Malls · Wisconsin

Forest Mall

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedReinhabitedPartly retrofittedFond du Lac, WI

Forest Mall opened 1973, lost anchors, demolished 2020; west side hosts Kohl's and TJ Maxx, east side cleared awaiting future. · summary, model-written

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Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from. documented = a quoted excerpt (click to read it) · reported = a source named, no excerpt yet · no source.

Forest Mall. Photo: Fondycardinals, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Site profile14 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors

J. C. Penney

This site: J. C. Penney wikipedia · all sites with this

Montgomery Ward

This site: Montgomery Ward wikipedia · all sites with this

Younkers

This site: Younkers wikipedia · all sites with this

Finance and pipeline

Website dead or redirecting

This site: overture / http check · all sites with this

Place

15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)

This site: 5/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this

30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent road

This site: 45,592 on IH 041N fhwa-hpms · all sites with this

County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012

This site: -16% census-cbp · all sites with this

Grocery within 800 m

This site: 7 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this

Interstate or freeway within 600 m

This site: IH 041N fhwa-hpms · all sites with this

Renter-majority tract

This site: 61% census-acs · all sites with this

Tract house prices doubled in 10 years

This site: +118% fhfa · all sites with this

Strategy

Redeveloped

This site: Kohl's operates in its space on the west side of the former mall and TJ Maxx continue operations in the former Staples location. extraction · all sites with this

Reinhabited

This site: Kohl's operates in its space on the west side of the former mall and TJ Maxx continue operations in the former Staples location. extraction · all sites with this

New use

Retail (continued)

This site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

Status	Partly retrofittedextracted, unreviewed documented As of May 2024, The former Pranges/Younkers building, and the entire east side of the former mall is demolished. Kohl's operates in its space on the west side of the former mall and TJ Maxx continue operations in the former Staples location. en.wikipedia.org
Strategy	Partial Redeveloped · Reinhabitedextracted, unreviewed documented A Meijer store is set to be built on the site of the mall as well as a clinic for ThedaCare–Froedtert Health. en.wikipedia.org
New uses	healthcare, retailextracted, unreviewed reported
What is there now	Kohl's operates in its space on the west side of the former mall and TJ Maxx continue operations in the former Staples location.extracted, unreviewed documented As of May 2024, The former Pranges/Younkers building, and the entire east side of the former mall is demolished. Kohl's operates in its space on the west side of the former mall and TJ Maxx continue operations in the former Staples location. en.wikipedia.org

Securitised debt and public filers

Filings (2001 to date) that name “Forest Mall” and “Fond du Lac” (151 hits, first 100 sampled, 3 other filers such as tenants left out). A strong match to a commercial-mortgage trust means the mall very likely backed, or backs, a securitised loan; several trusts usually means one loan split into pari-passu notes. Earliest trust filing in the sample 2002-10-15 (a sample date, not the issuance date); Whether the loan is still in the pool, in special servicing or repaid is in the trust's monthly distribution reports, which are not searchable here. Text matches, not a title search. Open the search · all trusts.

Kind	Filer	Filings	Dates	Forms
CMBS trust (strong)	JP MORGAN CHASE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE SECURITIES CORP	1	2002-10-15 to 2002-10-15	8-K 1
Public owner (strong)	SIMON PROPERTY GROUP INC /DE/ (SPG, SPG-PJ)	69	2002-05-17 to 2014-04-22	8-K 50, 10-K 18, 8-K/A 1
Public owner (strong)	WP Glimcher Inc.	21	2014-11-04 to 2018-02-22	8-K 10, 10-Q 6, 10-K 3, 8-K/A 2
Public owner (strong)	SIMON PROPERTY GROUP L P /DE/	3	2001-03-30 to 2003-03-31	10-K 3
Public owner (strong)	GLIMCHER REALTY TRUST	1	2014-11-04 to 2014-11-04	8-K 1
Public owner (weak)	Washington Prime Group, L.P.	9	2016-02-29 to 2018-02-22	10-Q 6, 10-K 3

As reported by the owner

Property tables from the owner's annual report (Form 10-K, Item 2) on EDGAR, one row per filing year. GLA, occupancy and anchors are the filer's own figures at that year end; “leased” counts signed leases, “occupied” counts open stores; ownership is the filer's share. Matched by name and place, unreviewed; the verbatim table row is in sec_facts.csv.

Year end	Filer	Name in filing	GLA sq ft	Occupancy	Years	Share	Sales psf	Anchors listed
2014	Washington Prime Group 10-K, 2015-02-26	Forest Mall Fond Du Lac, WI match: exact	500,623	81.1% occupied	built 1973	100.0% Fee		Kohl's, Younkers, Cinema I & II,
2009	Simon Property Group 10-K, 2010-02-25	Forest Mall Fond Du Lac, WI match: exact	500,174	92.7% occupied	built 1973	100.0% Fee		JCPenney, Kohl's, Younkers, Sears, Cinema I & II

Site context

Transit within 800 m	no rail stationOpenStreetMap
Motorway junctions within 2 km	99OpenStreetMap
FEMA flood zone	X · AREA OF MINIMAL FLOOD HAZARDFEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m	13: ASPEN DENTAL; CALIBER COLLISION CENTER - FOND DU LAC WI 3368; FIRESTONE STORE 29YW; HOME DEPOT #HD4933; JC PENNEY COEPA FRS
Census tract 55039040300	5,496 people, 3,657 per sq mi; median household income $53,002; median gross rent $854; 61% renters; 7.9% vacant units; 0.0% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)	index 11.2 of 20; 103 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.9; 25,104 jobs within 45 min by car; 19% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)	5 of 6 daily needs: 7 grocers, 1 schools, 6 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 0 civic, 19 food and drink; 0 cycleway segments, 71 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity Zone	noHUD
Housing permits, Fond du Lac County (WI), 2024	0 units in 5+ unit buildings, 10 in 2–4, 173 single-family; 2023: 0 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)	overall percentile 0.65; socioeconomic 0.73; housing and transport 0.73; 24% below 150% of poverty; 14% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Overture Maps	place Forest Mall LensCrafters (sunglasses_store, confidence 0.97, from Microsoft, Overture); building footprint 8,388 m²Overture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Website and social	(down or redirecting, status None)Overture / Internet Archive
Attention: Wikipedia page views	32,042 since 2015; 2,137 in the last 12 months (-12% vs the prior 12); peak 2016-02 with 534Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023	population -11% (6,145 → 5,496); median income +54% ($34,339 → $53,002); renters 80% → 61%; median home value +19% ($99,800 → $118,800)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)	relatively low overall (score 41.0); expected annual loss $2.0M; high: cold wave; community resilience very highFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km	3 LIHTC properties, 173 units: Lakeside Gardens (80 units); Lakeside Garden Apts (79 units); Ashbury Farm Apts (14 units)HUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)	5,141 jobs in 285 establishments; average annual pay $37,832; employment location quotient 1.16; employment -3.9% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 2022	2,651 jobs; 641 in retail trade, 706 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 55039040300)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)	children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 41th income percentile as adults; 4.4% incarcerated at the 2010 count (519 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)	not a low-access tract at 1 mile; 2% of residents more than 1 mile from a supermarket; poverty rate 19.0%; median family income $58,894; 443 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
Schools	Fond du Lac School District (PK-12); 4 public schools within 1 mile: Evans Elementary; Parkside Elementary; Sabish Middle; Early Learning in Fond du LacNCES EDGE
Elevation	761 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025	106 county-logged events: 53 thunderstorm wind, 23 hail, 13 tornado, 8 flood; $8,298,000 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 54937, 2026-09	median list price $468,650 (-6.2% on the year); 50 active listings; median 45 days on market; 13% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 2023	298 establishments (-16%); 5,575 jobs (+1%)Census CBP
Housing market in the county	typical home value $291,658 (+5% 1 yr, +39% 5 yr); typical rent $1,128/mo (+8% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2025	429 (2000 = 100); +15.3% 1 yr, +83% 5 yr, +118% 10 yrFHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)	45,592 vehicles a day on IH 041N (Interstate, 4 lanes); 7,493 trucks; 25 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Forest Mall opened in 1973 as an enclosed shopping center in Fond du Lac, WI. Over time, anchor stores such as JCPenney (2014), Sears and the cinema (2014), and Younkers (2018) closed, leading to declining occupancy. Demolition began in 2020, and as of May 2024 the east side and former Pranges/Younkers building are demolished while Kohl's and TJ Maxx remain operating in west side spaces.

Why. The record shows anchor store closures as the primary visible cause of the mall's decline; no explicit mention of competition, debt, or other financial pressures.

Where it stands. The site is currently in a partial status with Kohl's operating in the west side and TJ Maxx in the former Staples location; no owner is listed after 2020 in the record.

