# Jefferson Square Mall

Joliet, IL · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-c30606923a` · release 2026-10-20

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/il/joliet-jefferson-square-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-c30606923a.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-c30606923a.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-c30606923a

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | demolished | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | retail | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | Walmart and Menards | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1975 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Closed | 2002 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2008 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Stores at peak | 60 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Melvin Simon and Associates | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | Menard Properties | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Zoning change | retail | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_opened**: “opened on February 28, 1975” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall
- **year_closed**: “closed in 2002” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall
- **original_developer**: “developed by Melvin Simon and Associates, now known as Simon Property Group” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall
- **after_notes**: “Walmart and Menards” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall
- **status**: “demolished” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall
- **strategy**: “redevelop” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall
- **zoning_change**: “planned to demolish the mall for a newer, larger Menards as well as a Walmart supercenter” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall

## Anchors

Montgomery Ward, Wieboldt's

## Parties

- Melvin Simon and Associates — owner (from text) (1974–2002)
- Menard Properties — owner (from text) (2002–2008)

## Timeline

- 1974: Wieboldt's opened
- 1974: Montgomery Ward opened
- 1975: Mall opened
- 1987: Wieboldt's closed
- 1996: Renamed Wilderness Mall
- 2000: Tenants declined
- 2002: Purchased by Menard Properties
- 2004: Demolition started
- 2006: Demolition completed
- 2008: Walmart built

## Deals and debt

- 2002 sale:  Menard Properties ← Simon Property Group  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall
- 1987 sale:  Menards ← Wieboldt's  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall

## Background (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened)

Jefferson Square Mall, also known as Wilderness Mall, was a 553,295 square feet (51,402.8 m2) shopping mall in Joliet, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1975, it originally featured Wieboldt's and Montgomery Ward. The mall closed in 2002, and was demolished in 2004 to build a Walmart and Menards.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_opened — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Square_Mall

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Jefferson Square Mall, Joliet, IL." Record m-c30606923a, release 2026-10-20, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/il/joliet-jefferson-square-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_jolietjeffersonsquaremall,
  title = {Jefferson Square Mall, Joliet, IL},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/il/joliet-jefferson-square-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-c30606923a, release 2026-10-20, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}
```

Licence: research use only; terms undecided with the authors (https://retrofitatlas.org/licence/). Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0. Tiers: curated = from the authors' public map, not reviewed by them; draft = imported or model-extracted, unreviewed.