North Riverside Park Mall
A shopping mall in North Riverside, Illinois, serving the western Chicago metropolitan area.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
North Riverside Park Mall is an enclosed shopping center in North Riverside, Illinois, a suburb immediately west of Chicago. Opened in 1975, the mall was developed as a conventional suburban department-store center with three original anchors: JCPenney, Carson Pirie Scott, and Montgomery Ward. Its location on and around Cermak Road, together with access to CTA and Pace bus service, has positioned it as a neighborhood and regional retail destination for communities in western Cook County, including North Riverside, Berwyn, and nearby Chicago neighborhoods. The center has experienced the same structural changes that affected many American malls. Its original anchor lineup gradually changed as Montgomery Ward exited the retail business, Carson's parent company entered bankruptcy and liquidation, and Sears later closed its store. In place of traditional department-store concentration, the mall has developed a more varied tenant mix that includes value-oriented retail, entertainment, and service uses. Current major anchors identified in reference material are JCPenney, Forman Mills, and Round 1 Entertainment. The former Carson's location remains vacant following that chain's 2018 closure, while the former Sears space was substantially reconfigured before Sears eventually left. Several tenant changes illustrate the mall's adaptation. A former Madigan's junior-anchor space was divided between Foot Locker and TJ Maxx in the 1990s. Steve & Barry's later occupied the TJ Maxx space, followed by Conway and then Fallas. After the departure of Fallas, Forman Mills became a major value-retail presence in 2022. Round 1 Entertainment, a Japanese-origin entertainment operator offering bowling, arcade games, and related activities, entered the redeveloped Sears space in 2019. Aldi also opened on the mall perimeter in January 2023, adding a grocery component to the broader property. Ownership and property control have changed over time. The Feil Organization acquired the mall in 2004 from Urban Properties. In 2015, Sears Holdings separated ownership of numerous Sears properties, including the North Riverside location, into Seritage Growth Properties. Reference material states that Seritage later sold the Sears property and adjacent parking lot to Fidelis Realty Partners in 2023. Because the shopping-center ownership and the ownership of individual former anchor parcels are not identical in the available material, a single current owner is not asserted here. North Riverside Park Mall has also had a role outside ordinary retail. Portions of the 2011 film Contagion were filmed at the mall in 2010. In 2020, during the COVID-19 period, the closed mall and nearby shopping areas were affected by rioting, break-ins, looting, and a fatal shooting. The property subsequently continued through a period of tenant turnover and physical renewal. At the end of 2024, a reported $9 million interior renovation introduced new flooring, ceilings, lighting, furnishings, and an updated main entrance. These improvements indicate an effort to maintain the center as an active mixed retail and entertainment property despite the loss of several traditional department-store anchors.
History
North Riverside Park Mall opened in 1975 in North Riverside, Illinois, as a traditional enclosed suburban shopping center. Its original department-store anchors were JCPenney, Carson Pirie Scott, and Montgomery Ward. The three-anchor format reflected the dominant model of American regional retail at the time, with department stores drawing customers to a broad collection of smaller apparel, specialty, and service tenants. During the mall's early decades, its tenant mix changed in response to retail consolidation and the rise of discount-oriented shopping. Madigan's operated as a junior anchor until the early 1990s. Its space was divided between Foot Locker and TJ Maxx, both of which opened there in 1994. TJ Maxx later left, and Steve & Barry's occupied the space by 2005. When Steve & Barry's went out of business in 2009, Conway, a division of National Stores, took over the location. Conway was converted to Fallas in May 2015, demonstrating the continuing shift from conventional department stores toward off-price and value retail. The Montgomery Ward anchor had a longer transition. Montgomery Ward ceased operations in 2001, after which Sears occupied the space. The Sears opening accompanied a $5 million renovation plan. In 2004, The Feil Organization acquired North Riverside Park Mall from Urban Properties, becoming the principal organization associated with the center's ownership and operation in the available historical record. Ownership of the Sears real-estate interest was subsequently affected by Sears Holdings' property strategy. In 2015, Sears Holdings spun off 235 properties into Seritage Growth Properties, including the Sears property at North Riverside Park Mall. In 2017, Sears reduced its store to the upper level. The lower level was remodeled for Round 1 Entertainment and AMITA Health. Round 1 opened in 2019, giving the center a substantial entertainment component and partially replacing the function of a large traditional anchor. The mall's Carson's anchor faced a different type of disruption. On April 18, 2018, The Bon-Ton Stores announced that it would cease operations and close its stores. Carson's at North Riverside closed on August 29, 2018, leaving that anchor space vacant. Fallas also closed during 2018. These closures reduced the mall's traditional department-store presence and intensified the need for replacement uses and repositioning. North Riverside Park Mall also became associated with film production when portions of Contagion were filmed there in December 2010. In 2020, the property was affected by civil disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the mall was still closed because of the pandemic, rioting in North Riverside and neighboring Berwyn led to break-ins and looting at the mall and nearby shopping centers; a shooting fatality was also reported on the property. Later that year, Sears announced that its North Riverside location would close in September as part of a nationwide closure plan. With Sears gone, JCPenney became the only remaining traditional department-store anchor identified in the historical record. The center subsequently pursued a more diversified retail and entertainment profile. Forman Mills opened in 2022, providing a large value-focused anchor. Aldi opened on the mall perimeter on January 26, 2023, adding grocery retail to the surrounding property. Reference material also states that Seritage sold the former Sears property and adjacent parking lot to Fidelis Realty Partners in 2023; this transaction concerned a portion of the broader mall real estate rather than necessarily the entire shopping center. At the end of 2024, the mall underwent major interior renovations reportedly costing $9 million. Work included new flooring, ceilings, lighting, and furnishings throughout the interior, as well as an updated main entrance. The renovation represents the latest documented effort to refresh the property and support its continuing role as a western Chicago-area shopping, entertainment, and service destination.
