Regency Mall (Racine)

Regency Mall
Location Racine, Wisconsin
Coordinates 42°41′57″N 87°50′52″W / 42.699230°N 87.847909°W / 42.699230; -87.847909Coordinates: 42°41′57″N 87°50′52″W / 42.699230°N 87.847909°W / 42.699230; -87.847909
Address 5538 Durand Avenue
Opening date August 5, 1981
Developer Jacobs, Visconsi, and Jacobs Company
Owner CBL & Associates Properties
No. of stores and services 110
No. of anchor tenants 4 (2 open)
Total retail floor area 1,040,490 sq ft (96,665 m2)[1]
No. of floors 1
Website

Regency Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping mall in Racine, Wisconsin.[2] The mall has a gross leasable area of 872,409 square feet (81,049.4 m2).[3] It features 110 retail space[4] and is anchored by Boston Store and Burlington Coat Factory. Located at the junction of Wisconsin Highway 31 and 11, the building is surrounded by several freestanding stores and restaurants, including a Target department store. The mall is served by several Racine city buses.[5]

History

Regency Mall was built on an eighty-acre site on the northeast corner of Durand Avenue and South Green Bay Road. The area was formerly home to an institutional farm for the Racine County Insane Asylum, which was located just north. Federated Department Stores, then-owner of Boston Store, first proposed the shopping center in 1968.[6] The County Board approved the construction in 1969, selling the site in 1971.[7]

Construction on the mall was to begin in 1973, originally projected to be completed by 1975.[8] However, the site was sold to developers Jacobs, Visconsi, and Jacobs, who received a three-year extension from the county, eventually breaking ground in the fall of 1978.[9]

The mall opened on August 5, 1981, with two anchors: Bergner-Weise and Boston Store.[10] Target, often considered an anchor of the mall despite being unconnected to the building, opened before it on July 26, 1981. On September 30, J.C. Penney became the third anchor, and a Sears filled the fourth space in March 1982. A six-screen cinema opened in January 1983.

Aimed at middle-income customers and being the only enclosed mall in Racine County, Regency had sales of over $100 million as of 2004.[11]

The south anchor space, originally Bergner's, was later rebranded as a Prange's. When that chain was purchased in 1992, the store was converted into a Younkers. When the Younkers closed in 2001, Boston Store, which already occupied the mall's east anchor, opened a second location in the south anchor. Steve and Barry's, which sold college-branded apparel, moved into the space in November 2004.[12][13] Burlington Coat Factory became the tenant after Steve and Barry's moved to a smaller space in 2008.

The mall was acquired by CBL Properties, owners of over 70 malls, in 2001.[14]

In 2004, Linens 'n Things opened in the southwest part of the mall, converting several store spaces into a single large including the former RadioShack and Chick-fil-A locations.[15] After Linens 'n Things closed, it became Flooring Supercenter, and, after a period of vacancy, an hhgregg electronics store in 2012.[16] The hhgregg location is not accessible from within the mall.

Steve & Barry's second location was built with a similar technique in the northwest part of the mall.[17] The newly relocated Steve & Barry's closed the same year and became The Furniture Store.[18] Steve & Barry's second store eventually became PayHalf in 2013.[19] PayHalf closed in 2015.

The Marcus cinema, which was converted into a budget theater in 2006, was closed in July 2009.

Regency Mall lost two of its anchors in 2014, Sears[20] and J.C. Penney,[21][22] and several other stores, including a Hallmark store, MasterCuts, and Regis Hair Salon closed.[23] Additionally in 2014, the mall's manager, Curt Pruitt, left after thirty years.[24]

References

  1. ↑ Regency Mall, International Council of Shopping Centers. Accessed December 16, 2007.
  2. ↑ Racine History Timeline 1900-Present. Accessed December 16, 2007.
  3. ↑ Regency Mall, International Council of Shopping Centers. Accessed December 16, 2007.
  4. ↑ "Stores and services in Regency Mall". www.mallsandstores.info. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Racine Transit website. Accessed December 30, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Shopping center site sought near Racine". Milwaukee Journal. December 12, 1968. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Racine board OK's center". Milwaukee Journal. June 11, 1969. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ Kinchen, David M. (December 5, 1972). "1,600 acres available in Racine for industry". Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Shopping mall set for Racine". Milwaukee Journal. September 1, 1977. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  10. ↑ Riepenhoff, Robert M. (July 30, 1981). "Racine's new mall plans opening celebration". Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  11. ↑ Tunkieicz, Jennie. "Regency Mall working to fill empty spaces", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 11, 2004. Accessed December 16, 2007.
  12. ↑ Burke, Michael. "Collegiate-brand clothier coming to Regency Mall", Racine Journal-Times, September 8, 2004. Accessed December 25, 2015.
  13. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2004/08/23/daily17.html
  14. ↑ http://journaltimes.com/news/local/loss-of-anchor-stores-at-regency-may-set-mall-adrift/article_940f29bf-849b-5fa4-a220-f0013a689b59.html
  15. ↑ http://journaltimes.com/local/business/boston-store-closes-one-of-its-stores-at-regency-mall/article_48436da8-f0f8-507d-b475-c58470d376f8.html
  16. ↑ http://journaltimes.com/news/local/hhgregg-opens-saturday-at-regency-mall/article_4a4e7d96-ee36-11e1-808c-001a4bcf887a.html
  17. ↑ http://journaltimes.com/news/local/changes-in-store-at-regency-mall/article_fbe9871e-033b-5754-a556-5dd82ac0a166.html
  18. ↑ http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/print-edition/2011/08/19/regency-mall-holding-up-despite-downturn.html
  19. ↑ http://journaltimes.com/business/local/pay-half-opens-new-store-at-regency-mall/article_df1be140-908c-11e2-8cb8-001a4bcf887a.html
  20. ↑ http://www.jsonline.com/business/sears-to-close-store-at-racines-regency-mall-in-january-b99122380z1-228194831.html
  21. ↑ http://journaltimes.com/news/local/regency-mall-s-jcpenney-store-space-for-sale/article_07081f40-4d15-59d1-9543-7424ffa38933.html
  22. ↑ Strauss, Gary (January 8, 2015). "J.C. Penney, Macy's to shut stores, lay off scores". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  23. ↑ http://journaltimes.com/news/local/regency-mall-s-jcpenney-store-space-for-sale/article_07081f40-4d15-59d1-9543-7424ffa38933.html
  24. ↑ http://journaltimes.com/news/local/regency-mall-manager-steps-down/article_b8d27690-edfe-11e3-a20f-0019bb2963f4.html
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