Woodfield Mall
Encyclopedia
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
.
Woodfield opened on September 9, 1971 with 59 stores, growing to 189 stores with 1.9 million retail square feet by 1973, the largest mall in the United States at that time. It is currently the largest mall in the Chicago area, with over 285 stores and restaurants. Woodfield is part of a group of three malls located in Schaumburg, IL, along with Woodfield Village Green
, and the Streets of Woodfield. Woodfield is a major tourist destination in the state of Illinois
In the year 2000, Chicago's visitors voted Woodfield Mall as their favorite suburban attraction.
Woodfield is named for former Sears board chairman General Robert E. Wood
and Marshall Field and Company founder Marshall Field
. It debuted on September 9, 1971, on 191 acre (0.77295026 km²) of prairie land, previously occupied by farms, cows, and a village tavern. Singer Carol Lawrence, actor Vincent Price
, and two marching bands entertained at the debut. At the time of its opening, it claimed to be the world's largest shopping center. By the end of September 1971, another 28 stores and restaurants had opened and that first business year finished with 138 specialty retailers. Many of those retailers—Johnston & Murphy, The Limited, Stride Rite, Fredericks of Hollywood, and Lerner New York (now known as New York & Company or NY&C) are still at Woodfield today. Waldenbooks
, another store that opened alongside the mall itself, closed in 2007 as the parent company, Borders Group
, operates a Borders Books & Music store nearby at Woodfield Village Green
.
Originally 1900000 square feet (176,515.8 m²) of retail space, Woodfield today is 2.7 million feet of retail space. In 1973, Lord & Taylor
opened and brought along 50 additional new retailers and a whole new wing. In celebration of its 20th anniversary in 1991, Woodfield added 23 more stores and then in 1996, Woodfield grew again with a $110 million wing. This new wing included a three-level Nordstrom
, a larger replacement Lord & Taylor, and 50 new specialty stores. Of these new stores, nearly 40 debuted flagship concepts and designs, with about 27 of them the largest in their chains.
While all of this expansion continued at Woodfield, the surrounding village of Schaumburg
grew as well. In 1970, the population was 19,000; in 1980, it mushroomed to 55,000; and, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Schaumburg had over 75,000 people in 2000. Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson observed that, "Woodfield established a focal point for development throughout all of the northwest suburbs. Without Woodfield, we wouldn't have office towers in Itasca
or corporate development in Hoffman Estates."
The GLA
of the mall today is 2700000 square feet (250,838.2 m²), making it the fifth largest shopping mall in the U.S. and ninth largest in terms of shopping area. The mall is a highly visited tourist destination in the Chicago metropolitan area, with about 27 million annual visitors. The center features nearly 300 stores and is anchored by J.C. Penney
, Lord & Taylor
, Macy's
(formerly Marshall Field's
), Nordstrom
and the country's largest Sears store at 416000 square feet (38,647.7 m²). Woodfield is often used as a test market for retailers; a recent example was the 2004 opening (and nationwide debut) of RUEHL 925
by clothier Abercrombie & Fitch
. In 2006, the Marshall Field's
store was rebranded Macy's
.
(codesignated as Illinois Route 53
at this point), which runs north-south alongside the eastern edge of the complex. The Northwest Tollway
(Interstate 90) runs roughly east-west nearby to the north, intersecting I-290/IL 53 northeast of the mall, but Tollway traffic must exit to I-290 or to other more distant local road exits to access the area.
Pace
Bus, the Suburban Bus service, has a complete bus center, which the which several routes. It is also the hub for Route #282 Schaumburg-Wrigley Field Express to Wrigley Field
, Route #237 Schaumburg-Soldier Field Express to Soldier Field
, Route #284 Six Flags Great America Express to Six Flags Great America
.
The Woodfield Trolley (owned and operated by Pace
) has service to the convention center from Woodfield, with trolleys running every 30 minutes, Friday thru Sunday. The trolley runs in a loop including Woodfield Mall, The Streets of Woodfield
, and IKEA
.
