Lafayette Square Mall is a shopping center in Indianapolis, Indiana. Developed in 1968 by Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., the mall is managed by Jones Lang LaSalle and owned by Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. The majority of its anchor stores are vacant, with Burlington Coat Factory being the only one in operation.
This mall was built by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr., and opened in April 1968. Originally, there were two anchor stores built; JCPenney in the south end, and Sears on the north. William H. Block was opened in 1969 in the middle of the mall. An expansion in 1974 saw a wing added near Sears. This wing added Ohio-based Lazarus as well as about eight new stores including Radio Shack. In 1975, a Kroger grocery store connected to the mall was demolished to make way for another expansion that included L. S. Ayres on the south end near JCPenney.
The success at Lafayette Square prompted DeBartolo to plan two additional malls on opposite sides of town. Ground was broke on the northeast side of Indianapolis for what was to become Castleton Square, opening in 1972. Washington Square Mall on the east side of Indianapolis opened in 1974. At Lafayette Square, when Lazarus bought William H. Block, the Block store was converted to a Lazarus while the original Lazarus became Montgomery Ward. This was in 1987. In 1993, the G.C. Murphy five-and-dime closed.
Facing competition from new malls such as Circle Centre (opened in 1995), the mall needed a remodel. DeBartolo's company had merged with Simon Property Group, and they remodeled the aging mall in 1996, adding a racetrack-themed food court in the former G.C. Murphy. This didn't help the situation, and Montgomery Ward pulled out and was replaced by a Burlington Coat Factory (but only the first level).
Lazarus closed in 2002, and was replaced with a church. The trouble at Lafayette Square was not over. In 2005, an open-air center called Metropolis opened in nearby Plainfield and pulled JCPenney out of Lafayette Square as well as many other retailers. By 2006, many of the first-tier stores had closed at Lafayette Square and were primarily discounters and urban wear shops. On September 9, 2006, the L. S. Ayres store was renamed Macy's due to the May/Federated merger. Facing the mall's long decline and preferring to focus efforts on other malls in the Indianapolis area, Simon sold the mall to Ashkenazy Acquisitions Corp. in December 2007. Some months later, the mall underwent a new remodel that included a rebuilt entrance, a Pretzelmaker/Maggie Moo's/Great American Cookie Co. kiosk, an east-coast chain called "Shopper's World" located in the former JCPenney (it was described as being between JCPenney and Value City in price points), and an entertainment facility called Xscape featuring a variety of games.
In October 2008 and January 2009 respectively, Sears and Macy's announced they would pull out despite the new renovations
Anchors Vacant former macys Vacant former sears burlington coat factory Shoppers world x scape
