Oakbrook Center
An open-air shopping center in Oak Brook, Illinois, serving the western Chicago metropolitan area.
Last updated August 24, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Oakbrook Center is a large open-air shopping center in Oak Brook, Illinois, near Interstate 88 and Illinois Route 83. Established in 1962, it is one of the Chicago metropolitan area's major retail destinations and is described as the region's second-largest shopping center by gross leasable area, behind Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg. Its tenant mix combines department stores, specialty fashion, technology, beauty, dining, entertainment, hospitality, and lifestyle concepts. The center opened with Sears, Marshall Field's, and a Jewel food store. Its early development reflected the expansion of suburban Chicago and the growing importance of automobile-oriented retail destinations outside the traditional downtown department-store districts. Over time, Oakbrook Center added and replaced a succession of premium and mass-market anchors, including Bonwit Teller, Lord & Taylor, I. Magnin, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's Home, and Macy's. Marshall Field's became Macy's in 2006 after Federated Department Stores acquired the Marshall Field's parent company. A major expansion in 1981–1982 approximately doubled the center's physical size and added a southeast court with new luxury department stores. Further redevelopment in the early 1990s created a two-story open-air addition northeast of Sears, including a large Nordstrom store and additional specialty retail. Later projects converted or subdivided former anchor locations as department-store formats changed. The former Bloomingdale's Home building, for example, was reconstructed after the store closed and reopened with multiple inline tenants, including The Container Store, Lululemon Athletica, Tommy Bahama, Hugo Boss, and Aritzia. Oakbrook Center's offer extends beyond conventional shopping. Its history includes cinema operations dating to 1964, restaurant openings such as Maggiano's Little Italy, Wildfire, The Cheesecake Factory, and Perry's Steakhouse, as well as stand-alone entertainment and hospitality uses. A remodeled Nordstrom wing opened with a 12-screen AMC cinema and a food hall called The District in 2016. A Le Méridien hotel opened in 2014 in a converted hotel property, and newer attractions have included Puttshack and a large Restoration Hardware store with dining and winery facilities. The center has also experienced the normal turnover associated with changing retail economics. Sears reduced and then closed its Oakbrook presence, Lord & Taylor announced the closure of its anchor store, and numerous former department-store spaces were repositioned for smaller specialty retailers, restaurants, and experiential uses. By 2023, the center was publicizing additional tenant additions, including Joss & Main, following the disruption caused by government-imposed lockdowns. Oakbrook Center's brand proposition is therefore based on scale, an open-air environment, a broad and relatively upscale tenant mix, convenient suburban access, and a combination of retail, food, entertainment, and hospitality. Its identity is tied to the Oak Brook community and the affluent western suburbs of Chicago rather than to a single merchandise category.
History
Oakbrook Center opened in 1962 in Oak Brook, Illinois, as an automobile-oriented suburban shopping center serving the expanding communities west of Chicago. The development was initially expected to use the name Oakbrook Terrace, but that plan changed after a nearby municipality adopted the Oakbrook Terrace name. Its first major tenants were Sears, Marshall Field's, and Jewel, establishing a combination of department-store, grocery, and general retail uses. The center expanded its entertainment offer early in its history. A single-screen movie theater operated by Balaban & Katz opened near Saks Fifth Avenue on Christmas Day in 1964. In 1987, during the theater's twenty-third year, Cineplex Odeon divided the original auditorium into four screens and later added four more screens near the Saks anchor. Those additional screens closed in 2001 and eventually reopened in 2018 after later redevelopment. Oakbrook Center underwent a substantial enlargement in 1981–1982. The project approximately doubled the center's physical size and created a southeast court that brought in I. Magnin, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus. Lord & Taylor had joined the property in 1973. These additions strengthened the center's premium and luxury positioning and helped establish it as a major regional destination rather than only a local suburban mall. The 1990s brought both anchor turnover and