# Southtown Mall

Fort Wayne, IN · mall · tier: draft · Retrofit Atlas record `m-c56537e7df` · release 2026-10-20

Canonical: https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/in/fort-wayne-southtown-mall/  
JSON: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-c56537e7df.json · Provenance: https://retrofitatlas.org/data/records/m-c56537e7df.provenance.json · API: https://retrofitatlas.org/api/v1/sites/m-c56537e7df

## 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 | Menards and Walmart stores | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Opened | 1969 | reported · Wikipedia |
| Closed | 2003 | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Retrofit year | 2006 | reported · model extraction, unreviewed |
| Original developer | Melvin Simon & Associates | documented · model extraction, unreviewed |

## Quoted support

- **year_closed**: “The mall closed on February 1, 2003, when the last of its tenants were evicted.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southtown_Mall
- **original_developer**: “Melvin Simon & Associates, the mall's developers” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southtown_Mall
- **after_notes**: “In 2006, a Menards home improvement store opened on the site. It was followed later in the year by Walmart.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southtown_Mall
- **status**: “the mall was demolished that same year.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southtown_Mall
- **strategy**: “The mall was demolished for new development including a Walmart and Menards.” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southtown_Mall

## Anchors

Service Merchandise, JCPenney, Sears, Montgomery Ward, Wolf & Dessauer

## Parties

- Melvin Simon & Associates — owner (from text) (1969–1999)
- Heywood Whichard — owner (from text) (1999–)
- City of Fort Wayne — owner (from text) (2004–)

## Timeline

- 1969: Opened (Wikidata)
- 1969: Opened
- 1982: Expanded with new wing featuring Sears and Service Merchandise
- 1983: Kohl's opened in former Montgomery Ward location
- 1991: L. S. Ayres announced store closure
- 1992: Mall put up for sale
- 1998: Second attempt to sell the mall
- 1999: Heywood Whichard purchased the mall
- 2003: Mall closed
- 2004: City acquired via eminent domain and mall demolished
- 2006: Menards and Walmart opened on site

## Deals and debt

- 2004 sale:  City of Fort Wayne ← Heywood Whichard  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southtown_Mall
- 1999 sale:  Heywood Whichard ← Melvin Simon & Associates  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southtown_Mall

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

Southtown Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Opened in 1969, it closed in 2003 due to declining traffic. Anchor stores once included JCPenney, Montgomery Ward, Wolf & Dessauer, Sears, and Service Merchandise. The mall was demolished for new development including a Walmart and Menards.

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

## Sources

- Quoted support for year_closed — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southtown_Mall

## Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Southtown Mall, Fort Wayne, IN." Record m-c56537e7df, release 2026-10-20, tier draft. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/in/fort-wayne-southtown-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

```bibtex
@misc{retrofitatlas_fortwaynesouthtownmall,
  title = {Southtown Mall, Fort Wayne, IN},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/in/fort-wayne-southtown-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-c56537e7df, 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.