Malls · Illinois
Machesney Park Mall
Opened 1978. Closed 2008. Redeveloped in 2009.
documented
This move left the former mall with no retailers, leaving it mostly vacant.
Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.
Site profile11 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence
JCPenney
This site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with this15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)
This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with thisCounty home values up 50%+ in 5 years
This site: +55% zillow · all sites with thisGrocery within 800 m
This site: 1 stores openstreetmap · all sites with thisHigh inland flooding risk
This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with thisLow social vulnerability tract (SVI ≤ 0.25)
This site: 0.21 cdc-svi · all sites with thisShrinking county
This site: -1.0% census-acs · all sites with thisTract house prices doubled in 10 years
This site: +116% fhfa · all sites with thisRedeveloped
This site: …mostly vacant extraction · all sites with thisOffice
This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with thisRetail (continued)
This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with thisNow
| Status | Closedextracted, unreviewed documentedThis move left the former mall with no retailers, leaving it mostly vacant. |
|---|---|
| Strategy | Redevelopedextracted, unreviewed documentedSince being acquired by Rubloff Development Group in December 2003, the mall has been undergoing internal demolition in preparation for redevelopment. |
| New uses | retail, office, otherextracted, unreviewed reported |
| What is there now | mostly vacantextracted, unreviewed documentedThis move left the former mall with no retailers, leaving it mostly vacant. |
| Retrofit year | 2009extracted, unreviewed reported |
| Redeveloper | Rubloff Development Groupextracted, unreviewed reported |
Securitised debt and public filers
Filings (2001 to date) that name “Machesney Park Mall” and “Machesney Park” (10 hits, first 10 sampled, 4 other filers such as tenants left out). No commercial-mortgage trust names this mall in the sample, which does not rule out a securitised loan. Text matches, not a title search. Open the search · all trusts.
| Kind | Filer | Filings | Dates | Forms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public owner (weak) | SIMON PROPERTY GROUP INC /DE/ (SPG, SPG-PJ) | 4 | 2002-05-17 to 2003-02-07 | 8-K 4 |
| Public owner (weak) | SIMON PROPERTY GROUP L P /DE/ | 2 | 2001-03-30 to 2002-04-01 | 10-K 2 |
Site context
| FEMA flood zone | X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL |
|---|---|
| EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m | 5: HARLEM CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS; IMPROVEMENT PLANS FOR THE HARLEM COMMUNITY CENTER; MACHESNEY PARK STARBUCKS DEVELOPMENT; MACHESNEY PARK, VILLAGE OF; NPPWD PFAS WATER TREATMENT PLANTEPA FRS |
| Census tract 17201000101 | 4,452 people, 2,590 per sq mi; median household income $62,940; median gross rent $1,064; 23% renters; 15.2% vacant units; 0.0% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year |
| Walkability (EPA, block group) | index 9.5 of 20; 93 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.7; 33,883 jobs within 45 min by car; 10% of households without a carEPA Smart Location |
| Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m) | 5 of 6 daily needs: 1 grocers, 2 schools, 7 parks or playgrounds, 0 health, 2 civic, 5 food and drink; 1 cycleway segments, 0 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap |
| Opportunity Zone | noHUD |
| Housing permits, Winnebago County (IL), 2024 | 0 units in 5+ unit buildings, 36 in 2–4, 248 single-family; 2023: 0 in 5+Census BPS |
| Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract) | overall percentile 0.21; socioeconomic 0.43; housing and transport 0.16; 16% below 150% of poverty; 5% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR |
| Other atlas sites nearby | 1 within 10 km, 2 within 25 km: Former Kmart on East State Street (10.0 km)computed |
| Overture Maps | no place match; building footprint 5,991 m², 4.595070838928223 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0) |
| Attention: Wikipedia page views | 23,684 since 2015; 2,220 in the last 12 months (-8% vs the prior 12); peak 2021-04 with 340Wikimedia |
| Tract change 2013–2023 | population -10% (4,974 → 4,452); median income +43% ($44,076 → $62,940); renters 22% → 23%; median home value +14% ($109,300 → $125,200)Census ACS 5-year |
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract) | relatively moderate overall (score 78.8); expected annual loss $3.6M; high: inland flooding, cold wave; community resilience relatively moderateFEMA NRI |
| Tax-credit housing within 1 km | 1 LIHTC properties, 74 units: Bayview Elderly (74 units)HUD LIHTC |
| Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW) | 13,847 jobs in 786 establishments; average annual pay $37,926; employment location quotient 1.11; employment -2.5% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private |
| Jobs located in the tract, 2022 | 767 jobs; 231 in retail trade, 91 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 17201000101)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022 |
| Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract) | children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 36th income percentile as adults; 2.5% incarcerated at the 2010 count (490 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights |
| Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract) | low-access at 1 mile, not low-income; 80% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 4.8%; median family income $68,750; 121 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS |
| Schools | Harlem Unit School District 122 (PK-12); 4 public schools within 1 mile: Olson Park Elem School; Donald C Parker Early Educ Center; Marquette Elem School; Machesney Elem SchoolNCES EDGE |
| Elevation | 737 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP |
| Storm events in the county, 2016-2025 | 250 county-logged events: 127 thunderstorm wind, 60 hail, 23 flood, 17 flash flood; $3,571,000 property damage reported; 2 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events |
| Homes for sale in ZIP 61115, 2026-09 | median list price $252,200 (+1.9% on the year); 24 active listings; median 27 days on market; 21% with a price cutRealtor.com Research |
| Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023 | 889 establishments (-10%); 13,950 jobs (-3%)Census CBP |
| Housing market in the county | typical home value $211,111 (+9% 1 yr, +55% 5 yr); typical rent $1,293/mo (+7% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research |
| House price index, tract, 2025 | 433 (2000 = 100); +11.2% 1 yr, +70% 5 yr, +116% 10 yrFHFA |
| Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024) | 20,092 vehicles a day on N 2ND ST (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 750 trucks; 5 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS |
Summary, model-written
Machesney Park Mall opened in 1978 developed by Melvin Simon and Associates. From the 1990s onward anchor tenants closed or relocated, leading to the enclosed portion closing in 2008. The site was redeveloped in 2009 by Rubloff Development Group as an open‑air plaza anchored by Burlington Coat Factory and Big Lots, but those anchors left in 2024‑2025, leaving the property mostly vacant.
