Market Place Shopping Center
Retailer / private label
UnclaimedMarket Place Shopping Center is a regional enclosed shopping center in Champaign, Illinois, serving as one of Central Illinois's principal retail destinations.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Market Place Shopping Center is an enclosed regional shopping center in Champaign, Illinois, United States. Located north of the Neil Street interchange along Interstate 74, it was developed to provide a large-scale suburban retail destination close to downtown Champaign while also serving the wider Central Illinois market. The property is described as the second-largest enclosed shopping mall in Central Illinois and has historically combined department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, entertainment uses, and later large-format warehouse and sporting-goods tenants. The project emerged from a development effort by Landau and Heyman, who assembled land north of Champaign and released a market study in October 1969 supporting a regional mall near the city center. The proposal was controversial. The citizens' group Preserve our Land and Neighborhoods, commonly known as PLAN, objected to converting agricultural land and argued that a suburban retail complex could weaken established downtown businesses. Despite the opposition, construction began in October 1973. Sears confirmed that it would relocate from downtown Champaign to the new center, and its approximately 100,000-square-foot store opened in October 1975, several months before the rest of the mall. Bergner's was the other original department-store anchor. The formal opening took place on March 17, 1976. The original center was arranged in four wings with a broad mix of national chains and local or regional specialty businesses. Its tenant roster included fashion and footwear stores, jewelry retailers, bookstores, toy and music merchants, beauty and optical businesses, restaurants, snack counters, pharmacies, and household-oriented services. This tenant diversity reflected the traditional regional-mall model, in which department stores generated traffic for smaller inline shops. Market Place expanded in response to the continued movement of major retailers from downtown Champaign. In 1978, JCPenney announced that it would leave its downtown location and join Sears at the mall. A new north wing opened in October 1979 after an estimated $7 million expansion, strengthening the center's role as a commercial anchor along North Neil Street. The development helped attract hotels, restaurants, strip centers, and additional big-box retail to the corridor between the mall and Interstate 74. During the late 1990s, owner General Growth Properties pursued a major renovation and expansion. The work introduced a Tuscany-inspired Italian-village interior, a new food court, and a glass-enclosed pavilion with an indoor carousel. A roughly 100,000-square-foot wing for Famous-Barr was completed in 1999, taking the mall's gross leasable area to approximately one million square feet. Famous-Barr became Macy's in 2006 after the acquisition of its parent company by Federated Department Stores. JCPenney returned to the property in 2004 after having left both the mall and the regional market several years earlier. The center has since adapted to the restructuring of the American department-store and enclosed-mall sectors. Sears closed in early 2014, ending a retail presence in Champaign that had begun in 1928. The former Sears building was demolished and replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream stores, which opened in 2015. Bergner's, another original anchor, closed in August 2018 during the liquidation of the Bon-Ton chain. General Growth Properties sold its mall portfolio, including Market Place, to Brookfield Properties later that year. The former Bergner's site was subsequently redeveloped for Costco Wholesale. Demolition of the department-store building and portions of the western corridor began in late 2019, with some inline tenants relocating within the center. Costco opened in October 2020. Other changes have included the closure of national chains affected by bankruptcies or companywide retrenchments, including Loft, Gymboree, Payless ShoeSource, and Charlotte Russe, alongside new openings such as H&M. Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream were later consolidated into a Dick's House of Sport concept, with the conversion reported in 2023. Market Place therefore combines a traditional enclosed mall with newer warehouse, sporting-goods, and experiential retail formats.
History
Market Place Shopping Center was conceived as a regional shopping destination north of downtown Champaign, Illinois, near the Neil Street exit of Interstate 74. Developers Landau and Heyman assembled the property privately and issued a market study in October 1969 supporting a major mall near the city. The plan faced opposition from Preserve our Land and Neighborhoods, or PLAN, which criticized the loss of agricultural land and warned that suburban retail could draw business away from downtown Champaign. Construction began in October 1973. Sears confirmed in February of that year that it would move from downtown Champaign to the planned center. Its approximately 100,000-square-foot store opened in October 1975, before the rest of the mall, and operated alongside Bergner's as one of the original anchors. Market Place held its formal grand opening on March 17, 1976, with a central-court ribbon cutting and additional ceremonies at Bergner's and Osco Drug. The original four-wing layout included department stores, apparel and footwear shops, jewelers, bookstores, toy stores, restaurants, snack counters, pharmacies, beauty businesses, and service retailers. The center expanded after JCPenney announced in April 1978 that it would leave its downtown store at 15 Main Street and relocate to Market Place. A third, north wing opened in October 1979 following an estimated $7 million construction project. The mall's growth helped stimulate commercial development along North Neil Street, including hotels, restaurants, strip centers, and other large-format retailers. By the 1990s, the corridor connecting Market Place with Interstate 74 had become one of Champaign's major big-box retail areas. General Growth Properties announced a substantial renovation and expansion in 1998. The project reworked the interior corridors with a Tuscany-themed Italian-village design, added a food court, and created a glass-enclosed pavilion containing an indoor carousel. A new approximately 100,000-square-foot wing for Famous-Barr opened in 1999, increasing the center's gross leasable area to about one million square feet. Famous-Barr later became Macy's in 2006 after the acquisition of its parent company by Federated Department Stores. JCPenney returned to Market Place in May 2004 after a period away from the property and region. The mall entered a period of anchor turnover and format change in the 2010s. Sears announced a closure for early 2014, ending a Champaign retail presence dating to 1928. Its original building was demolished, and the site was redeveloped for Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream, which opened in October 2015. Department-store consolidation also affected Bergner's, which closed in August 2018 when the Bon-Ton chain was liquidated. General Growth Properties sold Market Place with its wider mall portfolio to Brookfield Properties later that year. In 2019, Costco announced plans to build a warehouse store on the former Bergner's site. Demolition began late that year and affected portions of the western mall corridor; several inline tenants, including Old Navy and LensCrafters, moved to other parts of the center. Costco opened in October 2020, adding a large warehouse-club use to the traditional mall tenant mix. During the same period, Market Place experienced closures associated with national retail bankruptcies and restructurings, including the departures of Loft, Gymboree, Payless ShoeSource, and Charlotte Russe, while new specialty retailers such as H&M entered the property. The former Field & Stream and Dick's Sporting Goods uses were subsequently consolidated, with the sporting-goods anchor converted to Dick's House of Sport in 2023. The resulting center combines enclosed-mall retail with department stores, warehouse retail, and experiential sporting goods.
