Charlestowne Mall- (St. Charles, IL)

Charlestowne Mall, now called The quad St. Charles is under an hour from Chicago in the village of St. Charles. Other than the anchor stores and movie theater, this mall in 99% vacant and otherwise is dead. The anchor stores include:

Charlestowne Mall was built on the far east side of the suburb of St. Charles and opened in 1991. Original anchor stores were the Sears, Carson Pirie Scott, JCPenney, and Kohl's and the Classic Cinema theater oeneing soon later. 

Former Sears Department Store 

Former JCPenney

10 years after the mall opened, the first show of decline was in 2001, when JCPenney decided to close their Charlestowne location, which in 2002, the store was filled by a Von Maur.

Years of decline in sales, store began to close and customers took there business elsewhere, many believe it was caused by the opening of the upscale lifestyle center, Geneva Commons, when it opened September of 2002, that's the mall traffic at Charlestowne really took a turn for the worst.

In the summer of 2010, a California-based investment group bought the mall with hopes of turning it around, however, nothing really came of it.

The start of 2011 brought more trouble to Charletowne when the Sears announced it will close its store sometime in the spring.

Former Sears and Cinama wing entrance

Former Sears interior: 

In 2012, the number of vacancies hit an all time high, while marking and signage around the mall indicate possible construction plans for an ice rink and entertainment center and sea food restaurant, nothing between the mall and the city have come to terms with moving forward with that plan.

 In August 2013, the mall was sold the Mark Goodman & Associates, which closed on the sale in September. A full presentation of the future plans to what the new owners see could be done to the mall was shown to a comity  of investors and city officials. The new owners intend to keep the mall property as some form of a shopping center.

In November, The Krausz Company acquired the mall property and renamed in The Quad St. Charles. The plans that will go into affect this summer are demolishing the old Sears store and completely remodel the interior and exterior as well as exterior dining and open style shopping choices will be added for the first time in the malls history and be completed in the fall of 2015.

Here are many disappointing pictures of what the mall has become and currently what it looks like for the past two years I have been documenting its demise:

Here are the holiday pictures of the center court where a fountain use to operate: