Lincolnwood Town Center mall in Chicago's north suburbs to be torn down beginning in May
Demolition of the Lincolnwood Town Center mall in the north Chicago suburb of Lincolnwood is expected to begin in May, the village said Thursday.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the Lincolnwood Village Board approved a pre-development agreement with the mall, providing a roadmap with the property owner for further preparations and government approvals for redevelopment.
The agreement includes a master plan for the redevelopment of the mall property at Touhy Avenue and McCormick Boulevard. It will be composed of a large retail store with a footprint of about 150,000 to 175,000 square feet, an auto dealership, and other commercial and retail spaces, the village said.
The village believes the development, if it goes ahead, will have the potential to provide an economic benefit to the area.
Before any development can go ahead, the existing mall must be torn down. Phased demolition is set to begin in May, with the building that most recently housed Harlem Furniture on the southeast side of the mall coming down first. Afterward, the middle of the mall will be torn down, and finally, the Kohl's store.
During the demolition, the Village of Lincolnwood is working with the Chicago Transit Authority for a temporary relocation of CTA bus operations in the area. Pace buses will also be rerouted.
Lincolnwood Town Center has stood at Touhy Avenue and McCormick Boulevard for 36 years. But the village previously said with occupancy declining, the 31-acre property was a prime candidate for redevelopment, given its location at the juncture of Lincolnwood, Skokie, and Chicago's West Rogers Park or West Ridge community.
A plan to redevelop the land where the mall stands has been on the table for some time. In June 2022, the village approved a Lincolnwood Town Center Concept Plan that proposed several redevelopment ideas — some of which would have kept parts of the mall standing.
Lincolnwood Town Center opened in March 1990, on the former site of the headquarters for Bell & Howell. The mall was anchored in its early days by a Carson Pirie Scott, a Madigan's, and a JCPenney, while the second-story food court featured a Sbarro and a Fluky's hot dog stand.
Published reports noted that Vanna White of "Wheel of Fortune" fame came to the mall to sign autographs the day it opened. In its early years, the mall hosted a variety of celebrities and entertainment, from walk-around cartoon characters for throngs of exuberant kids to a visit from Chicago radio icon Dick Biondi for autographs.
Washington Prime Group, the former parent company of Lincolnwood Town Center, filed for bankruptcy in 2021. The property was purchased in December 2025 by an affiliate of local developer Prairie Ridge Development.
