Harlem Irving Plaza

Shopping mall located in Norridge, Illinois, US

41°57′19.5″N 87°48′29″W / 41.955417°N 87.80806°W / 41.955417; -87.80806Address4104 N Harlem AveOpening date1956 (Shopping Center) 1979 (Shopping Mall)ManagementHarlem Irving CompaniesOwnerHarlem Irving CompaniesNo. of stores and services140+No. of anchor tenants10Total retail floor area725,000 sq ft (67,400 m²).No. of floors2, plus partial basement, and 3 in former Carson Pirie ScottParking2,600Public transit accessChicago Transit AuthorityWebsiteshopthehip.com

Harlem Irving Plaza (commonly referred to as "The HIP") is a shopping mall located in Norridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The mall features over 100 stores and a food court. The mall's anchor stores are Kohl's, Nordstrom Rack, XSport Fitness, Xfinity, Best Buy, Target, Hobby Lobby, DSW, Five Below, and Dick's. It is one of the oldest shopping malls in the Chicago area.^[1]

History

Built on the site of a former livestock farm, Harlem Irving Plaza opened in 1956 as a 337,000-square-foot (31,300 m²) strip mall featuring approximately 45 tenants.^[1] Original anchor stores included Kroger, Walgreens, Wieboldt's, W.T. Grant, and Woolworth. The plaza became a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers a year after opening.^[2]

Between 1975 and 1979, the former strip mall was enclosed, and a parking garage was added. Also in 1979, Madigan's was added to the roster of department stores.^[1] MainStreet, a short-lived subsidiary of Federated Department Stores opened at the mall in 1987, just as Wieboldt's closed.^[3] In 1989, Kohl's acquired and converted all of the stores in the MainStreet chain; Carson Pirie Scott opened in the former Wieboldt's the same year. A food court was added in 1996,^[1] and Best Buy opened in the former Madigan's. Best Buy re-located to the mall's parking lot in 2001;^[1] its original location was replaced with a second parking garage. The mall underwent a thorough renovation in 2004, gaining a 175,000-square-foot (16,300 m²) Target in August of that year.^[1] In honor of the mall's 50th anniversary in 2006, Harlem Irving Plaza hosted a meet and greet with the original Mouseketeers (Mickey Mouse Club). In honor of the mall's 60th anniversary in 2016, Harlem Irving Plaza hosted a meet and greet with Bobby Hull, Mike Ditka and Dick Butkus.^[4]

Sports Authority, Panera Bread, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and a fitness center were to be added in a 2013 expansion.^[5] Sports Authority has since closed. It was announced that in the fall of 2017 Nordstrom Rack would take the place of the vacated Sports Authority location.^[6] Carson's has since gone out of business, which prompted a transformation of the shuttered retailer into a large atrium and new entry for visitors entering via the upper parking deck.

In early October 2021, Dick's Sporting Goods opened its doors on the mall's third floor addition with fellow-anchor Hobby Lobby pre-occupying the second floor.^[7] Hobby Lobby and Dick's Sporting Goods as of November 2021 are the sole two occupants of the above-first level expansion to the mall initially finalized in 2020. Target is the only other second floor holding retailer although their second floor does not have a mall entrance.

Anchors

Current

Target (Opened in 2004)
Kohl's (Opened in 1989)
Nordstrom Rack (Opened in 2017)
XSport Fitness (Opened in 2015)
Xfinity (Opened in 2018)
Best Buy (Original store opened in 1996, original store closed in 2001, new store opened in 2001)
Hobby Lobby (Opened in 2021)
Dick's Sporting Goods (Opened in 2021)
DSW (Opened in 2021)
Five Below (Opened in 2020)

Former

Wieboldt's (Opened in 1956, closed in 1987, converted to Carson Pirie Scott in 1987)
Carson Pirie Scott (Opened in 1987, closed in 2018, converted into multi-tenant retail in 2021)
W. T. Grant (Opened in 1956, closed in 1975, demolished in 1975)
Kroger (Opened in 1956, closed in the 1975, demolished in 1975)
Madigan's (Opened in 1979, closed in 1992, converted to Best Buy in 1996, demolished in 2001)
F. W. Woolworth (Opened in 1956, closed in 1975, demolished in 1975)
Walgreen's (Opened in 1964, closed in 1975, demolished in 1975)
MainStreet (Opened in 1987, closed in 1989, converted to Kohl's in 1989)

Bus routes

CTA

78 Montrose^[8]
80 Irving Park^[9]
90 Harlem^[10]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Harlem Irving Plaza : Get HIP!". Archived from the original on 2013-12-22. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
^ "Harlem Irving Company - Celebrating 50 years!". Archived from the original on 2006-11-01. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
^ Greg BurnsJerry C. Davis (October 22, 1987). "Wieboldt axing yet another store - Harlem-Irving". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 84. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
^ "Original Mouseketeers celebrate 50th anniversary of "The Mickey Mouse Club"". abclocal.go.com. August 18, 2006. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
^ "Harlem Irving Plaza begins major expansion". Crain's Chicago Business. September 20, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
^ "Nordstrom Rack To Open At Harlem Irving Plaza In Norridge, Illinois".
^ "Dick's Sporting Goods Harlem Irving Plaza". Dick's Sporting Goods. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
^ "78 Montrose (Bus Route Info)".
^ "80 Irving Park (Bus Route Info)".
^ "90 Harlem (Bus Route Info)".