Dayton Mall
Dayton Mall is a large enclosed shopping center in Miami Township, Ohio, south of Dayton.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Dayton Mall is a regional shopping center in Miami Township, Montgomery County, Ohio, approximately ten miles south of downtown Dayton. It stands near the junction of Interstate 75 and Interstate 675, between Centerville and Miamisburg, and has served the Dayton metropolitan area since its grand opening in 1970. The property was developed by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and was promoted at opening as the largest shopping mall built between New York City and Chicago. Its original tenant plan included more than 100 stores, major department-store anchors, specialty retailers, restaurants, a supermarket, and an attached cinema. The mall's anchor history reflects the consolidation and restructuring of American department-store retail. Its original anchors included J. C. Penney, Sears, and Rike's. Rike's was subsequently merged into Shillito–Rike's, later became Lazarus, adopted the Lazarus-Macy's name in 2003, and became Macy's in 2005. J. C. Penney moved from its original west-end location to a larger store near the main entrance during a mid-1990s expansion. The former J. C. Penney building later housed McAlpin's and Elder-Beerman. Elder-Beerman closed in 2018 after the bankruptcy of its parent company, The Bon-Ton, while Sears closed later that year as part of a national store-closing program. Dayton Mall underwent substantial renovations in 1984 and 1995–1996. These projects remodeled the east and west concourses, improved the two-level main entrance, and added or upgraded a mezzanine food court. A later expansion created The Village at Dayton Mall, an approximately 97,000-square-foot open-air lifestyle component along Ohio State Route 725. Dedicated in 2007, the addition brought roughly 25 tenants and increased the overall complex to more than 1.3 million leasable square feet. The property has also accommodated entertainment, food-service, furniture, apparel, sporting-goods, beauty, and off-price retail concepts as tenant patterns changed. The center's current tenant mix includes Macy's and JCPenney as traditional department-store anchors, Crossroads Dayton in the former Sears location, and junior anchors such as Dick's Sporting Goods, DSW, Guitar Center, H&M, Kirkland's, LensCrafters, Morris Home Furniture, Ross Dress for Less, and Ulta Beauty. Macy's also introduced a Macy's Backstage off-price store within its Dayton Mall location in 2018. A former Elder-Beerman anchor remains associated with redevelopment activity and was sold in 2025 to an entity connected with Industrial Commercial Properties. Ownership and management have changed several times. Washington Prime Group acquired the mall in 1997 and remained associated with the property through a period of anchor closures, redevelopment planning, and financial distress. Management and leasing were transferred to Spinoso Real Estate Group around late 2021 on behalf of Washington Prime Group's lenders. In October 2025, Hull Property Group announced that it had acquired Dayton Mall through Washington Prime Group's Chapter 11 bankruptcy receivership. The mall continues to function as a major regional retail and community destination, although its role increasingly combines conventional shopping with restaurants, services, entertainment, lifestyle uses, and non-retail anchors.
History
Dayton Mall was announced in 1969 by the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and officially opened in 1970 in Miami Township, south of Dayton, Ohio. Its location beside major interstate routes gave it a broad regional catchment area. The original scheme contained more than 100 stores and was anchored by J. C. Penney, Sears, and Rike's. It also included smaller department stores, specialty chains, restaurants, a supermarket, automobile-service outparcels, and a single-screen cinema. Developers described it as the largest mall constructed between New York City and Chicago at the time. The center expanded and modernized as suburban retail patterns changed. A 1984 renovation remodeled the east and west concourses, improved the principal entrance, and added a mezzanine food court. The mall's cinema program also grew: additional screens opened on the mezzanine in 1972 and 1976, while a later group of screens opened in 1982 with exterior entrances. These theaters closed in stages between 1993 and 2001, and much of the former cinema area was reused or enclosed. Rike's underwent a sequence of corporate name changes. Federated Department Stores merged it with Shillito's in 1982, producing Shillito–Rike's. The store became Lazarus in 1986, adopted the Lazarus-Macy's identity in 2003, and became Macy's in 2005. During the 1995–1996 renovation, J. C. Penney moved from the west end of the mall to a larger location near the former main entrance. Its original building subsequently housed McAlpin's and then Elder-Beerman. After the renovation, Dayton Mall had nearly 150 retailers under one roof and remained one of southwestern Ohio's largest enclosed shopping centers. The property changed ownership in 1997 when Washington Prime Group acquired it. New retail and entertainment uses continued to replace older concepts. DSW opened in 2000, while the former supermarket area was successively used by Morrison's, Sadie's Buffet & Grill, and Discovery Zone. Linens 'n Things replaced Discovery Zone in 2001. In 2006–2007, competition from The Greene Town Center and other suburban developments prompted Washington Prime Group to add The Village at Dayton Mall, a 97,000-square-foot open-air lifestyle component with approximately 25 tenants. The overall complex reached more than 1.3 million leasable square feet. Tenant changes accelerated during the 2010s. DSW moved into The Village in 2012, and Dick's Sporting Goods was announced for space associated with the former DSW and f.y.e. locations. The mall hosted the first United States retail installation of a Shapify Booth in 2014, offering customer-specific 3D figurines. Sears Holdings transferred the Sears property to Seritage Growth Properties in 2015. A 2017 escalator prank video filmed at the mall became an internet meme, although it was not a corporate campaign or formal mall promotion. Department-store contraction then reshaped the property. Elder-Beerman closed in August 2018 after Bon-Ton's bankruptcy, and Sears closed in November of the same year. Ross Dress for Less later occupied the former H.H. Gregg space, while Macy's added a Macy's Backstage off-price department in 2018. Plans for The RoomPlace were ultimately abandoned in favor of a Morris Home Furniture showroom. Washington Prime Group bought the former Elder-Beerman property in 2019 and considered redevelopment. Around late 2021, leasing and management were transferred to Spinoso Real Estate Group on behalf of Washington Prime Group's lenders. Crossroads purchased the former Sears site in 2022 and converted it into a large worship facility, with construction beginning in 2024 and a grand opening in April 2025. The former Elder-Beerman property was sold in 2025 to an entity associated with Industrial Commercial Properties. In October 2025, Hull Property Group announced its acquisition of Dayton Mall from Washington Prime Group's Chapter 11 bankruptcy receivership. The mall's current identity therefore combines traditional enclosed retail with lifestyle, dining, furniture, entertainment, and community uses.
- 2025
Crossroads Dayton opens
[1]Crossroads held its grand opening in the converted Sears location on April 20.
- 2025
Hull Property Group acquisition
[1]Hull Property Group announced its acquisition of the mall through Washington Prime Group's bankruptcy receivership.
- 2022
Crossroads purchases former Sears site
[1]Crossroads announced plans to establish a large Dayton-area worship facility in the former Sears building.
- 2018
Macy's Backstage opens
[1]Macy's added a 12,900-square-foot off-price Backstage operation inside its mall store.
- 2018
Elder-Beerman and Sears close
[1]Two long-standing department-store anchors closed during a period of national retail and corporate restructuring.
- 2014
Shapify Booth retail debut
[1]Doppelganger Laboratories opened the first United States retail location using the Shapify 3D scanning and figurine system.
- 2012
Dick's Sporting Goods relocation announced
[1]Dick's announced plans to relocate into Dayton Mall, increasing the center's major-anchor presence.
- 2007
The Village at Dayton Mall opens
[1]The open-air lifestyle addition opened along State Route 725.
- 1997
Washington Prime Group acquisition
[1]Washington Prime Group acquired the mall.
- 1995
Second major renovation begins
[1]A substantial redevelopment program began and continued into 1996, including changes to anchor locations.
Products and positioning
A large regional shopping and mixed-use destination serving the Dayton-area suburbs, combining department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, lifestyle tenants, services, and community-oriented anchor uses.
Retail property · 1970
Enclosed shopping mall
Dayton Mall's primary offering is a large enclosed regional shopping environment with department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, services, and indoor common areas. The complex has historically contained more than one million square feet and, after the Village expansion, more than 1.3 million leasable square feet. Its tenant mix has changed repeatedly in response to department-store consolidation, specialty-retail turnover, and suburban competition.
Lifestyle retail district · 2007
The Village at Dayton Mall
The Village at Dayton Mall is an open-air lifestyle component added north of the original mall along Ohio State Route 725. Dedicated in 2007, it expanded the center beyond the enclosed building and introduced approximately 25 tenants in a format intended to combine shopping, dining, and outdoor circulation.
Off-price department store · 2018
Macy's Backstage
Macy's Backstage is an off-price retail concept operating within the Dayton Mall Macy's store. The Dayton location opened in 2018 in approximately 12,900 square feet, extending Macy's value-oriented format into the existing department-store anchor.
Community and worship facility · 2025
Crossroads Dayton
Crossroads Dayton occupies the former Sears property and serves as the Dayton-area location of Cincinnati-based Crossroads church. The converted site includes a 1,589-seat auditorium and represents a major shift from conventional department-store retail toward community and institutional use within the mall complex.
Brand decisions
2025
Transfer mall ownership to Hull Property GroupM&ABackground
Washington Prime Group's financial restructuring and Chapter 11 bankruptcy receivership led to a change in the mall's ownership.
Action taken
Hull Property Group announced that it acquired Dayton Mall out of the receivership.
Aftermath
Hull became the announced owner, manager, and leasing company for the mall, subject to the details of the completed property transaction.
2022
Sell and repurpose the former Sears siteM&ABackground
The Sears anchor had closed in 2018, leaving a large vacant building requiring a nontraditional reuse strategy.
Action taken
Crossroads purchased the former Sears property and planned a worship and community facility.
Aftermath
Construction began in 2024 and Crossroads Dayton opened in April 2025, converting a former department-store anchor to an institutional use.
2018
Introduce Macy's BackstageProduct launchBackground
Macy's was expanding its off-price concept while conventional department stores faced changing consumer demand.
Action taken
Macy's opened a 12,900-square-foot Macy's Backstage outlet within its Dayton Mall store.
Aftermath
The mall gained a value-oriented retail format without requiring a separate external anchor building.
2012
Relocate DSW and add Dick's Sporting GoodsStrategyBackground
Dayton Mall sought to improve occupancy and reinforce its major-anchor offering after changes involving DSW and f.y.e.
Action taken
DSW moved to The Village, while Dick's Sporting Goods announced plans to occupy the former DSW-related space.
Aftermath
The announcement was expected to raise occupancy above 95 percent and add a major sporting-goods tenant.
2007
Add an open-air lifestyle componentStrategyBackground
The opening of The Greene Town Center and competition from other suburban retail destinations encouraged Dayton Mall to broaden its format.
Action taken
Washington Prime Group added The Village at Dayton Mall, an approximately 97,000-square-foot open-air district with about 25 tenants.
Aftermath
The expansion increased the overall complex to more than 1.3 million leasable square feet and diversified its circulation and tenant mix.
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