The Land That Almost Wasn’t a Mall
For decades, the intersection of Royalton Road and Howe Road in Strongsville, Ohio, was just another patch of suburban land—undeveloped but valuable.
Developers eyed it in the 1960s as Strongsville grew, but the land sat untouched.
Then, in the 1980s, an idea surfaced that could have changed everything. Art Modell, then-owner of the Cleveland Browns, wanted to build a stadium here.
It was supposed to be a new home for his team, a place that would put Strongsville on the map in a different way.
But once the press got wind of the project, the backlash was swift. The plan never made it past the early stages.
With the stadium plan dead, new buyers stepped in. The Richard E. Jacobs Group, a powerhouse in commercial real estate, saw the land differently—not as a sports venue, but as a retail goldmine.
By the early 1990s, they had a vision: a massive enclosed shopping center that could compete with the best malls in the region.
Cleveland’s biggest department store chains, The Higbee Company and May Company Ohio signed on as anchor tenants.
It took years of deals, zoning battles, and revisions, but by 1995, the green light was on.
Steel and concrete rose fast, turning empty land into a $200 million retail colossus.
A year later, on October 16, 1996, SouthPark Mall opened—bright, sprawling, built to pull in crowds.
Shoppers streamed in, drawn by the massive selection—Sears, JCPenney, Dillard’s, Kaufmann’s (now Macy’s), and over 100 specialty stores.
It wasn’t just a place to shop; it was an experience. And for Strongsville, it was a statement. This was Northern Ohio‘s next big retail destination.
Today, visitors looking for things to do in Cleveland, Ohio, still find SouthPark Mall at the heart of the shopping scene.
But the land it stands on? That could have been something else entirely.
A Mall Built to Impress
From the start, SouthPark Mall wasn’t built to be ordinary. Richard E. Jacobs Group envisioned more than a collection of stores—it had to feel grand, like a destination.
They hired architects to design a space that balanced retail with atmosphere. When the doors opened in October 1996, visitors stepped into something unlike anything else in Ohio.
Skylights stretched across high barrel-vaulted ceilings, casting natural light onto polished tile floors.
Two porte-cochere entrances framed the building, offering a dramatic welcome. It was the kind of place designed to make people stay awhile.
Inside, the layout was built for efficiency and exploration. Anchor stores—Dillard’s, Kaufmann’s, JCPenney, and Sears—lined the periphery, pulling shoppers toward the center.
A food court brought fast-casual dining under one roof, while restaurants along the mall’s edge added sit-down options.
Retailers took notice. Kohl’s opened just beyond the main structure, using the mall’s traffic to fuel its own sales.
The developers even reserved space for a fifth anchor, which was originally planned for Nordstrom.
That deal never happened, but the space didn’t go unused. Years later, it would become home to Dick’s Sporting Goods.
The design wasn’t just about shopping—it was about making people want to come back.
Lush landscaping softened the commercial sprawl. Glass storefronts and wide walkways created a sense of openness.
SouthPark wasn’t just another mall; it was an investment in the future of Strongsville’s retail scene.
And for the next decade, it worked.
Ownership Shuffle and the Mall Boom
The early 2000s were good years for malls, and SouthPark wasn’t an exception. Foot traffic remained strong, stores filled their spaces, and new businesses kept signing leases.
But ownership was shifting. In 2002, Richard E. Jacobs Group sold the property to Westfield Group, an Australian real estate company expanding into the U.S. market.
With the acquisition came a new name—Westfield Shoppingtown SouthPark.
Westfield had its own ideas. By 2005, they dropped “Shoppingtown” from the name, a move that seemed small but signaled a shift.
Malls were evolving. To keep SouthPark competitive, Westfield poured in $60 million for an expansion project in 2006.
That meant 25 new upscale retailers, a remodeled entrance, and a 14-screen Cinemark theater.
Dick’s Sporting Goods took over the long-empty fifth anchor space, cementing the mall’s status as Northern Ohio’s retail hub.
But in the background, the industry was changing. Department stores, once the backbone of shopping centers, were struggling.
Chains like Sears and JCPenney faced declining sales as online retail grew. Malls that failed to adapt would suffer.
By 2012, another ownership change was in motion. Starwood Capital Group bought SouthPark from Westfield, removing the Westfield branding altogether.
It was a different era—less about expansion and more about survival. Still, SouthPark held strong.
It was the largest shopping center in Northern Ohio, and even as some malls across the country saw vacancies rise, this one stayed full.
For now.
The Retail Collapse Creeps In
By the late 2010s, the cracks in the traditional mall model were getting harder to ignore.
Online shopping had reshaped consumer habits, and once-dominant department stores were losing their grip.
At SouthPark Mall, the first real warning came on May 31, 2018, when Sears Holdings announced that its Strongsville location would close.
The store, a staple since the mall’s opening, shut its doors on September 2 of that year.
It wasn’t just about Sears—it was a sign of what was happening to malls across the country.
Even as some national retailers struggled, others saw an opportunity to grow.
H&M, which had been at SouthPark for years, expanded its store in 2018, reopening on June 13, 2019, with a larger footprint.
Fast fashion was still pulling in shoppers, and brands like Forever 21, Aerie, and Sephora continued to do business.
The question was whether that would be enough.
Ownership shifted again in April 2021, with Starwood Retail Partners selling SouthPark Mall to a company affiliated with Kize Capital LP.
Management transferred to Spinoso Real Estate Group. The new owners had a job ahead of them—keeping the mall viable at a time when others were going under.
Foot traffic was still strong, but department stores weren’t the draw they used to be.
The mall needed a new reason to bring people in.
SouthPark Mall: Reinvention or Ruin?
With an empty Sears anchor space and a changing retail market, SouthPark Mall had to evolve.
The solution? Experience in retail. In 2023, plans emerged to turn the former Sears building into a Dick’s House of Sport—a concept store that was more than just shopping.
At the same time, Strongsville officials were making moves to keep the mall relevant.
In May 2024, the city approved zoning changes that would allow for more than just retail.
Developers were given the go-ahead for a hotel, a fitness center, and even outdoor playing fields.
These weren’t just proposals; they were survival tactics, a bid to keep SouthPark from joining the malls that didn’t make it.
Mall owners knew the reality—adapt or fade. Shopping centers were closing, even the strongest ones scrambling to reinvent themselves.
SouthPark couldn’t afford to stand still. SouthPark still had high occupancy, strong anchors like Macy’s and JCPenney, and a solid regional draw.
But the long-term survival of the mall wasn’t guaranteed.
What SouthPark Mall would look like in five or ten years is still an open question.
The shift is happening now—one vacant space, one redevelopment project, one new idea at a time.
SouthPark Mall’s Gamble on the Future
One of the biggest transformations is happening inside what used to be Sears. By the end of 2025, that space will reopen as Dick’s House of Sport, a retail concept built around experiences.
It’s not just racks of gear—there will be batting cages, a climbing wall, and interactive zones designed to pull people in for more than just a purchase.
It’s the kind of strategy malls across the country are testing: make the space something people want to visit, not just a place to buy things they can order online.
The future could look more like a mixed-use complex—part shopping, part entertainment, part something else entirely.
But in the middle of this reinvention, small businesses are being squeezed out. Shop N Play, a local favorite that had been inside the mall for nearly a decade, suddenly lost its lease in 2024.
While the mall works on bringing in big attractions, smaller tenants are finding themselves on the losing end.
Meanwhile, one of SouthPark’s biggest stores is in limbo. In early 2025, JCPenney put its Strongsville location up for sale as part of a national effort to offload real estate.
For now, the store remains open, but the sale raises a bigger question—if JCPenney pulls out, what happens to that space?
SouthPark Mall is still standing, still drawing shoppers, still adapting. But as old stores close and new plans take shape, one thing is clear: this isn’t the same mall it used to be.
And it won’t be again.