The Schaumburg Convention Center was completed in 2006. It is located across I-90 from Woodfield, next to Motorola
's corporate campus. The 100000 sq ft (9,290.3 m²). Convention Center has an adjoining 500 room Renaissance Hotel with 48000 sq ft (4,459.3 m²) meeting center including a 28000 sq ft (2,601.3 m²) ballroom.
Metra
has plans to build an inter-suburban rail service tentatively referred to as the STAR line, with a stop at IKEA
.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in the northwest Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, at the intersection of Golf Road and Illinois Route 53
Illinois Route 53
Illinois Route 53 is an arterial north–south state highway in northeast Illinois. Route 53 runs south from Long Grove at Illinois Route 83 to Gardner at Interstate 55 west of old U.S. Highway 66, a distance of...
.
Woodfield opened on September 9, 1971 with 59 stores, growing to 189 stores with 1.9 million retail square feet by 1973, the largest mall in the United States at that time. It is currently the largest mall in the Chicago area, with over 285 stores and restaurants. Woodfield is part of a group of three malls located in Schaumburg, IL, along with Woodfield Village Green
Woodfield Village Green
Located across from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, Woodfield Village Green is one of three malls located in the town . The mall is home to many big-box retailers and restaurants, and is very popular with the surrounding population...
, and the Streets of Woodfield. Woodfield is a major tourist destination in the state of Illinois
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,...
In the year 2000, Chicago's visitors voted Woodfield Mall as their favorite suburban attraction.
History
Woodfield Shopping Center opened with just 28 specialty shops and three department stores. Now, it houses nearly 300 stores and restaurants and five anchors.Woodfield is named for former Sears board chairman General Robert E. Wood
Robert E. Wood
Robert Elkington Wood was a U.S. Army Brigadier General and businessman best known for his leadership of Sears, Roebuck and Company.- Early life :...
and Marshall Field and Company founder Marshall Field
Marshall Field
Marshall Field was founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores.-Life and career:...
. It debuted on September 9, 1971, on 191 acre (0.77295026 km²) of prairie land, previously occupied by farms, cows, and a village tavern. Singer Carol Lawrence, actor Vincent Price
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
, and two marching bands entertained at the debut. At the time of its opening, it claimed to be the world's largest shopping center. By the end of September 1971, another 28 stores and restaurants had opened and that first business year finished with 138 specialty retailers. Many of those retailers—Johnston & Murphy, The Limited, Stride Rite, Fredericks of Hollywood, and Lerner New York (now known as New York & Company or NY&C) are still at Woodfield today. Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
, another store that opened alongside the mall itself, closed in 2007 as the parent company, Borders Group
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....
, operates a Borders Books & Music store nearby at Woodfield Village Green
Woodfield Village Green
Located across from Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois, Woodfield Village Green is one of three malls located in the town . The mall is home to many big-box retailers and restaurants, and is very popular with the surrounding population...
.
Originally 1900000 square feet (176,515.8 m²) of retail space, Woodfield today is 2.7 million feet of retail space. In 1973, Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
opened and brought along 50 additional new retailers and a whole new wing. In celebration of its 20th anniversary in 1991, Woodfield added 23 more stores and then in 1996, Woodfield grew again with a $110 million wing. This new wing included a three-level Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
, a larger replacement Lord & Taylor, and 50 new specialty stores. Of these new stores, nearly 40 debuted flagship concepts and designs, with about 27 of them the largest in their chains.
While all of this expansion continued at Woodfield, the surrounding village of Schaumburg
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
grew as well. In 1970, the population was 19,000; in 1980, it mushroomed to 55,000; and, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Schaumburg had over 75,000 people in 2000. Schaumburg Mayor Al Larson observed that, "Woodfield established a focal point for development throughout all of the northwest suburbs. Without Woodfield, we wouldn't have office towers in Itasca
Itasca, Illinois
Itasca is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,302 at the 2000 census.In 2009, BusinessWeek rated Itasca as the 'Best Affordable Suburb' in the state of Illinois...
or corporate development in Hoffman Estates."
The GLA
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 the mall today is 2700000 square feet (250,838.2 m²), making it the fifth largest shopping mall in the U.S. and ninth largest in terms of shopping area. The mall is a highly visited tourist destination in the Chicago metropolitan area, with about 27 million annual visitors. The center features nearly 300 stores and is anchored by J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
, Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
, Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
(formerly Marshall Field's
Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
), Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
and the country's largest Sears store at 416000 square feet (38,647.7 m²). Woodfield is often used as a test market for retailers; a recent example was the 2004 opening (and nationwide debut) of RUEHL 925
RUEHL 925
Ruehl No.925 , or simply Ruehl , is a now defunct upscale American lifestyle brand by Abercrombie & Fitch Co. The concept was inspired by the artistic and cultural heritage of New York City's Greenwich Village and was meant to attract post-graduate individuals aged 22 to 35, retaining consumer...
by clothier Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....
. In 2006, the Marshall Field's
Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
store was rebranded Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
.
Anchors
- JCPenney (300000 sq ft (27,870.9 m²))
- Lord & TaylorLord & TaylorLord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
(124000 sq ft (11,520 m²)) - Macy'sMacy'sMacy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
(315500 sq ft (29,310.9 m²)) - NordstromNordstromNordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
(215000 sq ft (19,974.2 m²)) - Sears (416000 sq ft (38,647.7 m²))
Location
The mall is located about 15 miles (24 km) NW of O'Hare Airport and about 28 miles (45 km) from Downtown Chicago. It is adjacent to I-290Interstate 290 (Illinois)
Interstate 290 is a main Interstate freeway that runs westwards from the Chicago Loop. A portion of I-290 is officially called the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway. In short form, it is known as "the Ike" or the Eisenhower...
(codesignated as Illinois Route 53
Illinois Route 53
Illinois Route 53 is an arterial north–south state highway in northeast Illinois. Route 53 runs south from Long Grove at Illinois Route 83 to Gardner at Interstate 55 west of old U.S. Highway 66, a distance of...
at this point), which runs north-south alongside the eastern edge of the complex. The Northwest Tollway
Northwest Tollway
The Jane Addams Memorial Tollway in Illinois is a 79-mile segment of Interstate 90 from Interstate 190 in far northwest Chicago to Illinois Route 75, one mile south of the Wisconsin state line. For 16 miles , Interstate 90 is concurrent with Interstate 39 and U.S. Route 51...
(Interstate 90) runs roughly east-west nearby to the north, intersecting I-290/IL 53 northeast of the mall, but Tollway traffic must exit to I-290 or to other more distant local road exits to access the area.
Pace
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...
Bus, the Suburban Bus service, has a complete bus center, which the which several routes. It is also the hub for Route #282 Schaumburg-Wrigley Field Express to Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
, Route #237 Schaumburg-Soldier Field Express to Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
, Route #284 Six Flags Great America Express to Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...
.
The Woodfield Trolley (owned and operated by Pace
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...
) has service to the convention center from Woodfield, with trolleys running every 30 minutes, Friday thru Sunday. The trolley runs in a loop including Woodfield Mall, The Streets of Woodfield
The Streets of Woodfield
The Streets of Woodfield is a shopping mall located at I-290 and Higgins Rd. in Schaumburg, Illinois, directly across from Woodfield Mall. McCaffery Interests, a Chicago-based real estate developer, rebuilt the mall into the present-day configuration as a shopping and entertainment mall anchored by...
, and IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
.
The future of the Woodfield area
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
's corporate campus. The 100000 sq ft (9,290.3 m²). Convention Center has an adjoining 500 room Renaissance Hotel with 48000 sq ft (4,459.3 m²) meeting center including a 28000 sq ft (2,601.3 m²) ballroom.
Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
has plans to build an inter-suburban rail service tentatively referred to as the STAR line, with a stop at IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
.