The Brickyard (shopping mall)

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The Brickyard is a shopping mall in Chicago, Illinois. It opened in 1977 as a two-part complex: a small convenience center with Jewel grocery and Kmart on opposite sides of a strip, and a larger enclosed mall that opened in 1979 with Montgomery Ward and J. C. Penney as anchors. It was developed by Maisel and Associates with local developer Harry Chaddick. The name comes from the site’s history as a Carey Brick Company brickyard, and the hill it sits on created different levels of the mall.

In 1983 Chicago provided a $10 million grant to clear unused parts of the old brickyard and make room for expansion. MetLife bought the mall in 1986. A nearby strip mall, Bricktown Square, opened with Toys “R” Us, Frank’s Nursery & Crafts, Sport Mart, and a six-screen cinema. In 1997 the Kmart at The Brickyard was updated to the “Big Kmart” concept with a small grocery.

By the early 2000s tenancy fell due to bankruptcies of Kmart and Montgomery Ward and the closing of J. C. Penney. By 2003 the mall was about 80 percent vacant, so the city approved a plan to redevelop it as a strip center. The new layout opened in 2003–2004 with Target and Lowe’s as anchors, along with a relocated Jewel and Marshalls. The project was developed by Whitehall Fund and later sold to Inland Real Estate in 2004, with Lowe’s and Target staying with their chains. The Brickyard is currently owned and managed by CBRE Group.