Northbrook Court

Northbrook Court Mall
The second floor entrance next to Neiman Marcus
Map
LocationNorthbrook, Illinois, United States
Coordinates42°9′1″N 87°49′1″W / 42.15028°N 87.81694°W / 42.15028; -87.81694
Address1515 Lake Cook Road
Opening date1976
DeveloperHomart Development Company
ManagementBrookfield Properties
OwnerBrookfield Properties
ArchitectArchitectonics, Inc.
No. of stores and services103 storefronts (55 open including kiosks)[1]
No. of anchor tenants4 (2 open, 1 demolished)
Total retail floor area1,012,000 sq ft (94,000 m2)[1]
No. of floors2 (4 in AMC and a staff mezzanine and basement in Neiman Marcus)
Parking5,100 spaces[1]
Public transit accessPace
Websitewww.northbrookcourt.com

Northbrook Court is a shopping mall in Northbrook, Illinois with a collection of stores serving the North Shore suburbs of Chicago. Located on 130 acres (0.53 km2) of land, the mall currently features the traditional retailer Neiman Marcus as well as a number of prominent specialty retailers such as Apple, Lululemon, and Louis Vuitton.[2] The mall is in the midst of a perpetually postponed $750 million update and enhanced development which was unveiled in April 2023.

This mall also features a 14-screen Dine-In AMC Theatres on the south side of the mall. It is managed and co-owned by Brookfield Properties.[3]

History

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Northbrook Court originally opened in 1976 with Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Sears. I. Magnin opened later on. Homart Development Company a subsidiary of Sears financed the project. Architectonics, Inc. was the architect. The mall featured sculptures created by Charles Owen Perry which were named after historic figures in scientific research (Archimedes, da Vinci, Mercator and Cassini).[4]

Entrance to the mall in the mid-2000’s

Sears closed in 1983 due to the company determining that the store's market too closely overlapped that of the nearby stores at Hawthorn Mall and Golf Mill Mall.[5] It was converted into a prototype for JCPenney that same year, and then torn down in 1995 for a new Marshall Field's (later Macy's).[6][7] In 1991, I. Magnin closed and was replaced by General Cinema which opened on November 22, 1996, with 14 auditoriums. It was converted into an AMC Theatres in 2002. A free standing Crate & Barrel home store on the northwest corner of the mall opened that same year. Crate & Barrel used to be where Arhaus is.

The mall's free-standing Crate & Barrel

In 2007, Northbrook Court took down their traditional food court for a unique prototype, which has now failed. Most of the space was reallocated to Forever 21, leaving 4 spots for restaurants, originally housing Chinese Gourmet Express, Tony & Bruno’s, Subway, and Corner Bakery Cafe. A few restaurants came and went over the years and the only restaurant from this original group left is Tony & Bruno’s. The mall now features six sit-down spaces with four occupied currently: NM Cafe (originally named The Zodiac) (inside Neiman Marcus), California Pizza Kitchen, Di Pescara, and an outparcel P.F. Chang’s. The Claim Company and Stir Crazy closed and/or moved.[8][9]

California Pizza Kitchen opened its doors on Northbrook Court's north side for the first time in August 2010.[10] On May 16, 2014, Arhaus officially opened at the mall's east side.[11]

The mall’s former Macy's, as seen from the first floor

The dawn of the 2020s saw several storied traditional department store retailers update their brick-and-mortar formats after being encroached upon to a degree by several digital retailers.

On May 11, 2019, it was announced after a strategy had been implemented by Macy's to solely focus on their highest achieving outposts that they had selected against staying on at the shopping center. The store was razed for a new enhanced development.[12][13]

Location of Former Macys

On August 27, 2020, it was announced that upscale specialty department store retailer Lord & Taylor would shutter its traditional brick and mortar format as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

In the end of April 2023, Brookfield Properties showed the new redevelopment plan, which included outdoor shopping in the current Neiman Marcus parking lot, and mixed-use where Macy’s was. No official start date has been announced and redevelopment has yet to begin.[13][2] In June 2023, the mall was declared blighted and a new 1% sales tax was introduced to pay for improvements.[15]

Anchors

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The mall’s Christmas Tree, which wasn’t put up for the 2023 Holiday for the first time ever. Management claims it broke and is being fixed.