For a planner

The recorded strategy includes redevelop and reinhabit, with intended new uses of healthcare and retail.
Existing retail reuse (Kohl's, TJ Maxx) demonstrates partial reinhabitation without additional policy tools noted in the record.
Open questions remain about the timing and scope of healthcare components, ownership control, and any zoning or incentives needed for further redevelopment.

For a developer

Site size and current ownership are not specified in the record.
Entitlement stage and any existing approvals for healthcare or retail reuse are unknown.
Context layers such as flood risk, transit access, and environmental constraints are not provided, so their impact cannot be assessed.

What we do not know yet

Current owner after 2020 is not stated in the record.
Exact parcel size and boundaries are missing.
Status of entitlements or permits for proposed healthcare and retail uses is unknown.
Environmental, flood, and transit context layers are absent, limiting risk assessment.
The extent to which the strategy and new_use fields have been implemented beyond existing retail tenants is unverified.

Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

Summit Park Mall, Wheatfield, NY · Malls · opened 1972; closed 2018; same strategy: redevelop, reinhabit
Echelon Mall, Voorhees, NJ · Malls · opened 1970; closed 2024; same strategy: redevelop, reinhabit
Spring Hill Mall, West Dundee, IL · Malls · opened 1980; closed 2024; same strategy: redevelop
Cary Towne Center, Cary, NC · Malls · opened 1979; closed 2021; same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

Pages with photos

Fond du Lac Forest Mall a sign of city's retail apocalypse? fdlreporter.com
Forest Mall, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin - Travel Photos by G… galenfrysinger.com
Forest Mall-Fond du Lac, Wisconsin | Forest Mall opened i… flickr.com
Abandoned Lakeforest Mall! Dead Mall Drone style! youtube.com
50 pictures (and 1 video) of the gloriously dead Forest Mall in Fo… milwaukeerecord.com
Forest Mall Cinema I & II in … cinematreasures.org
Forest Mall - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
Forest Mall in Fond du Lac sold wisn.com

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Multifamily screen

retrofit already built

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened	1973Wikidata
Closed	2020extracted, unreviewed documented the mall closed and was demolished in 2020. en.wikipedia.org
Original developer	Melvin Simon & Associatesextracted, unreviewed documented Melvin Simon & Associates, now known as Simon Property Group, first announced plans for Forest Mall in 1964. en.wikipedia.org
Anchors	G. C. Murphy, Staples, Younkers, Montgomery Ward, Prange Way, J. C. Penney, H. C. Prange Co.
County	Fond du Lac County
Census division	3 · East North Central
Notes	Wikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Forest Mall was an enclosed shopping mall in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, United States. Opened in 1973, the mall closed and was demolished in 2020. As of May 2024, The former Pranges/Younkers building, and the entire east side of the former mall is demolished. Kohl's operates in its space on the west side of the former mall and TJ Maxx continue operations in the former Staples location.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

1964 Plans announced
1973 Opened (Wikidata)
1973 Mall opened
1998 Renovation
2006 New stores opened
2014 JCPenney closed
2014 WP Glimcher spin-off
2014 Sears and cinema closed
2016 Sold to ATR Corinth Partners
2018 Younkers closed
2020 Demolition began

Sources

Wikipedia: Forest Mall · supports: after notes, original developer, status, strategy, year closed
15 quoted sentences
the mall closed and was demolished in 2020.
Melvin Simon & Associates, now known as Simon Property Group, first announced plans for Forest Mall in 1964.
As of May 2024, The former Pranges/Younkers building, and the entire east side of the former mall is demolished. Kohl's operates in its space on the west side of the former mall and TJ Maxx continue operations in the former Staples location.
As of May 2024, The former Pranges/Younkers building, and the entire east side of the former mall is demolished. Kohl's operates in its space on the west side of the former mall and TJ Maxx continue operations in the former Staples location.

Cite

Retrofit Atlas (2026). "Forest Mall, Fond du Lac, WI." Record m-2b6f179777, imported, unreviewed. Built on the public Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed. https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/wi/fond-du-lac-forest-mall/ (accessed 2026-10-20).

BibTeX

@misc{retrofitatlas_fonddulacforestmall,
  title = {Forest Mall, Fond du Lac, WI},
  author = {{Retrofit Atlas}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://retrofitatlas.org/malls/wi/fond-du-lac-forest-mall/}},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Record m-2b6f179777, release 2026.10.20, tier: draft. Built on the Retrofitting Suburbia map (Dunham-Jones and Williamson) and the sources listed on the record. Accessed 2026-10-20}
}

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