page_title: Castleton Square
section_title: 1970s and 1980s
hierarchical_section_title: Castleton Square / History / 1970s and 1980s
caption_attribution_description: English: J.C. Penney store at Castleton Square mall in Indianapolis, Indiana
context_page_description: Castleton Square is an enclosed shopping mall in the Castleton neighborhood on the northeastern side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Built by Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation and Homart Development Company in 1972, it is owned and managed by Simon Property Group. It is the largest mall in the state of Indiana, and has remained so since its construction. The center's original anchor stores were J. C. Penney, Sears, Lazarus, and Woolworth. Expansions in 1990 and 1998 added to the total number of anchor and inline stores, while also adding a food court. The mall's anchor stores are J. C. Penney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Macy's, and Von Maur, with one vacant anchor last occupied by Sears. Overall, Castleton Square consists of over 130 inline stores, including H&M, Forever 21, and AMC Theatres.
context_section_description: Upon opening, the 1,116,160-square-foot (103,695 m²) mall was the largest in the state of Indiana. Sears was the first store to open, doing so in August 1972. One month later, Kroger and 20 other mall shops had opened as well. Official opening ceremonies occurred on September 13, 1972, and were initiated by a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Indianapolis' then-mayor Richard Lugar. Architectural features of the mall included a 20-foot (6.1 m)-wide fountain and chandeliers in center court, 22 planters filled with live tropical plants, 102 circular benches, skylights, and terrazzo flooring. The mall also featured parking for up to 7,050 cars. By Christmas 1972, the mall had increased to 59 stores. J. C. Penney opened for business in January 1973, followed by Woolworth in March. The Lazarus store, their first location in Indiana, opened in August 1973. Consisting of 311,855 square feet (28,972.3 m²), the store featured three levels and a restaurant overlooking the mall's center court. Opening ceremonies for the store were attended by William P. Giovanello, the chain's then-president. At the time of the store's opening, DeBartolo confirmed that both Washington Square and Lafayette Square malls would also include Lazarus stores.
  General Cinema Corporation expanded its presence at Castleton Square in 1976 by building a second cinema in the parking lot northeast of Sears. Kroger exited the mall in 1979 to move to a larger store further down 82nd Street, and its former location in the mall was subdivided for additional mall space. Woolworth closed at the mall in April 1982 due to unprofitability. During the 1982 Christmas season, the former Woolworth space was used by several local automotive dealers as a temporary showroom. In 1983, Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation announced that the mall would be receiving a thorough renovation which would include new planters and benches, removal of the center court's fountain in favor of a performance stage, new lighting, heightened ceilings in the department stores, and a customer service kiosk. In addition, Kohl's would be opening a department store in the former location of Woolworth. The store was one of four opened that year by Kohl's upon entry into Indianapolis by acquisition of vacated Woolworth properties. Tenth-anniversary festivities coinciding with the mall renovation and opening of Kohl's included performances by more than fifty circus performers.
caption: J. C. Penney, seen here in November 2019, is an original tenant.
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