Battlefield Mall
Battlefield Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Springfield, Missouri, operated and owned by Simon Property Group.
Last updated August 25, 2026
AI crawler reads
2requests
1companies- Anthropic2
- Profile
- 2
- Controversies
- 0
- JSON · MD
- 0
- First read
- Nov 4, 2026
- Latest read
- Nov 4, 2026
From this site's server log
Overview
Battlefield Mall is an enclosed regional shopping mall in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Developed by Melvin Simon & Associates, the predecessor of Simon Property Group, it opened to the public on July 23, 1970. The property was conceived during the expansion of suburban department-store retail in the Springfield market and initially combined a large enclosed mall with three department-store anchors: Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, and Dillard's. At opening, Battlefield Mall contained approximately 685,000 square feet of mall shop space and was reported to be 93 percent occupied. Its early tenants included McCrory, Piccadilly Restaurants, and Osco Drug, reflecting the conventional enclosed-mall mix of department stores, specialty retailers, food service, and drugstore retail. In 1975, the former McCrory location was converted into a store operated by local department-store company Heer's. The mall underwent a major expansion announced in 1979 and completed in 1982. The project added more than 400,000 square feet of mall and anchor space and approximately 85 stores. It also introduced Sears as an anchor and created a new Dillard's location. The original Dillard's space was subsequently occupied by Famous-Barr, which later became Macy's after Federated Department Stores acquired The May Department Stores Company and rebranded the Famous-Barr chain in 2006. Battlefield Mall's anchor configuration continued to evolve as department-store companies changed ownership or withdrew from the market. Montgomery Ward closed in 2001, after which Dillard's expanded into the former Montgomery Ward premises. That expanded operation, known as Dillard's South, opened in 2002 while Dillard's retained its 1982 building, commonly identified as Dillard's North. Old Navy opened at the mall in 1998, adding a prominent national apparel retailer to the tenant mix. Sears announced in February 2020 that it would close its Battlefield Mall store as part of a nationwide closure program. The store closed in April 2020, leaving a large anchor space available for reuse. In 2025, Dillard's announced plans to consolidate its separate men's and women's operations into the former Sears space. The replacement Dillard's store opened on July 31, 2025, while the former Dillard's North building became vacant. A later announcement identified Dick's House of Sport, a large-format concept operated by Dick's Sporting Goods, as the planned future occupant of the former Dillard's South location. The mall currently provides approximately 1.2 million square feet of mall shop space and has about 153 stores, with JCPenney, Dillard's, and Macy's identified as its principal operating anchors. Its positioning is that of a large, established regional shopping destination serving Springfield and the surrounding area. Battlefield Mall is not a standalone publicly traded company; it is a retail property associated with Simon Property Group, a major owner and operator of shopping centers.
History
Battlefield Mall was developed in Springfield, Missouri, by Melvin Simon & Associates, the company that later became associated with Simon Property Group. Planning activity began in 1963 around a proposed Montgomery Ward department store. By 1968, J. C. Penney and Dillard's had also been confirmed as anchor tenants. After approximately two years of construction, the enclosed mall opened on July 23, 1970. The original property opened with about 685,000 square feet of mall shop space and was reported to be 93 percent occupied. Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, and Dillard's served as the initial department-store anchors. Early tenants included McCrory, Piccadilly Restaurants, and Osco Drug. McCrory closed after roughly five years, and its space was converted into a Heer's department store, which opened in 1975. In 1979, the owners announced a substantial expansion. Completed in 1982, the project added more than 400,000 square feet of mall and anchor space and approximately 85 stores. Sears became a new anchor, while Dillard's opened another location. The original Dillard's premises were sold or transferred for use by Famous-Barr. This created a multi-anchor structure that reflected the department-store concentration typical of major enclosed malls during the period. The anchor lineup changed again in the early twenty-first century. Montgomery Ward closed in 2001. Dillard's subsequently moved some departments into the former Montgomery Ward building while continuing to operate from the store constructed in 1982. The expanded former Montgomery Ward location, known as Dillard's South, opened in 2002. The older Dillard's building was retained as Dillard's North. In 1998, Old Navy opened at the mall, broadening its national specialty-retail presence. Famous-Barr's identity changed in 2006 after Federated Department Stores acquired The May Department Stores Company. Famous-Barr stores were rebranded as Macy's, making the former Famous-Barr anchor a Macy's location. Sears remained in the mall until the company announced in February 2020 that the store would close as part of a nationwide closure program. The location closed in April 2020. Battlefield Mall's later redevelopment focused on reorganizing its large anchor spaces. In February 2025, Dillard's announced that it would move into the former Sears space and consolidate its men's and women's operations. The new Dillard's store opened on July 31, 2025. The former Dillard's North building then became vacant, while the former Dillard's South location was identified for a future Dick's House of Sport store. That large-format sporting-goods concept, operated by Dick's Sporting Goods, was announced for the site in February 2026, with the planned opening identified for 2027. The mall is described as having approximately 1,202,116 square feet of mall shop space and 153 stores. Its principal operating anchors are JCPenney, Dillard's, and Macy's, with additional anchor-space changes planned or completed. Simon Property Group owns and manages the property and is the successor to the company that originally developed it.
