Muncie Mall

Muncie Mall is an enclosed shopping center on McGalliard Road in the northwest part of Muncie, Indiana. Developed by Melvin Simon & Associates, the predecessor to Simon Property Group, it opened in 1970 as one of the first enclosed regional shopping centers serving east-central Indiana. At opening, the approximately 550,000-square-foot center was planned with space for about 45 stores and more than 3,200 parking spaces. Its original department-store anchors included Britt's, W. T. Grant, and Sears, while the tenant mix also included a supermarket, drugstore, clothing retailers, shoe stores, jewelry stores, and other local and national businesses. During the 1970s and 1980s, Muncie Mall functioned as a major retail and social destination for the area. The center's anchor lineup changed as retailers disappeared, merged, or repositioned their businesses. Britt's was converted to L. S. Ayres, while W. T. Grant's former location became a JCPenney. Ball Stores also operated at the property and was later associated with Elder-Beerman. The mall underwent interior improvements and repeated tenant changes as its owners attempted to maintain occupancy and modernize the facility. The property continued to attract recognizable retailers into the 1990s and 2000s. L. S. Ayres relocated to a newer store within the complex in 1997, and the former location was subsequently used by Elder-Beerman. The newer Ayres store later became Macy's in 2006. Books-A-Million opened at the mall in 2006, and an external Target store opened nearby in 2003. These changes reflected the increasingly competitive retail environment, in which enclosed malls faced pressure from power centers, big-box stores, discount retailers, and eventually online commerce. Muncie Mall's decline accelerated during the 2010s. Elder-Beerman became Carson's in 2011, but Carson's closed in 2018 after the liquidation of its parent company, Bon-Ton. Sears closed in September 2018, Macy's closed in March 2020, and JCPenney closed in October 2020. After the JCPenney closure, the property no longer had a traditional department-store anchor. By July 2020, seventeen stores and restaurants were reported to have permanently closed. Former anchor spaces were used intermittently for flea markets, seasonal Spirit Halloween operations, discount retail, or storage, rather than full-scale department-store activity. Ownership and management also changed during the mall's decline. Simon Property Group spun the property into Washington Prime Group in 2014. During the COVID-19 period, the mall temporarily closed, a receiver was appointed, and Woodmont Company assumed management as the center reopened in May 2020. Washington Prime Group later defaulted on loans secured by a portfolio of malls that included Muncie Mall. The property served as collateral for a reported $33.1 million commercial mortgage loan, although this figure relates to the financing of the property rather than retail sales or brand revenue. Woodmont Company sold the mall to Hull Property Group in January 2024. Under Hull Property Group, redevelopment plans initially contemplated demolishing portions of the enclosed center and replacing them with outward-facing retail space. By February 2026, the announced direction had shifted to closing the remaining portions of the mall and demolishing the enclosed structure entirely, with demolition expected to begin in 2026. The property therefore remains a locally recognized commercial site, but its future is defined less by conventional enclosed-mall retailing than by vacancy management, ownership transition, and planned redevelopment.

Planning for Muncie Mall began in the mid-1960s, when Melvin Simon & Associates sought zoning approval for a 56-acre site at McGalliard Road and Granville Avenue. The earliest concept was broader than a shopping mall and included retail space, an office and medical building, and high-rise apartments. Zoning disputes and revisions delayed the project. Local civic and business representatives examined other enclosed shopping centers, including Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana, Illinois, while assessing how a regional mall might affect Muncie's commercial structure. By 1969, the developers had settled on a roughly 550,000-square-foot enclosed center with room for approximately 45 stores and service businesses. The planned anchor tenants were Sears, W. T. Grant, and Britt's. Construction formally began with a groundbreaking ceremony on May 23, 1969. Sears opened first on August 5, 1970, and the rest of the mall opened in stages during the fall. The original tenant roster included National Tea, Osco Drug, Steck's, Singer, Paul Harris, Jonathans, Zales, National Shirt Shops, and Kinney Shoes. The mall was an important regional retail and community destination during the 1970s and 1980s. Its department-store identity changed repeatedly. Britt's became L. S. Ayres, W. T. Grant's space became JCPenney, and Ball Stores was later associated with Elder-Beerman. Interior renovations and tenant replacements were used to keep the aging enclosed center competitive. In 1997, L. S. Ayres moved into a newer store within the mall, and its former central anchor building was reused by Elder-Beerman. The newer Ayres location was converted to Macy's in 2006. Books-A-Million also opened in a former Osco Drug location that year. The surrounding retail environment became more difficult in the 2000s. A Target store opened outside the mall in 2003, while power centers, big-box retailers, discount stores, and internet commerce drew spending away from traditional regional malls. The mall's discount cinema closed during the early 2000s and was later walled off for storage. Old Navy, which had replaced an Elder-Beerman home store, closed in 2010. Elder-Beerman became Carson's in 2011, but Carson's closed in 2018 after Bon-Ton entered liquidation. Sears also closed in September 2018. By 2019, ownership and financing problems had become central to the property's story. Simon Property Group had spun Muncie Mall into Washington Prime Group in 2014. Washington Prime Group later disclosed plans to default on loans secured by seventeen malls, including Muncie Mall. The mall served as collateral for a reported $33.1 million loan. In 2020, the property temporarily closed during the COVID-19 outbreak. A receiver was appointed on April 14, and Woodmont Company managed the reopening on May 18. The remaining traditional anchors then disappeared. Macy's announced its closure in January 2020 and closed in March, while JCPenney announced its closure in June and completed it in October. The mall had seventeen permanently closed stores and restaurants by July 2020. Former anchor spaces were used for limited or temporary purposes: a flea market operated periodically in the former Carson's location, Spirit Halloween occupied that space in successive years, and Buyers Market opened in the former Macy's building in 2021 while using only part of the floor area. The former JCPenney building was used for storage from 2022. Woodmont Company sold the mall to Hull Property Group in January 2024. Hull initially considered partially removing the enclosed mall and creating outward-facing retail space. By February 2026, the announced plan had become full demolition of the remaining enclosed structure, expected to begin in 2026. Muncie Mall's history thus follows the broader lifecycle of many American regional malls: ambitious suburban development, strong department-store-led growth, repeated anchor succession, competition-driven decline, financial distress, temporary reuse, and planned redevelopment.

