Sikes Senter

Sikes Senter is a regional enclosed shopping mall in Wichita Falls, Texas. Developed on land formerly associated with the Sikes Farm, the center was conceived in the mid-1960s by Louis Sikes and his wife. Construction began in July 1965, and the project was subsequently expanded and transferred among several ownership groups before its formal opening on October 30, 1974. The opening center contained approximately 650,000 square feet of retail space and 38 stores, with Dillard's and JCPenney serving as its initial major anchors. The mall was designed to serve Wichita Falls and a broad surrounding trade area. Its regional importance was reinforced by its relative geographic isolation: it was described as the only Texas mall within approximately 100 miles of Wichita Falls. During its early years, the property expanded its tenant mix and added department-store operators including Perkins, Bealls, and later a second Dillard's location. In 1991, Sears became another anchor after replacing its downtown Wichita Falls store. The center also added specialty and casual retail tenants during the 2000s, including Books-A-Million and Old Navy. Sikes Senter experienced the same structural pressures affecting many enclosed shopping malls in the United States. Bealls and New York & Company closed in 2011, while Old Navy reduced its footprint. The former Bealls space was later occupied by The Shoe Department Encore. Sears closed in December 2015, and its former space was converted for At Home, which opened there in April 2016. Despite tenant losses, the mall was reported to have maintained occupancy above the national average during part of the 2010s. Ownership and management also changed over time. Brookfield Properties Retail Group owned and managed Sikes Senter until 2022, when the property was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group. That year, both Dillard's locations were announced for closure. JCPenney announced its own departure in June 2024, followed by At Home's announced closure in July 2024. The loss of those stores left the mall without traditional anchor tenants and contributed to its characterization as a declining or dead mall. Tilt Studio, one of the remaining entertainment-oriented occupants, closed its location in September 2025 according to the cited reference material. In 2025, the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce confirmed that discussions were under way concerning a city-led redevelopment. The reported proposal involved purchasing and demolishing the mall and replacing it with an open-air retail district and a stadium associated with nearby Midwestern State University. The City of Wichita Falls reportedly purchased the property on October 15, 2025. Demolition was expected to begin near the end of 2027, with completion of the broader redevelopment projected for 2031. Because the available source describes these later events as plans and expectations, the mall's ultimate operating status and redevelopment outcome require verification.

Plans for an air-conditioned shopping mall on the former Sikes Farm site were announced on June 27, 1965. The original proposal covered approximately 368,475 square feet. Louis Sikes and his wife were the principal developers, and construction began in July of that year. On September 13, 1968, Arizona mortgage banker Donald R. Dugan acquired the project and organized Sikes Senter Corporation. The proposed floor area was subsequently increased to approximately 700,000 square feet. The property changed hands again on May 1, 1971, when Hanover Development Corporation of Chicago acquired it; that company was later associated with Jack Jacobs and Company. JCPenney had signed a lease in 1970, and further anchor development was considered while the opening schedule moved to 1974. Sikes Senter finally opened on October 30, 1974, after the site had remained vacant for several years. Mrs. Sikes and Jack Jacobs participated in the opening ceremonies, including a ribbon cutting for the approximately 650,000-square-foot center. The opening tenant roster contained 38 stores, with Dillard's and JCPenney as the principal anchors. Additional openings followed: a Perkins department store began trading in July 1975, and Bealls opened in October of that year. The tenant mix changed during the 1980s. Chick-fil-A opened at the mall in 1981. Perkins was acquired by Monnig's Department Stores in 1982 and became Monnig's-Perkins. That store closed in October 1988 and was replaced by a second Dillard's location in August 1989. In 1990, the then-owner, JMB-Federated Realty Associates, announced plans for a new wing containing additional stores and a Sears department store. Sears opened on March 5, 1991, replacing its downtown Wichita Falls location. During the 2000s, Sikes Senter added tenants including Books-A-Million and Old Navy. The mall later encountered the broader challenges facing enclosed retail centers. Bealls and New York & Company closed in 2011, and Old Navy reduced its space. The former Bealls site became The Shoe Department Encore in 2012. Sears closed in December 2015, and At Home opened in the former Sears space in April 2016. Brookfield Properties Retail Group owned and managed Sikes Senter until its reported sale to Kohan Retail Investment Group in 2022. That year, both Dillard's stores were announced for closure. JCPenney announced a fall 2024 closure, and At Home announced its own departure later that year. These exits removed the mall's remaining major anchors and led to descriptions of Sikes Senter as a dead or substantially distressed mall. Redevelopment discussions were reported in 2025. The proposed concept involved city acquisition and demolition, followed by an open-air retail district and a new stadium connected with nearby Midwestern State University. The City of Wichita Falls reportedly completed its purchase on October 15, 2025. Demolition was expected toward the end of 2027, with the larger project forecast for completion in 2031. The cited material does not establish whether these projected dates or the proposed redevelopment were ultimately completed. The mall has also been the site of criminal incidents. In January 1987, a woman was fatally or seriously attacked in the parking lot in a stabbing incident described in the source material. In September 2010, an armed robbery occurred at Buffalo Wild Wings, where two employees were reportedly confined in a walk-in freezer. Surveillance footage helped police identify and arrest the suspect several days later.

• 2025

  City purchase reported

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  The City of Wichita Falls reportedly purchased the mall on October 15 amid redevelopment discussions.

• 2024

  Final reported anchor departures

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney and At Home announced closures, leaving the mall without conventional anchor stores.

• 2022

  Ownership changes to Kohan

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired the property from Brookfield Properties Retail Group.

• 2016

  At Home opens in former Sears space

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  At Home began operating in the space vacated by Sears.

• 1991

  Sears joins the mall

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  A new Sears store opened after the retailer closed its downtown Wichita Falls location.

• 1989

  Second Dillard's opens

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  The former Monnig's-Perkins location became a second Dillard's store.

• 1974

  Grand opening

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  Sikes Senter opened on October 30 with 38 stores and Dillard's and JCPenney as opening anchors.

• 1968

  Sikes Senter Corporation formed

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  Donald R. Dugan acquired the project and formed Sikes Senter Corporation; the planned center was also enlarged.

• 1965

  Mall plans announced

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  Plans were announced for an air-conditioned shopping mall on the former Sikes Farm site, with an initial proposed area of about 368,475 square feet.

• 1965

  Construction begins

  [1]Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the shopping complex began in July.

A regional enclosed shopping center serving Wichita Falls and its surrounding trade area, with historical importance as the area's principal major mall and a later identity shaped by anchor-store closures and redevelopment discussions.

• Shopping mall · 1974

  Sikes Senter regional shopping center

  Sikes Senter is an enclosed regional shopping center that historically combined department stores, specialty retail, restaurants, services, and entertainment. Its tenant base included major national and regional operators, although the cited material reports that all traditional anchor stores had closed by late 2024.

• Department-store space · 1974

  Former department-store anchors

  The mall's principal anchor history includes Dillard's, JCPenney, Sears, Bealls, Perkins, Monnig's-Perkins, and At Home. These stores defined successive phases of the center's retail offer, but the cited source reports that Dillard's, JCPenney, and At Home all closed during the 2022–2024 period.

• 2025

  Proposed mall demolition and redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  The mall had reportedly lost all of its anchor stores and faced continued occupancy and redevelopment pressures.

  Action taken

  Reported plans called for city acquisition and demolition, replacement with an open-air retail area, and construction of a stadium for nearby Midwestern State University.

  Aftermath

  The city reportedly purchased the property on October 15, 2025. Demolition was expected near the end of 2027 and project completion in 2031, but the cited material does not confirm final execution.

  Source

• 2022

  Sale to Kohan Retail Investment GroupM&A

  Background

  Brookfield Properties Retail Group had owned and managed Sikes Senter before the reported transaction.

  Action taken

  The property was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group.

  Aftermath

  The ownership change occurred in the same year that both Dillard's locations were announced for closure.

  Source

1. 1Sikes Senteren.wikipedia.org