Washington Park Mall
Washington Park Mall is an enclosed shopping center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, serving as a regional retail destination with department-store and specialty-retail tenants.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Washington Park Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The center contains approximately 432,303 square feet, or about 40,162 square meters, of retail space and opened in 1984. It was developed by Homart Development Company, the real-estate development arm associated with Sears, and was designed to provide Bartlesville and surrounding communities with a traditional enclosed shopping destination anchored by department stores and other national retailers. The mall's business model is based on leasing retail space to anchor stores, specialty shops, services, and food-oriented tenants rather than selling products under a single proprietary brand. Its principal identified anchors are a Dillard's Clearance Center and Dunham's Sports. The Dillard's location is an exception to the mall's otherwise consolidated property ownership structure: most of Washington Park Mall is owned and managed by Summit Properties USA, while the Dillard's anchor is separately owned. The mall therefore functions both as a consumer-facing retail destination and as a commercial real-estate asset. Ownership and financial conditions changed substantially during the mall's later history. Homart's successor, General Growth Properties, entered bankruptcy proceedings in 2009. In 2011, Washington Park Mall was among properties spun off to Rouse Properties, a real-estate investment trust. Rouse later placed the property on the market in 2017 with an asking price of $13.4 million. By the end of that year, roughly half of the mall was reported to be vacant, reflecting tenant closures and relocations. Buckle, Cavender's, Gap Outlet, GNC, and Maurice's were among the retailers that left or moved to strip-center locations in Bartlesville. Former anchor tenants also included JCPenney, which closed in May 2018; Sears, which closed in January 2019; and Goody's, which closed in 2020. The property was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group in 2021. Subsequent descriptions identify Summit Properties USA as the owner and manager of most of the mall, with Dillard's remaining separately owned. As with many traditional enclosed malls, Washington Park Mall has faced the effects of department-store closures, competition from open-air shopping centers, changing consumer habits, and tenant vacancies. In March 2023, management introduced a policy prohibiting visitors under 16 from entering without a parent or guardian, citing theft and vandalism concerns. The policy made the mall a subject of local attention and represented a shift toward more controlled access and security management. By 2025, improvement work was reportedly under way, including repair of the mall fountain. The stated goal was to improve the property and attract local businesses. Washington Park Mall consequently remains an active but evolving retail property: its identity is tied less to a fixed roster of national chains than to its role as a community shopping venue, its remaining anchor stores, and efforts to reuse or improve vacant space.
History
Washington Park Mall opened in 1984 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The enclosed center was developed by Homart Development Company, the real-estate arm of Sears, during a period when enclosed malls served as major regional shopping destinations. Its approximately 432,303 square feet of retail space was intended to serve Bartlesville and the surrounding area through department-store anchors, specialty retailers, and consumer services. The property's ownership history later became connected to the restructuring of large shopping-mall portfolios. Homart became associated with General Growth Properties, which filed for bankruptcy in 2009. In 2011, Washington Park Mall was one of 30 properties separated from the General Growth portfolio and transferred to Rouse Properties. Rouse subsequently marketed the mall for sale in 2017, identifying an asking price of $13.4 million. The mall's tenant base weakened during the late 2010s. By the end of 2017, the property was reported to be approximately half vacant. Several tenants, including Buckle, Cavender's, Gap Outlet, GNC, and Maurice's, closed their mall locations or relocated to strip-center sites in Bartlesville. The center also lost important department-store anchors. JCPenney closed on May 12, 2018, Sears closed in January 2019, and Goody's closed in 2020. These departures reflected both local vacancy pressures and wider changes affecting enclosed malls, including department-store retrenchment, competition from open-air retail, and shifts toward online shopping. In 2021, the property was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group. Later descriptions state that Summit Properties USA owns and manages most of Washington Park Mall, while the Dillard's anchor remains separately owned. The mall's remaining identified anchors are Dillard's Clearance Center and Dunham's Sports. Its role is therefore supported by a smaller anchor base and by efforts to maintain or repurpose space rather than by the broad department-store lineup that characterized its earlier years. Management introduced a new access policy in March 2023, prohibiting people under 16 from entering without a parent or guardian. The stated rationale was to address theft and vandalism. This measure illustrated the operational challenges faced by some shopping centers as they balance public access, security, tenant concerns, and the mall's community function. By 2025, Washington Park Mall was reportedly undergoing improvements, including repair of its fountain, with an objective of attracting local businesses. The property remains an active enclosed mall, but its current identity is shaped by ongoing occupancy, maintenance, and repositioning efforts. Rather than representing a national retail chain, Washington Park Mall is best understood as a place-based retail property and local commercial institution whose history tracks the changing fortunes of the American enclosed-mall sector.
