Salem Mall
Salem Mall was a former regional shopping mall in Trotwood, Ohio, developed by The Rouse Company and demolished after a prolonged decline.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Salem Mall was a regional shopping mall in Trotwood, Ohio, a northwestern suburb of Dayton. Developed by The Rouse Company through its subsidiary Salem Mall, Inc., the center opened in October 1966 on land that had previously been part of the Roscoe Filburn farm. Its location at the intersection of Salem Avenue and Shiloh Springs Road placed it within a growing suburban retail corridor serving Dayton-area shoppers. The original center opened with approximately 60 retailers. Its principal department-store anchors were Rike's and Sears, and the mall also contained a Liberal supermarket, the smaller Metropolitan department store, and a multiscreen cinema. During its early decades, Salem Mall represented the enclosed suburban shopping-center model that was expanding throughout the United States. The center's tenant mix combined national and regional department stores with specialty retailers, restaurants, entertainment, and grocery-related uses. A major expansion and renovation was completed in 1981. The project created a two-story concourse and added a JCPenney store that had relocated from nearby Forest Park Plaza. Liberal had closed by 1979, and its former space was divided into smaller retail units. The 1981 work also introduced a food court, which was later substantially enlarged after the Metropolitan department store closed in the mid-1980s. At its height, the mall contained more than 110 retailers and remained commercially successful through much of the 1980s. The center's performance weakened as management problems affected tenant recruitment, lease renewals, and customer traffic. By the 1990s, Salem Mall was losing important stores and was increasingly characterized as a declining or dead mall. Rike's underwent successive name changes, first becoming Shillito-Rike's and later Lazarus. Lazarus departed in 1998, and JCPenney closed during the same year. The Loews cinema, restaurants, and many smaller retailers also left. Lazarus's former building was demolished and replaced by a separately situated Home Depot, leaving Sears and Home Depot as the principal remaining anchors. The Rouse Company sold its interest in the mall to financial partner Cigna in spring 1998. Cigna engaged General Growth Management Inc., a subsidiary of General Growth Properties, to manage the property. Despite management changes and redevelopment proposals, the enclosed mall closed permanently in early 2005. The main mall structure was demolished beginning May 15, 2006, while the Sears building was initially retained as a standalone store. Home Depot was also excluded from the main demolition area. Trotwood purchased the mall property, excluding Sears and Home Depot, in 2004. Subsequent redevelopment concepts included Landmark Town Center, an upscale open-air lifestyle complex intended to evoke Columbus's Easton Town Center, and later the TechConnection Business Park, a proposed mixed-use technology campus. These plans experienced delays, and General Growth Properties left the project in 2007. By 2013, there had been little visible progress on the business-park proposal. Sears eventually closed in January 2014. The former mall site continued to be considered for cleanup, community redevelopment, business incubation, and mixed-use development. The Sears property became involved in a bankruptcy-court auction in 2019, after which the city ultimately acquired it. In 2022, officials announced an agreement to use approximately 20,000 square feet of the Sears Center for the Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition Center, although an opening date had not been established at the time. By late 2024, Trotwood was seeking proposals from local entrepreneurs for food, retail, education, and after-school uses at the former Salem Mall site. Salem Mall therefore survives primarily as a redevelopment location and a notable former retail center in the Dayton area rather than as an operating shopping mall.
History
Salem Mall was constructed in Trotwood, Ohio, on the former Roscoe Filburn farm site. The Rouse Company developed the property through Salem Mall, Inc., and opened it in October 1966. The original mall contained about 60 stores and was anchored by Rike's and Sears. Other early components included Liberal supermarket, the Metropolitan department store, and a multiscreen cinema. The center was designed as a regional shopping destination for residents of Trotwood and the surrounding Dayton area. The mall underwent a major expansion in 1981. A new two-story concourse extended the complex and terminated at a JCPenney store relocated from Forest Park Plaza. Liberal had already closed, allowing its former premises to be subdivided into smaller shops. The expansion also added a food court. When the Metropolitan closed in the mid-1980s, its space was extensively remodeled to create a larger food-court area near the mall's center court. Salem Mall reached a peak of more than 110 retailers and remained prosperous for much of the 1980s. Its decline began in part because of weak management. Problems attracting replacement tenants, renewing leases, and maintaining regular shopper traffic became increasingly apparent by the middle of the 1980s and intensified during the 1990s. Rike's was rebranded first as Shillito-Rike's and later as Lazarus. By 1998, Lazarus and JCPenney had both left. The Loews cinema, restaurants, and numerous inline retailers also closed. The former Lazarus building was demolished for a Home Depot, while Sears remained the principal anchor within the mall complex. In spring 1998, The Rouse Company sold its interest to Cigna, its financial partner. Cigna appointed General Growth Management Inc., a General Growth Properties subsidiary, to operate the center. Redevelopment efforts could not reverse the property's decline. Salem Mall closed in early 2005, and demolition commenced on May 15, 2006. The Sears building was retained, allowing Sears to operate independently after the enclosed mall disappeared; Home Depot was also outside the principal demolition area. Trotwood had purchased most of the mall site in 2004. The city and General Growth Properties explored a proposed Landmark Town Center, envisioned as an upscale open-air lifestyle development modeled in part on Easton Town Center in Columbus. General Growth Properties left the project in 2007, and planned completion dates were repeatedly deferred. Around 2010 and 2011, Trotwood reconsidered the property as the TechConnection Business Park, a mixed-use technology campus, but little physical progress had occurred by 2013. Sears announced its departure after an October 2013 report and closed in January 2014. Later redevelopment work focused on acquiring, clearing, and reusing the remaining structures. In 2019, the former Sears building was offered through a bankruptcy-court auction. Trotwood initially faced a competing bid but ultimately obtained the property. In 2021, the Trotwood Community Improvement Corporation, working with the University of Dayton, sought public views on a new direction that could include a community kitchen, market, and business hub. In 2022, the city announced an agreement to provide roughly 20,000 square feet in the former Sears Center for the Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition Center. The proposed institution was connected to the Dayton area's history of funk music and was expected to include an educational component, although an opening date had not been set. By November 2024, city officials were again soliciting local business ideas for the old Salem Mall area, including food and retail tenants and child-focused education and entertainment. The property's post-mall history remains one of repeated redevelopment proposals rather than a completed replacement center.
