| Location | Carbondale, Illinois, USA |
|---|---|
| Opening date | 1974 |
| Management | Stoltz Management |
| No. of stores and services | approx. 70 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 709,058 square feet (65,874 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
University Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Carbondale, Illinois, USA. Opened in 1974, the mall was expanded between 1989 and 1991. The mall comprises more than sixty tenants, with JCPenney, Macy's and Bed Bath & Beyond as its anchor stores. Three additional anchors, last occupied by Steve & Barry's, Goody's Family Clothing, and K's Merchandise, are vacant, while a fourth that was formerly occupied by Elder-Beerman houses health offices.
The first store to open at University Mall was JCPenney, which opened in 1971. Three years later, the mall itself was built around the JCPenney store, also including a Sears at the other end. A wing was eventually added to the mall, ending in Meis (which became Elder-Beerman in 1989). In November 1988, a $35 million expansion was planned. This expansion, begun in 1990 and opened in 1991, comprised two new anchor stores (Famous-Barr and the only Venture in southern Illinois) as well as a food court.[1]
Also in the late 1980s, it was announced that Sears would be moving to Illinois Centre Mall (now Illinois Star Centre), a new mall being developed in nearby Marion.[2] Illinois Centre Mall opened in 1990, resulting in the closure of the Sears at University Mall. University Mall sued Illinois Centre Mall's developers over the use of a state financing program to relocate the store, although the suit was later dismissed.[3] Montgomery Ward opened in 1992 in the former Sears space.
Venture closed its store at University Mall in 1993 [4] and later became K's Merchandise. Elder-Beerman closed in 1997 and became health offices. An Old Navy was added in May 2002,[5] and later that year, the Montgomery Ward space was demolished for a movie theater owned by Kerasotes[6] and other small stores, including Bed Bath & Beyond, Goody's Family Clothing and Steve & Barry's. These opened in 2003, 2004 and 2005 respectively. The food court was relocated in 2004 to the former Elder-Beerman wing.[7] In 2005, Stoltz Management acquired the mall, and one year later, Famous-Barr was one of several nameplates to be converted to Macy's.
K's Merchandise closed in early 2007,[8] followed in 2008 by Goody's and Steve & Barry's. As of 2009, the mall's remaining anchors are JCPenney, Macy's and Bed Bath & Beyond, with the former Goody's, K's Merchandise, and Steve & Barry's slots remaining vacant.
The mall is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday while it is in operation from 12 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.