From Plan to Doorstep: Summit Mall Is Born
In 1963, DeBartolo Corporation announced it would build Summit Mall in Fairlawn, Ohio, giving Akron its first enclosed regional center with space for multiple anchors.
Construction began in June 1964 when crews broke ground on the project. The mall was designed as a one-story building with a large parking lot to handle daily traffic.
Summit Mall opened on October 28, 1965, in a ceremony attended by developer Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. and city officials. It offered 850,000 square feet of retail space.
Original anchors were three department stores: Halle Brothers Co. from Cleveland, O'Neil's of Akron, and Polsky's, another Akron-based retailer. This mix gave the mall a broad local appeal.
Supporting them were junior anchors, including Woolworth, Kroger, and Acme Markets. The lineup also featured Goodyear Tire & Appliance, Bond Clothes, Lerner Shops, and Peoples Drug.
Franklin Simon, Waldenbooks, Disc Records, and Diamond's Men's & Boy's Store filled additional slots, giving the new center a balance of national chains and local operators.
Dining came through Stouffer's, while shoppers could access groceries inside Kroger and Acme without leaving the mall. That blend made it a full-service shopping destination.
A theater operated by RKO-Stanley-Warner opened on October 27, 1965, just one day before the mall's dedication. It brought a full entertainment option under the same roof.
Summit Mall quickly became the area's enclosed retail core. With Chapel Hill Mall and Rolling Acres Mall still years from opening, it was Summit County's first of its type.
By drawing Halle Brothers from Cleveland and housing Akron's O'Neil's and Polsky's, the mall represented a rare mix of regional heavyweights. That lineup anchored its early success.
The combination of anchors, smaller shops, dining, and a cinema made Summit Mall more than a retail stop. For Fairlawn and Akron residents, it was among the first major attractions in Akron, Ohio.
Shifting Anchors and Interior Tweaks
Polsky's closed its department store in December 1978, leaving an anchor box empty for several years.
By September 1982, Jewel Mart opened on the main level, while the upper floor stayed unused.
Proposals surfaced in 1986 for a laser tag facility in the basement, but nothing came of it.
By July 1990, Rizzi's Ristorante and Pizzeria and Charlotte's West took space on the lower level, offering dining and nightlife options unusual for the mall at that time.
Halle Brothers closed its Summit Mall store on September 8, 1982.
The vacant space was quickly taken by Higbee's, which opened that fall after a renovation project that updated the surrounding concourse.
Higbee's remained for a decade before another change arrived in the 1990s.
The mall also hosted a two-screen theater, operated by National Theatre Corporation since 1976.
That cinema closed in July 1989 when General Cinemas introduced a larger complex at nearby West Market Plaza. The closure marked the end of Summit Mall's in-house movie era.
O'Neil's, still active in the late 1980s, was rebranded as May Company Ohio in 1989.
The shift tied Summit Mall directly to May Department Stores, setting the stage for further changes in the years ahead.
Summit Mall
Anchors Multiply; Spaces Re-imagined
May Company rebranded its O'Neil's store as Kaufmann's in 1993, continuing a steady evolution of department names inside the mall.
Dillard's, which had already replaced Higbee's in 1992, expanded in 1998 by opening a separate men's and home store in the former Jewel Mart upper level.
With this move, Summit Mall gained a rare double-store configuration under a single department name. The upper floor that had once sat empty was now fully built out.
The early 2000s brought a large-scale renovation focused on the Dillard's spaces. Work began in 2004 with a budget reported at $50 million.
On September 29, 2005, Dillard's dedicated its Women's store in the former Polsky's area.
On April 5, 2006, the Men's, Children's, and Home store opened after a complete rebuild of the former Halle's box. Both projects modernized interiors and created fresh selling floors.
Another anchor change arrived later in 2006, when Kaufmann's was converted to Macy's on September 9.
This switch linked the mall more firmly to Federated Department Stores, bringing a nationally recognized brand into Fairlawn just as Dillard's was finishing its investment in new facilities.
Modern Touches and a Leaner Tenant Mix
By 2007, Summit Mall was once again reshaped, this time with a 9,000-square-foot addition that introduced a streetscape entrance.
The project also rebuilt the main entryway, giving the center an updated look and creating outward-facing space for new restaurants and specialty shops.
Among the new arrivals was Bravo! Cucina Italiana, David's Bridal, Coldwater Creek, and Ann Taylor Loft.
These additions reflected the mall's strategy to combine national apparel chains with sit-down dining, expanding beyond the traditional mix of department stores and small retailers.
The expansion also marked one of the first times the mall pushed activity outward instead of focusing only on its enclosed corridors.
Tenant changes followed in the next decade. In January 2013, Williams-Sonoma closed its store, ending a run of higher-end housewares in the property.
Four years later, Ann Taylor departed as well, reducing the roster of national fashion brands.
Each closure left a mark on the lineup, even as Simon Property Group maintained occupancy across more than a hundred spaces.
These shifts reflected the pressure that many malls faced during those years, with specialty retailers consolidating or leaving physical locations altogether.
A Familiar Structure in a Changing Landscape
By the late 2010s, Summit Mall measured about 850,000 square feet, making it one of the larger enclosed centers in the Akron area.
Simon Property Group held ownership and management, a role it had taken after merging with DeBartolo Realty in 1995.
The mall carried about 110 storefronts, of which 104 were occupied at the time, showing that most spaces remained in use even as retail changed.
By 2023, the property stood as the last enclosed mall in Summit County.
Chapel Hill Mall had closed in 2021, and Rolling Acres Mall was demolished years earlier. Summit Mall, by contrast, remained steady in its structure.
No major expansions followed the 2007 streetscape project, leaving Simon's stewardship focused on maintaining tenant balance rather than large physical change.
When Social Media Turns Volatile
On December 26, 2024, Summit Mall was forced to close early after a wave of fights broke out inside the building and in the parking lot.
Deputies from the Summit County Sheriff's Office responded alongside local police to contain the unrest.
Twenty juveniles, ages 13 to 17, were arrested during the incident.
The arrests carried a range of charges. Most cases involved counts of disorderly conduct, trespassing, or obstruction of justice.
One teenager was charged with a felony after assaulting law enforcement officers.
Several deputies were struck during the brawls, and one was checked by emergency medical personnel on site. The presence of ambulances underscored the scale of the response.
In the aftermath, investigators linked the events to a coordinated stunt organized on social media.
Officials described it as an intentional effort to spark disruption during the busy post-holiday shopping period.
Body camera footage from deputies was released, showing the crowd control efforts and arrests as they unfolded.
The post-Christmas violence added a new chapter to Summit Mall's story.
What had begun as a regular shopping day turned into a test of security and crowd management, reflecting the challenges malls now face when online activity spills directly into physical spaces.
Adapting to Family Needs: New Play Area
In July 2025, Summit Mall opened a children's play area at its center court, a project backed by Akron Children's.
The addition transformed a central corridor into a space designed specifically for young families.
Bright equipment was installed, and the setup quickly drew attention from parents looking for a safe spot inside the mall.
Slides, climbing features, and cushioned flooring filled the compact footprint, turning an ordinary section of the concourse into a hub of activity.
The requirement for parental supervision kept the atmosphere controlled while still inviting.