Yorktown Center- (Lombard, IL)

The Yorktown Center Mall is a 1.5 million square foot enclosed regional shopping center under a half hour away from Chicago in the suburb of Lombard, IL. The malls current anchors are:

Former Wieboldt's Department Store

As well an junior anchor stores:

And entertainment venue Lucky Strike's Bowling Alley. 

The mall originally opened in 1968 as a 1.3 million square foot center ranked at the time as the largest mall in America. The mall was originally a four-anchor shopping mall  with Carson Pirie Scott, Wieboldt's, JCPenney, and Montgomery Ward.

Original anchor logos:

Some former junior anchor stores included Madigan's, which was placed near the Wieboldt's end of the JCPenney wing and the dime store chain Woolworth's near the Montgomery Ward anchor. Chas. A. Stevens and Herman's World of Sporting Goods were also some original tenants to the young Yorktown Center.

Surrounding the parking lot of the mall, a strip mall known as the "Convenience Center" housed a Grand Union Supermarket and a furniture store that would later become the Carson Pirie Scott Furniture Outlet.

The first renovations to the mall came in the 80's when the black and white pattern was replaced with pastel colors and neon lights as well as free standing elevators.

The first loss to the mall was in 1987 when Wieboldt's field for bankruptcy and closed the Yorktown Center store. The store front remained empty until 1994, when Von Maur remodeled the anchor and opened their first Chicago-land store.

Two years before the Von Maur opened, Madigan's closed in 1992, this space would become extra retail space and an expanded food court.

In 1997, Woolworth's closed and the space was used by a local production company until 2003, when the company dissolved and Steve & Barry's converted the space.

The center court received a major remodel at the turn of the millennium.

Center court under construction in September 2013

Montgomery Wards is the latest anchor to leave the mall due to bankruptcy in 2001.

The Former Wards was demolished for a lifestyle center known as "The Shops of Butterfield" which was anchored by Homegoods, Marshalls and Lucky Strike Lanes.

In 2007, a 500 Bedroom Westin Hotel opened off the malls parking lot near Target.

In 2008, Steve & Barry's closed, yet many new stores were added to make-up for the possible loss of customers.

In late 2012, the mall began more renovations to upgrade the center court an improve and expand the food court to make it two-floors.

Here are the many pictures of the mall over the course of a year, showing the interior as well as the exterior, the renovations, construction, and improvements of the mall.

Interior:

The trees and foliage has since been removed

Modernistic touches bring new life to the court

The center court is complete

Here is the exterior of the mall:

The new food court nearing completion