Lafayette Square Mall
Encyclopedia
Lafayette Square Mall is a shopping center in Indianapolis, Indiana
. Developed in 1968 by Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
, the mall is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle and owned by Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. The majority of its anchor store
s are vacant; Burlington Coat Factory, Shoppers World, and America's Incredible Pizza Company remain open.
, and opened in April 1968. Originally, there were two anchor stores built; JCPenney in the south end, and Sears on the north. William H. Block
was opened in 1969 in the middle of the mall. An expansion in 1974 saw a wing added near Sears. This wing added Ohio-based Lazarus
as well as about eight new stores including Radio Shack
. In 1975, a Kroger
grocery store connected to the mall was demolished to make way for another expansion that included L. S. Ayres on the south end near JCPenney.
The success at Lafayette Square prompted DeBartolo to plan two additional malls on opposite sides of town. Ground was broke on the northeast side of Indianapolis for what was to become Castleton Square
, opening in 1972. Washington Square Mall
on the east side of Indianapolis opened in 1974. At Lafayette Square, when Lazarus bought William H. Block, the Block store was converted to a Lazarus while the original Lazarus became Montgomery Ward
. This was in 1987. In 1993, the G.C. Murphy five-and-dime closed.
Facing competition from new malls such as Circle Centre
(opened in 1995), the mall needed a remodel. DeBartolo's company had merged with Simon Property Group
, and they remodeled the aging mall in 1996, adding a racetrack-themed food court in the former G.C. Murphy. This didn't help the situation, and Montgomery Ward pulled out and was replaced by a Burlington Coat Factory
(but only the first level).
Lazarus closed in 2002, and was replaced with a church. The trouble at Lafayette Square was not over. In 2005, an open-air center called Metropolis
opened in nearby Plainfield
and pulled JCPenney out of Lafayette Square as well as many other retailers. By 2006, many of the first-tier stores had closed at Lafayette Square and were primarily discounters and urban wear shops. On September 9, 2006, the L. S. Ayres store was renamed Macy's
due to the May/Federated merger. Facing the mall's long decline and preferring to focus efforts on other malls in the Indianapolis area, Simon sold the mall to Ashkenazy Acquisitions Corp. in December 2007. Old Navy
closed and was replaced by a Max 10. Some months later, the mall underwent a new remodel that included a rebuilt entrance, a Pretzelmaker
/Maggie Moo's/Great American Cookie Co. kiosk, an east-coast chain called "Shopper's World" located in the former JCPenney (it was described as being between JCPenney and Value City
in price points), and an entertainment facility called Xscape featuring a variety of games.. XScape was later replaced by America's Incredible Pizza company in the summer of 2010. In early 2011, the Pretzelmaker
/Maggie Moo's/Great American Cookie Co. kiosk closed, along with Radio Shack and GameStop
.
In October 2008 and January 2009 respectively, Sears and Macy's announced they would pull out despite the new renovations
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. Developed in 1968 by Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
Edward John DeBartolo, Sr. was an American businessman who is widely regarded as the father of the American shopping mall...
, the mall is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle and owned by Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. The majority of its anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s are vacant; Burlington Coat Factory, Shoppers World, and America's Incredible Pizza Company remain open.
History
This mall was built by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.Edward J. DeBartolo Sr.
Edward John DeBartolo, Sr. was an American businessman who is widely regarded as the father of the American shopping mall...
, and opened in April 1968. Originally, there were two anchor stores built; JCPenney in the south end, and Sears on the north. William H. Block
William H. Block
The William H. Block Company was founded by Herman Wilhelm Bloch who immigrated from Austro-Hungary in 1874 and had Americanized his name to William H. Block, with the opening of a retail store located at 9 East Washington Street in Indianapolis in 1896. The company was also self identified as The...
was opened in 1969 in the middle of the mall. An expansion in 1974 saw a wing added near Sears. This wing added Ohio-based Lazarus
Lazarus (department store)
F&R Lazarus & Company — commonly known as Lazarus — was a regional department store retail chain operating primarily in the U.S. Midwest, and based in Columbus, Ohio...
as well as about eight new stores including Radio Shack
Radio shack
Radio shack is a slang term for a room or structure for housing radio equipment.-History:In the early days of radio, equipment was experimental and home-built. The first radio transmitters used a noisy spark to generate radio waves and were often housed in a garage or shed. When radio was first...
. In 1975, a Kroger
Kroger
The Kroger Co. is an American supermarket chain founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It reported US$ 76.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2009. It is the country's largest grocery store chain and its second-largest grocery retailer by volume and second-place general retailer...
grocery store connected to the mall was demolished to make way for another expansion that included L. S. Ayres on the south end near JCPenney.
The success at Lafayette Square prompted DeBartolo to plan two additional malls on opposite sides of town. Ground was broke on the northeast side of Indianapolis for what was to become Castleton Square
Castleton Square
Castleton Square Mall is the largest and busiest mall in the state of Indiana. Built by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr., in 1972, it is located in northeastern Indianapolis and owned by Simon Property Group. The largest stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Macy's, Von Maur and Sears...
, opening in 1972. Washington Square Mall
Washington Square Mall (Indianapolis, Indiana)
Washington Square Mall is a regional shopping mall located on the eastern side of Indianapolis. It opened in 1974 with a renovation/expansion in 1999. Today, there are over 80 stores and, Burlington Coat Factory, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sears, and Target are the major anchor stores, as well as the...
on the east side of Indianapolis opened in 1974. At Lafayette Square, when Lazarus bought William H. Block, the Block store was converted to a Lazarus while the original Lazarus became Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
. This was in 1987. In 1993, the G.C. Murphy five-and-dime closed.
