Fort Steuben Mall

Fort Steuben Mall was developed by the Goodman Company and opened in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1974. Its original anchors were Sears and Kaufmann's. The Kaufmann's store had particular historical significance within that chain because it was reportedly Kaufmann's first location situated in a shopping mall. The opening tenant roster also included Zales Jewelers, whose Fort Steuben store was recognized in a design competition within the Zales organization. The mall expanded in 1975 with approximately 25 additional stores and a third department-store anchor, Carlisle's of Ashtabula, Ohio. JCPenney later joined the anchor lineup in 1983, opening in the former Carlisle's location. For much of this period, the property operated as a conventional enclosed regional mall, with department stores drawing customers to an interior corridor of specialty retailers and services. A major redevelopment began around 2000. Sears relocated from its original position to a newly built anchor building on the north side of the property. JCPenney moved into the vacated Sears building, and the former JCPenney structure—originally used by Carlisle's—was demolished. Walmart subsequently occupied the redeveloped site and opened in 2002. This change altered the mall's commercial model by combining an enclosed shopping environment with a large standalone discount retailer. Kaufmann's was renamed Macy's in 2006. The change reflected the broader conversion of Kaufmann's stores to the Macy's name rather than the creation of a wholly new local anchor. Sears closed in 2016, and Macy's closed in 2017. Their departures left JCPenney and Walmart as the best-known large retail components identified in the available reference material, while the former Sears building remained available for later reuse. The property changed ownership in December 2018, when Kohan Retail Investment Group reportedly purchased it for $10.75 million. In early 2022, Brookwood Capital Partners acquired the mall. The available account says Brookwood pursued new business opportunities but also auctioned the property after approximately one month. Because the source material does not provide a complete account of the auction's legal outcome, subsequent ownership details are not expanded here. In 2025, 7 Ranges Entertainment Center opened in the former Sears building, representing a shift from a traditional department-store anchor to an entertainment-led use. Reference material further reports that the City of Steubenville condemned the mall on June 30, 2026, because of sustained structural damage and ordered interior businesses to vacate. That report creates uncertainty about the property's current condition, tenancy, and legal status; it should be independently verified before the mall is classified as definitively defunct.

• 2026

  Reported condemnation

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports a city condemnation tied to sustained structural damage and an order for interior businesses to vacate.

• 2025

  Entertainment reuse of former Sears building

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  7 Ranges Entertainment Center opens in the former Sears anchor.

• 2022

  Brookwood acquisition

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Brookwood Capital Partners acquires the mall from the previous owners.

• 2018

  Kohan acquisition

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Kohan Retail Investment Group acquires the property in December.

• 2017

  Macy's closes

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Macy's closes its location, ending the mall's association with the former Kaufmann's anchor.

• 2016

  Sears closes

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears ends its tenancy at the mall.

• 2006

  Kaufmann's becomes Macy's

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The Kaufmann's anchor is converted to the Macy's name.

• 2002

  Walmart opens

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A large Walmart opens on the redeveloped former anchor site.

• 2000

  Redevelopment begins

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Anchor buildings are rearranged and the former Carlisle's/JCPenney building is cleared for a Walmart project.

• 1983

  JCPenney becomes an anchor

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  JCPenney opens in the former Carlisle's location.

• 1975

  First expansion

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  An expansion adds roughly 25 stores and Carlisle's as a third department-store anchor.

• 1974

  Mall opens

  [1]Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Fort Steuben Mall opens in Steubenville with Sears and Kaufmann's as anchor stores.

A regional enclosed shopping center whose tenant strategy evolved from traditional department-store anchoring toward a combination of discount retail, specialty stores, and entertainment.

• Retail real estate · 1974

  Enclosed shopping mall

  Fort Steuben Mall's core offering is an enclosed regional shopping environment with interior retail corridors, specialty stores, services, food, and anchor spaces. Its tenant mix has changed over time as department stores left and large-format retail and entertainment uses became more important.

• Department stores · 1974

  Department-store anchor program

  The mall historically operated around department-store anchors including Sears, Kaufmann's, Carlisle's, JCPenney, and Macy's. These stores provided broad apparel, home, accessories, and general-merchandise ranges and served as primary traffic generators during the property's traditional regional-mall period.

• Discount retail · 2002

  Walmart

  A large Walmart opened in 2002 on land created by demolishing the former Carlisle's and earlier JCPenney building. Its presence broadened the property beyond conventional mall shopping and added discount and general merchandise to the site's commercial offer.

• Entertainment · 2025

  7 Ranges Entertainment Center

  7 Ranges Entertainment Center opened in 2025 in the former Sears building. It represents the reuse of a former department-store anchor for leisure and entertainment rather than traditional department-store retail.

• 2025

  Conversion of former Sears anchor to entertainmentStrategy

  Background

  The former Sears building had been vacant since Sears closed in 2016.

  Action taken

  7 Ranges Entertainment Center opened in the former Sears space.

  Aftermath

  The reuse added an entertainment-led destination to a property whose historic department-store anchor model had weakened.

  Source

• 2022

  Sale to Brookwood Capital PartnersM&A

  Background

  Following the departure of major department-store tenants, the mall entered another ownership transition.

  Action taken

  Brookwood Capital Partners acquired the shopping mall from its previous owners.

  Aftermath

  The available reference material says Brookwood pursued new tenants but also auctioned the property after approximately one month; the detailed legal outcome is not established.

  Source

• 2018

  Sale to Kohan Retail Investment GroupM&A

  Background

  The property changed hands after a period of anchor-store contraction.

  Action taken

  Kohan Retail Investment Group acquired Fort Steuben Mall in December 2018 for a reported $10.75 million.

  Aftermath

  The mall later transferred to Brookwood Capital Partners in 2022.

  Reported acquisition price. 10750000 (December 2018)

  Source

• 2006

  Kaufmann's-to-Macy's conversionGeneration change

  Background

  Macy's was converting Kaufmann's stores to its own national brand identity.

  Action taken

  The Kaufmann's anchor at Fort Steuben Mall was renamed Macy's.

  Aftermath

  The store continued as a department-store anchor under the Macy's name until its reported closure in 2017.

  Source

• 2000

  Anchor reconfiguration and big-box redevelopmentStrategy

  Background

  The mall began a substantial rebuilding program during a period when regional shopping centers were adapting their layouts and tenant mixes.

  Action taken

  Sears moved to a new northern anchor building, JCPenney moved into the old Sears space, and the former Carlisle's/JCPenney building was demolished for Walmart.

  Aftermath

  Walmart opened in 2002, giving the property a hybrid model that combined enclosed mall retail with a major discount retailer.

  Source

1. 1Fort Steuben Mallen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Fort Steuben Mall official websiteftsteubenmall.com