Edens Plaza

Edens Plaza is a shopping center in Wilmette, Illinois, situated on a triangular parcel bounded by Lake Avenue, Skokie Boulevard, and the Edens Expressway. It was developed by Carson Pirie Scott & Co., the Chicago department-store chain commonly known as Carson's, during the rapid expansion of automobile-oriented suburban retail in the 1950s. The center opened in 1956 with Carson's as its principal anchor and was among the Chicago area's earliest regional shopping centers. The property's location was selected for its unusually strong automobile access. The Edens Expressway had opened in December 1951, accelerating residential and commercial development in Chicago's northern suburbs. Carson's acquired the approximately 20-acre triangular site in stages between 1948 and 1953 after internal research identified substantial unserved retail demand in the northern suburbs. The company chose a shopping-center format rather than a freestanding department store partly to compete with Marshall Field's, which was developing nearby Old Orchard in Skokie. The project required a zoning change and encountered opposition from residents of the nearby Indian Hills subdivision. Opponents were concerned about traffic, neighborhood character, and possible effects on property values, while supporters emphasized the site's location between major roads and the potential tax revenue. The Wilmette Village Board approved the project in February 1954. Designed by Anderson, Probst & White in collaboration with Welton Becket, the original center combined a two-story Carson's department store with an attached retail structure containing 24 stores. The development represented an early postwar model of automobile-accessible, department-store-anchored suburban commerce. When Carson's opened on May 19, 1956, its 118,000-square-foot store was one of the largest department stores outside Chicago's central business district. It offered approximately 100 departments, a restaurant called The Buffet, a children's Alice in Wonderland-themed area, outdoor merchandise displays, and multiple entrances connected to a large parking field. The broader center opened later that summer. During its early years, Edens Plaza helped stimulate additional commercial development along Skokie Boulevard, although limited public transportation initially made staffing difficult for its stores. The center remained an important and reportedly highly profitable Carson's location for several decades. It was remodeled in 1966, including a glass entrance rotunda, and additional perimeter and parking-lot retail structures were added during the 1960s. A drive-through bank opened at the property in 1971, and nearby commercial development continued with an office tower across Skokie Boulevard and Westlake Plaza across Lake Avenue. By the 1980s, competition from newer suburban malls and the aging design of the original center prompted consideration of a substantial redevelopment. Carson's examined alternatives including a possible relocation to Old Orchard, but retained Edens Plaza because of its strategic traffic exposure and large surrounding population. In 1987, developer Ken Tucker proposed replacing the existing center with a much larger enclosed mall called Edens Pavilion. The proposal included department stores, a multiplex cinema, a hotel, and structured parking, but it required public financial assistance and did not proceed as proposed. Edens Plaza subsequently underwent a major reconstruction in the mid-1990s. Carson's remained the anchor for many years, but its store ultimately closed in 2018 following the bankruptcy and liquidation of the Carson's chain. The center is currently identified with a Wayfair large-format concept store as an anchor. Edens Plaza's significance lies less in a national consumer brand than in its role as an early Chicago-area suburban shopping center and as an example of the transition from downtown department-store retail to automobile-oriented regional commerce.

Edens Plaza emerged from the postwar transformation of Chicago's northern suburbs. The Edens Expressway opened in 1951, improving automobile access between the city and suburban communities and encouraging new residential and commercial development. At the same time, department-store operators were adapting to changing shopping habits. Carson Pirie Scott & Co. observed that suburban households were making fewer trips to its downtown Chicago store and began developing suburban branches. Carson's acquired a roughly 20-acre triangular tract in Wilmette between 1948 and 1953. The site was bounded by Lake Avenue, Skokie Boulevard, and the Edens Expressway, making it highly visible and accessible by car. Carson's research indicated that northern suburban residents represented a significant pool of retail demand. The company decided to build a shopping center rather than merely a freestanding branch, in part to compete with Marshall Field's nearby Old Orchard development. The proposal required a zoning change because the parcel was residentially zoned. Carson's formally announced its plans in May 1953. Company chairman Bruce MacLeish argued that the intersection of three major roads made the site poorly suited to residential development and promised a carefully planned, modern retail center. Supporters cited potential tax revenue and the site's regional accessibility. Residents of the Indian Hills subdivision opposed the project, warning that the center would increase congestion, draw traffic into nearby residential streets, and undermine the area's predominantly single-family character. The Wilmette Village Board approved the development on February 17, 1954. Anderson, Probst & White designed the center in collaboration with Welton Becket. The original development cost approximately $2.5 million and comprised a two-story, 118,000-square-foot Carson's department store attached to a retail structure containing 24 stores. The buildings used postwar materials and styling, including glazed brick, darker brick trim, stone cladding, and a covered walkway around the entrance courtyard. A large parking area served the automobile-oriented design. The Carson's store opened on May 19, 1956, and the shopping center opened later that summer in a ceremony associated with William G. Eden, namesake of the expressway. The store was Carson's fourth suburban location and included about 100 departments. Its layout was designed for flexibility, with movable counters and provision for a possible additional story. Features such as a children's Alice in Wonderland area, an outdoor merchandise display area, and The Buffet restaurant reflected the chain's effort to appeal to suburban families. In its first years, Edens Plaza helped accelerate commercial activity along the corridor between itself and Old Orchard. A shortage of frequent public transportation created difficulties for employees, leading to efforts to establish a bus service. Carson's later used the experience gained at Edens Plaza when planning larger suburban developments, including Randhurst Mall. The center expanded during the 1960s. Carson's remodeled its anchor in 1966, adding a glass entrance rotunda. Additional strip retail buildings were placed around the parking area, including a 25,000-square-foot northern structure that later housed JoS. A. Bank. Edens Plaza Bank was chartered in March 1971 and opened as a drive-through bank that June. These changes increased the center's total retail area to approximately 294,000 square feet. An office tower was built across Skokie Boulevard in 1966, while Westlake Plaza opened across Lake Avenue in 1974. By the mid-1980s, the original center was considered dated and faced competition from newer malls. Carson's considered whether to move its department store to Old Orchard and close Edens Plaza, but the property's traffic exposure and surrounding population made the site strategically valuable. The company concluded that modernization was preferable to abandonment. In June 1987, developer Ken Tucker presented a large-scale replacement scheme called Edens Pavilion. The proposed $134 million project would have demolished the existing center and created a three-level enclosed mall with approximately 100 stores, a larger Carson's, another department store, a four-screen cinema, a hotel, and structured parking. Tucker sought public assistance, reportedly through tax-increment financing, and the plan faced the practical and political challenges associated with a major redevelopment. It did not proceed in the proposed form. The shopping center eventually underwent a major reconstruction in the mid-1990s. Carson's continued as the principal anchor until 2018, when the store closed during the liquidation of the Carson's chain. Edens Plaza is currently anchored by a large-format Wayfair concept store. Its history illustrates the evolution of suburban retail from an early department-store-led shopping center to a renovated, multi-tenant property serving the northern Chicago suburbs.

