Hawthorn Mall (formerly Westfield Hawthorn) is a shopping mall located in Vernon Hills, Illinois on Hawthorn Center Drive, intersected by Milwaukee Avenue and Townline Road. It was developed by Urban Investment and Development Co, and anchor stores Sears and Marshall Field & Company as part of New Century Town, a community with 5,000 condominiums and townhomes planned at the time. With a 45 minute drive from downtown, Hawthorn Mall is located in the northern most suburbs of Chicago.
Originally opened on September 10, 1973, it has 5 Anchor Stores, JCPenney, Macy's, AMC Theatres, Dave & Buster's and Barbara's Bookstore. Its 2 Former Anchor Stores are Sears and Carson's. The mall also has 2 Restaurants, Maggiano's Little Italy and The Claim Company Cafe.
There are three shopping centers in the area of Hawthorn Mall, Mellody Farm, Townline Commons and Hawthorn Hills Square.
Hawthorn Mall was once owned by Westfield from 2002 to 2015. It is currently owned by Centennial Real Estate, who also owns Fox Valley Mall in Aurora.
Gurnee Mills is located north a few miles from Hawthorn Mall. It is the closest mall to Vernon Hills.
History[]
Original Sign For Hawthorn Mall
1970s[]
Construction of the mall began in May of 1972 and was completed at a cost of $45 million.
By September 10, 1973, the building was complete and the first three stores: Marshall Field's & Company, Sears, Lord & Taylor and fifteen specialty shops had their grand opening. Shoppers were introduced to the look of brick-paved halls and old fashioned street light themed interior.
1980s[]
Hawthorn was originally constructed without a food court. In 1983, the food court was added and has since been renovated several times to improve the feel and look of the mall.
In 1989, Brunswick Zone opened northwest of the mall.
1990s[]
In 1990, Lord & Taylor sold its store to Carson Pirie Scott, six years before Fox Valley Mall.
Target was built southwest of the mall in 1993.
Townline Commons, a shopping center with Walmart, Toys "R" Us, OfficeMax and Petco opened across the street from the mall in 1995.
In 1997, more stores began to come into the mall to a limit of 140, including Barnes & Noble and JCPenney. JCPenney was constructed on the north end of the mall to become the mall's fourth major anchor, replacing the shuttered location at the failing Lakehurst Mall in Waukegan, which closed in 2001 and demolished in 2004.
In 1999, Holiday Inn Express opened outside the mall.
2000s[]
In 2000, Hawthorn Hills Square, a shopping center with Petsmart and Dick's Sporting Goods opened north of the mall. Also in 2000, Mario Tricoci officially opened to the public.
Westfield Group acquired Hawthorn in 2002, renaming it "Westfield shoppingtown Hawthorn", then dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005.
In 2005, Hot Topic opened at the mall in the JCPenney Wing.
Macy's took over the Marshall Field's store in September 2006, along with the other locations.
2010s[]
Yankee Candle opened in May 2013, followed by Shoe Department Encore in the Fall of that year.
Dave & Buster's opened on March 26, 2014. Maggiano's Little Italy opened on July 21, 2014. Lane Bryant opened a month later in August. AMC Theatres opened on April 28, 2015.
Westfield Group sold 80% interest in mall in December 2015, which caused Hawthorn Mall to be owned by Centennial Real Estate. In 2016, Uncle Julio's opened as part of a strip center.
In November 2017, Skate Room, an indoor synthetic ice rink opened on the upper level next to JCPenney.
In 2018, a partnership controlled by Centennial purchased both sites in anticipation of the coming redevelopment. "Hawthorn Mall will be replacing the former Sears and Carson’s spaces to create a dynamic shopping and entertainment experience filled with new restaurants and retail shops, best-in-class multi-family units, and a unique regional grocer,” said Oliver Robinson, Centennial’s executive vice president, development and construction. “The project will be pedestrian-friendly with an incredible park centerpiece that creates an indoor/outdoor gathering place for year-round events and activities.”
In Mid May 2018, Glowgolf returned to Hawthorn Mall after a five absence from 2009 to 2013.
Former Carson's
On April 18, 2018, it was announced that the Carson's Mall Location and Carson’s Furniture Gallery, which was located outside the mall would both be closing as parent company The Bon-Ton is going out of business. The store closed in August 2018 as the First Anchor to close at Hawthorn Mall.
Former Sears
On May 31, 2018, Sears announced that it would close as part of a plan to close 71 stores nationwide the store closed in September 2018 leaving JCPenney, Macy's, AMC Theatres, Dave & Busters and Barnes & Noble as the only 5 remaining Anchors.
Barnes & Noble announced it would be closing its Hawthorn Mall location in favor of the new development, Mellody Farm, which is a shopping center to the right of the mall with HomeGoods, Nordstrom Rack and Whole Foods Market. The new location opened September 28, 2018. However, Barbara's Bookstore opened in the former Hawthorn Mall location in November. The outside and inside are still original.
On November 30, 2018, Hawthorn Mall announced that as part of an ongoing effort to respond to changing retail tides, the mall was looking to build three new restaurant spaces next to the former Sears building.
Mall ownership presented their preliminary plans to the Vernon Hills Village Board Nov. 27 and after a brief presentation and short discussion, the board informally recommended the project for technical review. That allows Dallas-based Centennial to begin presenting formal plans to the village.
Centennial hopes to erect the buildings between Ring Road and Milwaukee Avenue, relocating utilities and Ring Road itself to make room for the restaurants, Assistant Village Manager Joe Carey said.
The project is intended as the first phase in the overall redevelopment of the mall after Centennial acquired both the former Sears and Carson Pirie Scott buildings, Carey said. Mayor Roger Byrne said Centennial now owns 60 percent of the property at the mall.
“With this being the first of many phases, we obviously want to start on the right note,” Carey said. “Centennial has done a good job of understanding what we as a village want to see.”
Oliver Robinson, executive vice president of development and construction for Centennial, said the firm is considering a wide range of uses for the mall, including retail, multifamily housing and senior housing.
“The mall is the lynchpin in the Vernon Hills community as far as retail and commerce,” Robinson said. “We’re excited about ownership of the mall. As you know, there are many challenges in the retail markets. Unfortunately, Vernon Hills is not immune.”
Current Anchors[]
- AMC Theatres (opened April 28, 2015)
- Dave & Busters (opened March 26, 2014)
Current Stores[]
- Aeropostale
- Auntie Anne's
- Barbara's Bookstore
- Bath & Body Works
- B-Hop eSports
- Charley’s Cheesesteaks
- Cinnabon
- Eddie Bauer
- Gloria Jean’s Coffee
- H&M
- Hot Topic
- Lane Bryant
- Local
- Ny’s
- Playoddity
- Roger & Hollands
- Sbarro
- Sephora
- Soma Intimates
- Tutti Frutti
Former Anchors[]
- Sears (opened 1973, closed early September 2018)
- Carson's (opened 1973 as Lord & Taylor, closed late August 2018)
- Barnes & Noble (opened 1997, relocated to Mellody Farm on September 28, 2018)
- Barbara's Bookstore (Opened 2018, formerly Barnes & Noble, relocated by Macy's wing, currently vaccant)
- Lord & Taylor
- Marshall Field's (Opened 1973, closed September 2006, currently a Macy's)
Former Stores[]
- Abercrombie & Fitch
- Akira
- Aldo
- American Outfitter
- AT&T
- Ballroom Dance Studio
- Best Buy Mobile
- Brow Art 23
- Cajun Cafe
- Caribou Coffee
- Charlotte Russe
- Charming Charlie
- Children’s Place
- Clark's
- Dress Barn
- Dry Goods
- Fannie May
- Fanzz
- Fashion 5
- Foot Locker
- Francesca's
- Gap
- Gap Kids
- Godiva
- GNC
- Guess
- Journeys
- Justice
- Lee Spa Nails
- Lids
- Lionesse Beauty Bar
- McDonald’s
- Melt Gelato & Crepe Café
- Metro PCS
- Michael Kors
- Motherhood Maternity
- My Sweet Dreams
- New York & Company
- Payless ShoeSource
- Radioshack
- Sarku Japan
- She Goo
- Shoe Dept. Encore
- Snickelfritz Toys
- Sprint
- Subway
- Swarvowski
- Teavana
- U Name It
- The Walking Company
- Victoria’s Secret
- Wet Seal
- Yankee Candle
Restaurants[]
- Maggiano's Little Italy
- The Claim Company Cafe
Bus routes[]
Pace
- 272 Milwaukee Avenue North
- 574 CLC/Hawthorn Mall
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Photos[]
