Malls · Illinois

Park Forest Plaza

From the authors' mapRedevelopedPartly retrofittedPark Forest, IL

Opened 1949. Closed 1996. Partial Redeveloped in 2001.

Status nowPartly retrofittedpublic sources reported

What it becamehousing, retail, civic, entertainmentextracted, unreviewed reported

Retrofit year2001authors' map reported

Walkability16.5 of 20 · 15-minute 5 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap

Rail within 800 mNo · Opportunity ZoneOpenStreetMap, HUD

Ask who owns this Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this record

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.

Map view. No verified photo yet. Send one.

Site profile20 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors

Marshall Field's

This site: Marshall Field's wikipedia · all sites with this

Sears

This site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this

Place

15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)

This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this

County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012

This site: -11% census-cbp · all sites with this

County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a year

This 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 m

This site: 1 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this

High heat wave risk

This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this

High social vulnerability tract (SVI ≥ 0.75)

This site: 0.85 cdc-svi · all sites with this

High tornado risk

This site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this

Lower-income tract (< $50k)

This site: $41,250 census-acs · all sites with this

Opportunity Zone

This site: 17031830300 hud-oz · all sites with this

Renter-majority tract

This site: 55% census-acs · all sites with this

Shrinking county

This site: -0.7% census-acs · all sites with this

Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)

This site: …index 16.5 epa-walkability · all sites with this

Strategy

Redeveloped

This site: Partial redevelopment: civic, residential, new streets record · all sites with this

New use

Civic and government

This site: Partial redevelopment: civic, residential, new streets a senior residential community an extraction · all sites with this

Entertainment and sports

This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this

Housing

This site: Partial redevelopment: civic, residential, new streets a senior residential community and the Village extraction · all sites with this

Retail (continued)

This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

From the authors' map

IL, Park Forest: Park Forest Plaza/ Park Forest Town Center, 2001
• Partial redevelopment: civic, residential, new streets

Now

Status	Partly retrofittedpublic sources reported
Strategy	Partial Redevelopedpublic sources reported
New uses	housing, retail, civic, entertainmentextracted, unreviewed reported
What is there now	Partial redevelopment: civic, residential, new streetsauthors' map reported
Retrofit year	2001authors' map reported

Planning

Planning notes	a senior residential community and the Village Hall. Single-family homes are also being built on the outskirts of the downtown area.extracted, unreviewed reported

Site context

FEMA flood zone	no NFHL polygon at point (unmapped or outside coverage)FEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m	10: ABBOTTS AMOCO; ACCESS SOUTH COOK RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT; AMOCO, ABBOTTS; CVS PHARMACY 8512; DOLLAR GENERAL STORE 14303EPA FRS
Census tract 17031830300	5,137 people, 5,805 per sq mi; median household income $41,250; median gross rent $1,278; 55% renters; 6.9% vacant units; 5.6% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)	index 16.5 of 20; 246 intersections per sq mi; nearest transit stop 164 m; land-use mix 0.54; 93,240 jobs within 45 min by car, 11,622 by transit; 55% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)	5 of 6 daily needs: 1 grocers, 2 schools, 16 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 8 civic, 0 food and drink; 2 cycleway segments, 1 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity Zone	yes, tract 17031830300 (rural)HUD
Housing permits, Cook County (IL), 2024	4,853 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 0.85; socioeconomic 0.70; housing and transport 0.52; 43% below 150% of poverty; 8% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby	1 within 10 km, 7 within 25 km: Lincoln Mall (4.6 km)computed
Overture Maps	no place match; building footprint 2,621 m², 18.1 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Attention: Wikipedia page views	20,528 since 2015; 1,477 in the last 12 months (-16% vs the prior 12); peak 2018-04 with 315Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023	population +5% (4,886 → 5,137); median income +39% ($29,771 → $41,250); renters 49% → 56%; median home value n/aCensus ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)	relatively moderate overall (score 76.1); expected annual loss $2.0M; high: tornado, heat wave, cold wave; community resilience relatively highFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km	2 LIHTC properties, 174 units: Park Forest Senior Living Center (95 units); Park Forest Senior Supportive Housing (79 units)HUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)	213,302 jobs in 12,604 establishments; average annual pay $43,743; employment location quotient 0.83; employment -0.6% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 2022	707 jobs; 59 in retail trade, 11 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 17031830300)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)	children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 37th income percentile as adults; 3.1% incarcerated at the 2010 count (865 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)	not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 20.2%; median family income $49,015; 414 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
Schools	Rich Township High School District 227 (09-12); 4 public schools within 1 mile: Blackhawk Primary Center; Mohawk Primary Center; Michelle Obama Sch of Technology; 21st Century Primary CenterNCES EDGE
Elevation	718 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025	1,091 county-logged events: 620 thunderstorm wind, 164 hail, 133 flood, 82 flash flood; $1,049,471,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 60466, 2026-09	median list price $164,450 (+1.7% on the year); 128 active listings; median 38 days on market; 22% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023	13,577 establishments (-11%); 214,575 jobs (-4%)Census CBP
Housing market in the county	typical 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, 2025	158 (2000 = 100), +84% 5 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)	14,663 vehicles a day on Western Ave (minor arterial, 4 lanes); 6 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Similar sites