- 2024
City seeks new uses for the site
[1]Trotwood solicits proposals from entrepreneurs for food, retail, educational, and after-school uses.
- 2022
Funk Music Hall of Fame proposal announced
[1]Plans call for the Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition Center to occupy part of the former Sears Center.
- 2019
City acquires former Sears building
[1]Trotwood ultimately purchases the former Sears property after bankruptcy-court auction proceedings.
- 2014
Sears closes
[1]The remaining Sears store closes, ending the last major retail operation directly associated with the former mall.
- 2006
Main mall is demolished
[1]Demolition begins in May, with the Sears building retained.
- 2005
Mall closes
[1]Salem Mall permanently ceases operations after an extended period of decline.
- 2004
Trotwood acquires most of the mall site
[1]The city purchases the mall property except for the Sears and Home Depot parcels.
- 1998
Ownership and management change
[1]The Rouse Company sells its interest to Cigna, which appoints General Growth Management Inc. to manage the mall.
- 1981
Expansion adds JCPenney
[1]A two-story concourse, JCPenney anchor, and initial food-court facilities are added in a major expansion.
- 1979
Liberal supermarket closes
[1]The mall's Liberal supermarket closes, and its space is later divided among smaller retail tenants.
Products and positioning
A suburban regional shopping mall serving Trotwood and the wider Dayton area, with department-store anchors, specialty retailers, dining, and entertainment.
Shopping center · 1966
Regional shopping mall
Salem Mall's core offering was an enclosed regional shopping environment combining department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, a food court, grocery retail, and entertainment. It served Trotwood and the wider Dayton market from its opening in 1966 until its closure in 2005.
Dining · 1981
Food court
A food-court area was introduced during the 1981 expansion and later enlarged in the former Metropolitan department-store space. It became a supporting amenity within the mall's broader retail and social environment.
Entertainment · 1966
Multiscreen cinema
The original mall included a multiscreen cinema, later associated with Loews. The cinema eventually closed during Salem Mall's broader decline in the 1990s.
Brand decisions
2022
Repurpose part of the former Sears CenterStrategyBackground
Trotwood sought a community-oriented use for remaining property associated with the former mall.
Action taken
The city announced an agreement to accommodate the Funk Music Hall of Fame and Exhibition Center in approximately 20,000 square feet.
Aftermath
The proposed facility was expected to include educational programming, but no opening date had been established in the reported material.
2005
Close the enclosed mallStrategyBackground
Years of declining occupancy, tenant departures, and reduced customer traffic left the enclosed center commercially unsustainable.
Action taken
Salem Mall ceased operations permanently.
Aftermath
The main structure was demolished in 2006, while redevelopment proposals shifted toward open-air retail, technology-campus, civic, and mixed-use concepts.
1998
Transfer ownership interest to CignaM&ABackground
The Rouse Company sold its interest after Salem Mall had begun experiencing serious tenant and traffic problems.
Action taken
Cigna acquired The Rouse Company's interest and hired General Growth Management Inc. to manage the property.
Aftermath
The management change did not reverse the mall's decline; major anchors and other tenants continued to leave.
1981
Expand the mall with a new concourse and anchorGeneration changeBackground
The original center was expanded as Salem Mall pursued greater scale and a stronger department-store lineup.
Action taken
A two-story concourse was built, JCPenney was added as an anchor, and food-court facilities were introduced.
Aftermath
The center grew to more than 110 retailers and remained prosperous through much of the 1980s.
Sources1 sources
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