Facing competition from new malls such as Circle Centre
Circle Centre
Circle Centre is a large indoor shopping mall located in downtown Indianapolis. Plans for a downtown Indianapolis mall had been in development by the Simon Property Group since 1979. Circle Centre was opened to the public on September 8, 1995, adjoining Simon corporate headquarters, and...
(opened in 1995), the mall needed a remodel. DeBartolo's company had merged with Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group
Simon Property Group, Inc. is an American commercial real estate company, ranked #1 in the United States as the largest real estate investment trust. Simon is a fully integrated real estate company which operates from five retail real estate platforms: regional malls, Premium Outlet Centers, The...
, and they remodeled the aging mall in 1996, adding a racetrack-themed food court in the former G.C. Murphy. This didn't help the situation, and Montgomery Ward pulled out and was replaced by a Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
(but only the first level).
Lazarus closed in 2002, and was replaced with a church. The trouble at Lafayette Square was not over. In 2005, an open-air center called Metropolis
Metropolis (mall)
Metropolis is a . open-air lifestyle center located in Plainfield, Indiana, just southwest of Indianapolis. A progressive shopping and entertainment destination, Metropolis has given Westside shoppers a regional shopping destination...
opened in nearby Plainfield
Plainfield, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,396 people, 7,051 households, and 4,914 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,023.1 people per square mile . There were 7,449 housing units at an average density of 414.3 per square mile...
and pulled JCPenney out of Lafayette Square as well as many other retailers. By 2006, many of the first-tier stores had closed at Lafayette Square and were primarily discounters and urban wear shops. On September 9, 2006, the L. S. Ayres store was renamed Macy's
Macy's Midwest
Macy's Midwest, St. Louis, Missouri, is a former division of Macy's, Inc. It had operations in New York, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It was created February 1, 2006 from a reorganization of the Famous-Barr division acquired August 30, 2005...
due to the May/Federated merger. Facing the mall's long decline and preferring to focus efforts on other malls in the Indianapolis area, Simon sold the mall to Ashkenazy Acquisitions Corp. in December 2007. Old Navy
Old Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
closed and was replaced by a Max 10. Some months later, the mall underwent a new remodel that included a rebuilt entrance, a Pretzelmaker
Pretzelmaker
Pretzelmaker and Pretzel Time are chains of independently owned and operated franchised stores that specialize in hand-rolled pretzels, smoothies and cold beverages. It is a franchise brand in the portfolio of NexCen Brands Inc. Along with sister brand Pretzel Time, there are more than 325 U.S...
/Maggie Moo's/Great American Cookie Co. kiosk, an east-coast chain called "Shopper's World" located in the former JCPenney (it was described as being between JCPenney and Value City
Value City
Value City was an American discount department store chain with 113 locations. It was founded in 1917 by Ephraim Schottenstein, a travelling salesman in central Ohio. The store was an off-price retailer that sold clothing, jewelry, and home goods below the manufacturer suggested retail price...
in price points), and an entertainment facility called Xscape featuring a variety of games.. XScape was later replaced by America's Incredible Pizza company in the summer of 2010. In early 2011, the Pretzelmaker
Pretzelmaker
Pretzelmaker and Pretzel Time are chains of independently owned and operated franchised stores that specialize in hand-rolled pretzels, smoothies and cold beverages. It is a franchise brand in the portfolio of NexCen Brands Inc. Along with sister brand Pretzel Time, there are more than 325 U.S...
/Maggie Moo's/Great American Cookie Co. kiosk closed, along with Radio Shack and GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
.
In October 2008 and January 2009 respectively, Sears and Macy's announced they would pull out despite the new renovations
Current
- Burlington Coat FactoryBurlington Coat FactoryBurlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation is a national department store retailer focusing on clothing and shoes, with over 450 stores in 45 states and Puerto Rico.. In 2006, it was acquired by Bain Capital, LLC in a take-private transaction...
(2001-present) - Shoppers WorldShoppers WorldShoppers World or Shopper's World may refer to:in Canada* Shoppers World Brampton, in Brampton, Ontario, Canada* Shoppers World Danforth and Shoppers World Albion , in Toronto, Ontario, Canadain the United States...
(2007-present) - America's Incredible Pizza CompanyAmerica's Incredible Pizza CompanyAmerica's Incredible Pizza Company is an American pizza buffet, entertainment center and restaurant chain based in Springfield, Missouri. The first restaurant was opened in Springfield, Missouri in 2002...
(2010-present)
Former
- William H. BlockWilliam H. BlockThe William H. Block Company was founded by Herman Wilhelm Bloch who immigrated from Austro-Hungary in 1874 and had Americanized his name to William H. Block, with the opening of a retail store located at 9 East Washington Street in Indianapolis in 1896. The company was also self identified as The...
(1968-1987); then Lazarus - LazarusLazarus (department store)F&R Lazarus & Company — commonly known as Lazarus — was a regional department store retail chain operating primarily in the U.S. Midwest, and based in Columbus, Ohio...
(1987); later Montgomery Ward; (1987-2002); renovated as a church - G.C. Murphy (1968-1993); renovated as food court
- Montgomery WardMontgomery WardMontgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
(1987-2001); now Burlington Coat Factory - JCPenney (1968-2006); moved to Metropolis in 2006; now Shopper's World
- Sears (1968-2008)
- L.S. AyresL.S. AyresL. S. Ayres & Company was an Indianapolis, Indiana, department store founded in 1872 by Lyman S. Ayres and taken over by his son Frederic in 1896...
(1968-2005); later Macy's - 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...
(2005-2008) - XScape (2009-2010)