Current

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Former

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  • Sears — Opened in 1976, closed in 1983, replaced by JCPenney
  • Lord & Taylor — Opened in 1976, closed in 2020, replaced by Shopper's Find
  • I. Magnin — Opened in 1976, closed in 1991, replaced by General Cinemas
  • JCPenney — Opened in 1983, closed in 1992, replaced by Marshall Fields
  • Marshall Fields — Opened in 1995, converted to Macy's in 2006
  • General Cinemas — Opened in 1996, converted to AMC in 2002
  • Macy's — Opened in 2006, closed in 2019, building was demolished
  • Shopper's Find — Opened in 2021, closed in 2022

Location

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Northbrook Court is located on Lake Cook Road (Cook County Trunk Highway A50), between the Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 94/294) and Edens Expressway (Interstate 94/U.S. Highway 41). It is approximately 25 miles from downtown Chicago and approximately four to 12 miles from the nine communities that make up the North Shore and is accessible via public transit from them and the City of Chicago. It is only eight miles from Westfield Old Orchard. Although smaller than Old Orchard, it competes with Old Orchard as well as several other suburban shopping centers in the Chicago area.

Filming

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John Hughes, who grew up in Northbrook, and attended Glenbrook North High School, used the mall for his teenage film Weird Science, a movie about two outcasts who create a girl, who in turn helps them stand up for themselves. The side of the mall used in the film for exterior shots is currently a California Pizza Kitchen and the former The Claim Company.[16] The inside of the mall was also used; however, it has changed since the filming.

A scene from Ordinary People was filmed at the mall. Mary Tyler Moore’s character Beth Jarrett is shown shopping at Neiman Marcus and riding the escalator.

Bus routes

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Pace

  • 213 Green Bay Road (Monday-Saturday only) [17]
  • 422 Linden CTA/Glenview/Northbrook Court (Weekdays only) [18]
  • 471 Highland Park/Northbrook Court (Monday-Saturday only)[19]
  • 626 Skokie – Buffalo Grove Limited (Weekday Rush Hours only)[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "General Growth Properties, Inc". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved March 12, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Luc, Karie Angell (April 28, 2023). "Northbrook Court developers reveal conceptual master plan to community 'This is the start of the conversation'". Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ "Northbrook Court Directory & Map | Northbrook Court". www.northbrookcourt.com.
  4. ^ "Feb 13, 1976, page 55 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "Penneys plans Northbrook store". Chicago Tribune. July 15, 1983. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  6. ^ Luc, Karie Angell; Hughes, Judith Joslyn (2008). Northbrook. Arcadia. p. 27. ISBN 9780738561783.
  7. ^ Schmeltzer, John (September 21, 1993). "Northbrook Mall To Get Field's". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Northbrook Court Store Directory". November 19, 2006. Archived from the original on November 19, 2006. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  9. ^ "Northbrook Court - Top Stores, Shops, Brands in Chicago, Illinois". July 16, 2012. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  10. ^ "California Pizza Kitchen Opens in Northbrook, IL at the Northbrook Court Shopping Center".
  11. ^ "New Arhaus Furniture Store Opens in Northbrook Court".
  12. ^ "Macy's is quietly closing stores — see if yours is on the list". www.businessinsider.my.
  13. ^ a b Edquist, Kaitlin (April 16, 2021). "With planned renovations on hold and reports of possible sale, local officials point to financial protections if Northbrook Court ownership changes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  14. ^ "New Store Fills Lord & Taylor Space at Northbrook Court".
  15. ^ Murakishi, Michio (June 16, 2023). "Northbrook Court Business District Designation Report".
  16. ^ "Weird Science".
  17. ^ "213 - Green Bay Road | Pace Suburban Bus".
  18. ^ "422 - Linden CTA – Glenview – Northbrook Court | Pace Suburban Bus". March 28, 2024.
  19. ^ "471 - Highland Park – Northbrook Court | Pace Suburban Bus".
  20. ^ "626 - Skokie – Buffalo Grove Limited | Pace Suburban Bus". April 5, 2024.
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