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Randall Park Mall
Randall Park Mall was a shopping mall located in the village of North Randall, Ohio, United States. It opened on August 11, 1976 on the site of what used to be the Randall Park Race Track. After over a decade of decline, it closed on March 12, 2009. The former Dillard's store and interior of the mall were demolished in 2015 to make way for an industrial park, and the remaining anchor tenants were demolished in 2017 after they all closed. Amazon built a new distribution center on the site in 2018.
In 1966, Dominic Visconsi proposed building Garfield Mall in nearby Garfield Heights. In 1968, voters gave their support to the project, and the next year a proposal was revealed. Garfield Mall was to have heated underground parking, as well as elevator and escalator access to stores such as JCPenney, Sears, and Higbee's. In 1971, Youngstown developer Edward J. DeBartolo planned a shopping-apartment-office complex nearby, so Garfield Mall was scaled down and the department stores slated for Garfield Mall instead signed with DeBartolo.
Randall Park Mall was built on the site of the Randall Park Race Track, a horse racing park immediately south of Thistledown Race Track. DeBartolo envisioned Randall Park as a "city within a city", with the mall, with 200 shops, three 14-story apartments, two 20-story office buildings, and a performing arts center that was intended to compete with the Front Row Theater. The total construction cost was $175 million($749 million in 2024).
Randall Park Mall opened on August 11, 1976. The mall's architect, Frank DeBartolo (Edward's younger brother), opened the mall with actress Dina Merrill in 1976. Upon its opening, the mall had 5 anchor stores: Sears, JCPenney, the May Company, Higbee's, and Horne's. JCPenney opened in March 1976, five months before the rest of the mall. Sears did not open until February 1977. When it opened, Randall Park claimed the title of "The World's Largest Shopping Center", but the title was short-lived. In 1992, DeBartolo announced major remerchandising plans.
When it opened in 1976, Randall Park Mall had a three-screen cinema run by General Cinema Corporation. The lobby was one storefront wide, with steep steps leading to the concession stand. The screens were in three side by side auditoriums that opened off the concession stand level. More steps led up a second story to restrooms, the projection booth, and GCC office space.
The cinema became a second-run theater in 1991, and closed in 1993. After that, until the mall's closure, it was used as storage for Diamond's Men's Store, its adjoining neighbor. By the 2000s, Diamond's had extended its display window to include the theater's entrance.
In 1999, Loews Cineplex Entertainment opened the 12-screen Magic Johnson Theatres in the space. The theater became O Theater (with the slogan "O what a bargain!"), after AMC Theatres bought Loews Cineplex Entertainment in 2006. O Theater offered first-run movies at matinee prices but the theater closed in early 2009.
The mall's decline began in December 1994 when Edward J. DeBartolo died. Two years after DeBartolo’s death, DeBartolo Realty Corporation merged with competitor Simon Property Group to form Simon DeBartolo Group, gaining ownership of Randall Park. The next year, the mall's occupancy was 73%, which was well below the national average of 85%. However, by 2000, that figure had reached 92%, fostering hopes of a full recovery for the institution, though these hopes were short lived once JCPenney announced the closure of its outlet store at the mall that autumn.
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Randall Park Mall
Randall Park Mall was a shopping mall located in the village of North Randall, Ohio, United States. It opened on August 11, 1976 on the site of what used to be the Randall Park Race Track. After over a decade of decline, it closed on March 12, 2009. The former Dillard's store and interior of the mall were demolished in 2015 to make way for an industrial park, and the remaining anchor tenants were demolished in 2017 after they all closed. Amazon built a new distribution center on the site in 2018.
In 1966, Dominic Visconsi proposed building Garfield Mall in nearby Garfield Heights. In 1968, voters gave their support to the project, and the next year a proposal was revealed. Garfield Mall was to have heated underground parking, as well as elevator and escalator access to stores such as JCPenney, Sears, and Higbee's. In 1971, Youngstown developer Edward J. DeBartolo planned a shopping-apartment-office complex nearby, so Garfield Mall was scaled down and the department stores slated for Garfield Mall instead signed with DeBartolo.
Randall Park Mall was built on the site of the Randall Park Race Track, a horse racing park immediately south of Thistledown Race Track. DeBartolo envisioned Randall Park as a "city within a city", with the mall, with 200 shops, three 14-story apartments, two 20-story office buildings, and a performing arts center that was intended to compete with the Front Row Theater. The total construction cost was $175 million($749 million in 2024).
Randall Park Mall opened on August 11, 1976. The mall's architect, Frank DeBartolo (Edward's younger brother), opened the mall with actress Dina Merrill in 1976. Upon its opening, the mall had 5 anchor stores: Sears, JCPenney, the May Company, Higbee's, and Horne's. JCPenney opened in March 1976, five months before the rest of the mall. Sears did not open until February 1977. When it opened, Randall Park claimed the title of "The World's Largest Shopping Center", but the title was short-lived. In 1992, DeBartolo announced major remerchandising plans.
When it opened in 1976, Randall Park Mall had a three-screen cinema run by General Cinema Corporation. The lobby was one storefront wide, with steep steps leading to the concession stand. The screens were in three side by side auditoriums that opened off the concession stand level. More steps led up a second story to restrooms, the projection booth, and GCC office space.
The cinema became a second-run theater in 1991, and closed in 1993. After that, until the mall's closure, it was used as storage for Diamond's Men's Store, its adjoining neighbor. By the 2000s, Diamond's had extended its display window to include the theater's entrance.
In 1999, Loews Cineplex Entertainment opened the 12-screen Magic Johnson Theatres in the space. The theater became O Theater (with the slogan "O what a bargain!"), after AMC Theatres bought Loews Cineplex Entertainment in 2006. O Theater offered first-run movies at matinee prices but the theater closed in early 2009.
The mall's decline began in December 1994 when Edward J. DeBartolo died. Two years after DeBartolo’s death, DeBartolo Realty Corporation merged with competitor Simon Property Group to form Simon DeBartolo Group, gaining ownership of Randall Park. The next year, the mall's occupancy was 73%, which was well below the national average of 85%. However, by 2000, that figure had reached 92%, fostering hopes of a full recovery for the institution, though these hopes were short lived once JCPenney announced the closure of its outlet store at the mall that autumn.