Evergreen Plaza, formerly The Plaza was a two-level shopping mall 15.6 miles (25.1 km) southwest of downtown Chicago, Illinois, between South Western Avenue, West 95th Street, Campbell Avenue and West 98th Street in Evergreen Park, a suburb of Chicago. The mall had three anchors which once housed Carson's, National Wholesale Liquidators and Office Depot.
Original Power Center[]
On August 24, 1952, Evergreen Plaza opened to the public, serving the suburb of Evergreen Park and the Southside of Chicago. The shopping center had four anchors which included Barnett's, Lytton's, The Fair and Walgreens. In 1961, Evergreen Plaza was expanded and made room for another anchor tenants as well as more store spaces. In 1962, a fifth anchor was added which was Carson's. In April 1964, The Fair was converted into Montgomery Ward.
Enclosed Mall[]
On May 19, 1966, the Evergreen Plaza was fully enclosed and converted into a shopping mall. By this time, Evergreen Plaza was facing major competition with Ford City Center in Chicago. More competition began in 1981 once Chicago Ridge Mall opened in Chicago Ridge. In 1997, as a result to combat competition, major renovations occurred at Evergreen Plaza. The renovations included new elevators, escalators and a 7-bay Food Court, built in gutted lower level space. Also in October 1997, Evergreen Plaza changed its name to The Plaza. In March 2001, Montgomery Ward closed down. In 2005, National Wholesale Liquidators opened in the former Montgomery Ward space.
Decline[]
In 2005, The Plaza began to see some major decline. Walgreens, a long time tenant at the mall, closed down and was replaced with Office Depot. Also in 2005, Circuit City closed down. In 2008, Office Depot closed down. In 2010, National Wholesale Liquidators closed down. In July 2011, The Plaza was foreclosed on, it then went into receivership in August. On May 31, 2013, after constant struggles and plans falling through, the mall was permanently closed down.
New Power Center[]
In 2015, plans came to light that the enclosed mall was going to be demolished and converted back into a shopping center. The Plaza was then renamed back to Evergreen Plaza and work started on building the new shopping center. The new Evergreen Plaza included tenants such as Carson's, Dick's Sporting Goods, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Five Below, Party City, T.J. Maxx and Whole Foods Market.