• 2018

  Carson's closes

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The long-standing Carson's anchor closed during the chain's bankruptcy and liquidation.

• 1990

  Major reconstruction period begins

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The center underwent major reconstruction during the mid-1990s after earlier redevelopment concepts failed to advance.

• 1987

  Edens Pavilion redevelopment is proposed

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Ken Tucker proposed replacing Edens Plaza with a larger enclosed mall, hotel, cinema, and structured parking project.

• 1971

  Edens Plaza Bank opens

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  A drive-through bank opened at the shopping center after being chartered earlier that year.

• 1966

  Anchor and property expansion

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The Carson's store was remodeled and the center gained additional retail space, including a glass entrance rotunda and perimeter stores.

• 1956

  Edens Plaza opens

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The Carson's anchor opened on May 19, and the complete shopping center opened later in the summer.

• 1954

  Development receives zoning approval

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The Wilmette Village Board approved the proposed commercial development after a public zoning dispute.

• 1953

  Carson's announces the Wilmette project

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  Carson Pirie Scott announced plans for a department store and retail center on its triangular Wilmette site.

• 1951

  Edens Expressway opens

  [1]Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org

  The opening of the Edens Expressway strengthened automobile access to Chicago's northern suburbs and helped establish the setting for Edens Plaza.

A community and regional shopping center positioned around convenient automobile access, department-store anchoring, and a broad mix of specialty retail and services.

• Department store anchor · 1956

  Carson's department store

  The original anchor of Edens Plaza was a two-story Carson's department store that opened in 1956. It offered approximately 100 departments and was designed to reproduce much of the assortment of Carson's downtown Chicago operation in a suburban setting. The store included a restaurant, a children's themed area, outdoor seasonal merchandise displays, and several entrances connected to the center's large parking area. It remained a prominent anchor for more than six decades before closing in 2018.

• Home furnishings retail

  Wayfair large-format concept store

  A large-format Wayfair concept store currently anchors Edens Plaza. It represents the property's transition from a traditional department-store anchor to a contemporary home-furnishings retail format. Specific store opening details and operating information are not established in the supplied source material.

• Shopping-center tenants · 1956

  Specialty retail and service units

  Edens Plaza has historically included a range of smaller retail and service spaces surrounding its anchor store. Examples mentioned in the historical record include a Fannie May location, a JoS. A. Bank site, banking facilities, and other strip-store tenants. The tenant mix has changed over time and is not fully enumerated in the supplied material.

• 2018

  Carson's anchor closureOther

  Background

  Carson's entered bankruptcy and liquidation, ending the operation of its long-standing Edens Plaza department store.

  Action taken

  The Carson's store at Edens Plaza closed.

  Aftermath

  The center transitioned to a different anchor configuration, including a large-format Wayfair concept store.

  Source

• 1987

  Edens Pavilion replacement planStrategy

  Background

  By the 1980s, Edens Plaza faced newer regional competitors and was considered architecturally and commercially dated.

  Action taken

  Developer Ken Tucker proposed demolishing the existing center and replacing it with a three-level enclosed mall containing approximately 100 stores, department stores, a cinema, a hotel, and structured parking.

  Aftermath

  The proposed replacement required substantial public assistance and did not proceed as proposed. The property later underwent a major reconstruction in the mid-1990s.

  Proposed redevelopment cost. $134 million proposed project (1987 proposal)

  Source

• 1953

  Carson's chooses a department-store-anchored shopping centerStrategy

  Background

  Carson Pirie Scott was responding to declining frequency of suburban customers' trips to its downtown Chicago store and to increasing competition from suburban retail projects.

  Action taken

  The company selected a triangular, highway-accessible Wilmette site and proposed a multi-tenant shopping center rather than a standalone suburban department store.

  Aftermath

  Edens Plaza became an early regional shopping center in the Chicago area and provided a model for Carson's subsequent suburban expansion.

  • Marshall Field's — Marshall Field's was developing nearby Old Orchard, making the two projects direct examples of competing department-store-led suburban retail strategies.

  Source

1. 1Edens Plazaen.wikipedia.org