Retrofit Atlas

Malls · West Virginia

Charleston Town Center

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedReinhabitedPartly retrofittedCharleston, WV

Partial retrofit underway (2006), retail decline, housing permits rising, county population shrinking, 13 stores operating as of Sept 2026. · summary, model-written

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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.

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Site profile18 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
JCPenneyThis site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with this
Kaufmann'sThis site: Kaufmann's wikipedia · all sites with this
Montgomery WardThis site: Montgomery Ward wikipedia · all sites with this
SearsThis site: Sears wikipedia · all sites with this
Place
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 71,000 on I64E fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -19% census-cbp · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: I64E fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -4.0% census-acs · all sites with this
Policy tool
Public grant or loanThis site: …federal funding BrickStreet Insurance would locate its offices in the forme newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: BrickStreet Insurance would locate its offices in the former Montgomery Ward space, and half of the food court was closed and converted into state government… record · all sites with this
ReinhabitedThis site: BrickStreet Insurance would locate its offices in the former Montgomery Ward space, and half of the food court was closed and converted into state government… record · all sites with this
New use
Civic and governmentThis site: half of the food court was closed and converted into state government offices. television station WOWK sub-leased some unused spa newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Entertainment and sportsThis site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
HotelThis site: Sears would be demolished for a freestanding Hilton-branded hotel. The Macy's anchor store was demolished in April 2024. prop newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
HousingThis site: …oposed Capital Sports Center. redeveloping the property for residential, commercial and other uses. newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Mixed useThis site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
OfficeThis site: BrickStreet Insurance would locate its offices in the former Montgomery Ward space, and half of the food c newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Retail (continued)This site: …new_use field newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusPartly retrofittednewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyPartial Redeveloped · ReinhabitedWikipedia no source
New usescivic, entertainment, hotel, housing, mixed, office, other, retailWikipedia no source
What is there nowBrickStreet Insurance would locate its offices in the former Montgomery Ward space, and half of the food court was closed and converted into state government offices. television station WOWK sub-leased some unused space in the BrickStreet area to relocate its TV studio. the former Sears would be demolished for a freestanding Hilton-branded hotel. The Macy's anchor store was demolished in April…newtypes-extraction reported
Retrofit year2006newtypes-extraction reported
RedeveloperHull Property Groupnewtypes-extraction reported

Planning

Public purchase or subsidyfederal fundingnewtypes-extraction reported

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
2019Sold—U.S. BancorpWikipedia

Securitised debt and public filers

Filings (2001 to date) that name “Charleston Town Center” and “Charleston” (182 hits, first 100 sampled, 7 other filers such as tenants left out). Only weak matches to commercial-mortgage trusts: the mall may have backed a securitised loan, or may just be mentioned in the filing; several trusts usually means one loan split into pari-passu notes. Earliest trust filing in the sample 2007-11-09 (a sample date, not the issuance date); candidate loan vintage 2007 from the trust name (weak match). Whether the loan is still in the pool, in special servicing or repaid is in the trust's monthly distribution reports, which are not searchable here. Text matches, not a title search. Open the search · all trusts.

KindFilerFilingsDatesForms
CMBS trust (weak)Bear Stearns Commercial Mortgage Securities Trust 2007-TOP2812007-11-09 to 2007-11-098-K 1
Public owner (strong)FOREST CITY ENTERPRISES INC202002-04-26 to 2015-02-248-K 19, 10-K 1
Public owner (strong)Forest City Realty Trust, Inc.142016-02-23 to 2018-10-308-K 10, 10-Q 3, 10-K 1