- 2023
Dick's House of Sport conversion
[1]The sporting-goods anchor was converted from a Dick's Sporting Goods location to Dick's House of Sport.
- 2020
Costco opens
[1]Costco opened a warehouse store on the redeveloped former Bergner's site.
- 2018
Ownership transfers to Brookfield Properties
[1]Market Place was included in General Growth Properties' mall portfolio sale to Brookfield Properties.
- 2015
Replacement sporting-goods anchors open
[1]Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream opened on the former Sears site in October.
- 2006
Famous-Barr becomes Macy's
[1]The Famous-Barr anchor was rebranded as Macy's after a change in corporate ownership.
- 1999
Famous-Barr expansion completed
[1]A new Famous-Barr wing and broader renovation brought the center to roughly one million square feet of gross leasable area.
- 1979
North wing opens
[1]An expansion connected to JCPenney opened in October after JCPenney relocated from downtown Champaign.
- 1976
Formal grand opening
[1]Market Place formally opened on March 17 with ceremonies in the central court and at anchor locations.
- 1975
Sears opens ahead of the mall
[1]A new Sears store opened at the site and became one of the original anchor tenants.
- 1973
Construction begins
[1]Construction started on land north of the Neil Street exit along Interstate 74.
Products and positioning
A regional retail and service destination combining an enclosed shopping mall with major department stores, specialty retailers, sporting-goods space, and a warehouse-club anchor.
Department store · 2006
Macy's
Macy's is a major department-store anchor at Market Place. The location originated as Famous-Barr's expansion store, opened in 1999, and was converted to the Macy's name in 2006 after the corporate acquisition of Famous-Barr's parent company. It provides broad department-store merchandise and continues the property's role as a destination for apparel, accessories, home goods, and other general merchandise.
Department store · 1975
JCPenney
JCPenney is a department-store anchor whose relationship with Market Place dates to the late 1970s. The retailer left its downtown Champaign location to join the mall and later returned to the property in 2004 after an intervening absence. Its store contributes apparel, footwear, beauty, home, and general merchandise to the center's anchor mix.
Department store
Kohl's
Kohl's is listed as one of Market Place's current anchor stores. It represents the value-oriented department-store segment of the property and complements the center's other department-store, sporting-goods, and warehouse-club offerings.
Sporting goods and experiential retail · 2023
Dick's House of Sport
Dick's House of Sport occupies the former Sears redevelopment area. The location first opened as Dick's Sporting Goods, alongside Field & Stream, in 2015. It was later converted to the House of Sport format in 2023, giving the center a larger sporting-goods and experience-oriented anchor in place of the former department-store use.
Warehouse club · 2020
Costco Wholesale
Costco Wholesale opened at Market Place in October 2020 on the former Bergner's site. Its warehouse-club format broadened the property's customer base beyond conventional enclosed-mall shopping and introduced bulk merchandise, groceries, household goods, and ancillary services to the anchor lineup.
Brand decisions
2023
Convert the sporting-goods anchor to Dick's House of SportGeneration changeBackground
The property had already replaced Sears with sporting-goods uses and later faced the closure of the Field & Stream format.
Action taken
The Dick's Sporting Goods location was converted into a Dick's House of Sport.
Aftermath
The change reinforced the center's move toward larger-format and experience-oriented retail.
2019
Redevelop the former Bergner's wing for CostcoStrategyBackground
Bergner's closed in 2018 during the Bon-Ton liquidation, leaving a large former anchor area at a time when enclosed malls were experiencing widespread department-store closures.
Action taken
Brookfield Properties pursued demolition and redevelopment of the former Bergner's building and parts of the western corridor for a Costco warehouse.
Aftermath
Some inline tenants relocated within the center, and Costco opened in October 2020, adding a warehouse-club anchor to the mall.
2015
Replace the former Sears anchor with sporting-goods storesGeneration changeBackground
Sears closed its Market Place store in early 2014, leaving a large anchor building and ending a long-standing downtown-to-mall retail presence.
Action taken
The Sears building was demolished and replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods and Field & Stream.
Aftermath
Both new anchors opened in October 2015, shifting part of the center's offer toward sporting goods and outdoor recreation.
1998
Undertake major renovation and expansionStrategyBackground
General Growth Properties sought to modernize the mall and respond to competition from newer big-box retail centers near Prospect Avenue.
Action taken
The owner remodeled the interior, added a Tuscany-themed design, created a food court and carousel pavilion, and developed a new Famous-Barr wing.
Aftermath
The completed expansion increased the center's gross leasable area to approximately one million square feet and refreshed its regional-mall positioning.
1978
Expand the mall for JCPenney's relocationStrategyBackground
JCPenney announced that it would move from downtown Champaign to Market Place, creating demand for additional anchor and inline retail space.
Action taken
The center added a north wing that opened in October 1979.
Aftermath
The expansion strengthened Market Place's regional role and helped accelerate commercial development along North Neil Street.
Recent events
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