Northgate Mall, Seattle, WA · Malls · opened 1950; same strategy: redevelop
St Charles Mall, St Charles, IL · Malls · closed 1995; same strategy: redevelop; also in IL
Ballston Commons, Arlington, VA · Malls · opened 1951; same strategy: redevelop
Shoppers World, Framingham, MA · Malls · opened 1951; closed 1994; same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

Retail history: Park Forest Plaza on DeadMalls.com photos, field notes and visitor memories since 2000; matched by name and city; nothing copied here

Pages with photos

Park Forest Plaza, Park Forest IL | mdcap09 | Flickr flickr.com
The History Of the Park Forest Plaza Shopping Center in Park Forest Illinois youtube.com

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

retrofit already built
housing in the record

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

Now called / also known as	Park Forest Town Center
Opened	1949extracted, unreviewed
Closed	1996extracted, unreviewed documented The center subsequently survived until 1996 when Field's closed and Sears moved to the nearby Lincoln Mall. en.wikipedia.org
Original developer	Philip M. Klutznickextracted, unreviewed documented The center was developed by Philip M. Klutznick (1907–1999) en.wikipedia.org
Architect	Loebl, Schlossman and Bennett
Anchors	Sears, Marshall Field's, Goldblatt's
County	Cook County
Census division	3 · East North Central

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Park Forest Plaza was a shopping center located in the planned community of Park Forest, Illinois, United States, that opened in 1949. The center was developed by Philip M. Klutznick (1907–1999), who was also a prominent leader in the national Jewish community and later served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under 39th President Jimmy Carter. The architects were Loebl, Schlossman and Bennett.

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

Timeline

1949 Opened
1996 Closed
2001 Retrofit: redevelop

Sources

Wikipedia · supports: original developer, year closed, year opened
5 quoted sentences
opened in 1949
The center subsequently survived until 1996 when Field's closed and Sears moved to the nearby Lincoln Mall.
The center was developed by Philip M. Klutznick (1907–1999)
opened in 1949
Retrofitting Suburbia Interactive Mall Map (ArcGIS web map ce33ab26…) · 2021-01-20
ArcGIS Online · 2022

Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Park Forest Plaza, Park Forest, IL." Record m-78eb321b1e, from the authors' map. Built on the public Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/il/park-forest-park-forest-plaza/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

BibTeX

@misc{retrofitatlas_parkforestparkforestplaza,
  title = {Park Forest Plaza, Park Forest, IL},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/il/park-forest-park-forest-plaza/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-78eb321b1e, release 2026.10.20, tier: curated. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}

How to cite, versioning