further construction. Bonwit Teller closed in 1990, and I. Magnin shut its store in January 1991. The former I. Magnin location was subdivided in 1994 for specialty retailers, including Eddie Bauer and Tiffany & Company. In 1991, Oakbrook opened a two-story open-air addition northeast of Sears, built above a parking garage. The project added approximately 210,000 square feet of retail space and included a roughly 220,000-square-foot Nordstrom store, which opened on April 5. Restaurants also became increasingly important: Maggiano's Little Italy opened in 1991, Corner Bakery Cafe began serving customers in 1992, and Wildfire opened in 1998. In May 2002, The Rouse Company acquired the majority of the assets of Urban Retail Properties and Rodamco North America through a transaction involving Simon Property Group and Westfield Group. Oakbrook Center was among the assets included in that ownership transition. The center continued to change its tenant and anchor composition. Saks Fifth Avenue closed in 2002, and the location was subsequently used by Federated Department Stores for a three-story Bloomingdale's Home store, which opened on September 12, 2003. The Cheesecake Factory opened in August 2004. Marshall Field's adopted the Macy's name on September 8, 2006, following Macy's acquisition of the relevant parent company. Barnes & Noble opened in 2008, while American Apparel arrived in 2009 and later closed in 2017. Gibson's Bar and Steakhouse opened across from the center in 2010, and Pandora opened a store in 2011. Pinstripes added a stand-alone entertainment and dining use in the parking area in 2012. Perry's Steakhouse opened in November 2013 in the former basement level of Neiman Marcus. Bloomingdale's announced in January 2012 that its Oakbrook Home store would close by March. The building was reconstructed and reopened in 2014 with a multi-tenant configuration featuring The Container Store on the first level and Lululemon Athletica, Tommy Bahama, Hugo Boss, and Aritzia on the second level. A former Renaissance Hotel, itself originally a Stouffer property, was converted into a 172-room Le Méridien hotel that opened in August 2014. It was the brand's first property in Illinois. A major entertainment-oriented redevelopment reached completion in 2016, when AMC Theatres opened a 12-screen cinema in a remodeled portion of the Nordstrom wing. The project also introduced The District food hall, reinforcing Oakbrook Center's shift toward a mixed retail, dining, and leisure experience. Sears announced in June 2017 that its store would be reconstructed to accommodate additional retail. The original store closed in September 2017, and a smaller-format Sears reopened on the mall's first level on October 5, 2018. Ballard Designs and L.L.Bean also opened at the center in fall 2018. Lord & Taylor announced in February 2018 that it would close its Oakbrook Center anchor. Sears later announced in April 2019 that its reduced-format store would also close. The center continued adding experiential and premium concepts. Restoration Hardware opened a three-story store in September 2021, with a restaurant and winery on the top floor, and Puttshack opened on November 3, 2021. On December 23, 2021, a shooting at the center injured two suspected participants and three bystanders. The reported injuries were not life-threatening, and the shopping center reopened the next day. In the period following government lockdowns, Oakbrook Center continued tenant repositioning and announced additions including Joss & Main by 2023. The property's long-term evolution has been characterized by expansion, department-store replacement, specialty-retail subdivision, and the integration of restaurants, hotels, cinemas, and other experiences.
- 2021
Restoration Hardware and Puttshack expand the experiential offer
[1]A three-story Restoration Hardware location opens in September, and Puttshack opens on November 3.
- 2018
Reduced Sears format and new retailers open
[1]A smaller Sears store reopens on October 5 after reconstruction, while Ballard Designs and L.L.Bean join the center in the fall.
- 2016
AMC cinema and The District debut
[1]A remodeled Nordstrom-wing section opens with a 12-screen AMC cinema and The District food hall.
- 2014
Former Bloomingdale's Home building is redeveloped
[1]The former department-store structure is converted into a multi-tenant retail configuration.
- 2014
Le Méridien opens
[1]A 172-room Le Méridien hotel opens in a converted former Renaissance and Stouffer property.
- 2006
Marshall Field's becomes Macy's
[1]The Marshall Field's store adopts the Macy's name on September 8.
- 2003
Bloomingdale's Home opens
[1]A three-story, 90,000-square-foot Bloomingdale's Home store opens in the former Saks Fifth Avenue location.