- 2026
Dick's House of Sport announced for former Dillard's South
[1]Dick's Sporting Goods announced a planned Dick's House of Sport location for the former Dillard's South anchor space.
- 2025
Dillard's consolidates into former Sears space
[1]A new consolidated Dillard's store opened in the former Sears location on July 31.
- 2020
Sears closes
[1]Sears closed its Battlefield Mall store in April as part of a nationwide closure program.
- 2006
Famous-Barr becomes Macy's
[1]Following Federated Department Stores' acquisition of The May Department Stores Company, the Famous-Barr location was rebranded as Macy's.
- 2002
Dillard's South opens
[1]Dillard's expanded into the former Montgomery Ward building and opened the location known as Dillard's South.
- 2001
Montgomery Ward closes
[1]Montgomery Ward closed its Battlefield Mall location.
- 1998
Old Navy opens
[1]Old Navy opened at the mall.
- 1982
Expansion opens with Sears and a new Dillard's
[1]The expansion opened with approximately 85 additional stores, a Sears anchor, and a second Dillard's location. The original Dillard's space became Famous-Barr.
- 1979
Major expansion announced
[1]The owners announced an expansion adding more than 400,000 square feet and two new anchor stores.
- 1975
Heer's replaces McCrory
[1]After McCrory closed, its mall location was converted into a Heer's department store.
Products and positioning
A large enclosed regional shopping mall serving Springfield and the surrounding Missouri market, combining department stores, national specialty retailers, restaurants, and services.
Retail real estate · 1970
Enclosed regional shopping mall
Battlefield Mall provides an enclosed shopping environment with approximately 1.2 million square feet of mall shop space and about 153 stores. Its tenant mix spans department stores, apparel, footwear, sporting goods, beauty, home merchandise, food, restaurants, and services. The property functions as a regional destination rather than a single-product retail brand.
Department stores · 1970
Department-store anchor portfolio
The mall's anchor offering has historically included Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, Dillard's, Sears, Famous-Barr, and Macy's. The current principal anchors are JCPenney, Dillard's, and Macy's, with Dillard's having consolidated its former separate men's and women's operations into the former Sears location.
Sporting goods retail
Dick's House of Sport
Dick's House of Sport is a planned large-format sporting-goods concept for the former Dillard's South anchor space. The concept is operated by Dick's Sporting Goods. The announced Battlefield Mall location is planned for a future opening, with the available reference identifying 2027.
Brand decisions
2026
Planned Dick's House of Sport redevelopmentStrategyBackground
The former Dillard's South anchor space became available after Dillard's consolidated its operations elsewhere in the mall.
Action taken
Dick's Sporting Goods announced that its Dick's House of Sport subsidiary would occupy the former Dillard's South location.
Aftermath
The location was identified as planned for opening in 2027; the available reference does not provide further development details.
2025
Dillard's anchor consolidationStrategyBackground
Dillard's operated separate men's and women's stores in different anchor buildings after earlier changes to the mall's anchor lineup.
Action taken
Dillard's announced a move into the former Sears space to combine the two operations into one larger store.
Aftermath
The consolidated store opened on July 31, 2025. The former Dillard's North location became vacant.
2020
Sears closureStrategyBackground
Sears announced a nationwide store-closure program that included its Battlefield Mall location.
Action taken
The Battlefield Mall Sears store was scheduled to close in mid-April 2020 and subsequently ceased operating.
Aftermath
The closure created a vacant anchor space that was later selected for a consolidated Dillard's store.
1979
Major mall expansionStrategyBackground
The owners sought to enlarge the established regional shopping center and add new anchor capacity.
Action taken
They announced an expansion of more than 400,000 square feet, including approximately 85 additional stores and two new anchor locations.
Aftermath
The expanded mall opened in 1982 with Sears and a new Dillard's location, while the original Dillard's space became Famous-Barr.
Recent events
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/battlefield-mall · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled