Stratford Square Mall

Stratford Square Mall

Aerial view of Stratford Square Mall in 2018
Location	Bloomingdale, Illinois, US
Coordinates	41°56′56″N 88°6′54″W / 41.94889°N 88.11500°W / 41.94889; -88.11500
Opening date	March 9, 1981 (March 9, 1981)[1]
Closing date	April 21, 2024 (April 21, 2024) (undergoing demolition)
Developer	Urban Investments[2]
Management	Village of Bloomingdale
Owner	Village of Bloomingdale
Architect	RTKL Associates
No. of stores and services	135 (0 open, 135 vacant)
No. of anchor tenants	7 (1 open, 6 vacant)
Total retail floor area	1,311,930 square feet (121,882.3 m2)[3]
No. of floors	2
Parking	698
Public transit access	Pace
Website	web.archive.org/web/20221231144250/https://www.stratfordmall.com/

Stratford Square Mall was a shopping mall that opened on March 9, 1981, in Bloomingdale, Illinois, a northwestern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Originally owned by Urban Retail Properties Co., the 1,300,000-square-foot (120,000 m²) indoor shopping mall was designed by RTKL Associates, and built^[4] by Graycor of Oakbrook Terrace, IL. Just before its closing, Stratford Square had six vacant anchor spaces that were last occupied by JCPenney, Carson Pirie Scott, Sears, Round One, Century Theatres, and Burlington. The former Marshall Field's/Macy's space was demolished in 2019 to make way for a new Woodman's Markets grocery store building. The mall was bought by Namdar Realty Group in 2019. On January 22, 2024, the Village of Bloomingdale purchased the mall and gave all of the remaining tenants in the mall a 90-day notice. The mall closed on April 21, 2024.^[5] Demolition started on the mall in October 2024.

Stratford Square Mall opened on March 9, 1981 in response to the population and development boom then occurring in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. The mall was initially anchored by four major department stores - Marshall Field's, Carson Pirie Scott, Montgomery Ward, and Wieboldt's. Among its many features, observers lauded the mall's Festival Court, a "center within a center" spanning 330,000 square feet and comprising 44% of the mall area.^[6] Local newspapers optimistically opined on the mall's opening, going so far as to claim that "the sales tax revenues generated from Stratford Square... will be utilized to provide community services without increasing the Village's tax levy... with sound financial planning over several years, you will notice a decrease in the Village tax levy until it will no longer exist."^[6]

The 1990s saw the start of considerable change. Nearby Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg completed a renovation and expansion, edging out Stratford Square as the first-choice mall in the region. Woodfield completed the overhaul and expansion in 1996, adding several new stores and a new two-level wing featuring a Nordstrom. Indeed, Woodfield's market dominance has continued to today, leading one publication to remark, "in Schaumburg, shoppers still are crowding Woodfield Mall and its 300-plus stores like it's 1993...".^[7] Its dominance can be attributed to a centralized location in Chicago's northwest suburbs, located near the intersection of Interstates 90 and 290.

On November 15, 1999, Stratford Square completed a major renovation, remaining open to allow customers to continue shopping throughout the duration of the renovation. Improvements included new flooring throughout the center, a new elevator, additional escalators, enlarged restrooms including two family rooms, comfortable seating areas and an expanded retail area on the lower level. A new water display in the floor was a major focal point of center court. The original water displays next to the food court ran from the 2nd floor to a Mezzanine and then down to the 1st floor. The theater was behind it on the top floor and the mezzanine. The water display on the 2nd floor was removed because it was leaking from behind and was too costly to repair. Over time, it was reduced and eliminated being replaced with a Record Town and then changed to FYE store. Entrances would be more visible with the addition of enhanced signage and lighting, and automatic doors would be available at each mall entrance.^[8]

New York-based Feldman Mall Properties acquired Stratford Square Mall in early 2005.^[9] A Steve and Barry's also operated at the mall from about 2006 until 2009, until that chain folded as well. The company renovated the four-screen movie theater into a Cinemark Century Theater, which opened on July 4, 2007. It now has 16 all-digital screens, a cappuccino bar, marble flooring, and stadium seating.^[10] After the movie theater renovation, a Red Robin restaurant was added next to the theater in 2008.^[11] In October 2011, the computerized fountain in the central square next to the food court was replaced by a carousel, which was later relocated to the lower level of the Burlington Coat Factory wing in front of Round One and Finish Line, Inc., then finally removed in its entirety sometime between 2018 and 2019. In early 2012, the second floor hallway entrance of the Burlington Coat Factory was blocked off and the second floor was closed to customers other than the restrooms on the 2nd floor.

