Kingsdale Shopping Center
Kingsdale Shopping Center is a mixed-use, grocery-anchored shopping center in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Kingsdale Shopping Center, also known as Kingsdale, Kingsdale Center, or Kingsdale Mall, is a mixed-use shopping center in Upper Arlington, a suburban community northwest of Columbus, Ohio. The property occupies approximately 38 acres between Tremont Road and Northwest Boulevard and has historically served as one of Upper Arlington’s principal commercial and social gathering places. The center was developed in 1959 on land formerly associated with the Galbraith farm. Its early retail identity was built around department-store and general-merchandise anchors, including Lazarus and The Union, alongside specialty merchants such as Madison’s and an S. S. Kresge store. Kingsdale also has an important connection to American retail history: in 1963, Les Wexner opened the first Limited store at the center after borrowing $5,000 from his aunt. That store became the starting point for a much larger apparel business that ultimately developed into the retail group now associated with L Brands and its successor companies. Lazarus opened its Kingsdale branch in 1970 in an approximately 85,000-square-foot building and expanded the facility to about 108,000 square feet in 1977. The Kingsdale Company acquired the center in 1977 and completed a reported $4 million renovation in 1982. Although the property initially benefited from affluent suburban customers and strong anchor tenants, its performance weakened during the late 1980s. Disagreements with the center’s lender over proposed improvements contributed to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in November 1990. Vacancy became a persistent problem during the following decade, at one point reaching approximately 45 percent of the center’s space. After Boston Real Estate Counsel acquired the property in 1992 and Kravco became managing agent, redevelopment efforts gradually restored activity. A 64-foot clock tower was added in 1993, and Stein Mart became a significant tenant in 1994. Regency Realty Corp. acquired the property from its partners in 1998. Even after the opening of the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in 1997, Kingsdale remained a focus of local redevelopment debates because of its location, aging buildings, vacant storefronts, parking configuration, zoning restrictions, and potential role as an Upper Arlington town center. During the early 2000s, proposals included a community center, offices, parking structures, a redesigned street network, and broader mixed-use development. A proposed acquisition and redevelopment by Continental Real Estate failed in 2001. The city subsequently considered purchasing part of the property for a public community center, but a supporting tax levy was rejected and the city eventually abandoned the purchase effort. Regency later struggled to attract a buyer under the city’s preferred redevelopment concept. The departure of Stein Mart and Barron’s China and Gifts further weakened the center’s traditional retail mix. The property entered a new phase after Continental Real Estate purchased Kingsdale in late 2009. A major Giant Eagle Market District opened in 2010 on the site of the former Stein Mart building. The 110,168-square-foot store introduced a broader food-and-lifestyle offer, including prepared foods, a café, wine and beer, specialty groceries, cooking classes, and in-store specialist services. Kingsdale was also designated an entertainment district in 2009, enabling liquor licenses and supporting the addition of restaurants, bars, and other service-oriented tenants. The former Lazarus building later became a Macy’s location after Federated Department Stores converted Lazarus stores to the Macy’s name in 2007. Macy’s announced the store’s closure in January 2015, and the location closed in March of that year. Kroger subsequently became involved with the site before selling it to Continental Real Estate for a planned mixed-use project. The former department-store building, known for its blue-glazed brick façade, was demolished in June 2021 despite preservation efforts. Kingsdale therefore illustrates the transformation of an older suburban shopping center from a department-store-led retail format into a more diversified, grocery-anchored and mixed-use destination.
