Demolition and gradual demise in store for Lincolnwood Town Center

There’s still some life in the Lincolnwood Town Center shopping mall, but not for long.

The 36-year-old plaza that’s just outside Chicago’s North Side boundary has been on a downward slide for years, with ever-rising store vacancies. It’s expected to close in a few months as a developer — with the village of Lincolnwood’s blessing — pursues a new plan for the tract at 3333 W. Touhy Ave.

Some online forums and news sites have asserted that the mall is closing Friday. Lincolnwood officials said that’s not the case, although operations will wind down over several months.

Smaller stores still in the mall will have to close soon, but questions remain about the future of its biggest draw, Kohl’s, its last department store.

“We have been a proud member of the Lincolnwood community for more than 20 years, both as a business and employer. We intend to maintain our store presence and continue to operate as normal,” Kohl’s spokesperson Anna Tietgen said in an email. She didn't answer followup questions.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Rati Akash, Lincolnwood's acting director of community development, said, “The developer and Kohl’s, they’re working things out. This is all to be determined.”

Lincolnwood passed an ordinance April 21 that said the mall will be demolished in three phases.

The first phase will start later in May and involve the structure’s southern section that was once Harlem Furniture and The RoomPlace.

Village officials described the ordinance as a “nonbinding roadmap” for a development they hope will add to local tax revenue. It lets the town or the developer exit the deal any time but contains numerous references to “cooperation” and “good faith.”

Phased, complex developments can take years, but Akash said neither side wants a dragged-out process.

The ownership consists of Prairie Ridge Development and XR Advisors, which took over the 35-acre site in December 2025. XR CEO Michael Nortman, reached briefly by phone, referred questions to Lincolnwood.

Nortman has proposed building a big-box discount store of up to 175,000 square feet, a car dealership and smaller commercial space, noting that there will be no warehouses or offices. His proposal calls for categories town officials covet for their sales tax potential.

But adding a large discounter could be problematic, as Target and Walmart already are well-positioned nearby. Asked if Lincolnwood was in discussions with a retailer, Akash said, “The village is working with the development team. We cannot disclose anything at this point.”

The second demolition phase would involve the mall’s midsection and probably start this summer, when Old Navy, another sizable store still in the mall, must leave, Akash said. The final phase includes Kohl’s.

Steven Elrod, Lincolnwood’s attorney, said Friday marks the first time the developer can apply for a demolition permit. He said a principal feature of the ordinance the village adopted exempts the developer from a stringent requirement to immediately build on or restore a land site after demolition.

However, the ordinance requires the developer to apply for final zoning approval by November and get a building permit for the large retailer by April 2027. It also requires the developer to give the village letters of credit or cash deposits of $1.5 million through the construction phases.

Lincolnwood Town Center sits on property once belonging to the Bell & Howell projector company. It opened in 1990 with festivities led by “Wheel of Fortune” star Vanna White. Original anchors were Carson Pirie Scott and Madigan’s, a local department store that closed there just a year later. The center, an investment of mall kingpin Melvin Simon, once had 90 stores and restaurants and pitched itself at a middle-income crowd.

Carson’s lasted until 2018. Like other malls throughout the Chicago area, Lincolnwood's has been overrun by the Amazon ecosystem and the spread of bare-bones apparel stores with quick inventory turnover such as Marshalls and Ross Dress for Less.

Akash agreed that aggressive retail expansion along Touhy in Skokie and Niles also cost the mall.

“It’s not like it used to be decades back,” she said.

Sun-Times file