• 2026

  Full demolition plan announced

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The remaining enclosed structure was announced for closure and total demolition, with work expected to begin in 2026.

• 2024

  Hull Property Group acquires the property

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Woodmont Company sold Muncie Mall to Hull Property Group.

• 2021

  Buyers Market opens

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Buyers Market opened in the former Macy's building, occupying only part of the available sales area.

• 2020

  Final traditional anchors depart

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Macy's and JCPenney closed, leaving the property without a conventional department-store anchor.

• 2018

  Carson's and Sears close

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Carson's closed after Bon-Ton's liquidation, and Sears closed later in the year.

• 2014

  Property moves to Washington Prime Group

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Muncie Mall was included in Simon Property Group's spinoff of properties to Washington Prime Group.

• 2006

  Macy's and Books-A-Million arrive

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  The newer L. S. Ayres store became Macy's, and Books-A-Million opened in a former Osco Drug location.

• 2003

  Target opens outside the mall

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  A Target store opened on the west side of the property.

• 1997

  L. S. Ayres relocates within the mall

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  L. S. Ayres moved into a newer store, allowing the former Ayres building to be reused by Elder-Beerman.

• 1970

  Muncie Mall opens

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Sears opened on August 5, followed by the other anchors and the broader mall opening later in the year.

• 1969

  Mall plans finalized and construction begins

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Plans were completed for a 550,000-square-foot enclosed center with about 45 stores, and groundbreaking took place on May 23.

• 1964

  Initial zoning effort begins

  [1]Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org

  Melvin Simon & Associates sought approval for a large mixed-use development on a 56-acre site in northwest Muncie.

Historically positioned as the principal enclosed regional shopping center for Muncie and surrounding east-central Indiana communities; in its later years, it became a largely vacant legacy mall property undergoing ownership transition and redevelopment planning.

• Anchor retail · 1970

  Department-store retail

  Muncie Mall's principal historical offering was department-store retail provided by successive anchors including Britt's, W. T. Grant, Sears, L. S. Ayres, JCPenney, Ball Stores, Elder-Beerman, Carson's, and Macy's. These stores supplied apparel, home merchandise, seasonal goods, and other broad product categories and were central to the mall's regional-destination positioning.

• Inline mall retail · 1970

  Specialty retail and services

  The original and later inline tenant mix included clothing, shoes, jewelry, books, pharmacy products, music and sewing-related goods, food service, and personal services. Named tenants over the mall's history included Zales, Kinney Shoes, National Shirt Shops, Singer, Osco Drug, and Books-A-Million.

• Temporary retail · 2019

  Seasonal and discount occupancy

  After the departure of the department-store anchors, portions of the property were used for temporary or reduced-scale retail. Examples included a periodic flea market, Spirit Halloween in the former Carson's space, and Buyers Market in the former Macy's building. These uses reflected the property's transition from a conventional regional mall to a low-occupancy, adaptive-reuse environment.

• 2026

  Shift to full demolitionStrategy

  Background

  The mall had become extremely vacant after the loss of its traditional anchors and years of declining traffic.

  Action taken

  The announced redevelopment direction changed to closure and total demolition of the remaining enclosed structure, with demolition expected to begin in 2026.

  Aftermath

  The property's future is expected to center on redevelopment rather than continued operation as an enclosed shopping mall.

  Source

• 2024

  Sale to Hull Property GroupM&A

  Background

  Muncie Mall had experienced prolonged vacancy, anchor-store closures, and a change in financial control after Washington Prime Group's difficulties.

  Action taken

  Woodmont Company sold the property to Hull Property Group in January.

  Aftermath

  Hull Property Group began evaluating redevelopment options, initially involving partial demolition and outward-facing retail space.

  Source

• 2020

  Receivership and managed reopeningStrategy

  Background

  Washington Prime Group faced financial pressure and intended to default on mortgage loans secured by a portfolio of malls, including Muncie Mall. The property also experienced a temporary COVID-19 closure.

  Action taken

  A receiver was appointed on April 14, and Woodmont Company managed the mall's reopening on May 18.

  Aftermath

  The property continued operating with severe vacancy and without traditional department-store anchors.

  Loan secured by the property. (Prior to the 2020 receivership process)

  Source

1. 1Muncie Mallen.wikipedia.org