Illinois Star Centre

Illinois Star Centre
Location Marion, Illinois
Address 3000 W. DeYoung St.
Opening date 1991
Developer Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation
Owner Sansone Group[1]
No. of stores and services 60+
No. of anchor tenants 3
Total retail floor area 600,000 square feet[2]
No. of floors 1

Illinois Star Centre, formerly Illinois Centre Mall, is an enclosed shopping mall in Marion, Illinois. Opened in 1991, it features more than 60 stores, including Dillard's, Sears and Target as anchor stores.

History

At the time that Illinois Centre Mall was being built, nearby Carbondale, Illinois already had a shopping mall, the University Mall. Because of its proximity, retail analysts predicted that competition between the two cities' retail sectors would "get pretty cut-throat".[3] Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation developed the mall,[4] whose initial anchor stores were Dillard's, Target, Phar-Mor and Sears, which relocated from University Mall.[5] 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.[6]

Sears and Phar-Mor opened for business in July 1991,[7] followed by Dillard's and the mall itself in September, and Target in October.[8] Phar-Mor closed in 1993.[9] It later became a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association office and then a radio-controlled car racing center in 2004.[10] DeBartolo sold the mall to local developers in 1996. Despite attracting other businesses to the area, the mall struggled with occupancy for most of its history, although new owners boosted it to 60% occupancy by 2000.[11]

Barrett Rochman purchased the mall in 2011 and renamed it Illinois Star Centre.[12] In March 2015, the Southern Illinoisan reported that three of the mall's owners were imprisoned on various counts, and that leasing agents were unresponsive on inquiries about the mall, which has become increasingly vacant and lacking in maintenance. Also complicating the mall's future is the fact that the parking lot and anchor stores are owned by different companies than the mall itself.[13]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sansonegroup.com/properties/retail/pdf/Star-Centre-Mall.pdf
  2. ↑ "Illinois Centre Mall leasing". Official website. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  3. ↑ Davenport, Paula (11 October 1990). "Retail Space, Competition For Customers Boom". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "Construction under way at Marion; firms hired for work at Carbondale". The Southeast Missourian. 15 April 1990. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  5. ↑ Knol, Ann Schottman (1988-11-02). "Carbondale Sears store plans move to Marion". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 6B. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  6. ↑ Davenport, Paula M. (1990-10-11). "Retail space, competition for customers boom". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 1I. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  7. ↑ Davenport, Paula (30 September 1991). "CENTRE STAGE: Mall Set For Grand Opening". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  8. ↑ "Mall opening". The Southeast Missourian. 29 September 1991. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  9. ↑ "Phar-mor to close store in Marion mall". The Southeast Missourian. 24 February 1993. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  10. ↑ Homan, John D. (May 2, 2004). "SMALL-SCALE SPEED: HERRIN MAN'S HOBBY IS NOW FULL-TIME JOB". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  11. ↑ Binder, Karen (December 4, 2000). "MORE STORES MEAN MORE SHOPPERS AT ILLINOIS CENTRE MALL". The Southern Illinoisan. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Crow, Rob (2 February 2011). "New owner, new name for Illinois Centre". The Southern. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  13. ↑ Parker, Molly (March 8, 2015). "What happened to the mall in Marion?". The Southern. Retrieved 25 March 2016.

External links

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