Draft:North Towne Mall
| Submission declined on 28 December 2023 by SportingFlyer (talk). This submission is not adequately supported by reliable sources. Reliable sources are required so that information can be verified. If you need help with referencing, please see Referencing for beginners and Citing sources.
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Comment: I don't think there are enough sources specifically on the mall itself - the best ones are on the skydiving tragedy, and the blog doesn't count towards notability in my eyes. Are there any other historical newspaper bits about its opening? It's pretty close, just want to make sure it wouldn't be deleted if accepted. SportingFlyer T·C 02:13, 28 December 2023 (UTC)
North Towne Mall is a strip mall located in Rockford, Illinois. The strip mall opened in 1956. It was once a partial enclosed mall.
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| Location | Rockford, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°18′51.1″N 89°04′29″W / 42.314194°N 89.07472°W / 42.314194; -89.07472 |
| Address | 3600 N Main St |
| Opening date | 1956 |
| No. of stores and services | Over 25 stores |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 (2 open, 2 vacant) |
| Total retail floor area | 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) |
| No. of floors | 1 (3 floors in the former Bergner's/Gustafson's Furniture Store, 2 floors in the former Kerasotes North Towne Cinema) |
| Parking | At least 100 or more |
| Public transit access | Rockford Mass Transit District |
| Website | https://northtownemall.homestead.com/ |
History
North Towne Mall started construction in the early 1950s and was initially completed in 1955. The mall held their grand opening in 1956 also with the opening of the Charles V. Weise & Company department store. The department store had three floors with a variety of products ranging from clothing to personal care.[1]
In 1976, Kerasotes Theatres opened a 3-screen theater at the mall, it was later expanded into 6-screens.[2] Later on, sometime in the 1960s or 1970s, a small portion of the strip mall was enclosed connected by Charles V. Weise and Kerasotes Theatres. Bergner's bought out Charles V. Weise & Company in 1982. Bergner's closed their North Town Mall location and moved to Machesney Park Mall in the early 1990s. In 1998, Gustafson's Furniture opened inside the former Bergner's store keeping most of the original Bergner's fixtures.[1]
The small, enclosed portion of the mall permanently closed in 2003 and in-line stores were built in its place. In 2004, a McDonald's was built outside the mall as an outparcel and Save a-lot opened in the strip mall.[3] Kerasotes North Towne Cinemas closed in 2008.[4]
In 2018, Gustafson's Furniture closed their North Towne Mall location and moved to a new location on East State Street.[5] The vacant store has sat vacant ever since.
1965 Santa Claus incident
On December 6, 1965, a skydiver who was being portrayed as "Santa" during a Christmas promotion at North Towne Mall. The skydiver's parachute failed causing him to free-fall, he landed in the back alley of North Towne Mall. He was pronounced dead at Rockford Memorial Hospital.[6][7] Years after the incident, rumors spread that North Towne Mall was haunted.
Anchors
Current
- Talecris Plasma Resouces (Opened in the early 2010s)
- Save a-lot (Opened in 2004)
Former
- Charles V. Weise & Company (Opened in 1956, closed in 1982, converted into Bergner's in 1982)
- Bergner's (Opened in 1982, closed in the early 1990s, converted into Gustafson's Furniture in 1998)
- Gustafson's Furniture (Opened in 1998, closed in 2018)
- Goodwill Outlet (Opened in 2017, closed in 2020)
- Kerasotes North Towne Cinemas (Opened in 1976, closed in 2008)
External links
- North Towne Mall website
References
- ^ a b Way, Prange (2006-07-24). "North Towne Mall; Rockford, Illinois - Labelscar: The Retail History Blog". Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ "North Towne Cinemas in Rockford, IL - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ "index". www.northtownemall.windmillhill-properties.com. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Driscoll, Sean F. "Kerasotes closing Riverside Blvd., Newburg Road facilities". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Vela, Susan. "Gustafson's Furniture & Mattress settles into new East State Street home". Rockford Register Star. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Andrew (2015-06-30). "North Towne Mall – 1965, Santa Claus". RPL's Local History. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
- ^ Star-News. Star-News.