Editing Carpentersville, Illinois (section)

==Meadowdale Shopping Center==
{{Infobox shopping mall
| name = Meadowdale Shopping Center
| logo = Meadowdaleshoppingcenter namegraphic.png
| image =
| caption = Aerial view of Meadowdale Shopping Center, 1966
| location = Carpentersville, Illinois
| coordinates = 
| address = 100 W Mall Dr
| opening_date = May 18, 1957
| developer = Leonard W. Besinger & Associates
| architect = Leonard W. Besinger Jr., Earl Rosin, William F. Copeland, Raymond D. Larsen
| number_of_stores = 17 (56 originally)
| number_of_anchors = 2 (5 originally)
| floor_area = About 314,000 sq ft incl. Walmart (600,000 sq ft originally)
| floors = 1
| parking = 1,165
}}
Meadowdale Shopping Center opened in 1957 and grew to as many as 53 stores by 1958.<ref name=wintergarden>{{cite news |title=Advertisement for Meadowdale Shopping Center |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arlington-heights-herald-advertisement-f/135984278/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=Arlington Heights Herald |date=November 20, 1958}}, and advertisements for businesses located in the shopping center appearing between pp. 60-70 in that same newspaper.</ref> Over time the number of tenants has gone down;<ref>{{cite web |title=Meadowdale Shopping Center |url=https://www.nkcchamber.com/business/meadowdalebusinessmansassociationmeadowdaleshoppingcenter/ |publisher=Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce |access-date=November 29, 2023 |date=January 4, 2013}}</ref> current tenants include [[Walmart]],  [[Tractor Supply Company]] and a large post office.

In 1952, the Village of Carpentersville proposed a plan for an enclosed shopping center amid residential areas.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1952 Meadowdale Shopping Center Proposal Brochure |url=https://carpentersville.info/wp-content/Meadowdale/Shopping/1952%20Meadowdale%20Shopping%20Center%20Proposal%20Brochure.pdf |access-date=November 17, 2023 |website=1952 Meadowdale Shopping Center Proposal Brochure}}</ref>

On November 1, 1954, Leonard W. Besinger started construction planning on the mall which would become one of the largest shopping center developments in the United States at that time, and in December 1955, ground was broken for the $10,000,000 development. On May 18, 1957, the grand opening of the first 14 stores in the shopping center was held. In October 1957 construction was underway for 40 additional stores. The first of these stores to open was the [[W. T. Grant|Grant's]] department store on October 17, 1957, followed by R&S and Richman Bros.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Meadowvale Shopping Center 15 Years Ago |url=https://carpentersville.info/wp-content/Meadowdale/Shopping/Meadowdale%20Shopping%20Center%2015%20Years%201972.pdf |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=Cardunal Free Press (Carpentersville, Illinois)2 |date=February 25, 1972 |page=10}}</ref>

On November 20–22, 1958, the shopping center held the grand opening of its Winter Garden Annex,<ref name=wintergarden/> an enclosed area centered on an {{cvt|6000|sqft|sqm|0|adj=on}} ice rink which featured a {{cvt|37500|sqft|sqm|0|adj=on}} [[Block & Kuhl]] department store,<ref>{{cite news |title=Grand Opening for Long-Established Firm |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arlington-heights-herald-grand-opening-f/135985656/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=Arlington Heights Herald |date=November 20, 1958 |pages=69}}</ref> (later bought by, and renamed, [[Carson's|Carson Pirie Scott]]), the Winter Garden restaurant, St. Mauritz cocktail bar,<ref name=concept>{{cite news |title=New Concept in Shopping Is at Meadowdale Center |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arlington-heights-herald-new-concept-in/135985117/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=Arlington Heights Herald |date=November 20, 1958 |pages=61}}</ref> snack bar, and other stores. The opening festivities included fashion shows on the ice rink, pony and other kiddie rides, and children's theater performances.<ref name=wintergarden/>

By this time the center's tenants included an appliance repair store, an appliance store, the Charles bakery, barber shops, beauty salons, Cole's camera shop, the McMullens "children's department store", Urban Cleaners, the St. Mauritz cocktail bar, Mrs. Stevens' candy shop, a currency exchange, the Block & Kuhl department store, women's apparel shops including Eleanor, Lorraine Anne, Rorry's and My Shop, the Chicago Furniture Mart, a gift & card shop, the Western Hardware & Supply hardware store, a hobby shop, the ice skating rink and Michael Kirby ice skating school,<ref name=concept/> Jacob's Jewelers, a liquor store, a medical center, a photo studio, a post office, a radio station, restaurants including the Winter Garden and Kings & Queens, Frank's shoe repair shop, shoe stores, a sporting goods store, a [[Piggly Wiggly]] supermarket, a travel agency, and a [[variety store]].<ref name=wintergarden/>

