Yorktown Center
A major enclosed shopping center in Lombard, Illinois, serving Chicago's western suburbs.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Yorktown Center is a regional shopping center in Lombard, a western suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Opened in 1968, it was developed as a large enclosed, middle-market mall and was described at the time as the second-largest enclosed shopping center east of the Mississippi River. The original complex combined four department-store anchors—Carson Pirie Scott, Wieboldt's, JCPenney, and Montgomery Ward—around a central courtyard, with additional retail and service buildings in a perimeter district known initially as the Convenience Center. The center's history reflects the broader evolution of American regional malls. Its 1980s modernization introduced pastel finishes, neon lighting, skylights, new elevators, and additional escalators, updating an originally darker and more internally focused design. The mall subsequently experienced anchor turnover as department-store chains weakened or disappeared. Wieboldt's closed during its parent company's 1987 bankruptcy, and the space remained vacant until Von Maur opened there in 1994, marking that retailer's first Chicago-area location. Montgomery Ward closed during the chain's 2001 liquidation; its former space was eventually demolished and replaced by The Shops on Butterfield, a lifestyle-oriented section that opened in 2007 with tenants including HomeGoods, Marshalls, and Lucky Strike Lanes. Yorktown also expanded its entertainment and dining offer. A former General Cinema site was replaced by an 18-screen AMC dine-in theater, while other perimeter developments included restaurants, a hotel, and later residential projects. The former JCPenney auto-center site became The Pacific Club, a nightclub associated with Walter Payton's restaurant group. A Target Greatland opened near the mall in 1996. The center's convenience-oriented peripheral district was later renamed The Shops at Yorktown. A major ownership transaction occurred in April 2012, when a partnership involving KKR and YTC Pacific acquired the property for $196 million. In 2014, management invested $18 million in a food-court renovation that added healthier food choices, seating, entertainment displays, laptop workstations, and a family lounge. The mall nevertheless continued to face the structural pressures affecting traditional department stores. Carson Pirie Scott closed in April 2018 after its parent company entered bankruptcy and ceased operations. Yorktown Center has increasingly pursued a mixed-use model rather than relying solely on enclosed retail. The Elan and Overture apartment communities opened on the northern side of the property in 2019. Pac-Man Zone, an entertainment attraction, opened in 2020. Lombard approved an Olive Garden on the southern side in 2021, and the restaurant opened in 2023. A proposed 90-townhome development, The Summit at Yorktown, was approved in 2022 for part of the former Shops at Yorktown area. Also in 2022, Pacific Retail Capital Partners announced plans to redevelop the approximately 12-acre former Carson Pirie Scott site with apartments, retail, and outdoor public space. The redevelopment was branded The Square, with the residential component called Yorktown Reserve. Demolition was reported as beginning in 2024, with construction described as beginning in 2025 and a first phase reported as completed in 2026. The property remains an active shopping, dining, entertainment, and mixed-use destination. Its tenant mix includes JCPenney and Von Maur department stores, an AMC dine-in cinema, restaurants, specialty retailers, and adjacent residential and lifestyle uses. A surviving portion of the Boeger-Brinkman Cemetery, inherited from farmland that preceded the mall, remains in the southern parking area and is a distinctive historic feature of the site.
History
Yorktown Center opened in 1968 in Lombard, Illinois, as a 1.3-million-square-foot enclosed regional mall. Its initial plan placed Carson Pirie Scott and Wieboldt's opposite one another across a central courtyard, while JCPenney and Montgomery Ward occupied north and south wings. A separate strip district, the Convenience Center, included a Grand Union supermarket and other peripheral services such as auto centers, a bank, restaurants, and a cinema. During the mid-1980s, the mall underwent a substantial visual and circulation renovation. Dark tile and plain facades were replaced with pastel colors and neon accents, skylights were installed, and elevators were added to the wings. New escalators created additional retail areas near the JCPenney and Montgomery Ward anchors. The period also saw changes in the Convenience Center, including the conversion of the former supermarket space to a furniture store. Anchor instability became a defining feature of the following decades. Wieboldt's closed in 1987 after its chain entered bankruptcy. The vacant space was eventually remodeled for Von Maur, which opened its first Chicago-area store at Yorktown in 1994. Other former tenants were repurposed: a closed Madigan's clothing store became a food court and lower-level retail area, while a former Woolworth's unit temporarily housed Big Idea Productions before later becoming a Steve & Barry's location. The center also added a Target Greatland in 