Spring Hill Mall

Spring Hill Mall was a regional enclosed shopping mall in West Dundee, Illinois, with portions of the property located in neighboring Carpentersville. It served communities in the western Chicago metropolitan area and combined department-store anchors, specialty retail, restaurants, entertainment, and nearby commercial development. The mall was developed by Homart Development Company, then associated with Sears, Roebuck & Company, and designed by Architectonics Inc. of Chicago. It opened in October 1980 with Marshall Field & Company and Sears as its original anchor tenants. The property expanded and changed its tenant mix repeatedly over the following decades. Bergner-Weise joined the mall in 1981 and was later converted to Carson Pirie Scott after P.A. Bergner & Co. acquired the Carson's chain. JCPenney opened an anchor location in 1983, while the northwest anchor space began as Joseph Spiess Company in 1984. Other former occupants of that space included Wickes Furniture, Steve & Barry's, Home Furniture Mart, American Eagle Furniture, and Darna Furniture. Carson's ultimately closed in 2018 after the bankruptcy and liquidation of Bon-Ton Stores. JCPenney closed in 2011, and the former Joseph Spiess space became vacant in 2015. The mall was part of a broader retail district that included restaurants and freestanding commercial properties. Red Lobster opened near the mall in 1982, followed by Olive Garden in 1989. A nearby Jewel-Osco opened in 1992, and Best Buy and Target Greatland opened across the street in 1994. Barnes & Noble joined the mall in 2004, while Home Depot opened nearby later that year. LA Fitness subsequently occupied the former Toys "R" Us location outside the mall. Ownership and management changed as the regional-mall sector consolidated. Following General Growth Properties' bankruptcy-related restructuring, Spring Hill Mall was transferred to Rouse Properties in 2011. Brookfield acquired Rouse in 2016 and later acquired General Growth Properties in 2018. In 2015, the owner announced a redevelopment plan that included removing the western portion of the enclosed mall, including the food court and former JCPenney and furniture spaces, and creating a new entertainment and dining-oriented layout. A 37,000-square-foot Cinemark theater opened on December 15, 2016, and H&M opened in 2017. The mall nevertheless continued to lose anchors. Sears announced its closure in late 2019, with the store shutting in February 2020. Macy's announced its closure in January 2020, leaving Kohl's, Barnes & Noble, and Cinemark as the principal remaining anchor or major destinations. Barnes & Noble closed in October 2021 and relocated to Algonquin Commons. Spring Hill Mall was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group in 2021. In February 2024, tenants received notices requiring them to leave by March 22. The mall permanently closed on March 22, 2024, with redevelopment anticipated but not specified in the available reference material. Kohl's later announced that its Spring Hill Mall store would close in April 2025 as part of a broader nationwide store-closure program. The property is therefore best understood as a defunct mall brand and former physical retail destination rather than an operating shopping-center business.

Spring Hill Mall was built on the former site of D. Hill Nursery, which relocated to Union, Illinois before construction began. Homart Development Company developed the property, with Sears, Roebuck & Company among the associated ownership interests, and Architectonics Inc. of Chicago serving as architect. The enclosed mall opened in October 1980 in West Dundee, with a small portion extending into Carpentersville. Marshall Field & Company and Sears opened as the original anchors. The property added several anchors and surrounding commercial uses during the 1980s and 1990s. Bergner-Weise opened in 1981 and was later converted into Carson Pirie Scott. JCPenney opened in 1983, while Joseph Spiess Company opened another anchor space in 1984. Joseph Spiess left in 1994; the space later housed several furniture and discount-retail operators before becoming vacant in 2015. Restaurants including Red Lobster and Olive Garden opened outside the mall, and nearby development added Jewel-Osco, Best Buy, Target Greatland, Denny's, and other retailers. Marshall Field's was rebranded as Macy's in 2006. JCPenney closed in 2011, and the same year the mall moved from the General Growth Properties portfolio into Rouse Properties following General Growth's bankruptcy-related restructuring. Brookfield acquired Rouse in 2016 and acquired General Growth Properties in 2018. Barnes & Noble opened in 2004, and a redevelopment strategy was announced in 2015 to remove the western end of the enclosed mall and create more space for entertainment, dining, and exterior-facing retail. The redevelopment produced a 37,000-square-foot Cinemark theater, which opened in December 2016, and H&M joined the mall in March 2017. However, the property continued to lose traditional department-store anchors. Carson's closed in August 2018 following Bon-Ton's liquidation. Sears closed in February 2020, and Macy's followed after announcing its closure in January 2020. Barnes & Noble left in October 2021 and relocated nearby. The mall was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group in 2021. By 2024, the property faced a further decline in occupancy and operating viability. Tenants were told in February to vacate by March 22, and the mall permanently closed on that date. Kohl's, which had been one of the last major tenants, subsequently announced that its store would close in April 2025. The available reference material describes redevelopment as the intended next stage but does not establish a completed redevelopment project, a successor brand, or a confirmed final land-use plan.

