How Bloomingdale will transform Stratford Square Mall into The Grove

Village spent $17M buying real estate and plans apartments, retail, office on 275 acres

Village of Bloomingdale's Franco Coladipietro and a rendering of plans for Stratford Square Mall (Gravity Architecture, Village of Bloomingdale)
Village of Bloomingdale's Franco Coladipietro and a rendering of plans for Stratford Square Mall (Gravity Architecture, Village of Bloomingdale)

A suburb of Chicago has taken redevelopment of a dead mall into its own hands.

Bloomingdale’s plans to turn the long-defunct Stratford Square Mall site into a mixed-use development known as The Grove are coming into focus.

Renderings of the redevelopment plan, introduced by village president Franco Coladipietro, outline an ambitious vision for the 275-acre site, including apartments, retail and commercial space, lakeside restaurants, illuminated fountains, a winding boardwalk and an oval-shaped lawn for concerts, the Daily Herald reported.

Rendering of plans for Stratford Square Mall (Gravity Architecture)

“This is the first step,” Coladipietro said. “You have all these memories, wonderful memories, of Stratford … We’re trying to create a place where you can create new memories, somewhere that becomes relevant to your life again.” Stratford Square Mall first opened in 1981, but its decline began about a decade ago when anchor stores like JCPenney, Macy’s and Sears closed. After years of decreasing foot traffic, Bloomingdale officials made the bold decision to acquire the vacant department store spaces, eventually taking control of the entire mall.

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The village has spent $17 million to purchase the real estate and is preparing to invest another $4.7 million in demolition costs, with work expected to begin next month. The redevelopment plan retains the Kohl’s store, one of the few remaining businesses at the mall.

Rendering of plans for Stratford Square Mall (Gravity Architecture)

The conceptual plan includes the use of the mall’s original columns as the foundation for a series of fountains, preserving a piece of the old structure while embracing modern design. Despite the challenges and risks involved with consolidating the mall’s ownership, Coladipietro believes it was necessary to prevent the site from languishing. 

“We’re not in the business of purchasing property,” he said. However, “if we didn’t do anything, five years from now, it would be in the exact same position.”

— Andrew Terrell

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Village of Bloomingdale's Franco Coladipietro; Namdar Realty Group's Igal Namdar; 152 Stratford Square Mall (Getty, LoopNet, Namdar Realty)
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