Golf Mill Shopping Center
Encyclopedia
Golf Mill Shopping Center is a super-regional shopping mall located on 239 Golf Mill Center in Niles
, IL
, United States
. The mall has a gross leasable area
of 1,057,000
square feet (98,200 m²). It is managed by Milwaukee Golf Management Corporation. It borders the intersections of Golf Road (Illinois Route 58
) and Milwaukee Avenue
The mall has a mixture of 120 specialty shops and five department store
s including Sears and Target as anchors.
It opened to the public in October 1960 as an open-air mall and featured an office tower (designed to look like the top of a golf ball
) and Sears. It featured a full "mill" theme, complete with ponds, bridges, and a working waterwheel. Soon after building, a short-lived Lord's department store was built, yet in a few years it closed and was replaced by JCPenney. Around that time, the Mill Run Playhouse
was built at the north end of the complex. It wasn't connected to the mall corridors proper.
Due to competition from other malls, such as Old Orchard, Randhurst Mall
, and Woodfield Mall
, Golf Mill underwent a major remodel in 1986. It involved razing the north end of the mall (the strip mall portion and the playhouse) to build a new enclosed mall portion anchored by MainStreet
, and enclosing the mall between Sears and JCPenney, adding a food court
in the process. Sears became a "walk-through" anchor.
In 1989, MainStreet became Kohl's
. In 1998, a Target
was built near Kohl's. General Growth Properties
took over management of Golf Mill Shopping Center in 1994. Value City Furniture was added in 2005. In 2006, GGP remodeled the mall, installing new flooring, a new facade, lighting, and entrances, but only in part of the mall. Nonetheless, the remodel brought a 12-screen Kerasotes movie theater with state-of-the-art sound systems and comfortable seats. In 2010, Kerasotes ShowPlace 12 was acquired by AMC
. After a turn of events with General Growth Properties
, Milwaukee Golf Management Corporation took over management of Golf Mill Shopping Center in 2009.
Niles, Illinois
Niles is a village in Maine and Niles Townships, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The 2010 population from the U.S. Census Bureau is 29,803.The current mayor of Niles is Robert M. Callero.-History:Niles was first settled in 1827....
, IL
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The mall has a gross leasable area
Gross leasable area
Gross leasable area in the retail development industry is a term applied to shopping malls, lifestyle centers, outlet malls and other retail centers to indicate the amount of floor space available to be rented...
of 1,057,000
square feet (98,200 m²). It is managed by Milwaukee Golf Management Corporation. It borders the intersections of Golf Road (Illinois Route 58
Illinois Route 58
Illinois Route 58 is a state highway in northeast Illinois. It runs from Illinois Route 25 in Elgin east to U.S. Route 41 in Skokie...
) and Milwaukee Avenue
Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago)
Milwaukee Avenue is a major diagonal street in the city of Chicago and the northern suburbs. True to its name, it once led to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Starting with a short section at N. Canal and W. Lake Streets, it begins in earnest at the corner of N Desplaines and W. Kinzie Streets...
The mall has a mixture of 120 specialty shops and five department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s including Sears and Target as anchors.
It opened to the public in October 1960 as an open-air mall and featured an office tower (designed to look like the top of a golf ball
Golf ball
A golf ball is a ball designed to be used in the game of golf.Under the Rules of Golf, a golf ball weighs no more than 1.620 oz , has a diameter not less than 1.680 in , and performs within specified velocity, distance, and symmetry limits...
) and Sears. It featured a full "mill" theme, complete with ponds, bridges, and a working waterwheel. Soon after building, a short-lived Lord's department store was built, yet in a few years it closed and was replaced by JCPenney. Around that time, the Mill Run Playhouse
Mill Run Playhouse
Mill Run Playhouse was a 1600 seat theater in the round in Niles, Illinois. It was built in 1965 on the grounds of the Golf Mill Shopping Center and was demolished in August 1984. Its last show was a performance by Lou Rawls on August 1....
was built at the north end of the complex. It wasn't connected to the mall corridors proper.
Due to competition from other malls, such as Old Orchard, Randhurst Mall
Randhurst Mall
Randhurst Mall, previously known as Randhurst Center or simply Randhurst, was a shopping mall that was located at the corner of Rand Road and Elmhurst Road in Mount Prospect, Illinois. The mall took its name from combining the names of these two roads...
, and Woodfield Mall
Woodfield Mall
Woodfield Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping mall located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, United States, at the intersection of Golf Road and Illinois Route 53....
, Golf Mill underwent a major remodel in 1986. It involved razing the north end of the mall (the strip mall portion and the playhouse) to build a new enclosed mall portion anchored by MainStreet
MainStreet
MainStreet was a department store chain based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The chain was launched in November 1983 by Federated Department Stores . Throughout the 1980s, the chain expanded to twenty-nine stores in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota...
, and enclosing the mall between Sears and JCPenney, adding a food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
in the process. Sears became a "walk-through" anchor.
In 1989, MainStreet became Kohl's
Kohl's
Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...
. In 1998, a Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
was built near Kohl's. General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
took over management of Golf Mill Shopping Center in 1994. Value City Furniture was added in 2005. In 2006, GGP remodeled the mall, installing new flooring, a new facade, lighting, and entrances, but only in part of the mall. Nonetheless, the remodel brought a 12-screen Kerasotes movie theater with state-of-the-art sound systems and comfortable seats. In 2010, Kerasotes ShowPlace 12 was acquired by AMC
AMC Theatres
AMC Theatres , officially known as AMC Entertainment, Inc., is the second largest movie theater chain in North America with 5,325 screens, second only to Regal Entertainment Group, and one of the United States's four national cinema chains AMC Theatres (American Multi-Cinema), officially known as...
. After a turn of events with General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties
General Growth Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded real estate investment trust in the United States. It is based in Chicago, Illinois at 110 North Wacker Drive, a historic building designed by architectural firm Graham, Anderson, Probst & White...
, Milwaukee Golf Management Corporation took over management of Golf Mill Shopping Center in 2009.