- 2024
Interior renovation is completed
[1]A reported $9 million renovation refreshes the mall's floors, ceilings, lighting, furnishings, and principal entrance.
- 2023
Aldi opens on the perimeter
[1]Aldi begins operating on January 26 on perimeter property associated with the former Seritage area.
- 2023
Former Sears parcel changes ownership
[1]Seritage sells the former Sears property and adjacent parking lot to Fidelis Realty Partners.
- 2022
Forman Mills opens
[1]Forman Mills becomes a major value-retail anchor at the mall.
- 2020
Sears closes amid nationwide retrenchment
[1]Sears announces and completes the closure of its North Riverside store, leaving JCPenney as the remaining traditional department-store anchor.
- 2019
Round 1 Entertainment opens
[1]Round 1 opens in the redeveloped former Sears area.
- 2018
Carson's and Fallas close
[1]Carson's closes on August 29 after The Bon-Ton liquidation announcement, and Fallas also leaves the center.
- 2017
Sears space is downsized and partially redeveloped
[1]Sears moves to the upper level while the lower level is remodeled for Round 1 Entertainment and AMITA Health.
- 2015
Fallas replaces Conway
[1]The Conway store is converted to Fallas in May.
- 2015
Sears property enters Seritage portfolio
[1]Sears Holdings spins off the North Riverside Sears property, along with 234 other properties, into Seritage Growth Properties.
Products and positioning
A suburban enclosed shopping center combining department-store retail, value merchandise, entertainment, and convenience-oriented tenants for western Chicago-area consumers.
Department store · 1975
JCPenney
JCPenney is the mall's longest-standing current traditional anchor, having opened with the center in 1975. Its department-store format provides apparel, home goods, beauty, and other general merchandise, although the available reference material does not specify the full current assortment or store configuration.
Entertainment anchor · 2019
Round 1 Entertainment
Round 1 Entertainment occupies redeveloped space associated with the former Sears anchor. The operator is known for combining bowling, arcade gaming, and other leisure activities, giving the mall an experience-oriented destination alongside its retail tenants. The North Riverside location opened in 2019.
Value retail anchor · 2022
Forman Mills
Forman Mills is a value-focused retailer offering discount apparel and general merchandise. Its arrival in 2022 strengthened North Riverside Park Mall's orientation toward price-conscious shopping after the loss of several traditional department-store and off-price tenants.
Grocery store · 2023
Aldi
Aldi operates on the perimeter of the mall property rather than as an enclosed interior anchor. The grocery store broadened the site's convenience and everyday-needs offer when it opened in January 2023.
Controversies
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Contagion filming
United States
The mall was used as a filming location for portions of the film Contagion, creating a cultural and media association beyond its retail function.
Outcome. The site appeared as one of the film's production locations; no broader commercial campaign outcome is documented in the available material.
Brand decisions
2024
Undertake a major interior modernizationStrategyBackground
The property required physical renewal after decades of operation and significant anchor turnover.
Action taken
The mall updated flooring, ceilings, lighting, furnishings, and the main entrance.
Aftermath
The renovation refreshed the customer-facing environment and supported the mall's continuing retail and entertainment positioning.
Renovation cost. $9 million (End of 2024)
2022
Introduce Forman Mills as a major anchorProduct launchBackground
The mall had lost several department-store and value-retail tenants, including Carson's, Fallas, and Sears.
Action taken
Forman Mills opened at the center as a value-oriented retail anchor.
Aftermath
The tenant mix gained a large discount apparel and general-merchandise component.
2020
Exit Sears after nationwide closure planStrategyBackground
Sears announced a nationwide program to close 28 stores amid the retailer's continuing contraction.
Action taken
The North Riverside Sears store was scheduled to close in September 2020.
Aftermath
JCPenney became the only traditional department-store anchor identified at the mall.
2017
Redevelop the Sears anchor spaceGeneration changeBackground
Sears reduced its footprint after the property became part of the Seritage Growth Properties portfolio.
Action taken
Sears moved to the upper level, while the lower level was remodeled for Round 1 Entertainment and AMITA Health.
Aftermath
Round 1 opened in 2019, adding entertainment and healthcare uses to the former department-store footprint.
2002
Replace Montgomery Ward with SearsStrategyBackground
Montgomery Ward ceased operations in 2001, leaving one of the mall's original department-store anchors unavailable.
Action taken
Sears opened in the former Montgomery Ward location alongside a reported $5 million renovation plan.
Aftermath
Sears became one of the mall's principal anchors until its closure in 2020.
Renovation plan. (2002)
Sources2 sources
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