In November 1959, [[Wieboldt's]] held the grand opening of their {{cvt|150000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} Meadowdale store.<ref>{{cite news |title=8th Wieboldt Unit Opens in Meadowdale |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/135985861/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=November 29, 1959 |pages=76}}</ref>

On October 25, 1960, [[John F. Kennedy|President John F. Kennedy]] gave a speech about his presidential election campaign. He talked about fair education for young children and housing.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WoZiAAAAIBAJ&dq=meadowdale+shopping+center&pg=PA1&article_id=4640,6559791 |title=The Washington Reporter |publisher=The Washington Reporter |language=en}}</ref>

On November 19, 1963, a fire destroyed the mall area causing $3,000,000 worth of damages, destroyed 25 stores and the ice rink in the Wintergarden Arcade.<ref>{{cite news |title=Probe million-dollar fire at Meadowdale |url=http://newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-probe-million-dollar-fir/135986089/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=November 20, 1963 |pages=29}}</ref> Rebuilding began immediately and one year later the mall re-opened on November 5, 1964. However, the ice rink did not return, and in 1965, [[Carson's|Carson Pirie Scott]] was converted into a Clark's discount department store,<ref name=":0"/> {{citation needed span |text=then again to Cooks in May 1971. |date=December 2023}} The shopping center continued on through the 1970s with roughly the same number of tenants, counting 56 stores and services in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1979 Meadowdale Shopping Center Store Directory |url=https://carpentersville.info/wp-content/Meadowdale/Shopping/1979%20Store%20Directory.pdf |access-date=November 17, 2023 |website=1979 Store Directory}}</ref>

In the 1980s, the mall experienced decline. In October 1980 a competing mall, [[Spring Hill Mall]] opened {{cvt|2.5|mi|km|0}} to the west.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spring Hill Mall to Meadowdale Shopping Center |url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Spring+Hill+Mall,+1072+Spring+Hill+Ring+Rd,+Dundee+Township,+IL+60118/Meadowdale+Shopping+Center,+Carpentersville,+IL |website=Google Maps |access-date=November 29, 2023 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nenni |first=Pete |date=September 25, 1980 |title=Snip That Giant Ribbon; Spring Hill's Opening article |pages=1 |work=[[Fox Valley Countryside]] |url=http://www.frvpld.info/sites/default/files/u98/spring_hill_mall_77.jpg |access-date=November 18, 2023}}</ref> [[Spring Hill Mall]] had stronger anchor stores [[Sears]] and [[Marshall Field's]].

In 1989, the north end of the mall and half of the east end - {{cvt|200000|sqft|sqm}} in total - were demolished, according to mall management "in order to build to suit future tenants".<ref>{{cite news |title=It's business as usual despite demolition work |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/northwest-herald-its-business-as-usual/135987450/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=Northwest Herald |date=June 29, 1989 |pages=24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 18, 2023 |title=Excerpt from Angelfire.com about the Meadowdale Shopping Center demolition. |url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1seotcrGai9LhEBAwJ0haKkF6r-hrzDPZ/view?usp=sharing&usp=embed_facebook |access-date=November 18, 2023 |website=Google Docs}}</ref> The [[United States Postal Service|Post Office]] was doubled in size.

In 1990, there were only 28 tenants. Besides the post office, these included apparel, food, drug, video, electronics, shoe, wine and liquor, and hardware stores;  cinemas; a print shop, beauty salon, barber shop, cleaners, bakery, Domino's pizza, Chinese restaurant, hair salon, bowling alley, insurance and travel agencies and a laundromat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Advertisment for Meadowdale Shopping Center |url=http://newspapers.com/article/northwest-herald-advertisment-for-meadow/135987282/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |work=Northwest Herald |date=March 31, 1990 |page=70 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The mall now has fewer than two dozen tenants, housed in the [[strip mall]] portion. In 2016, a {{cvt|183000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} [[Walmart]] opened on an out-parcel at the east end of the mall.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 22, 2016 |title=Wal-Mart celebrates grand opening in Carpentersville |url=https://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160622/business/160629682/ |access-date=November 18, 2023 |website=Daily Herald |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Walmart Supercenter Opens in Carpentersville |url=https://patch.com/illinois/barrington-il/walmart-supercenter-opens-carpentersville-0 |access-date=November 30, 2023 |work=Barrington, IL Patch |date=June 23, 2016 |language=en}}</ref>