- 2025
Property improvements are reported
[1]Improvement activity reportedly includes fountain repairs and efforts to attract local businesses.
- 2023
Unaccompanied-minor policy begins
[1]The mall restricts entry by people under 16 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian, citing theft and vandalism.
- 2021
Sale to Kohan Retail Investment Group
[1]Kohan Retail Investment Group acquires the mall property.
- 2020
Goody's closes
[1]Goody's, a former anchor tenant, closes its Washington Park Mall location.
- 2019
Sears closes
[1]The Sears anchor closes in January 2019.
- 2018
JCPenney closes
[1]The JCPenney anchor closes on May 12, 2018.
- 2017
Rouse markets the mall for sale
[1]Rouse Properties places the mall on the market with a reported asking price of $13.4 million; by year-end, the property is reported to be about half vacant.
- 2011
Property transferred to Rouse Properties
[1]Washington Park Mall is included among properties spun off to Rouse Properties.
- 2009
General Growth Properties enters bankruptcy
[1]The mall's then-associated portfolio owner, General Growth Properties, files for bankruptcy, beginning a restructuring of its real-estate holdings.
- 1984
Washington Park Mall opens
[1]Homart Development Company opens the enclosed shopping mall in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
Products and positioning
A regional enclosed shopping center serving Bartlesville and nearby communities, with a focus on anchor-store retail, specialty tenants, and community-oriented property improvements.
Department-store clearance retail
Dillard's Clearance Center
A separately owned anchor store offering discounted department-store merchandise. The clearance-center format generally emphasizes reduced-price apparel, accessories, home goods, and related retail categories, although the available reference material does not provide a complete current assortment.
Sporting-goods retail
Dunham's Sports
A sporting-goods anchor serving as one of Washington Park Mall's principal current retail destinations. Its category includes sports equipment, apparel, footwear, and outdoor-oriented merchandise, but the reference material does not specify the precise local assortment.
Shopping-center services · 1984
Enclosed mall retail and services
Washington Park Mall's broader offering consists of leased specialty retail, services, and consumer-oriented facilities within an enclosed shopping-center environment. Tenant categories have historically included fashion, apparel, health and beauty, accessories, and other general merchandise.
Brand decisions
2025
Property improvement and local-tenant strategyStrategyBackground
The mall had experienced substantial vacancy and the loss of several national retailers and former anchors.
Action taken
Reported work included repairing the fountain and seeking local businesses to occupy or participate in the property.
Aftermath
The initiative was intended to improve the mall's condition and broaden its tenant and community role; documented leasing results are unavailable.
2023
Adoption of an age-based access policyOtherBackground
Management cited theft and vandalism concerns when addressing access by younger visitors.
Action taken
Visitors under 16 were prohibited from entering without a parent or guardian.
Aftermath
The policy changed the conditions of public access to the mall; the available reference does not document its later duration or measurable commercial effect.
Recent events
- 2025
Improvement work targets Washington Park Mall[1]
Other
Reported improvement work included repairing the mall fountain and seeking local businesses as prospective tenants or community-oriented occupants.
- 2023
Mall introduces an age restriction for unaccompanied minors[1]
Regulation · Other
In March 2023, Washington Park Mall barred visitors under 16 from entering without a parent or guardian. Management attributed the policy to concerns about theft and vandalism.
- 2021
Washington Park Mall is sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group[1]
M&A
Washington Park Mall was sold to Kohan Retail Investment Group, a company active in acquiring and operating troubled or underperforming shopping-mall properties.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/washington-park-mall · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled