Randhurst Village
An open-air mixed-use shopping center in Mount Prospect, Illinois, redeveloped from one of the Chicago metropolitan area's earliest enclosed regional malls.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Randhurst Village is an open-air mixed-use shopping center at the intersection of Rand Road, or U.S. Route 12, and Elmhurst Road, or Illinois Route 83, in Mount Prospect, Illinois. The property began in 1962 as Randhurst, an enclosed regional shopping mall developed by the Randhurst Corporation, a joint venture of Carson Pirie Scott, Wieboldt's, and Montgomery Ward. Its name combined the names of the two principal roads bordering the site. The original center was conceived during the rapid expansion of Chicago's northwest suburbs. Carson Pirie Scott sought a suburban location capable of serving a growing population beyond the established city retail districts, while competition from newer suburban destinations such as Old Orchard encouraged department stores to establish large regional centers. Architect Victor Gruen, a major influence on modern shopping-mall planning, designed Randhurst as a triangular complex with three major department-store anchors rather than the more common linear arrangement. The roughly one-million-square-foot center was reportedly the first enclosed regional mall in the Chicago metropolitan area and, at opening, one of the largest enclosed air-conditioned spaces in the United States. Its original anchors were Carson Pirie Scott, Wieboldt's, and The Fair, a Montgomery Ward subsidiary operated under its own nameplate. The mall included two levels of retail, lower-level or “bazaar” stores, offices, a central domed area with clerestory and stained-glass features, and a Cold War-era fallout shelter large enough to accommodate Mount Prospect's population. In 1963, The Fair location became the first Fair store to be converted to the Montgomery Ward name. The center also included a range of national and regional retailers, food stores, specialty shops, and an adjacent cinema. The Rouse Company acquired Randhurst in 1981. During the 1980s, the property was expanded and reconfigured, including the creation of an early Chicago-area food court and additional retail space. Anchor changes followed the financial difficulties of several department-store chains. Wieboldt's entered bankruptcy in 1987, and its space was subsequently occupied by Bergner's and later Carson Pirie Scott. Other former anchor spaces passed through Joseph Spiess Company, Wickes Furniture, Circuit City, Old Navy, and other retailers. Randhurst reached a reported peak of approximately 1.4 million square feet during the 1990s, but competition from Woodfield Mall, The Streets of Woodfield, Deer Park Town Center, and changing consumer preferences weakened its position. JCPenney and Montgomery Ward left in 2001, and the resulting vacancies accelerated the decline of the enclosed mall. A mid-2000s repositioning effort added or expanded uses including Costco, restaurants, and big-box retail, but it did not restore the former enclosed format's long-term viability. Mount Prospect approved a redevelopment plan in 2007. The enclosed mall's final shopping day was September 30, 2008, and the central structure was demolished during 2008 and 2009, including the signature dome. Existing anchor buildings were retained where practical and incorporated into a new lifestyle-center plan organized around a pedestrian-oriented retail street, public gathering spaces, and diagonal parking. Construction of Randhurst Village began in late 2009. The redeveloped center reopened through a series of openings during the early 2010s. Its uses expanded beyond retail to include restaurants, offices, a hotel, and a 12-screen AMC cinema. A former bomb shelter was adapted for underground hotel parking. The former Carson's department-store building later experienced further changes after Bon-Ton Stores entered liquidation in 2018. HomeGoods opened in part of that building in 2022, followed by Macy's in the remaining portion in 2024. Other later additions included Bath & Body Works and Planet Fitness. DLC Management acquired the approximately one-million-square-foot lifestyle center after JPMorgan Chase announced plans to sell it in 2014. Randhurst Village remains an active suburban retail and entertainment destination, with Macy's, Costco Wholesale, and AMC Theatres among its principal anchors, alongside Home Depot, Jewel-Osco, PetSmart, T.J. Maxx, restaurants, specialty retailers, offices, and a hotel.
