Illinois Star Centre, formerly Illinois Centre Mall, was a shopping mall in Marion, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1991, it used to feature more than 60 stores. Its anchor stores include Dillard's and Target, with Target being the busiest. Previously there was a Sears anchor store, however it was closed in April 2018.[2] Many of the mall's tenant stores have closed, with not a single store remaining in the food court.[3]
.jpg) Entrance to Illinois Centre Mall, May 2012 | |
 | |
| Location | Marion, Illinois, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 37°44′55″N 88°58′35″W / 37.74850°N 88.97652°W |
| Address | 3000 W. DeYoung St. |
| Opening date | 1991 |
| Closing date | 2018 |
| Developer | Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation |
| Owner | Roc Enterprises, LLC |
| No. of stores and services | 29 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 (2 open, 1 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 600,000 sq ft (56,000 m2)[1] |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Public transit access |  RMTD |
History
editAt the time that Illinois Centre Mall was being built, nearby Carbondale, Illinois already had a shopping mall, the University Mall. Because of its proximity, retail analysts predicted that competition between the two cities' retail sectors would "get pretty cut-throat".[4] Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation developed the mall,[5] whose initial anchor stores were Dillard's, Target, Phar-Mor and Sears, which relocated from University Mall.[6] Illinois Centre Mall opened in 1990, resulting in the closure of the Sears at University Mall. University Mall sued Illinois Centre Mall's developers over the use of a state financing program to relocate the store, although the suit was later dismissed.[7]
Sears and Phar-Mor opened for business in July 1991,[8] followed by Dillard's and the mall itself in September, and Target in October.[9] Phar-Mor closed in 1993.[10] It later became a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association office and then a radio-controlled car racing center in 2004.[11] DeBartolo sold the mall to local developers in 1996. Despite attracting other businesses to the area, the mall struggled with occupancy for most of its history, although new owners boosted it to 60% occupancy by 2000.[12]
Red Lobster opened in the surrounding area on July 6, 1992.[13] An eight-screen Kerasotes movie theater then opened next to the mall on December 1, 1993. It would be later sold to AMC Theatres.[14]
In March 2002, an O'Charley's restaurant officially opened in the parking lot.[15] The Home Depot opened west of Sears later that year on November 6, 2002.[16]
On September 20, 2006, Walmart Supercenter opened outside the mall east of Dillard's.[17]
Sabre ISC acquired the mall in 2011 via purchase of delinquent tax certificates and renamed it Illinois Star Centre.[18] In March 2015, the Southern Illinoisan reported that three of the mall's owners were imprisoned on various counts, and that leasing agents were unresponsive on inquiries about the mall, which has become increasingly vacant and lacking in maintenance. Also complicating the mall's future is the fact that the parking lot and anchor stores are owned by different companies than the mall itself.[19] The taxes were then purchased from the county trustee by Roc Enterprises, LLC.[18] On May 4, 2017 the mall's ownership team declared bankruptcy[20] after previously offering the property at auction but failing to attract a buyer.[21]
On January 4, 2018, it was announced that Sears would be closing as part of a plan to close 103 stores nationwide. The store closed in April 2018.[2] On January 13, 2018 it was announced that Joe's Records would be closing its mall location by January 31, 2018 in order to move to a more visible location[22] at 1301 Enterprise Way in Marion.[23] The GameStop store was closed in April 2018.
On November 16, 2018, it was reported that the Illinois Centre Mall would cease operations in the next 30 days. However, anchor stores Target and Dillard's will remain open.[24]
References
edit- ^ "Leasing". ilstarcentremall.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ a b "Marion Sears; West Frankfort, Mount Vernon Kmart stores to close". The Southern. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
- ^ "Businesses continue to move out of mall in Marion, Illinois". WPSD Local 6 - Your News, Weather, & Sports Authority. 2017-10-05. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ Davenport, Paula (11 October 1990). "Retail Space, Competition For Customers Boom". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ "Construction under way at Marion; firms hired for work at Carbondale". The Southeast Missourian. 15 April 1990. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ Knol, Ann Schottman (1988-11-02). "Carbondale Sears store plans move to Marion". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6B. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
- ^ Davenport, Paula M. (1990-10-11). "Retail space, competition for customers boom". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1I. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
- ^ Davenport, Paula (30 September 1991). "CENTRE STAGE: Mall Set For Grand Opening". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ "Mall opening". The Southeast Missourian. 29 September 1991. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ "Phar-mor to close store in Marion mall". The Southeast Missourian. 24 February 1993. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ Homan, John D. (May 2, 2004). "SMALL-SCALE SPEED: HERRIN MAN'S HOBBY IS NOW FULL-TIME JOB". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Binder, Karen (December 4, 2000). "MORE STORES MEAN MORE SHOPPERS AT ILLINOIS CENTRE MALL". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Red Lobster opens Marion restaurant". Southern Illinoisan.
- ^ "8-screen movie theater coming to Illinois Centre". Southern Illinoisan.
- ^ "O'Charley's manager says Marion move a good one". Southern Illinoisan.
- ^ "Home improvement giant opens its doors in Marion". Southern Illinoisan.
- ^ "Marion's gigantic Wal-Mart opens today". Southern Illinoisan.
- ^ a b Parker, Molly. "Rochman family purchases back taxes on Marion mall, Grand Tower power plant". The Southern. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ Parker, Molly (March 8, 2015). "What happened to the mall in Marion?". The Southern. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Eidlin, Barb. "Illinois Star Centre Mall owners declare bankruptcy". The Southern. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ Parker, Molly. "High bidder backs out of buying Illinois Star Centre Mall in Marion". The Southern. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
- ^ Smith, Isaac. "Joe's Records to move out of Illinois Star Centre mall to new location in Marion, change name". The Southern. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
- ^ HOMAN, BY JOHN D. (2018-01-13). "Joe's Records to relocate from Marion mall". The Daily Republican. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
- ^ Manley, Emily (November 17, 2018). "Less than a month for Marion mall tenants". Archived from the original on 2018-11-20. Retrieved 2018-11-19.