women employees question mall parking policy". The South Bend Tribune. p. 25. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "U.P. theaters closing". The South Bend Tribune. March 4, 2000. pp. A1, A6. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  21. ^ Heidi Prescott (March 1, 1998). "A quiet revival: Scottsdale Mall survives exodus, makes strides drawing shoppers". The South Bend Tribune. pp. B1, B2. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  22. ^ Jan Oedekerk (January 23, 1991). "Waitin' for the 'buy'pass blues". Tribune Business Weekly. pp. 1, 23. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  23. ^ Kathleen Sechowski (June 5, 1987). "High fashion at low price". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A10. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  24. ^ Terrence Bland (July 16, 1991). "Council approves center's rezoning". The South Bend Tribune. pp. B4. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  25. ^ Paul Dodson (June 8, 1995). "University Park changes: $15 million project includes renovation, food court". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A10. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  26. ^ Heidi Prescott (March 31, 1996). "Merger won't affect U.P. mall operations". The South Bend Tribune. pp. D2. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  27. ^ Heidi Prescott (October 16, 1997). "New name, new look". The South Bend Tribune. pp. C1. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  28. ^ Heidi Prescott (December 24, 1999). "New retailers in store at U.P. Mall". The South Bend Tribune. pp. B1. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  29. ^ Nancy Johnson (May 27, 2001). "Closings darken screens at 4 theaters". The South Bend Tribune. pp. E3. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  30. ^ Heidi Prescott (February 12, 2006). "Turn, turn, turn". The South Bend Tribune. pp. F1. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  31. ^ Heidi Prescott (December 20, 2005). "Always a long, strange trip". The South Bend Tribune. pp. C8, C7. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  32. ^ a b Ed Ronco (May 3, 2006). "Field's plan: mall reaction". The South Bend Tribune. pp. C1. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  33. ^ a b Heidi Prescott (December 20, 2013). "A face-lift for University Park". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A1, A2. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  34. ^ Heidi Prescott (June 22, 2008). "First new retailer in U.P. Mall opens next month". The South Bend Tribune. pp. E1. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  35. ^ Heidi Prescott (April 5, 2009). "Barnes & Noble opens Wednesday". The South Bend Tribune. pp. D1, D3. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  36. ^ Heidi Prescott (November 10, 2010). "Ready to take a byte?". The South Bend Tribune. pp. B8. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  37. ^ "Charged up". The South Bend Tribune. December 9, 2011. pp. C1. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  38. ^ Heidi Prescott (July 13, 2014). "New look, new tenants at mall". The South Bend Tribune. pp. C1, C3. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  39. ^ Lincoln Wright (February 17, 2016). "U.P. mall sees time of growth". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A7. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  40. ^ "Ulta Beauty opening in new location". The South Bend Tribune. May 23, 2018. pp. A8. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  41. ^ Caroline Torie (August 8, 2019). "Sears at UP Mall shutting its doors after 91 years amid nationwide closings". WSBT. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  42. ^ Mary Shown (March 8, 2019). "Closures prompt UP mall to evolve". The South Bend Tribune. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  43. ^ Tony Sandleben (April 28, 2020). "University Park Mall to re-open this weekend". ABC 57. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  44. ^ "JC Penney to reopen at University Park mall". 95.3 MNC. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  45. ^ Mary Shown. "Disney Store inside University Park Mall will not reopen". The South Bend Tribune. July 9, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  46. ^ Max Lewis, Erica Finke (September 12, 2020). "23-year-old man killed in shooting at University Park Mall in Mishawaka". WSBT. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  47. ^ Marek Mazurek (June 9, 2022). "Man who took plea deal in Mishawaka's University Park Mall shooting gets 3 years in prison". The South Bend Tribune. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  48. ^ "Shots fired reported at University Park Mall". WSBT. May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  49. ^ "University Park Mall to celebrate 45th anniversary". 95.3 MNC. March 14, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  50. ^ "Investment has kept Mishawaka's UP Mall going strong for 45 years". The South Bend Tribune. March 1, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  51. ^ Mike Snider (August 28, 2023). "'Death of the mall is widely exaggerated': Shopping malls see resurgence post-COVID, report shows". USA Today. Retrieved May 12, 2024.

External links[edit]

41°43′10″N 86°11′22″W / 41.719493°N 86.18945°W / 41.719493; -86.18945

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