- 2002
The Rouse Company acquires the property through an asset transaction
[1]Oakbrook Center is included among the assets acquired by The Rouse Company from Urban Retail Properties and Rodamco North America in a transaction involving Simon Property Group and Westfield Group.
- 1991
Nordstrom opens in a new open-air addition
[1]A two-story addition adds approximately 210,000 square feet of retail space, including a Nordstrom store that opens on April 5.
- 1982
Luxury anchors join the expanded center
[1]I. Magnin, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus become part of the expanded Oakbrook Center.
Products and positioning
A large, open-air suburban shopping and lifestyle destination combining department stores, premium and contemporary specialty retail, dining, entertainment, and hospitality for the western Chicago metropolitan market.
Retail · 1962
Department-store retail
Oakbrook Center has historically anchored its offer with large department stores. The tenant roster has included Sears, Marshall Field's, Macy's, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale's Home, Bonwit Teller, and I. Magnin. These stores have provided broad assortments of apparel, accessories, beauty products, home goods, and luxury merchandise, while successive closures and conversions have allowed the center to adapt to changes in department-store retail.
Retail · 1962
Specialty fashion and luxury retail
The center's specialty offer spans contemporary apparel, luxury accessories, footwear, jewelry, and outdoor clothing. Referenced tenants include Tory Burch, Oak+Fort, Allbirds, Arc'teryx, Golden Goose, Fabletics, Rhone, Warby Parker, Aritzia, Hugo Boss, Tommy Bahama, Lululemon Athletica, and Tiffany & Company, alongside other rotating specialty concepts.
Food and beverage · 1991
Dining and food venues
Dining is a core part of the Oakbrook Center experience. The center and its surrounding retail campus have included Maggiano's Little Italy, Corner Bakery Cafe, Wildfire, The Cheesecake Factory, Perry's Steakhouse, Gibson's Bar and Steakhouse, and The District food hall. These restaurants complement traditional shopping and support the property's positioning as a daylong lifestyle destination.
Entertainment · 1964
Entertainment and leisure
Oakbrook Center has repeatedly added entertainment uses to broaden its appeal beyond retail. Its cinema history began with a single-screen theater in 1964 and later included Cineplex Odeon operations. A 12-screen AMC cinema and The District food hall opened in 2016, while Pinstripes and Puttshack added bowling, games, dining, and social entertainment formats.
Home furnishings · 2003
Home and lifestyle retail
Home-related retail has occupied a significant role in the center's redevelopment strategy. Bloomingdale's Home operated from 2003 until its announced closure in 2012, after which the building was divided among multiple tenants. Later additions included The Container Store, Restoration Hardware, and Joss & Main, combining storage, furniture, décor, and lifestyle merchandise.
Brand decisions
2017
Reconstruct the Sears anchor into a smaller-format store and additional retail spaceStrategyBackground
Sears announced that its Oakbrook store would be reconfigured as part of a broader change in the center's anchor-space strategy.
Action taken
The original Sears store closed in September 2017, and a smaller store reopened on the first level on October 5, 2018, with the broader project supporting additional retail uses.
Aftermath
Sears later announced the closure of the reduced-format location in 2019, leaving the center to continue repositioning large-format space.
2016
Add cinema and food-hall uses to the Nordstrom wingStrategyBackground
Oakbrook Center sought to strengthen its leisure and dining offer alongside traditional shopping.
Action taken
A remodeled section of the Nordstrom wing opened with a 12-screen AMC Theatres complex and a food hall called The District.
Aftermath
The redevelopment increased the center's emphasis on experiential retail, food, and entertainment.
2014
Redevelop former Bloomingdale's Home space into multiple specialty storesStrategyBackground
Bloomingdale's announced that its Oakbrook Home store would close in 2012, leaving a large department-store building that could be used for a different retail configuration.
Action taken
The structure was reconstructed and reopened with six inline tenants, including The Container Store, Lululemon Athletica, Tommy Bahama, Hugo Boss, and Aritzia.
Aftermath
The project illustrated Oakbrook Center's shift from relying solely on large department-store anchors toward a more flexible specialty-retail mix.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/oakbrook-center · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled