Jefferson Square Mall
Jefferson Square Mall, also known as Wilderness Mall, was a shopping mall in Joliet, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1975, it originally featured Wieboldt's and Montgomery Ward. The mall closed in 2002, and was demolished in 2004 to build a Walmart and Menards.
History
Jefferson Square Mall was developed by Melvin Simon and Associates, now known as Simon Property Group. Wieboldt's opened in August of 1974, and Montgomery Ward opened in October of 1974.The mall opened in March 1975, consisting of of shop space. Jefferson Square Mall was the first enclosed shopping mall in Joliet. Louis Joliet Mall opened nearby in 1978, providing competition to Jefferson Square.
In 1987 Wieboldt's closed the Jefferson Square store along with 7 other stores. Their space was replaced by a Menards home improvement store. In addition, a shooting in 1991 injured two people at the mall.
In 1996, the property was renamed Wilderness Mall. Despite these renovations, the mall continued to decline in tenancy. By 2000 the mall only had 13 tenants out of the over 60 store slots. some included an off-track betting parlor, a paint gun store, a travel agency, a preschool, and a social services agency. Montgomery Ward closed that same year.
In 2002, Wilderness Mall was purchased by Menard Properties. They planned to demolish the mall for a newer, larger Menards as well as a Walmart supercenter. Demolition began in 2004 and was completed in 2006, with construction of Menards beginning in 2007 and Walmart in 2008.