Belvidere Discount Mall
Belvidere Discount Mall is a long-running enclosed shopping center in Waukegan, Illinois, known for adapting its tenant mix from traditional department-store retail to family-owned, Hispanic-oriented businesses and community-oriented events.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Belvidere Discount Mall is an enclosed shopping center on Belvidere Street in Waukegan, Illinois. Opened on November 18, 1965, it was the first enclosed shopping mall in Lake County and one of the earlier enclosed retail centers in the Chicago metropolitan area. The original complex contained approximately 300,000 square feet and 35 stores, with Montgomery Ward serving as its principal anchor. Montgomery Ward had previously operated in downtown Waukegan, and its move to the new mall helped establish Belvidere as a major suburban retail destination. The mall initially benefited from the growth of enclosed shopping centers and department-store retail. Its competitive position weakened after the opening of the substantially larger Lakehurst Mall nearby in 1971. Montgomery Ward eventually relocated from Belvidere to Lakehurst in 1988, leaving the center without its principal anchor. The anchor space remained vacant for roughly seven years before Builders Square occupied it in 1995. Home Depot replaced Builders Square around 2000 and remains the mall's principal anchor store. Belvidere underwent renovations in 1985 and 1998. Imperial Realty acquired the property from its original owners, Landuau & Heyman Inc., in the fall of 1985. The 1998 renovation was associated with the adoption of the name Belvidere Discount Mall, reflecting the center's shift away from the conventional department-store mall model. Rather than competing directly with larger regional malls, the property developed a more localized retail identity. The current tenant mix is distinct from that of other major Lake County shopping centers such as Gurnee Mills and Hawthorn Mall. With Home Depot as the principal exception, tenants are described as family-owned, and many are Hispanic-owned or Hispanic-oriented. This gives the center a neighborhood and small-business character, with retail offerings shaped by local entrepreneurs and community demand rather than by a uniform national chain strategy. The property has also broadened its use of vacant retail areas and common spaces. Beginning in 2019, the mall increasingly welcomed Waukegan artists and creators, including vendor fairs and pop-up shops. These activities extended the center's role beyond conventional shopping and provided temporary platforms for local commerce, art, and community gatherings. A cinema was part of the mall's history. Belvidere Cinema opened on January 21, 1966, as a single-screen, 1,000-seat theater operated by General Cinema Corporation. It was later twinned in the early 1980s, closed in 1989, and reopened in 1991 as a four-screen discount-theater complex. The operation later became associated with the Village Theaters chain, but it closed at the end of 2003. After years of limited use, the theater space hosted public tours and art exhibitions in 2019 and 2020. Since November 2021, it has operated as Belvidere Cinema Gallery, a do-it-yourself cultural venue presenting monthly revival and independent film screenings, local art exhibitions, and occasional live music. Belvidere Discount Mall's history illustrates how an older enclosed mall can remain active after losing its original department-store anchor. Its continuing identity rests on adaptive reuse, a locally rooted and culturally specific tenant base, the presence of Home Depot, and community-oriented programming.
History
Belvidere Mall opened in Waukegan, Illinois, on November 18, 1965. It was Lake County's first enclosed shopping mall and opened with 35 stores across approximately 300,000 square feet. Montgomery Ward, relocated from downtown Waukegan, served as the original anchor. A single-screen cinema with 1,000 seats opened within the mall on January 21, 1966, showing Do Not Disturb as its first feature. The center initially prospered, but the opening of the larger Lakehurst Mall in 1971 created a substantial competitive challenge. Belvidere's position deteriorated further when Montgomery Ward moved its Lake County operation to Lakehurst in 1988. The vacant anchor space was eventually occupied by Builders Square in 1995 and later by Home Depot around 2000. Imperial Realty acquired the mall from Landuau & Heyman Inc. in the fall of 1985. The property was renovated in 1985 and again in 1998. Following the later renovation, it was renamed Belvidere Discount Mall. This change reflected a broader repositioning from a conventional department-store-centered mall toward value retail and a tenant base driven by local businesses. The cinema was twinned in the early 1980s, closed in 1989, and reopened in 1991 as a four-screen discount-theater miniplex. In 2002 it became part of the Village Theaters chain alongside the reopened Lakehurst Cinemas, but the Belvidere operation closed at the end of 2003. The space later hosted public tours and art exhibitions in 2019 and 2020. Since November 2021 it has operated as Belvidere Cinema Gallery, a do-it-yourself venue for revival and independent screenings, local art, and occasional live music. In its current form, the mall differs from larger Lake County shopping destinations by emphasizing family-owned tenants. Most tenants are described as Hispanic-owned or Hispanic-oriented, while Home Depot remains the principal national anchor. Since 2019, the property has also supported Waukegan's creative community by offering vacant spaces and concourses for vendor fairs and pop-up events. Its history is therefore defined by adaptation: after losing its original department-store anchor and commercial cinema, it retained activity through a locally specific retail mix, a home-improvement anchor, and flexible community and cultural uses.
