# Machesney Park Mall

Machesney Park, IL · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-69c5160370` · release 2026-10-21

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/il/machesney-park-machesney-park-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-69c5160370.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-69c5160370.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-69c5160370

## Facts

| Field | Value | Provenance |
|---|---|---|
| Status | closed | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Strategy | redevelop | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| New use | retail, office, other | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| What is there now | mostly vacant | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1978 | reported · Wikipedia |
| Closed | 2008 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2009 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| GLA (sq ft) | 581883 | reported · Esri 2014 layer |
| Stores at peak | 15 | reported · Esri 2014 layer |
| Original developer | Melvin Simon and Associates (now Simon Property Group) | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Redeveloper | Rubloff Development Group | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_closed**: “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.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machesney_Park_Mall
- **original_developer**: “Developed by Melvin Simon and Associates (now Simon Property Group).” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machesney_Park_Mall
- **after_notes**: “This move left the former mall with no retailers, leaving it mostly vacant.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machesney_Park_Mall
- **status**: “This move left the former mall with no retailers, leaving it mostly vacant.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machesney_Park_Mall
- **strategy**: “Since being acquired by Rubloff Development Group in December 2003, the mall has been undergoing internal demolition in preparation for redevelopment.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machesney_Park_Mall

## Anchors

Burlington Coat Factory, JCPenney, Kohl's, Bergner's, Seventh Ave., Big Lots, Prange Way, H. C. Prange

## Parties

- Rubloff Development Group — owner (from text) (2003–)
- Melvin Simon and Associates (now Simon Property Group) — owner (from text) (1978–2003)

## 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

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

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.

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

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_closed — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machesney_Park_Mall
- Esri StoryMaps: Closed_US_Malls feature layer (2014) — https://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=6869fc5bfb3f4757954ef7a9e9ccbebf (2014-10-02)

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Machesney Park Mall, Machesney Park, IL." Record m-69c5160370, release 2026-10-21, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/il/machesney-park-machesney-park-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-21).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_machesneyparkmachesneyparkmall,
  title = {Machesney Park Mall, Machesney Park, IL},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/il/machesney-park-machesney-park-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-69c5160370, release 2026-10-21, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-21}
}
```

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.