Forest Mall

Forest Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, United States. Developed by Melvin Simon & Associates, the company now known as Simon Property Group, it was conceived as a major retail destination for the Fond du Lac area and surrounding communities. Plans were first announced in 1964, and the mall opened in September 1973. At opening, Forest Mall included several department-store and discount-oriented anchors, including Montgomery Ward, J. C. Penney, H. C. Prange Co., Prange Way, and G. C. Murphy. A nearby Copps department store also formed part of the surrounding retail environment. Several of the original anchor tenants had moved from downtown Fond du Lac, reflecting the broader shift of American retail activity from traditional central business districts toward suburban shopping centers. The mall’s anchor lineup changed over time. Montgomery Ward was later replaced by Kohl’s, Prange Way was replaced by Sears, and H. C. Prange Co. became Younkers. Simon Property Group renovated the center in 1998, adding skylights and new flooring. Additional stores opened in 2006, although many were local or regional businesses rather than major national chains. Forest Mall entered a long period of decline during the 2010s. J. C. Penney closed in May 2014, ending the presence of one of the original anchor stores. Sears and the Forest Mall Cinema closed on November 2, 2014. The loss of major anchors contributed to the departure of a number of in-line retailers, including American Eagle, Aeropostale, PacSun, and Victoria’s Secret. In 2014, Simon Property Group placed several underperforming malls, including Forest Mall, into a newly formed investment group associated with WP Glimcher. The mall was subsequently sold in early 2016 to ATR Corinth Partners, a Dallas-based investment firm. Younkers closed in 2018. By 2020, the enclosed portion of the mall had no internal tenants and was closed to shoppers. Kohl’s and Staples continued operating from spaces associated with the former center, but both had closed their mall-facing entrances. Demolition began in July 2020. Staples and the former anchor buildings were ultimately removed, while Kohl’s remained as a freestanding store. Later redevelopment plans called for a Meijer store and a ThedaCare–Froedtert Health clinic on portions of the former mall site. As of May 2024, the former Pranges/Younkers building and the east side of the mall had been demolished, while Kohl’s continued operating on the west side and TJ Maxx remained in the former Staples location.

Forest Mall emerged during the postwar expansion of suburban and regional shopping centers in the United States. Melvin Simon & Associates announced plans for the Fond du Lac project in 1964. The development was intended to give the city a modern enclosed retail destination and to consolidate shopping activity that had previously been concentrated more heavily in downtown stores. When Forest Mall opened in September 1973, its principal tenants included Montgomery Ward, J. C. Penney, H. C. Prange Co., Prange Way, and G. C. Murphy. A Copps department store operated nearby. Montgomery Ward, J. C. Penney, and Prange had relocated from downtown Fond du Lac, illustrating the mall’s role in the relocation of established retail businesses. The center’s commercial identity depended heavily on department-store anchors and the customer traffic they generated. Over the following decades, the original lineup changed. Kohl’s took over the former Montgomery Ward space, Sears replaced Prange Way, and H. C. Prange Co. evolved into the Younkers store. The property remained under Simon’s ownership and development influence for more than forty years. In 1998, Simon carried out a physical renovation that added skylights and new flooring. Further tenant activity occurred in 2006, although many of the new stores were local retailers. The mall’s decline became pronounced in the 2010s. J. C. Penney closed in May 2014, followed by Sears and the Forest Mall Cinema on November 2 of the same year. Those closures weakened the center’s anchor structure and were accompanied by the departure of national specialty chains such as American Eagle, Aeropostale, PacSun, and Victoria’s Secret. Simon Property Group responded at the ownership level by spinning off Forest Mall and other underperforming properties in 2014 into an investment group associated with WP Glimcher. In early 2016, the property was sold to ATR Corinth Partners. The remaining anchor base continued to erode. Younkers closed in 2018, and by 2020 the enclosed retail area no longer had internal tenants. Kohl’s and Staples were still operating in spaces connected with the former mall, but their mall entrances had been closed, leaving the property increasingly dependent on freestanding or externally accessed stores. Demolition started in July 2020. Staples later closed, and most of the mall and its anchor buildings were removed. Kohl’s was retained as a freestanding store rather than demolished with the enclosed center. Redevelopment plans shifted the site away from the enclosed-mall model. A Meijer store was planned for part of the former mall property, along with a clinic associated with ThedaCare–Froedtert Health. By May 2024, the former Pranges/Younkers building and the mall’s east side had been demolished. Kohl’s continued operating on the west side, and TJ Maxx remained in the former Staples location. Forest Mall therefore survives primarily as a former retail-site name and redevelopment location rather than as an operating shopping center.