History
Randhurst originated from Carson Pirie Scott's effort to extend its retail business into Chicago's expanding northwest suburbs. The company assembled an approximately 80-acre site in Mount Prospect and joined with Wieboldt's and Montgomery Ward to form the Randhurst Corporation. Victor Gruen designed the center as a triangular enclosed mall with three department-store anchors. This arrangement, together with extensive air conditioning, a central dome, clerestory windows, stained glass, offices, and a fallout shelter, made the project an important early example of large-scale suburban retail planning. When Randhurst opened in 1962, its anchors were Carson Pirie Scott, Wieboldt's, and The Fair, the Montgomery Ward subsidiary nameplate. The Fair location was converted to Montgomery Ward in 1963. The center's retail mix included department stores, food retail, specialty merchants, variety stores, and a cinema. Randhurst retained its basic configuration for much of the following two decades. The Rouse Company acquired the property in 1981. Rouse expanded the interior during the 1980s, converting upper-level office space into a food court and additional shops, then adding a more conventional second level by 1990. Department-store turnover became a defining feature of the property's later history. Wieboldt's bankruptcy in 1987 led to Bergner's taking its space, while Carson Pirie Scott was moved into the former Wieboldt's building in 1990 and JCPenney occupied the former Carson space. Smaller anchors and tenants included Joseph Spiess Company, MainStreet, Wickes Furniture, Circuit City, Old Navy, and Filene's Basement. By the 1990s, Randhurst had reached its largest reported retail footprint, approximately 1.4 million square feet. Its position weakened as nearby Woodfield Mall and other suburban developments expanded, while open-air centers and changing shopping habits attracted customers. Efforts to modernize the property included a decorative renovation, a Home Depot opening in 1995, and the relocation and rebuilding of Jewel-Osco. These changes did not prevent continuing vacancies. The situation worsened in the early 2000s. JCPenney and Montgomery Ward departed in 2001, and the loss of major anchors caused many smaller stores to close. A 2004 repositioning project demolished former anchor structures to make room for Costco and redesigned portions of the mall. Additional restaurants and retailers arrived, but the project did not reverse the center's decline. The enclosed mall closed on September 30, 2008. Demolition, complicated in part by asbestos insulation, removed the central mall structure; the iconic dome was taken down in August 2009. The replacement project, called Randhurst Village, began construction in late 2009. The redevelopment used a Main Street-style open-air layout with public spaces, diagonal parking, retained anchor buildings, new retail structures, restaurants, offices, hotel accommodation, and entertainment. The new center gained an AMC 12-screen theater, a Hampton Inn & Suites, PetSmart, T.J. Maxx, Old Navy, restaurants, and additional service businesses. The former fallout shelter was adapted into underground hotel parking. Ownership changed after JPMorgan Chase announced a sale process in 2014. DLC Management ultimately acquired the property, making Randhurst its largest asset at the time. Tenant changes continued as the retail market evolved: Sports Authority left after its 2016 bankruptcy, with Michaels and later DSW occupying portions of that space; Carson's closed in 2018 after Bon-Ton's liquidation; Bed Bath & Beyond announced a closure in 2020; HomeGoods opened in 2022; and Bath & Body Works, Planet Fitness, and Macy's were added or returned in the 2020s. The center also has a commemorative connection to its past: a 1962 time capsule was sought during demolition, and Mount Prospect placed a new time capsule at the redeveloped property in 2011.
- 2024
Macy's opens in former Carson's building
[1]Macy's opened in the remaining portion of the former department-store space.
- 2022
HomeGoods opens
[1]HomeGoods took part of the former Carson's building.
- 2018
Carson's closes
[1]The long-running department store closed after Bon-Ton liquidated its stores.
- 2015
DLC Management becomes owner
[1]DLC Management acquired the lifestyle center after a sale process initiated by JPMorgan Chase.
- 2011
Major redevelopment openings
[1]The new center added an AMC cinema, hotel, retail stores, restaurants, and services.
- 2009
Central mall demolished and redevelopment starts
[1]The original mall core was demolished and construction began on Randhurst Village.
- 2008
Enclosed mall closes
[1]The original center ended operations on September 30.
- 2007
Lifestyle-center redevelopment approved
[1]Mount Prospect approved a plan to replace the mall core with an open-air mixed-use center.
- 2001
JCPenney and Montgomery Ward depart
[1]The simultaneous loss of two major anchors intensified the enclosed mall's decline.
- 1995
Home Depot opens
[1]Home Depot joined the property as part of efforts to modernize and diversify the tenant mix.
Products and positioning
A suburban, open-air lifestyle center combining national retail anchors, restaurants, entertainment, services, offices, and hotel accommodation. Its current identity emphasizes convenient mixed-use shopping and social gathering space rather than the enclosed regional-mall format of the original Randhurst.
Retail · 1962
Department-store retail
Department-store retail has been central to Randhurst since its 1962 opening. The property has hosted Carson Pirie Scott, Wieboldt's, The Fair, Montgomery Ward, Bergner's, JCPenney, Carson's, and, in the current era, Macy's. These stores have provided broad assortments of apparel, accessories, home goods, beauty products, seasonal merchandise, and other general merchandise.
Big-box retail · 1995
Warehouse and home-improvement retail
The current center includes large-format retail uses that broaden its appeal beyond traditional mall shopping. Costco Wholesale offers membership-based groceries, household goods, electronics, and general merchandise, while Home Depot provides tools, building materials, appliances, garden products, and home-improvement services.
Restaurants · 1962
Dining and food service
Restaurants and food service have been part of Randhurst's operating model from its enclosed-mall period through its lifestyle-center redevelopment. The property has hosted national chains, regional restaurants, and standalone dining concepts, including Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera, Tony Sacco's, Smokey Bones, and E+O Food and Drink at different points in its history.
Leisure and services · 2011
Entertainment and hospitality
Randhurst Village combines shopping with leisure and hospitality uses. AMC operates a 12-screen cinema, and the property includes a hotel and second-floor office space. Fitness and service tenants, including Planet Fitness, add recurring-use activities that are not dependent solely on conventional retail visits.
Brand decisions
2018
Carson's closure and building reuseOtherBackground
Bon-Ton Stores, the owner of Carson's, announced liquidation of its stores for financial reasons.
Action taken
The Randhurst Carson's store closed, leaving a large former department-store building available for new uses.
Aftermath
HomeGoods later occupied part of the building, and Macy's opened in the remaining portion in 2024.
2014
Property sale process beginsM&ABackground
JPMorgan Chase had owned the redeveloped center for 22 years and announced plans to sell the approximately one-million-square-foot property.
Action taken
The property was marketed to prospective development companies and was ultimately acquired by DLC Management.
Aftermath
Randhurst became the largest asset in DLC Management's portfolio at the time of the acquisition.
2007
Conversion from enclosed mall to open-air lifestyle centerStrategyBackground
The enclosed mall had suffered prolonged vacancy and declining traffic despite earlier renovation efforts.
Action taken
Mount Prospect approved demolition of the mall core and a new Main Street-style center with retained anchors, public spaces, diagonal parking, restaurants, offices, and hospitality uses.
Aftermath
The original mall closed in 2008, demolition continued through 2009, and Randhurst Village opened in phases during the early 2010s.
2004
Mid-2000s mall repositioningStrategyBackground
Randhurst was losing anchors and smaller tenants as nearby shopping destinations expanded and consumer preferences shifted.
Action taken
Former anchor buildings were removed or reworked, a Costco store was developed, and new restaurants and retail uses were introduced.
Aftermath
The changes provided some new uses but did not halt the enclosed mall's decline, leading to the later lifestyle-center redevelopment.
Recent events
- 2024
Macy's opens at Randhurst Village[1]
Product launch
Macy's opened in the remaining portion of the former Carson's building, restoring a major department-store presence to the property.
- 2022
HomeGoods opens in former Carson's space[1]
Product launch
HomeGoods began operating in part of the former Carson's department-store building.
- 2018
Carson's closes following Bon-Ton liquidation[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
The Carson's department store closed on August 29, 2018 after Bon-Ton Stores announced liquidation of its store portfolio.
- 2015
DLC Management acquires Randhurst[1]
M&A
DLC Management purchased the property after JPMorgan Chase placed the lifestyle center on the market. The transaction made Randhurst the largest asset in DLC's portfolio at that time.
- 2009
Randhurst Village redevelopment begins[1]
Other
Construction started on the open-air mixed-use successor to the enclosed mall, while demolition of the historic central structure proceeded.
- 2008
The original Randhurst mall closes[1]
Other
The enclosed mall held its final shopping day on September 30, 2008, after prolonged tenant losses and the transition to redevelopment.
- 2007
Mount Prospect approves redevelopment of Randhurst[1]
Other
The village approved a plan to demolish the enclosed mall's core and replace it with an open-air lifestyle center while retaining and integrating selected anchor buildings.
Sources1 sources
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