History
Kingsdale Shopping Center was built in 1959 on the former Galbraith farm in Upper Arlington, Ohio. The center was laid out between Tremont Road and Northwest Boulevard on approximately 38 acres, reflecting the rise of automobile-oriented suburban retail in the Columbus area. Upper Arlington’s relatively affluent residential base helped Kingsdale attract shoppers during its early years. The center’s original and early tenants included department stores and general-merchandise retailers. Lazarus opened a branch in 1970 in an approximately 85,000-square-foot building, later expanding it to around 108,000 square feet in 1977. Other early occupants included The Union, Madison’s, and an S. S. Kresge store. Kingsdale is also notable as the site of Les Wexner’s first Limited store, opened in 1963 with money borrowed from his aunt. The store became the first step in the development of a major American apparel-retailing business. The Kingsdale Company acquired the center in 1977 and undertook a reported $4 million renovation completed in 1982. Despite that investment, sales declined in the late 1980s. The owners sought further renovation, but a disagreement with Boston Real Estate, the lender, prevented the proposed work from moving forward. The Kingsdale Company withheld payments during the dispute and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 1990. By 1991, approximately one-fifth of the retail space was vacant, and occupancy fell substantially further at points during the decade. The property was transferred to Boston Real Estate Counsel in 1992, with Kravco serving as managing agent. A redevelopment effort added a 64-foot clock tower in 1993 and brought Stein Mart to the center in 1994. Between 1992 and 1994, eleven stores opened, including seven in 1994. These changes temporarily strengthened the tenant mix, but Kingsdale continued to face competition and changing shopping patterns. The opening of the Mall at Tuttle Crossing in 1997 added another challenge. Regency Realty Corp. acquired the property from its partners in 1998. During the 2000s, Kingsdale became the subject of extensive local discussion about redevelopment. Vacancy was reported at roughly 25 to 30 percent in 2000. Concepts included a community center, office space, parking garages, new streets, and a broader town-center arrangement. Continental Real Estate considered buying and redeveloping two-thirds of the property in 2001, but the transaction did not proceed. Upper Arlington then explored purchasing approximately 14 acres for a public community center containing recreational, civic, and senior-oriented facilities. The associated levy failed, and political opposition followed. The mayor resigned in early 2003, and the city withdrew from the purchase plan. Regency Centers subsequently had difficulty attracting a buyer for the redevelopment concept. More than half of the storefronts were vacant at one point, while Stein Mart and Barron’s China and Gifts departed. Regency proposed a façade improvement after Giant Eagle acquired the bankrupt Big Bear supermarket chain in 2004. A dispute over the property’s tax valuation also emerged: the owners sought a reduction, citing vacancy and zoning constraints, but the county board instead increased the assessed value retroactively. Private development around the center expanded in the mid-2000s. Long & Wilcox and Wears Khan McMenamy acquired nearby houses and developed the Town Center Place condominium project. Upper Arlington relaxed some zoning restrictions on large-format retailers in 2007, although it rejected Regency’s proposal for a Target store. That same year, the former Lazarus location was converted to the Macy’s name as Federated Department Stores rebranded its Lazarus stores. Continental Real Estate purchased Kingsdale in late 2009. The property was designated an entertainment district that year, facilitating liquor licenses and supporting a more varied combination of dining and entertainment tenants. In 2010, Giant Eagle opened Ohio’s first Market District concept at Kingsdale. The large supermarket introduced specialty foods, prepared meals, a café, wine and beer, cooking classes, and other services, helping shift the center away from dependence on a traditional department-store anchor. Macy’s announced in January 2015 that its Kingsdale store would close, and the location shut in March. Kroger later sold the former department-store property to Continental Real Estate, which planned a multi-use redevelopment. Preservation advocates sought to retain the building and its blue-glazed brick façade, but the structure was demolished in June 2021. Kingsdale’s development history thus spans the classic suburban shopping-center era, a prolonged period of vacancy and financial distress, and a later repositioning around groceries, restaurants, services, and mixed-use redevelopment.
- 2021
Former department-store building is demolished
[1]The former Lazarus/Macy’s structure is demolished for a planned multi-use project.
- 2015
Macy’s closes its Kingsdale store
[1]The former Lazarus/Macy’s department-store location closes in March after Macy’s announces the closure earlier in the year.
- 2010
Giant Eagle Market District opens
[1]Ohio’s first Giant Eagle Market District opens in a new 110,168-square-foot building at Kingsdale.
- 2009
Continental Real Estate purchases Kingsdale
[1]Continental Real Estate acquires the center and the property receives entertainment-district designation.
- 1998
Regency Realty acquires the property
[1]Regency Realty Corp. purchases Kingsdale from its partners.
- 1994
Stein Mart becomes a major tenant
[1]Stein Mart opens at Kingsdale, accompanied by several other new stores.
- 1993
Clock tower is added
[1]A 64-foot clock tower is constructed as part of efforts to improve the center.
- 1990
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
[1]The owner files for Chapter 11 protection amid declining sales and a lender dispute concerning renovation plans.
- 1982
Major renovation is completed
[1]The Kingsdale Company completes a reported $4 million remodeling program.
- 1977
Kingsdale Company acquires the center
[1]The Kingsdale Company purchases the property, while the Lazarus building is expanded to approximately 108,000 square feet.
Products and positioning
A community-oriented, grocery-anchored mixed-use center serving Upper Arlington and the wider Columbus metropolitan area, with an emphasis on everyday shopping, dining, services, and local gathering.
Grocery supermarket and food hall · 2010
Giant Eagle Market District
The center’s principal modern anchor is a 110,168-square-foot Giant Eagle Market District opened in 2010. It combines conventional grocery shopping with prepared foods, a café, specialty and exotic products, wine and beer, cooking classes, and in-store services such as dietitian and beauty consultations. Its arrival marked Kingsdale’s transition toward a grocery-led mixed-use format.
Department store · 1970
Lazarus department store
Lazarus was one of Kingsdale’s historic anchor tenants. Its branch opened in 1970 at approximately 85,000 square feet and expanded in 1977. The location later became a Macy’s store after Federated Department Stores rebranded Lazarus locations.
Department store · 2007
Macy’s Kingsdale
The former Lazarus department store operated under the Macy’s name after Federated’s 2007 rebranding. Macy’s closed the location in March 2015, after which the building became the subject of redevelopment and preservation discussions.
Apparel retail · 1963
The Limited first store
The first Limited store opened at Kingsdale in 1963 under Les Wexner. Although it was a tenant rather than a continuing Kingsdale offering, the location is historically significant as the starting point of Wexner’s later apparel-retailing enterprise.
Brand decisions
2015
Closure and redevelopment of the former Macy’s siteOtherBackground
Macy’s announced the closure of several Ohio stores, including its Kingsdale location.
Action taken
The store closed in March 2015, and the former department-store property later moved through Kroger ownership before returning to Continental Real Estate for a planned multi-use project.
Aftermath
The former Lazarus/Macy’s building was demolished in June 2021 despite local preservation efforts.
2010
Launch of Ohio’s first Giant Eagle Market DistrictProduct launchBackground
The center needed a strong anchor after years of vacancy and the departure of major traditional retailers.
Action taken
A new 110,168-square-foot Giant Eagle Market District was built south of the former supermarket, replacing the former Stein Mart site.
Aftermath
The supermarket became the center’s principal anchor and broadened Kingsdale’s food, service, and community-oriented offer.
2009
Shift toward an entertainment and mixed-use centerStrategyBackground
Persistent vacancies and the decline of traditional department-store retail led owners and local officials to consider broader uses for the property.
Action taken
Continental Real Estate acquired the center, while entertainment-district designation enabled liquor licenses and encouraged restaurants, bars, and service tenants.
Aftermath
Kingsdale developed a more diversified tenant mix and became less dependent on department-store retail.
1990
Chapter 11 filing during lender and renovation disputeOtherBackground
Declining sales and increasing vacancy created pressure for a major renovation, but the lender did not approve the owner’s plan.
Action taken
The Kingsdale Company withheld payments during the dispute and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 1990.
Aftermath
The property changed hands in 1992, after which Kravco managed a renewed improvement and tenant-recruitment effort.
Recent events
- 2021
Former Lazarus/Macy’s building is demolished[1]
Other
The former department-store building was demolished to support a planned multi-use redevelopment, ending efforts to preserve its distinctive blue-glazed brick façade.
- 2015
Macy’s announces closure of its Kingsdale store[1]
Other
Macy’s announced that the Kingsdale location would close by the end of March as part of a group of Ohio store closures.
- 2010
Giant Eagle Market District opens at Kingsdale[1]
Product launch
A 110,168-square-foot Giant Eagle Market District opened on the site of the former Stein Mart building, becoming a major anchor for the redeveloped center.
- 2002
City community-center redevelopment proposal fails[1]
Other
Upper Arlington voters rejected a levy connected with a proposed public community center on part of the Kingsdale site, prolonging debate over the property’s future.
- 1998
Regency Realty acquires Kingsdale Shopping Center[1]
M&A
Regency Realty Corp. purchased the property from its partners as the center continued to be repositioned as a grocery-anchored suburban shopping destination.
- 1990
Kingsdale Shopping Center files for Chapter 11 protection[1]
Bankruptcy
The center filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after declining sales, high vacancy, and a dispute with its lender over proposed renovation plans.
Sources2 sources
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