Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Illinois

Des Plaines Mall

Imported, unreviewedDemolishedDes Plaines, IL

Des Plaines Mall opened 1977, closed 1996, demolished 1998; city owned since 1995; site now vacant with unknown redevelopment plans. · summary, model-written

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Site profile16 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Finance and pipeline
Closed or demolished, no retrofit recordedThis site: …demolished extraction · all sites with this
Ownership
Public bodyThis site: City of Des Plaines county-parcels · all sites with this
Place
100k+ jobs within 45 min by transitThis site: 245,204 epa-walkability · all sites with this
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 3 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
Bike network nearbyThis site: 31 ways openstreetmap · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -11% census-cbp · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 4,853 units, Cook County census-bps · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $2,228/mo zillow · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 4 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
High heat wave riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
High inland flooding riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
High tornado riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
National Register place within 500 mThis site: First Congregational Church, Des Plaines nps-nrhp · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -0.7% census-acs · all sites with this
Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)This site: …index 17.2 epa-walkability · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusDemolishedextracted, unreviewed

Site context

FEMA flood zoneX · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m18: 622 GRACELAND AVE. APARTMENTS; AAMCO TRANSMISSION; BILLS AUTO AND TRUCK RPR; CENTRAL SCHOOL-DIST 62; COM EDEPA FRS
Census tract 170318062024,923 people, 10,587 per sq mi; median household income $76,995; median gross rent $1,460; 31% renters; 7.0% vacant units; 2.9% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 17.2 of 20; 122 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 142 m; land-use mix 0.73; 363,576 jobs within 45 min by car, 245,204 by transit; 13% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)6 of 6 daily needs: 4 grocers, 4 schools, 13 parks or playgrounds, 5 health, 11 civic, 22 food and drink; 31 cycleway segments, 191 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity ZonenoHUD
National Register places within 500 m1: First Congregational Church, Des PlainesNPS
Housing permits, Cook County (IL), 20244,853 units in 5+ unit buildings, 512 in 2–4, 1,142 single-family; 2023: 3,332 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.67; socioeconomic 0.63; housing and transport 0.72; 13% below 150% of poverty; 12% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby3 within 10 km, 22 within 25 km: Golf Mill Stormwater Park (4.0 km); Randhurst Mall (6.3 km); Logistics Campus (7.1 km)computed
Overture Mapsno place match; building footprint 4,840 m², 13.7 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Attention: Wikipedia page views1,448 since 2015; 803 in the last 12 months; peak 2025-07 with 94Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population +9% (4,508 → 4,923); median income +30% ($59,375 → $76,995); renters 32% → 31%; median home value +19% ($217,500 → $259,200)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)relatively moderate overall (score 77.5); expected annual loss $2.3M; high: tornado, inland flooding, heat wave, cold wave; community resilience relatively highFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 kmnoneHUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 202313,577 establishments (-11%); 214,575 jobs (-4%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $340,258 (+6% 1 yr, +23% 5 yr); typical rent $2,228/mo (+5% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2025419 (2000 = 100); +16.4% 1 yr, +49% 5 yr, +72% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)17,972 vehicles a day on Des Plaines River Rd (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 575 trucks; 3 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Des Plaines Mall opened in 1977 as a 185,000‑square‑foot downtown shopping center, added an arcade in 1979, and remained under private ownership until the City of Des Plaines took control in 1995. The mall closed its last day of business in 1996, and demolition began in 1998, leaving the site demolished.

Why. not stated in the record

Where it stands. The site is now demolished and, according to the record, the City of Des Plaines has been the owner since 1995.

For a planner

  • Precedent: municipal takeover of a failing mall prior to demolition
  • Policy tools: possible use of eminent domain or public acquisition (as seen in the 1995 transfer)
  • Open questions: what zoning or redevelopment plans exist for the demolished parcel?
  • Open questions: any environmental remediation needed after demolition?

For a developer

  • Site size: 185,000 sf (~4.25 acres)
  • Control: City of Des Plaines has been owner since 1995
  • Entitlement stage: no approved plans or permits mentioned in the record
  • Constraints/market signals: record lacks flood, transit, environmental, or tract data, so these are unknown

What we do not know yet

  • Missing anchor tenant and lease information
  • No data on competition or market conditions at time of closure
  • Debt or financial obligations of the mall are not recorded
  • Environmental condition post‑demolition is not described
  • Record’s verification status is 'draft', indicating possible unreviewed extraction

Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

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Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • closed or demolished site (sourced)
  • already in play: under construction, approved, or sold to a developer with housing plans
  • public owner

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1977extracted, unreviewed
Closed1996extracted, unreviewed
Original developerDes Plaines Mall Corporationextracted, unreviewed
ArchitectErickson and Stevens, Inc.
AnchorsSpiegler's, Radio Shack, Hallmark Cards, Oui Boutique
CountyCook County
Census division3 · East North Central
NotesWikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, what is there now, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Background

The Des Plaines Mall was a 185,000 square foot (17,200 m2) shopping mall in downtown Des Plaines, Illinois. It was designed by J.R. Gottlieb & Co. The architect was Erickson and Stevens, Inc. Construction began June 1, 1976. It opened October 6, 1977.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1972 Planning for the mall began
  2. 1973 Des Plaines Mall Corporation formed
  3. 1976 Construction began
  4. 1977 Mall opened
  5. 1979 Added Olde Center Street arcade
  6. 1995 City took control of the mall
  7. 1996 Last day of business
  8. 1998 Demolition began

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Des Plaines Mall · supports: original developer, status, year closed, year opened
    12 quoted sentences
    It opened October 6, 1977.
    Its last day of business was October 31, 1996.
    Planning for the mall began in 1972, with the Des Plaines Mall Corporation formed in 1973.
    Demolition began in June 1998.

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