North Towne Square

North Towne Square Mall was a shopping mall in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It opened in 1981 on the north side of Toledo, adjacent to the Michigan state border. Originally, the mall featured three major anchor stores, as well as several shops and restaurants, plus a movie theater. Changes in demographics and consolidations of anchor stores over time caused the mall to decline. By 2005, it was closed off except for a fitness center operating out of the former Montgomery Ward store, which is still in operation as of November, 2020.

North Towne Square
LocationToledo, Ohio, United States
Coordinates41°43′31″N 83°32′30″W
Opening dateMarch 13th 1981
Closing dateFebruary 21st 2005
(demolished January-spring 2013)
DeveloperSimon Property Group
No. of stores and services50+ when open
No. of anchor tenants3 (all vacant)
Total retail floor area758,000 square feet (70,420.5 m2)[1]
No. of floors1 (2 in anchors)

History

North Towne Square was developed in 1980 by Simon Property Group of Indianapolis, Indiana. The mall was located on the north side of Toledo, on Telegraph Road (US-24), less than a mile from the Michigan/Ohio state line. Originally, its anchor stores included two local department stores, Lasalle's and The Lion Store, as well as Montgomery Ward. After only two years in business at North Towne Square, Lasalle's began operating under the Macy's name. R.H. Macy & Co., which had owned Lasalle's since 1923,[2] sold their Toledo area stores to Dayton's Elder-Beerman in 1984.

Because of its proximity to the Michigan border, the mall drew customers from southeastern Michigan as well. The 1988 opening of Frenchtown Square Mall in Monroe, Michigan significantly reduced the amount of traffic coming from Michigan to North Towne. Expansions at Franklin Park Mall and a declining economy in Toledo, both factored into North Towne Square's demise as well.[1] Many of North Towne Square's chain tenants moved to Franklin Park or Frenchtown Square, being replaced by local stores.

Loss of anchor stores

Elder-Beerman filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1995. As a condition of emerging from bankruptcy, Elder Beerman reduced operations at its North Towne store: first closing off the store's restaurant, and then by converting the upper level to a clearance center before the store was closed in 1997. Two years later, Dillard's acquired all of The Lion Store's locations in Toledo and converted them to the Dillard's name. Two years later, Dillard's closed as well, leaving the mall with only a single anchor store. The mall's movie theater complex was also closed by the early 2000s. Montgomery Ward closed its store at North Towne Square in 2002 as a result of Ward's bankruptcy.

By 2002, the mall's largest tenant was MC Sports, and only 20 other stores operated within.[3]

Redevelopment and closure
The mall in January 2011

In 2003, the mall was renamed Lakeside Centre as part of a redevelopment plan. The remaining tenants' leases were terminated in early 2005. By February of that year, the entire complex was closed, as its owners decided that electrical costs were too high to keep the largely vacant complex open.[4] During the last five months prior to closure and after the mall's closure, a portion of the parking lot was used to store the excess inventory at a nearby Chrysler dealership.

Walmart proposed building a store on the site of the vacant mall in 2007. These plans were opposed by David Ball, candidate for city council.[5]

On February 24, 2010, Toledo issued a Notice of Condemnation by Mayor Mike Bell and David Golis, P.E. Chief of Building. Roofs were caving in, and the city threatened to close the mall if the owners did not pay unpaid fines. A water main break had damaged adjacent businesses (mainly Super Fitness Center), and the mall's owners owed delinquent taxes of nearly $86,000.[6] The city ordered the mall's owners, who were based in California, to repair all areas damaged by water as a result of the water line break. The clean-up would include removal of all evidence of mold inside the building.[7]

In April 2012, it was announced that demolition of North Towne Square Mall would commence the following month at a cost of $600,000.[8] Demolition began in January 2013, and was completed several months later. A new wall was added to Super Fitness, making it a stand-alone building. The original floors, parking lot, and lamp posts still remain.

References
  1. "Malls struggle with Toledo's economic decline". International Council of Shopping Centers. October 2002. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  2. http://www.macysinc.com/aboutus/history/macysahistory.aspx?Print
  3. http://www.toledoblade.com/Economy/2002/05/12/Decision-time-for-2-Toledo-malls.html
  4. Chavez, Jon (2005-01-22). "Mall's Demise Blamed On Electric Costs". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  5. "Ball: Wal-Mart is not right for North Towne". Toledo Blade. 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
  6. "Vacant Northtowne Mall plaguing neighbors". Toledo On The Move. 2010-02-18. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
  7. "Once vibrant Toledo mall 'unfit for humans'". Toledo On The Move. 2010-02-26. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  8. "City of Toledo to demolish 2 buildings". Toledo Blade. 2012-04-28. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
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