• 2025

  Kohl's announces closure

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Kohl's announces that its remaining mall store will close in April as part of a nationwide closure plan.

• 2024

  Permanent closure

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall closes permanently on March 22 after tenants receive eviction notices and redevelopment becomes the stated future direction.

• 2021

  Kohan acquires the mall

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Kohan Retail Investment Group purchases Spring Hill Mall; Barnes & Noble closes later in the year.

• 2020

  Sears and Macy's depart

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears closes in February and Macy's subsequently closes, ending the presence of the mall's original anchor categories.

• 2018

  Carson's closes

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Carson's permanently closes on August 29 during Bon-Ton Stores' liquidation.

• 2017

  H&M opens

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  H&M opens at the mall on March 23.

• 2016

  Cinemark opens

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A 37,000-square-foot Cinemark theater opens on December 15 as the principal completed element of the redevelopment.

• 2015

  Redevelopment plan announced

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Plans call for demolition of the western mall section and a shift toward exterior retail, entertainment, and dining.

• 2011

  JCPenney closes and ownership structure changes

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney announces and completes the closure of its location, while Spring Hill Mall is transferred to Rouse Properties.

• 2006

  Marshall Field's becomes Macy's

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The original Marshall Field's anchor is rebranded as Macy's on September 9.

• 2004

  Barnes & Noble opens

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Barnes & Noble opens in the Sears wing, strengthening the mall's bookstore and specialty-retail offering.

• 1990

  Bergner-Weise location becomes Carson Pirie Scott

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The anchor is rebranded following the acquisition and conversion of Chicago-area Bergner's stores.

• 1984

  Joseph Spiess Company opens

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Elgin-based specialty department-store company opens in the northwest anchor location.

• 1983

  JCPenney opens

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney opens an anchor store at the west end of the mall.

• 1981

  Bergner-Weise joins the mall

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Bergner-Weise opens as an additional anchor and is later converted to Carson Pirie Scott.

• 1980

  Mall opens

  [1]Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Spring Hill Mall opens in October with Marshall Field & Company and Sears as its original anchors.

A suburban regional shopping mall serving western Chicago-area communities through a mix of department stores, specialty retailers, restaurants, and entertainment. In its later years, its positioning shifted toward redevelopment and experiential uses as traditional anchor tenants departed.

• Shopping center · 1980

  Enclosed regional shopping mall

  The core offering was leasable retail and service space organized around an enclosed suburban mall. The property hosted department stores, apparel and specialty retailers, restaurants, bookstores, furniture operators, and other tenant businesses serving the western Chicago-area market.

• Entertainment · 2016

  Cinemark theater

  A 37,000-square-foot Cinemark movie theater opened in December 2016 as part of the mall's proposed transformation toward entertainment and dining. It became one of the property's last major destinations before the mall's 2024 closure.

• Department stores · 1980

  Department-store anchor program

  Over its operating life, Spring Hill Mall accommodated major department-store anchors including Marshall Field & Company, Sears, Bergner-Weise, Carson Pirie Scott, JCPenney, Macy's, and Kohl's. These anchors formed the mall's principal traffic-generating offer, although all but Kohl's eventually departed before or around the property's closure.

• Books and specialty retail · 2004

  Barnes & Noble bookstore

  Barnes & Noble opened in the Sears wing in 2004 and operated as a major specialty destination. It closed on October 22, 2021, and relocated to nearby Algonquin Commons.

• 2024

  Close the mall for potential redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  The property had lost most of its traditional anchors and tenants were instructed to leave.

  Action taken

  The mall closed permanently on March 22, with redevelopment cited as the intended future direction.

  Aftermath

  Spring Hill Mall ceased operating as a shopping-center brand. The available reference material does not confirm the final redevelopment plan.

  Source

• 2021

  Sell the mall to Kohan Retail Investment GroupM&A

  Background

  The property changed hands after years of anchor turnover and weakening enclosed-mall occupancy.

  Action taken

  Spring Hill Mall was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group.

  Aftermath

  The mall remained open temporarily but received tenant-vacate notices in 2024 and permanently closed that March.

  Source

• 2016

  Launch the Cinemark entertainment anchorProduct launch

  Background

  The redevelopment strategy emphasized entertainment as a replacement for declining traditional anchor retail.

  Action taken

  A new 37,000-square-foot Cinemark movie theater opened on December 15.

  Aftermath

  Cinemark became one of the last prominent destinations associated with Spring Hill Mall.

  Source

• 2015

  Redevelop the western mall sectionStrategy

  Background

  The owner sought to reposition the aging enclosed mall after anchor departures and changing suburban retail patterns.

  Action taken

  The plan called for demolishing the western end, including the food court and former JCPenney and Darna Furniture areas, while adding entertainment and dining uses and reconfiguring portions of the property as exterior-facing retail.

  Aftermath

  The plan produced a Cinemark theater in 2016, but the mall continued to lose department-store and specialty anchors and ultimately closed in 2024.

  Source

1. 1Spring Hill Mallen.wikipedia.org