Wichita Mall

Wichita Mall was an American shopping mall in Wichita, Kansas. Developed during the expansion of suburban retail in the late 1960s, it was constructed beginning in February 1969 and opened to the public on July 30, 1970, under the name Wichita Mall Shopping Center. Montgomery Ward began operating at the site during the 1969 holiday season, before the formal opening of the wider center. The mall's original anchor tenants included Montgomery Ward, Skagg's, and J.M. McDonald. It also offered a movie theater, making the property a combination of department-store retail, general merchandise, entertainment, and smaller in-line shopping. Its tenant mix reflected the traditional enclosed or partially enclosed shopping-center model of the period, in which large anchor stores generated customer traffic for specialty retailers and services. A significant turning point came in 2001, when Montgomery Ward closed its Wichita Mall store along with the retailer's location at Wichita's Towne West Square. The closures followed Montgomery Ward's bankruptcy and removed the mall's principal department-store anchor. On August 8, 2002, the property was sold. The following year, the site underwent a major renovation that changed its commercial role. The former Montgomery Ward space was incorporated into the redevelopment, which added office uses and a new Big Lots store. By 2025, Wichita Mall no longer functioned primarily as a shopping mall. The property consisted of office space and satellite centers associated with Wichita State University. Its later form illustrates the adaptive reuse of an older retail property after the loss of a major anchor and the decline of the traditional department-store-centered mall model. Wichita Mall is therefore best understood as a former local shopping-center brand and property rather than an active retail chain or independently operating consumer brand.

Wichita Mall emerged during a period when American cities were developing suburban shopping centers anchored by department stores and large general-merchandise retailers. Construction began in February 1969 in Wichita, Kansas. Montgomery Ward opened its store at the site during the 1969 holiday season, providing an early anchor before the shopping center formally opened on July 30, 1970, as the Wichita Mall Shopping Center. The original tenant and attraction mix included Montgomery Ward, Skagg's, and J.M. McDonald as anchors, together with a movie theater. These businesses gave the center a broad retail and entertainment proposition rather than limiting it to a single category. The anchors were intended to draw regular shoppers from across the Wichita area, while smaller tenants and services benefited from the resulting customer traffic. The property later faced the structural pressures affecting many older shopping centers, including the loss of established department-store anchors. Montgomery Ward closed its Wichita Mall store on March 5, 2001, along with its location at Towne West Square. The closures were part of the retailer's bankruptcy-related shutdowns and represented a major disruption to Wichita Mall's original operating model. On August 8, 2002, the mall was sold. In 2003, the property underwent a drastic renovation. The redevelopment included the former Montgomery Ward space, introduced office space, and added a new Big Lots store. Rather than restoring the original department-store-centered format, the project shifted the property toward a mixed commercial reuse model. By 2025, Wichita Mall was no longer operating as a conventional shopping mall. The site consisted of office space and satellite centers connected with Wichita State University. Its history consequently spans three distinct phases: development as a late-1960s shopping center, operation as a traditional local mall with department-store anchors, and adaptive reuse after the loss of a major anchor. The Wichita Mall name remains associated with the former retail property, but the mall itself is best classified as defunct.

• 2025

  Site operates as office and university-related space

  [1]Wichita Mallen.wikipedia.org

  By 2025, the former mall consisted of office space and Wichita State University satellite centers rather than a conventional shopping mall.

• 2003

  Major redevelopment

  [1]Wichita Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A substantial renovation added office space, redeveloped the former Montgomery Ward area, and brought a new Big Lots store to the property.

• 2002

  Property is sold

  [1]Wichita Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall was sold on August 8, 2002.

• 2001

  Montgomery Ward closes

  [1]Wichita Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Montgomery Ward closed its Wichita Mall location on March 5, 2001, following the retailer's bankruptcy.

• 1970

  Wichita Mall Shopping Center opens

  [1]Wichita Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The shopping center opened to the public on July 30, 1970.

• 1969

  Construction begins

  [1]Wichita Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of Wichita Mall began in February 1969.

• 1969

  Montgomery Ward opens

  [1]Wichita Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Montgomery Ward opened its Wichita Mall store during the 1969 holiday season, ahead of the shopping center's formal opening.

A locally oriented Wichita shopping center that originally combined department-store anchors, general retail, specialty tenants, and entertainment, later repositioned through adaptive reuse as office and university-related space.

• Department store · 1969

  Montgomery Ward

  Montgomery Ward was one of Wichita Mall's original anchor tenants. Its store opened during the 1969 holiday season and served as a major source of customer traffic during the mall's traditional retail period. The location closed on March 5, 2001, as part of Montgomery Ward's bankruptcy-related store closures.

• Retail anchor · 1970

  Skagg's

  Skagg's was one of the original anchor businesses at Wichita Mall when the shopping center opened in 1970. Available reference material identifies the retailer as an anchor but does not provide further detail about its merchandise range or operating dates at the property.

• Retail anchor · 1970

  J.M. McDonald

  J.M. McDonald was listed among Wichita Mall's original anchors. Its presence formed part of the center's initial department-store and general-retail mix, although the available reference material does not specify the store's later history at the site.

• Entertainment · 1970

  Movie theater

  A movie theater was part of the original Wichita Mall offering. The theater supplemented the anchor stores and smaller retailers with an entertainment use intended to increase visits and extend the center's appeal beyond shopping.

• Discount retail · 2003

  Big Lots

  A new Big Lots store was added during the mall's major 2003 renovation. Its inclusion accompanied the conversion of portions of the property to office space and reflected the site's shift toward a mixed-use redevelopment model after the loss of Montgomery Ward.

• 2003

  Redevelopment into a mixed office and retail propertyStrategy

  Background

  The loss of Montgomery Ward in 2001 weakened the original department-store-centered format, and the property changed ownership in 2002.

  Action taken

  The property was substantially renovated, including the former Montgomery Ward space, with office uses introduced and a new Big Lots store added.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment moved Wichita Mall away from its original shopping-center model. By 2025, the site was being used for office space and Wichita State University satellite centers.

  Source

1. 1Wichita Mallen.wikipedia.org