Why. The record shows steady decline driven by anchor tenant losses (Prange Way/Younkers/Bergner's closures) and subsequent relocations. No explicit mention of debt, competition, or other causes is provided.
Where it stands. The site is currently mostly vacant and controlled by Rubloff Development Group, which has owned it since 2003 and oversaw the 2009 retrofit.
For a planner
- Precedent: conversion of an enclosed mall to an open‑air plaza.
- Policy tools used are not stated in the record.
- Open questions: what future use or redevelopment is viable after recent anchor exits?
- Need to assess zoning, land‑use compatibility, and community input for next steps.
For a developer
- Site size: 581,883 sq ft GLA (large footprint).
- Control: single owner (Rubloff Development Group) since 2003.
- Entitlement stage: retrofit already built (2009); no further entitlements noted.
- Constraints from context layers (flood, transit, environment) are not detailed in the record.
- Market signals from tract data are not provided.
What we do not know yet
- Exact current vacancy rate and condition of structures are unknown.
- Reasons behind anchor closures (e.g., lease terms, market shifts) are not specified.
- Potential environmental, flood, or transit constraints are not described.
- Any existing debt, liens, or financial encumbrances on the property are not mentioned.
- The opp_score of 0.0 indicates low perceived opportunity due to the retrofit already being built and the large site size.
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.
Similar sites
- Prestonwood Mall, Dallas, TX · Malls · similar GLA (462,277 sq ft); opened 1979; closed 2004
- Century Plaza, Birmingham, AL · Malls · similar GLA (740,000 sq ft); opened 1975; closed 2009
- Wayne Towne Center, Wayne, NJ · Malls · similar GLA (653,000 sq ft); opened 1974; closed 2008
- Twin Peaks, Longmont, CO · Malls · similar GLA (555,919 sq ft); opened 1985; same strategy: redevelop
Elsewhere on the web
Retail history: Machesney Park Mall on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and city; nothing copied here
Pages with photos
- Machesney Park Mall grows its space as malls adapt to the evolving ... youtube.com
- Machesney Park Mall; Machesney Park, Illinois - Labelscar: The Retail History Blog labelscar.com
- Machesney Park Mall - Parking Lot - Before & After flickr.com
- Machesney Park Mall Visiting The Jasper Mall | RobOHara.com fity.club
- Trip to the Mall: FLASHBACK: Machesney … triptothemall.blogspot.com
- Who remembers going to mache… reddit.com
Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar
Multifamily screen
- retrofit already built
- closed or demolished site (sourced)
- 581,883 sq ft GLA (large site)
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
| Opened | 1978Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2008extracted, unreviewed documentedBy 2008, its enclosed portion had closed; the site was later redeveloped as an open-air shopping plaza anchored by Burlington Coat Factory and Big Lots. |
| Gross leasable area | 581,883 sq ftEsri 2014 layer reported |
| Stores at peak | 15Esri 2014 layer reported |
| Original developer | Melvin Simon and Associates (now Simon Property Group)extracted, unreviewed |
| Anchors | Burlington Coat Factory, JCPenney, Kohl's, Bergner's, Seventh Ave., Big Lots, Prange Way, H. C. Prange |
| Address | N. Second St. & Harlem Rd. |
| County | Winnebago |
| Census division | 3 · East North Central |
| Notes | Wikipedia categories: Defunct shopping malls in the United States |
Not yet recorded: acres. Know it? Tell us.
Background
Machesney Park Mall was a shopping mall in Machesney Park, Illinois, a village in the Rockford, Illinois metropolitan area. Developed by Melvin Simon and Associates on the site of the former Machesney Airport, the mall declined steadily from the 1990s onward as anchor tenants closed or relocated. By 2008, its enclosed portion had closed; the site was later redeveloped as an open-air shopping plaza anchored by Burlington Coat Factory and Big Lots. That effort largely failed: Big Lots closed in 2024 amid bankruptcy, and Burlington Coat Factory relocated in 2025, leaving the site without retailers.
Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.
Timeline
- 1978 Opened (Wikidata)
- 1978 Mall opened
- 1990 Prange Way closed and replaced by Phar-Mor
- 1992 H. C. Prange acquired by Younkers
- 1996 Younkers closed stores, replaced by Bergner's
- 2003 Acquired by Rubloff Development Group
- 2008 Enclosed portion closed
- 2009 Burlington Coat Factory opened
- 2024 Big Lots closed due to bankruptcy
- 2025 Burlington Coat Factory announced move out
Sources
- Wikipedia: Machesney Park Mall · supports: after notes, original developer, status, strategy, year closed
14 quoted sentences
By 2008, its enclosed portion had closed; the site was later redeveloped as an open-air shopping plaza anchored by Burlington Coat Factory and Big Lots.
Developed by Melvin Simon and Associates (now Simon Property Group).
This move left the former mall with no retailers, leaving it mostly vacant.
This move left the former mall with no retailers, leaving it mostly vacant.
- Esri StoryMaps: Closed_US_Malls feature layer (2014) · 2014-10-02
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