Glendale Town Center

Glendale Town Center is a retail shopping center in the Glendale neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. The property lies between North Keystone Avenue and North Rural Street, near 62nd Street and approximately seven miles north of downtown Indianapolis. It is positioned along a major north-south commercial corridor and serves shoppers from the surrounding neighborhoods as well as the wider metropolitan area. The center originated in the mid-1950s, when developer Howard M. Landau worked with the Indianapolis department-store chains William H. Block Co. and L. S. Ayres to plan a large suburban retail destination. The proposed project reflected a major change in Indianapolis retail geography: at the time, many of the city's principal department stores were concentrated downtown, while Glendale was intended to bring established retailers and a broad assortment of shops to a growing northern part of the city. Victor Gruen, one of the leading shopping-center architects of the period, designed the complex. Plans called for the two department stores to anchor opposite ends of a concourse containing approximately 45 stores. When Glendale Shopping Center opened, it was regarded as one of Indianapolis's premier retail destinations and was known for an upscale tenant mix. It was later enclosed during the 1960s, becoming Glendale Mall. For decades, the property served as an important suburban alternative to downtown department-store shopping and was often the first Indianapolis location outside the traditional central retail district for major local chains. The center's competitive position weakened after The Fashion Mall at Keystone opened roughly two miles to the north. That newer property attracted many of the better-known and more upscale tenants that had helped distinguish Glendale, contributing to a long-term decline in Glendale's original enclosed-mall format. The former mall was demolished on March 1, 2007. Redevelopment followed, and the property reopened as an open-air shopping center in early 2008 under the Glendale Town Center name. The current format is a power-center-style retail complex rather than a traditional enclosed mall. Its tenant and outlot mix combines discount and value-oriented national retailers, apparel, specialty stores, health-care services, and restaurants. Reported notable tenants in May 2026 included Target, Ross Dress for Less, Old Navy, Five Below, and Indiana University Health. Restaurant outlots included Buffalo Wild Wings, Culver's, Panda Express, and Panera Bread. The complex is owned by Kite Realty. Its history illustrates the evolution of American retail real estate from a department-store-anchored suburban mall to a more flexible open-air center built around high-volume national chains, services, and food operators.

Glendale Town Center began as Glendale Shopping Center, a planned suburban retail development associated with Indianapolis's postwar expansion. In 1955, Howard M. Landau and representatives of William H. Block Co. and L. S. Ayres developed plans for a center on Keystone Avenue near 62nd Street. The two Indianapolis department-store chains were intended to anchor opposite ends of a retail concourse, while approximately 45 additional stores would occupy the space between them. The plan sought to give residents of the growing northern part of the city access to a substantial range of merchandise without requiring a trip to downtown Indianapolis. Victor Gruen, whose work helped define the modern American shopping-center model, served as architect. At its opening, Glendale Shopping Center was considered a leading Indianapolis retail destination. Its department-store anchors and broad tenant selection gave it a prominent position in the local market, and it was notable for bringing established downtown retailers into a suburban setting. The center was enclosed during the 1960s and became known as Glendale Mall. The enclosed format supported a conventional department-store mall experience for many years, with the anchor stores providing traffic for smaller retailers along the interior concourse. Glendale's competitive environment changed as retail development moved farther north along Keystone Avenue. The opening of The Fashion Mall at Keystone, approximately two miles north, drew away many of Glendale's better-known and more upscale tenants. This shift weakened the original mall's differentiation and reflected a broader pattern in which newer centers, updated formats, and changing consumer preferences challenged older enclosed malls. The original enclosed mall was demolished on March 1, 2007. Rather than preserving the previous format, redevelopment converted the property into an open-air shopping center. New construction and design work were completed in early 2008, producing the Glendale Town Center configuration. The redesigned property emphasized accessible storefronts, national chain retailers, services, and restaurant outlots rather than an enclosed internal mall corridor. Under Kite Realty ownership, Glendale Town Center operates as a power center serving the Glendale neighborhood and surrounding Indianapolis communities. The reported tenant mix in May 2026 included Target, Ross Dress for Less, Old Navy, Five Below, and Indiana University Health, while outlots included Buffalo Wild Wings, Culver's, Panda Express, and Panera Bread. The center's redevelopment represents a transition from a landmark department-store mall to a more flexible, convenience-oriented retail complex.

• 2008

  Open-air Glendale Town Center opens

  [1]Glendale Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Redevelopment returned the property to an open-air shopping-center format in early 2008.

• 2007

  Original mall demolished

  [1]Glendale Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The original enclosed Glendale mall was demolished on March 1, 2007, clearing the site for redevelopment.

• 1960

  The center is converted to an enclosed mall

  [1]Glendale Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  During the 1960s, Glendale Shopping Center was enclosed and became known as Glendale Mall.

• 1955

  Planning begins for Glendale Shopping Center

  [1]Glendale Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Howard M. Landau and representatives of William H. Block Co. and L. S. Ayres planned a major suburban shopping center on Keystone Avenue near 62nd Street, with Victor Gruen as architect.

• Glendale Shopping Center opens

  [1]Glendale Town Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The center opened as a prominent Indianapolis retail destination anchored by William H. Block Co. and L. S. Ayres, with approximately 45 additional stores.

A neighborhood-serving, open-air power center combining national value retailers, apparel stores, services, and restaurant outlots in north Indianapolis.

• Open-air power center · 2008

  Glendale Town Center retail center

  The current property is an open-air retail complex rather than an enclosed mall. It combines large-format and value-oriented national retailers, apparel stores, specialty merchandise, health-care services, and freestanding restaurant locations. Reported tenants include Target, Ross Dress for Less, Old Navy, Five Below, and Indiana University Health, with restaurants such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Culver's, Panda Express, and Panera Bread on outlots.

• Department-store-anchored shopping center

  Glendale Shopping Center

  The original Glendale Shopping Center was a large suburban retail development planned around two Indianapolis department-store anchors, William H. Block Co. and L. S. Ayres. Its approximately 45-store concourse made it an important early suburban alternative to downtown shopping and helped establish Glendale as a major retail destination.

• Enclosed shopping mall · 1960

  Glendale Mall

  After enclosure during the 1960s, the property operated for decades as Glendale Mall. The enclosed format supported department-store anchors and interior mall tenants, but its competitive position declined after the opening of The Fashion Mall at Keystone nearby. The original mall was demolished in 2007.

• 2007

  Redevelopment from enclosed mall to open-air centerStrategy

  Background

  Glendale had lost many prominent tenants after competition from The Fashion Mall at Keystone and the original enclosed mall format was demolished.

  Action taken

  The original mall was demolished on March 1, 2007, and the property was rebuilt as an open-air shopping center.

  Aftermath

  The redesigned Glendale Town Center opened in early 2008 with a more flexible mix of national retailers, services, and restaurant outlots.

  Source

1. 1Glendale Town Centeren.wikipedia.org