In late October 2014, Red Robin officials stated their plan to remodel their restaurant to introduce their new "Gourmet Burgers and Brews" concept, which would feature both indoor and outdoor seating.^[12] In 2015, Round One, an entertainment center that includes bowling, karaoke, arcade games, billiards, darts and ping pong, opened on the lower level of the Carson's wing.^[13]

Wieboldt's became JCPenney in 1988 shortly after Wieboldt's went bankrupt in 1987. In early 2014, Stratford Square was acquired by StreetMac LLC. StreetMac did a few improvements while trying to manage the departure of several of the original anchor stores, developing plans to renovate parts of the mall where some aspects were done and others were not. On January 15, 2014, JCPenney announced that its store would be closing as part of a plan to close 33 stores nationwide; the store closed on May 3, 2014.^[14] Marshall Field's was converted to Macy's in 2006. On January 4, 2017, Macy's was announced that they would also be closing as part of a plan to close 68 stores nationwide; the store closed on March 26, 2017.^[15] On April 18, 2018, Carson's announced that they would be closing as well as parent company The Bon-Ton was going out of business; the store closed on August 29, 2018. None of the remaining anchors are original to Stratford Square - Burlington Coat Factory opened in 2002 and was originally a Montgomery Ward, which closed in 2001 due to their bankruptcy; Kohl's was originally a MainStreet built in 1985, which converted into Kohl's in 1988; the Sears store was added in 1991.^[16][17]

Later in June 2018, the Stratford Square announced that Woodman's Markets would demolish the Macy's building and 30 feet of the mall, building a new store with no mall entrance.^[18] A 25 West Brewery opened later that year as part of a plan to change the tenant mix to 40% retail / 60% entertainment and dining. 25 West closed in February 2020 after a contract dispute with Namdar.

On August 6, 2019, it was announced that Sears would be closing this location as part of a plan to close 26 stores nationwide. The store closed on November 10, 2019. This leaves Burlington Coat Factory and Kohl's as the only traditional anchors left.^[19]

On October 10, 2019, Namdar Realty Group acquired the mall.

In 2020, More stores inside the mall were closing including Victoria's Secret, The 25 West Brewery, Oriental Gifts, Express, Scooby's Hot Dogs and more. The Round One arcade closed on October 11, 2020.^[20]

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Kohl's anchor became inaccessible from the interior of the mall, with access only via the lower level parking lot nearest to Woodman's Markets. By July 2021, both upper and lower entrances to Kohl's had reopened and were once again accessible from inside the mall. As of October 2020, the theater had moved out. Woodman's Food Market opened its doors in August 11, 2021.^[21]

Amidst these struggles in its last decade of operation, local sources reported a precipitous decline in the mall's property value, with the figure declining from $20.3 million in 2012 to just $466,080 in 2021 - spelling significant consequences for the Village of Bloomingdale's tax revenue.^[22]

On February 25, 2022, Burlington announced that they would be relocating from the mall into the former Kmart across the street on Gary Ave on February 24, 2023, next to TJ Maxx. This leaves Kohl's as the last traditional anchor store remaining.^[23] The Burlington space closed in February 2023, as it has relocated across the street at Stratford Crossing.

Several productions have been filmed in the mall. In 2018 and 2019, the HBO show Righteous Gemstones was filmed in parts of the mall, in 2020 HBO filmed "Somebody Somewhere" in several store locations within the mall, including Bull and Bear Axe Throwing for ^[24] Season 1 Episode 4. In February 2022, the Dick Wolf NBC/Peacock show Chicago Fire^[25] filmed part of Episode 12 for Season 10 using the center court escalators in a scene where they were broken, and people got caught. In May 2022, the Illinois State Lottery filmed a commercial inside the mall.^[26]

As of 2022, many were calling to 're-envision' Stratford Square Mall, including Bloomingdale Village President, Franco Coladipietro, who advocated the demolition of the mall's "vacant eyesore" and its replacement with street-level retail and restaurants with surrounding residential buildings.^[22]

In May 2023, the Village of Bloomingdale sued Namdar Realty Group for not taking care of the mall and for not advertising leasing opportunities therefore the village wants to redevelop the property. The village paid $2.4 million for the former Carson Pirie Scott anchor and $1.1 million for the former Burlington (Montgomery Ward) anchor.^[27] On September 6, 2023, the Village of Bloomingdale acquired the former Sears anchor for $2,800,000.^[28] The village is currently working on acquiring the former JCPenney anchor (which is currently owned by Namdar Realty Group) and the mall itself. The court date set for The Village of Bloomingdale vs. Stratford Square Mall (Namdar Realty Group) is in January 2024.^[28] The village also is trying to acquire the Kohl's anchor and hopes that the department store would cooperate with their redevelopment efforts and standing against Namdar.^[29]

On January 8, 2024, the Daily Herald announced that the Village of Bloomingdale settled the lawsuit against Namdar Realty Group. The village will pay $8,750,000 for the acquisition of the entire shopping center for redevelopment.^[30]

On January 13, 2024, FYE shuttered their Stratford Square Mall location after over 20 years as a tenant.

Lids announced they will be closing permanently on February 29 due to the mall's closure in April.

In April 2024, Kids Town 2 closed their Stratford Square Mall location and relocated to Fox Valley Center in Aurora.

Funflatables had permanently closed as of March 30, 2024.

Bull & Bear Axe Throwing, as well as Challenge Accepted Escape Rooms, closed April 13, 2024. Quality Jewelry Design & Repair is actively moving out on the same date. Urooj Style & Collection and Alterations U.S.A. have moved into the Bloomingdale Court strip mall across the street from the mall.

On August 13, 2024, Segovia Partners (a real estate firm based in Chicago, Dallas, and Florida East) released new redevelopment plans for Stratford Square Mall. The property will be renamed to "The Grove at Bloomingdale Common."^[31] Franco Coladipietro posted on Facebook about the plans and stated that the mall will be demolished around September 2024.

Namdar Realty Group per legal obligations, announced that the remainder of the mall's interior will permanently close in 30 days (the anticipated closing date was set for February 15, or March 15, 2024, depending on the individual contract with each store). However, the village of Bloomingdale acquired the mall and extended the closing date to April 21, 2024.^[32] Some stores have already left like Lids, Finish Line, and other local tenants.^[33] The heating system computer in the mall malfunctioned the week of Martin Luther King's birthday causing it to be off for 2 weeks during the coldest week of the year. It was repaired and has been on since. The village of Bloomingdale also announced that tenant owners would be able to access the mall for an extra week to move out until April 22, 2024. In early March 2024, the village library in Bloomingdale announced they will be taking the tiles put up by the local school in 1999 to the Library and Village Hall. More and more tenants are expected to be gone by the end of March. The stores that remained open until April 15, 2024 are the following: Bull & Bear Axe Throwing, and Challenge Accepted Escape Rooms. Quality Jewelry Design & Repair, Fix 4 Less, Urooj and Alterations U.S.A. moved into the Bloomingdale Court strip mall across the street from the mall. Alterations U.S.A. moved out April 1, 2024. Funflatables also permanently closed on March 30, 2024.

In October 2024, demolition began on the mall starting with the former Burlington Coat Factory/Montgomery Ward building.

On February 8, 1984, a Roman Catholic priest from Carpentersville went on a burglary spree that lasted for over four hours. The priest robbed seven stores at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. The priest made his way to Stratford Square Mall where he stole over 100 items inside of the Marshall Field's department store. The priest was caught in the act when some loss prevention officers came to detain the priest who could be facing a heavy sentence. The priest also had a 60-year-old woman with him that helped with the robbery. The priest and the woman were arrested and charged with felony retail theft and felony possession of stolen property. They were released on their own recognizance pending a court hearing.^[34]

On June 1, 1990, a 220-gallon carboy containing less than 50% sulfuric acid and less than 4% phosphoric acid slipped off a tailgate during delivery at the mall and 100 gallons of the chemical spilled. The chemical entered the mall's sewers and was picked up by a department store's (which was Marshall Field's) fresh air intake system. Over 15 employees working inside the department store were taken to the closest hospital, treated, and released. The spilled chemical was supplied by Phoenix Industrial, and contains less than 4% phosphoric acid, less than 3% sodium tolyltriazole, less than 50% sulfuric acid, and more than 43% non-hazardous ingredients.^[35]

On June 12, 2018, two victims were wounded by gunshots inflicted by a 23-year-old assailant. The loss prevention officer of the Burlington department store was shot once in the shoulder. The defendant was shot through his hand and his thigh. The shooter was 23-year-old Keonte Griffin, and he was charged with one count of possession of a weapon by a felon (Class 3 Felony) and one count of aggravated battery with a firearm (Class 3 Felony).^[36] On October 19, 2019, Griffin was sentenced to 6 years in prison.^[37]

On April 22, 2023, two suspects robbed a jewelry store with a gun and hammer in hands. The suspects fled the scene in a Black Jeep Grand Cherokee.^[38]

• Official website
• Architectural Record, April, 1982 - See article on pages 126 to 129 (be patient, it takes a few minutes to load and then you need to scroll to about 3/4 through the journal)