Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Illinois

Charlestowne Mall

Imported, unreviewedStatus not verifiedSt. Charles, IL

Charlestowne Mall opened 1991, declined after Geneva Commons 2002, ownership changed multiple times, renovation plans never executed, current status unknown. · summary, model-written

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Charlestowne Mall
Interior view of a multi-level former shopping mall with glass elevator and structural beams. · verified by a vision model. Photo: Shoeshine0908, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Site profile12 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
Carson Pirie ScottThis site: Carson Pirie Scott wikipedia · all sites with this
JCPenneyThis site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with this
SearsThis site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this
Finance and pipeline
Website dead or redirectingThis site: …http://thequadstcharles.com overture / http check · all sites with this
Place
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 33,319 on North Ave (IL- 64) fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Bike network nearbyThis site: 12 ways openstreetmap · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $2,108/mo zillow · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 2 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
High tornado riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
High-income tract ($100k+)This site: $156,143 census-acs · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -2.8% census-acs · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusStatus not verifiedWikidata reported

Site context

Transit within 800 mno rail stationOpenStreetMap
FEMA flood zoneX · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m6: COST PLUS 6140; FOX HAVEN SQUARE - ST. CHARLES; NATIONAL TIRE & BATTERY #8769; PETCO STORE 1969; SEARS ROEBUCK AND COEPA FRS
Census tract 170898520042,749 people, 1,638 per sq mi; median household income $156,143; median gross rent $1,134; 14% renters; 2.3% vacant units; 1.3% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)6 of 6 daily needs: 2 grocers, 1 schools, 7 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 1 civic, 21 food and drink; 12 cycleway segments, 111 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity ZonenoHUD
Housing permits, Kane County (IL), 2024357 units in 5+ unit buildings, 34 in 2–4, 1,741 single-family; 2023: 563 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.28; socioeconomic 0.08; housing and transport 0.42; 7% below 150% of poverty; 8% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby1 within 10 km, 11 within 25 km: St Charles Mall (6.0 km)computed
Overture Mapsplace Charlestowne Mall (shopping_mall, confidence 0.77, from Foursquare, Overture); building footprint 47,668 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Website and socialthequadstcharles.com (down or redirecting, status 0)Overture / Internet Archive
Attention: Wikipedia page views102,570 since 2015; 8,205 in the last 12 months (-36% vs the prior 12); peak 2024-02 with 3,690Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023tract boundary changed between the 2010 and 2020 census; no 2013 comparisonCensus ACS
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)relatively low overall (score 43.8); expected annual loss $1.5M; high: tornado, cold wave; community resilience relatively moderateFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 kmnoneHUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)20,049 jobs in 1,220 establishments; average annual pay $39,808; employment location quotient 0.95; employment -1.6% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 20221,436 jobs; 179 in retail trade, 362 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 17089852004)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 46th income percentile as adults; 1.4% incarcerated at the 2010 count (88 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; 18% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 3.0%; median family income $163,385; 21 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsSt. Charles Community Unit School District 303 (PK-12); 2 public schools within 1 mile: Wredling Middle School; St Charles East High SchoolNCES EDGE
Elevation781 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025392 county-logged events: 262 thunderstorm wind, 74 hail, 23 tornado, 14 flood; $1,258,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 60174, 2026-09median list price $564,450 (+16.8% on the year); 61 active listings; median 31 days on market; 10% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20231,413 establishments (-4%); 24,486 jobs (+7%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $383,834 (+5% 1 yr, +35% 5 yr); typical rent $2,108/mo (+3% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2025236 (2000 = 100), +50% 5 yr, +58% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)33,319 vehicles a day on North Ave (IL- 64) (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 2,300 trucks; 20 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Charlestowne Mall opened in August 1991 with anchors Kohl's, JCPenney, Sears, and Carson's, and added a Regal Cinemas theater in 1999. The mall began losing tenants in the 21st century due to its size, location, and the opening of nearby Geneva Commons in 2002, despite multiple ownership changes and announced renovation plans that were never carried out. Its current status is listed as unknown.

Why. The record cites the mall's large size, its location, and competition from the 2002 opening of Geneva Commons as reasons for its decline, along with repeated ownership turnover and unimplemented renovation plans.

Where it stands. The site's status is unknown and the current controlling owner is not specified in the record.

For a planner

  • Precedent: similar malls declined after new regional competition (e.g., Geneva Commons).
  • Policy tools: none explicitly mentioned in the record.
  • Open questions: who owns the site now, what zoning or entitlements exist, and what reuse options are feasible.

For a developer

  • Site size: 850,000 sq ft GLA (large parcel).
  • Control: ownership unclear from the record.
  • Entitlement stage: not stated; no mention of approved plans or permits.
  • Context constraints: no flood, transit, or environmental data provided.
  • Market signals: St. Charles County population shrank -2.8% 2018‑2023; median rent $1,404.

What we do not know yet

  • Current ownership and control are unknown.
  • Present occupancy/vacancy status is not given.
  • No information on environmental hazards, flood risk, or transit access.
  • Entitlement status and any existing development agreements are unspecified.
  • The record is marked as 'draft' and verified status is uncertain.

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

  • Savannah Mall, Savannah, GA · Malls · similar GLA (962,529 sq ft); opened 1990
  • City Center, Columbus, OH · Malls · similar GLA (958,000 sq ft); opened 1989
  • Bellevue Mall, Nashville, TN · Malls · similar GLA (844,124 sq ft); opened 1990
  • Eastland Mall, Tulsa, OK · Malls · similar GLA (700,684 sq ft); opened 1986

Elsewhere on the web

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

Pages with photos

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

Multifamily screen

  • 850,000 sq ft GLA (large site)
  • county shrank -2.8% 2018–23
  • median rent $1,404

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

Opened1991Wikidata
Gross leasable area850,000 sq ftEsri 2014 layer reported
Stores at peak130Esri 2014 layer reported
AnchorsJCPenney, Sears, Carson Pirie Scott, Von Maur, Kohl's, Regal Cinemas
AddressKirk Rd. & North Ave.
CountyKane
Census division3 · East North Central
NotesWikipedia categories: Abandoned shopping malls in the United States

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

Background

Charlestowne Mall was a shopping mall located in St. Charles, Illinois, United States. It was the second mall to serve the city after St. Charles Mall. Built by Wilmorite Properties, Charlestowne Mall opened for business in August 1991. Its original anchor stores were Kohl's, JCPenney, Sears, and Carson's. Regal Cinemas added a movie theater in 1999 which was sold to Classic Cinemas two years later, while JCPenney closed in 2000 and was converted in 2001 to Von Maur. The mall began experiencing a decline in tenancy in the 21st century due to its size, its location, and the opening of Geneva Commons in Geneva, Illinois in 2002. Although Wilmorite sold most of its shopping malls to Macerich in 2005, Charlestowne Mall was not included in the sale; it then changed ownership multiple times, with many of the following owners announcing plans to renovate it. None of these plans were executed, and many stores closed over time, including Sears in 2011 and Kohl's in 2016. The mall was entirely closed in 2017 except for the movie theater, Von Maur, and Carson's, which itself closed a year later. The vacant mall is owned by Urban Street Group.

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

Timeline

  1. 1991 Opened (Wikidata)

Sources

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