- 2021
Belvidere Cinema Gallery launches
[1]The former theater space begins operating as a DIY venue for independent and revival films, art exhibitions, and occasional live performances.
- 2019
Community and creative programming expands
[1]Vacant areas and concourses begin hosting Waukegan artists, vendor fairs, and pop-up shops.
- 2003
Commercial cinema operations end
[1]Village Theaters closes its Belvidere operation at the end of the year.
- 2000
Home Depot replaces Builders Square
[1]Home Depot becomes the principal anchor in the former department-store space.
- 1998
The center is renamed Belvidere Discount Mall
[1]A renovation accompanies a shift toward a discount-oriented and locally focused identity.
- 1995
Builders Square fills the former anchor space
[1]After approximately seven years of vacancy, Builders Square occupies the former Montgomery Ward location.
- 1988
Montgomery Ward departs
[1]The original anchor relocates to Lakehurst Mall.
- 1985
Imperial Realty acquires the property
[1]Imperial Realty purchases the mall from Landuau & Heyman Inc.; the property also undergoes a renovation during the year.
- 1971
Lakehurst Mall opens nearby
[1]The larger competing mall places sustained pressure on Belvidere's retail performance.
- 1966
Belvidere Cinema opens
[1]A 1,000-seat single-screen cinema begins operating at the mall under General Cinema Corporation.
Products and positioning
A locally oriented discount and specialty-shopping center that combines a major home-improvement anchor with family-owned, Hispanic-oriented businesses and community programming.
Home improvement anchor · 2000
Home Depot
Home Depot occupies the former department-store anchor location and serves as the mall's principal anchor. Its presence gives the center a substantial home-improvement retail component distinct from the smaller family-owned specialty businesses elsewhere in the property.
Local retail
Family-owned specialty retail
Most mall tenants are family-owned, with many described as Hispanic-owned or Hispanic-oriented. The tenant base represents the center's localized retail model and differentiates it from larger regional malls dominated by national chains.
Cultural venue · 2021
Belvidere Cinema Gallery
The former commercial cinema operates as a do-it-yourself cultural venue presenting monthly revival and independent film screenings, local art exhibitions, and occasional live music. It represents the adaptive reuse of a formerly inactive theater space.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Waukegan artist and vendor programming
Waukegan · Lake County, Illinois
The mall began making vacant retail areas and common spaces available to local artists, creators, vendors, and pop-up businesses.
Outcome. The initiative broadened the property's role from conventional shopping center to community and creative venue.
Brand decisions
2021
Conversion of the former cinema into Belvidere Cinema GalleryOtherBackground
The theater had been commercially unused since the closure of the Village Theaters operation in 2003, although it hosted occasional tours and exhibitions in 2019 and 2020.
Action taken
The space was repurposed as a DIY venue for independent and revival films, art exhibitions, and occasional live music.
Aftermath
The former cinema became an ongoing cultural and community-use component of the mall.
1998
Repositioning as Belvidere Discount MallStrategyBackground
The mall had lost its original department-store anchor and faced competition from larger nearby shopping centers.
Action taken
Following renovation, the property adopted the Belvidere Discount Mall name and developed a more value-oriented, locally focused identity.
Aftermath
The center continued operating with a tenant mix centered on family-owned and Hispanic-oriented businesses, supported by Home Depot as its principal anchor.
Sources1 sources
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