1996 and replaced its older movie theater with an 18-screen dine-in cinema. At the start of the 2000s, the central courtyard was rebuilt. A narrow bridge and its escalators were removed and replaced with a broader diagonal bridge featuring two escalator pairs. The collapse of Montgomery Ward in 2001 led to the closure of another anchor. After an interim furniture use, the building was demolished and replaced by The Shops on Butterfield, which opened in 2007 with HomeGoods, Marshalls, and Lucky Strike Lanes. A Westin hotel also opened outside the mall that year, and the Convenience Center was renamed The Shops at Yorktown. In April 2012, KKR and YTC Pacific acquired the property in a reported $196 million transaction. A major food-court renovation followed in 2014, adding seating, workstations, screens, family-oriented amenities, and a broader emphasis on healthier food. Carson Pirie Scott closed in 2018 after the collapse of its parent company, intensifying the need to reuse the former anchor site. Yorktown's later strategy increasingly emphasized mixed-use placemaking. Elan and Overture apartments opened in 2019, Pac-Man Zone opened in 2020, and an Olive Garden opened in 2023 after municipal approval. In 2022, D.R. Horton sought approval for 90 townhomes called The Summit at Yorktown on part of the former Shops at Yorktown area. Pacific Retail Capital Partners also announced a larger redevelopment of the former Carson Pirie Scott property. The planned project, The Square, combines new retail, outdoor space, and apartments branded Yorktown Reserve. Demolition was reported in 2024, with construction reported from 2025 and an initial phase described as complete in 2026. The property also retains part of the historic Boeger-Brinkman Cemetery in its southern parking area.
- 2023
Olive Garden opens
[1]An Olive Garden restaurant opens on the south side of the center.
- 2022
The Square redevelopment is announced
[1]Plans are announced to convert the former Carson Pirie Scott site into a mixed-use district.
- 2018
Carson Pirie Scott closes
[1]The longtime department-store anchor closes after its parent company ceases business.
- 2012
Ownership changes to a KKR and YTC Pacific partnership
[1]The property is acquired by a partnership involving KKR and YTC Pacific.
- 2007
The Shops on Butterfield opens
[1]The former Montgomery Ward site is replaced by a lifestyle-oriented development with retail and entertainment tenants.
- 2001
Montgomery Ward liquidates
[1]Montgomery Ward closes during the chain's liquidation, eventually making way for a new lifestyle section.
- 1996
Target Greatland opens
[1]A Target Greatland store opens in the mall's surrounding development.
- 1994
Von Maur opens
[1]Von Maur occupies the former Wieboldt's anchor, establishing its first Chicago-area store.
- 1987
Wieboldt's closes
[1]Wieboldt's shuts its Yorktown location following the chain's bankruptcy.
- 1968
Yorktown Center opens
[1]The 1.3-million-square-foot enclosed mall opens in Lombard with four department-store anchors and a surrounding convenience district.
Products and positioning
A large suburban regional mall that combines traditional enclosed retail with department stores, dining, entertainment, lifestyle development, and adjacent residential uses.
Shopping mall · 1968
Enclosed regional shopping center
Yorktown Center's core offering is a regional enclosed mall with department stores, specialty retail, dining, customer services, and internal public circulation organized around a central court. Its tenant mix has changed repeatedly as department-store anchors closed or were replaced.
Lifestyle retail and entertainment · 2007
The Shops on Butterfield
Built on the former Montgomery Ward site, The Shops on Butterfield broadened Yorktown's format beyond the enclosed mall. The development included off-price and home retailers such as Marshalls and HomeGoods, as well as Lucky Strike Lanes, creating a combination of shopping, leisure, and dining uses.
Mixed-use redevelopment · 2022
The Square
The Square is the planned mixed-use transformation of the former Carson Pirie Scott site. The concept combines apartments, retail, outdoor space, and a new entrance connection to the mall, with the residential component identified as Yorktown Reserve.
Brand decisions
2022
Redevelopment of the former Carson Pirie Scott siteStrategyBackground
The closure of Carson Pirie Scott in 2018 left a large department-store parcel requiring a new use.
Action taken
Pacific Retail Capital Partners announced a mixed-use project combining apartments, retail, outdoor space, and a new mall entrance.
Aftermath
The project became known as The Square, with luxury apartments identified as Yorktown Reserve; demolition and construction were subsequently reported in the mid-2020s.
2014
Food-court modernizationStrategyBackground
Yorktown sought to strengthen dining and dwell time within the mall as shopping-center competition and changing consumer habits put pressure on traditional retail.
Action taken
Management invested $18 million in the food court, adding seating, healthier food choices, entertainment screens, laptop workstations, and a family lounge.
Aftermath
The renovation expanded the food court's role as a social and service-oriented part of the center.
Renovation investment. $18 million (2014)
Sources2 sources
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