Site context

Housing permits, Kanawha County (WV), 20240 units in 5+ unit buildings, 0 in 2–4, 98 single-family; 2023: 0 in 5+Census BPS
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)9,391 jobs in 685 establishments; average annual pay $40,379; employment location quotient 0.99; employment -2.7% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 202214,351 jobs; 614 in retail trade, 939 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 54039000900)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 34th income percentile as adults; 3.4% incarcerated at the 2010 count (179 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 56.7%; 321 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsKanawha County School District (PK-12); 1 public school within 1 mile: GARNET CAREER CENTERNCES EDGE
Elevation594 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025454 county-logged events: 250 thunderstorm wind, 73 flash flood, 66 flood, 53 hail; $71,218,250 property damage reported; 6 direct deaths; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 25301, 2026-09median list price $189,203 (+3.0% on the year); 9 active listings; median 100 days on market; 0% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023613 establishments (-19%); 9,449 jobs (-18%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $151,294 (+1% 1 yr, +26% 5 yr); typical rent $1,238/mo (+3% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)71,000 vehicles a day on I64E (Interstate, 6 lanes); 9,089 trucks; 32 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Charleston Town Center opened in 1983, closed for indoor shopping in 2027. Retrofit began in 2006 under Hull Property Group, converting portions to offices (BrickStreet Insurance, state government), TV studio space, and demolishing anchors (Sears for Hilton, Macy’s in 2024).

Why. Partial conversion ongoing: 13 stores operating as of Sept 2026. Retail establishments declined 19% (2012–2023), with housing permits rising (98 units in 2024). County population shrank 4% (2018–2023).

Where it stands. Proposed Capital Sports Center with federal funding. No new retail tenants noted; focus shifted to civic, housing, and office uses. County population decline and existing retrofit limit new opportunities.

For a planner

  • Retail job loss (18% decline)
  • Housing permits increasing
  • County population decline noted

For a developer

  • Existing retrofit (2006) reduces new construction opportunity
  • Federal funding for Capital Sports Center may influence future use
  • Macy’s demolition (2024) removed major anchor

What we do not know yet

  • No current tenant count beyond 13 stores
  • Exact timeline for Capital Sports Center unclear
  • Federal funding status unknown

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) 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.

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  • Echelon Mall, Voorhees, NJ · Malls · closed 2024; same strategy: redevelop, reinhabit
  • Fashion Mall, Plantation, FL · Malls · opened 1988; same strategy: redevelop
  • Fairlane Town Center, Dearborn, MI · Malls · opened 1976; same strategy: reinhabit

Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • county shrank -4.0% 2018–23
  • 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

Opened1983newtypes-extraction
Closed2027newtypes-extraction reported
Original developerForest City Enterprises and Cafaro Companynewtypes-extraction reported
AnchorsJCPenney, Sears, Montgomery Ward, Kaufmann's
CountyKanawha County
Census division5 · South Atlantic
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: Charleston Town Center, a dying mall, has seen portions converted to office and civic uses, with anchors demolished for a proposed hotel and sports center, and the city proposing a full redevelopment for housing and mixed uses.

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

Background

Charleston Town Center is an enclosed shopping mall in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. One of the largest enclosed malls in the United States to be located in a downtown shopping district, it has comprised more than 130 tenants on two levels at its peak, in addition to food court on a partial third level. As of September 2026, there are 13 stores still operating there. In October 2026, it was announced that the mall will be closing for indoor shopping by the summer of 2027. Several vacancies in later years have led to conversion of large portions into office space. Popular full-service restaurants include Chili's Bar & Grill, and Outback Steakhouse.

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

Timeline

  1. 1983 Opened
  2. 2001 Montgomery Ward closed
  3. 2002 portion of Montgomery Ward converted to Steve & Barry's
  4. 2006 Montgomery Ward space converted to offices for BrickStreet Insurance and state government offices
  5. 2006 Retrofit: redevelop, reinhabit
  6. 2011 WOWK TV studio relocated to unused space
  7. 2017 Sears announced closure
  8. 2019 Mall sold at auction to U.S. Bancorp; Macy's closed
  9. 2024 Macy's anchor store demolished
  10. 2026 City negotiating for municipal ownership; Federal funding for Capital Sports Center; Mall announced for closure
  11. 2027 Closed

Sources

  • Charleston Town Center · CC BY-SA 4.0
    9 quoted sentences
    Charleston Town Center
    The Montgomery Ward closed as part of its chain's bankruptcy and liquidation in 2001.
    a portion of the space was converted to a Steve & Barry's clothing store in 2002.
    by 2006, it was announced that BrickStreet Insurance would locate its offices in the former Montgomery Ward space, and half of the food court was closed and converted into state government offices.

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