• 2024

  Former mall site remains in redevelopment

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  By May, the east side and former Pranges/Younkers building had been demolished, while Kohl’s and TJ Maxx continued operating in retained or converted spaces.

• 2020

  Mall closes and demolition begins

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The enclosed mall closed after losing its internal tenants, and demolition began in July.

• 2018

  Younkers closes

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Younkers anchor ended operations.

• 2016

  ATR Corinth Partners acquires the mall

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Forest Mall was sold to ATR Corinth Partners.

• 2014

  Anchor closures and ownership restructuring

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  J. C. Penney, Sears, and the Forest Mall Cinema closed, while Simon transferred the property into an investment group associated with WP Glimcher.

• 2006

  Additional stores open

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall added several stores, many of them local retailers.

• 1998

  Major renovation completed

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Simon Property Group updated the mall with skylights and new flooring.

• 1973

  Forest Mall opens

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The mall opened in September with several department-store, discount, and variety-store anchors.

• 1964

  Development plans announced

  [1]Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Melvin Simon & Associates announced plans for a new enclosed shopping mall in Fond du Lac.

Regional enclosed shopping mall serving Fond du Lac and nearby Wisconsin communities

• Shopping center · 1973

  Enclosed shopping-mall retail space

  Forest Mall provided an enclosed retail environment for department stores, specialty shops, local merchants, and service businesses. Its principal value proposition was shared customer traffic generated by multiple anchors and in-line tenants serving Fond du Lac and nearby communities.

• Department stores · 1973

  Department-store anchor spaces

  The mall’s anchor program included Montgomery Ward, J. C. Penney, H. C. Prange Co., Prange Way, G. C. Murphy, Sears, and Younkers at different points in its history. These stores supplied apparel, household goods, general merchandise, and discount-oriented shopping.

• Entertainment

  Forest Mall Cinema

  The Forest Mall Cinema was an entertainment component of the property and helped broaden the center’s use beyond daytime shopping. It closed on November 2, 2014, during the mall’s wider period of tenant and anchor contraction.

• 2020

  Closure and demolitionStrategy

  Background

  By 2020, the enclosed mall had no internal tenants, while remaining stores operated with their mall entrances closed.

  Action taken

  The enclosed center was closed and demolition began in July. Most structures were removed, with Kohl’s retained as a freestanding store.

  Aftermath

  The site shifted toward redevelopment, including plans for a Meijer store and a ThedaCare–Froedtert Health clinic.

  Source

• 2016

  Sale to ATR Corinth PartnersM&A

  Background

  Forest Mall had experienced anchor closures and weakening internal tenancy after more than four decades under Simon’s ownership and development involvement.

  Action taken

  ATR Corinth Partners acquired the property from the Simon-related investment structure.

  Aftermath

  The mall continued to lose major tenants, with Younkers closing in 2018 and the enclosed center ultimately closing in 2020.

  Source

• 2014

  Transfer into a WP Glimcher-associated investment groupM&A

  Background

  Forest Mall was identified among Simon Property Group’s underperforming mall assets during a period of structural pressure on enclosed shopping centers.

  Action taken

  Simon spun off the property and other underperforming malls into an investment group associated with WP Glimcher.

  Aftermath

  The restructuring preceded the sale of Forest Mall to ATR Corinth Partners in 2016.

  Source

• 1998

  Mall renovationStrategy

  Background

  The aging enclosed center required physical updates to remain competitive with newer retail properties.

  Action taken

  Simon Property Group renovated the mall, adding skylights and new flooring.

  Aftermath

  The property continued operating and later received additional stores, but the renovation did not prevent longer-term anchor and tenant attrition.

  Source

1. 1Forest Mallen.wikipedia.org