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44-531: At its grand opening in 1970, it was known as Midway Mall. It was built by local developer G. C. Evans. The name change to Mall of the Americas took place in December 1987. Former anchor department stores included Richard's, Jefferson Ward , and Woolco , all of which closed in the 1980s. The Woolco store was converted in 1983 to a discount clothing store called Winston's. After falling to 30 percent occupancy,

88-549: A 1.25-million-square-foot (116,000 m ) building stretching along nearly one-quarter mile of the Chicago River , north of downtown Chicago. The building, known as the Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalog House , served as the company headquarters until 1974, when the offices moved across the street to a new tower designed by Minoru Yamasaki . The catalog house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978 and

132-522: A Chicago historic landmark in May 2000. In the decades before 1930, Montgomery Ward built a network of large distribution centers across the country in Baltimore , Fort Worth , Kansas City , Oakland , Portland , and St. Paul . In most cases, these reinforced concrete structures were the largest industrial structures in their respective locations. The Baltimore Montgomery Ward Warehouse and Retail Store

176-452: A Mexican Restaurant, opened in the building once held by Casa Lario’s. In winter of 2017, the restaurant closed permanently. On August 13, 2009, a 43-year-old woman set herself on fire at the mall, leading to its temporary closure. In light of a major renovation planned by the mall, the name of the mall was changed to “Midway Crossings”. As part of the major renovations currently underway, there are several construction projects ongoing. There

220-716: A closed store in Panorama City , California, 2010 demolished In November 2024 /gallery> By the 1990s even its rivals began to lose ground to low-price competition from the likes of Target and Walmart , which eroded even more of Montgomery Ward's traditional customer base. In 1997, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy , emerging from protection by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois in August 1999 as

264-668: A collective bargaining agreement. Eight months later, with Montgomery Ward continuing to refuse to recognize the unions, President Roosevelt issued an executive order seizing all of Montgomery Ward's property nationwide, citing the War Labor Disputes Act as well as his power under the Constitution as commander-in-chief . In 1945, Truman ended the seizure and the Supreme Court dismissed the pending appeal as moot. After World War II, Sewell Avery believed

308-464: A nationwide strike by the company's 12,000 workers, U.S. Army troops seized the company's Chicago offices. The action was ordered due to Avery's refusal to settle the strike as requested by the Roosevelt administration, concerned about the adverse effect on the delivery of goods in wartime. Avery had refused to comply with a War Labor Board order to recognize the unions and institute the terms of

352-487: A new stand-alone building in 2003. There is also a TigerDirect store on the side of the mall that Burlington Coat Factory occupies. In 2010, the Tiger Direct outlet moved from the right of their corporate headquarters to the left, to allow mall access directly across from Ross. Two of the secondary entrances to the mall have several strip mall type stores near them that also have no mall access. In October 2015, it

396-604: A small moneymaker into a large drain on profits. The company sold the chain's 18-store northern division to Bradlees , a division of Stop & Shop , in 1985. The remaining stores closed. In 1985, the company closed its catalog business after 113 years and began an aggressive policy of renovating its remaining stores. It restructured many of the store layouts in the downtown areas of larger cities and affluent neighborhoods into boutique -like specialty stores, as these were drawing business from traditional department stores. In 1986, fellow MARCOR firm, Container Corporation of America,

440-561: A wholly owned subsidiary of GE Capital , which was by then its largest shareholder. As part of a last-ditch effort to remain competitive, the company closed over 100 retail locations in 30 U.S. states, abandoned the specialty store strategy, rebranded the chain as simply Wards , and spent millions of dollars to renovate its remaining outlets to be flashier and more consumer-friendly. GE Capital reneged on promises of further financial support of Montgomery Ward's restructuring plans. On December 28, 2000, after lower-than-expected sales during

484-559: Is Wrigley Field , home of the Chicago Cubs baseball team and also occasionally used as a concert venue. Another commercial strip on Clark Street stretches from Diversey Parkway south to Armitage Avenue. 2122 North Clark Street was the site of the Saint Valentine's Day massacre , although the building no longer stands. Further to the south, Clark Street borders Lincoln Park for 0.6 miles until it reaches North Avenue and

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528-628: Is an Aldi under construction in the East wing of the mall, next to the Burlington. There is currently a Micro Center Electronics Store under construction on the North Side of the Mall. [1] In mid May 2023, an Outback Steakhouse opened in the building in which Chuy’s Mexican once occupied back in 2017. This, along with the construction of Aldi’s and Micro Center, are all part of the renovation that

572-763: The Calumet River , along with other nearby streets that ended just south of the Loop . The major length of Clark Street runs a total of 98 blocks. Clark Street is named for George Rogers Clark , an American Revolutionary War soldier who captured much of the Northwest Territory from the British . Within the Chicago Loop Clark Street is one of the original streets laid out by James Thompson in his 1830 plat of Chicago. North of

616-861: The Chicago History Museum . The street then passes through the Near North Side , where in the River North neighborhood it passes the Rock N Roll McDonald's . Then it continues over the Chicago River at the Clark Street Bridge and through the Loop, where it passes the Thompson Center and its Monument with Standing Beast . Clark Street continues between the City Hall-County Building and

660-511: The Daley Center and on to its termination at Cermak Road . The CTA 22 bus offers 24/7 service down Clark St from Howard St. to Harrison St. In addition, it touches the "L" at Howard , Addison , Belmont , Clark/Division , Clark/Lake , LaSalle/Van Buren , and LaSalle . South of Polk Street, CTA bus route 24 is the sole CTA bus route along Clark Street (along with Pace bus routes 850, 851, and 855) before leaving at Archer Avenue east of

704-590: The Delaware Valley and Richmond metropolitan areas, and planned to convert one-third of Montgomery Ward's existing stores to the Jefferson Ward model. The burden of servicing the new stores fell to the tiny Jefferson staff, who were overwhelmed by the increased store count, had no experience in dealing with some of the product lines they now carried, and were unfamiliar with buying for northern markets. Almost immediately, Jefferson had turned from

748-580: The intellectual property assets of the former Wards, including the "Montgomery Ward" and "Wards" trademarks, for an undisclosed amount. DMSI applied the brand to a new online and catalog-based retailing operation, with no physical stores, headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa . DMSI then began operating under the Montgomery Ward branding in June 2004, selling many of the same kinds of products as

792-623: The Christmas season, the company announced it would cease operating, close its remaining 250 retail outlets, and lay off its 37,000 employees. At its height, the original Montgomery Ward was one of the biggest retailers in the United States. After its demise, the familiarity of its brand meant its name, corporate logo, and advertising were considered valuable intangible assets. In 2004, catalog marketer Direct Marketing Services Inc. (DMSI), an Iowa direct marketing company, purchased much of

836-528: The Loop, from North Avenue, it roughly follows part of the path of an Indian trail called Green Bay trail (later Green Bay Road) that ran all the way to Green Bay, Wisconsin . In the 1950s Clark Street between Ohio and Armitage Streets was a substantial neighborhood barrio home to the first Puerto Ricans in Chicago. It was unofficially known as La Clark by the Puerto Ricans that lived there arriving from

880-708: The company in the near future. In March 1988, the company management undertook a successful $ 3.8 billion (~$ 8.45 billion in 2023) leveraged buyout , making Montgomery Ward a privately held company. <gallery> File:Montgomery Ward Bluefield, WV.jpg|A Montgomery Ward Building in Bluefield, West Virginia File:Abandoned Montgomery Ward.jpg|A vacant Montgomery Ward store, Regency Mall , Augusta, Georgia File:Vacant Montgomery Ward Huntington Beach.JPG|A former Montgomery Ward store, Huntington Center , Huntington Beach, California , demolished in 2010 File:Electric Ave Logo - Montgomery Wards.JPG|An "Electric Avenue" logo on

924-416: The company to become profitable before the end of the 1930s. Ward was very successful in its retail business. "Green awning" stores dotted hundreds of small towns across the country. Larger stores were built in the major cities. By the end of the 1930s, Montgomery Ward had become the country's largest retailer, and Sewell Avery became the company's chief executive officer. In April 1944, four months into

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968-447: The conservative decisions of Avery, who seemed not to understand the postwar years' changing economy. As new shopping centers were built after the war, Sears was perceived to have better locations than Ward. Nonetheless, for many years Ward was still the nation's third-largest department store chain. In 1955, investor Louis Wolfson waged a high-profile proxy fight to obtain control of the board of Montgomery Ward. The new board forced

1012-468: The country would fall back into a recession or even a depression. He decided to not open any new stores, and did not even permit expenditure for paint to freshen the existing stores. His plan was to bank profits to preserve liquidity when the recession or depression he anticipated hit, and then buy up his retail competition. Without new stores or any investment back into the business, Montgomery Ward declined in sales volume compared to Sears. Many have blamed

1056-536: The following month. On August 5, 2008, the catalog retailer Swiss Colony purchased DMSI. Swiss Colony—which changed its name to Colony Brands Inc. June 1, 2010—kept Montgomery Ward alive and relaunched the Wards website September 10, 2008, with new catalogs mailing in February 2009. A month before the catalog's launch, Swiss Colony President John Baumann told United Press International the retailer might also resurrect

1100-513: The intersection with Ashland Avenue south to Ainslie Street, Clark Street passes through the Andersonville Commercial Historic District . Graceland Cemetery is on the east side of Clark Street from Montrose Avenue to its entrance at Irving Park Road . The Metro concert hall is located at 3730 North Clark Street, 1 1 ⁄ 2 blocks north of Addison Street . At the intersection of Clark and Addison

1144-405: The mail order business, when Richard Warren Sears introduced his first general catalog. In 1900, Ward had total sales of $ 8.7 million, compared to $ 10 million for Sears , and both companies struggled for dominance during much of the 20th century. By 1904, Ward had expanded such that it mailed three million catalogs, weighing 4 lb (1.8 kg) each, to customers. In 1908, the company opened

1188-408: The mall is currently undergoing. [2] Jefferson Ward Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a mail-order business and later a department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The current Montgomery Ward Inc. is an online shopping and mail-order catalog retailer that started several years after

1232-477: The mall was re-tenanted to target a middle-class Latin American clientele. This renovation added discount anchors such as Marshalls , plus an L. Luria & Sons and The Home Depot , the latter of which took the former Woolco after Winston's closed. The mall was also renamed Mall of the Americas, and an eight-screen AMC Theatres multiplex was added. AMC added six additional screens. Another notable tenant after

1276-413: The original Montgomery Ward shut down. Aaron Montgomery Ward started his business in Chicago; conflicting reports place his first office either in a single room at 825 North Clark Street or in a loft above a livery stable on Kinzie Street, between Rush and State Streets. In 1883, the company's catalog had grown to 240 pages and 10,000 items. In 1896, Ward encountered its first serious competition in

1320-462: The original Montgomery Ward's Signature and Powr-Kraft store brands . Among the new store brands Wards started under Colony was a home and kitchen brand called Chef Tested. By 2020, some Chef Tested and Montgomery Ward–brand home and kitchen items were being sold on Amazon.com . Clark Street (Chicago) Clark Street is a north – south street in Chicago , Illinois that runs close to

1364-582: The original company. The new company does not honor its predecessor's obligations, such as gift cards and items sold with a lifetime guarantee. David Milgrom, then president of the DMSI-owned firm, told the Associated Press , "We're rebuilding the brand, and we want to do it right." Four years later, in July 2008, DMSI announced it was on the auction block, with the sale of its assets scheduled for

Midway Crossings - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-597: The recent rise in oil prices and looking to diversify, bought a controlling share of MARCOR in 1974, only to acquire the company outright in 1976. The company was an early entrant in the home computer market with the CyberVision 2001 in 1978, developed by the Authorship Resource, Inc., of Franklin, Ohio , and primarily manufactured by United Chem-Con. However, mounting competition from other computer companies as well as manufacturing problems compelled

1452-413: The redevelopment was the first Forever 21 clothing store outside the chain's home base of California, however it is now closed. Other retailers now at the mall include Old Navy Outlet, Ross Dress for Less and 14-screen AMC Theatres at the north end of the mall. There is also Santa Cruz Furniture Store on the 2nd floor at the south end of the mall that was opened in the 1980s till the mid-1990s as it

1496-449: The resignation of Avery. This fight led to a state court decision that Illinois corporations were not entitled to stagger elections of board members." In 1961, company president John Barr hired Robert Elton Brooker to lead Montgomery Ward as president in its turnaround. Brooker brought with him a number of key new management people, including Edward Donnell, former manager of Sears' Los Angeles stores. The new management team achieved

1540-491: The shore of Lake Michigan from the northern city boundary with Evanston , to 2200 South in the city street numbering system . At its northern end, Clark Street is at 1800 West; however the street runs diagonally through the Chicago grid for about 8 miles (13 km) to North Avenue (1600 N) and then runs at 100 West for the rest of its course south to Cermak Road . It is also seen in Riverdale beyond 127th street across

1584-658: The steel mills of Indiana and rural migrant camps. This was primarily during the Great Migration and war effort during and after World War II. They worked at the downtown hotels, the meat packing plants and the nearby factories then located near downtown industrial areas. Many original members of the Young Lords , a former street gang that transformed into a Latino civil and human rights movement, were sons and daughters of these immigrants and grew up in La Clark. From

1628-576: The three companies to pull the plug on the CyberVision product by the early 1980s. By 1980, Mobil realized that the Montgomery Ward stores were doing poorly in comparison to the Jefferson stores, and decided that high quality discount units, along the lines of Dayton Hudson Company's Target stores, would be the retailer's future. Within 18 months, management quintupled the size of the operation, now called Jefferson Ward, to more than 40 units in

1672-449: The turnaround reducing the number of suppliers from 15,000 to 7,000 and the number of brands being carried dropped from 168 to 16. Ward's private brands were given 95 percent of the volume compared with 40 percent in 1960. The results of these changes were lower handling costs and higher quality standards. Buying was centralized but store operations were decentralized, under a new territory system modeled after Sears. In 1966, Ed Donnell

1716-625: Was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. In 1926, the company broke with its mail-order-only tradition when it opened its first retail outlet store in Plymouth, Indiana . It continued to operate its catalog business while pursuing an aggressive campaign to build retail outlets in the late 1920s. In 1928, two years after opening its first outlet, it had opened 244 stores. By 1929, it had more than doubled its number of outlets to 531. Its flagship retail store in Chicago

1760-567: Was announced that part of the north wing of the mall would be demolished to make room for Costco Wholesale, which is relocating to the mall. As a result, the AMC Theatres closed in December 2015. In 2015, Casa Lario’s, a Cuban restaurant located in the E84 building, closed. As of June 1, 2016, the north wing of the mall has been demolished, and a newly constructed Costco building and gas station stand in its place. In early 2017, Chuy’s Tex-Mex,

1804-613: Was divested by Mobil. This effectively dissolved the MARCOR division and left Montgomery Ward as a direct subsidiary of Mobil. Analysts saw the CCA sale as an effort to go back on their diversification efforts, as the debts incurred since MARCOR’s acquisition began to weigh the oil giant down, and many predicted Montgomery Ward was next to be sold. These theories were confirmed in January 1987, when Mobil stated they would be looking into spinning off

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1848-560: Was located on Michigan Avenue between Madison and Washington streets. In 1930, the company declined a merger offer from rival chain Sears. Losing money during the Great Depression , Ward alarmed its major investors, including J. P. Morgan, Jr . In 1931, Morgan hired a new president, Sewell Avery , who cut staff levels and stores, changed lines, hired store rather than catalog managers, and refurbished stores. These actions caused

1892-547: Was named company president. Brooker continued as chairman and chief executive officer until 1976. In 1968, Brooker helped engineer a friendly merger with Container Corporation of America , the new parent company being named MARCOR. Despite the merger, the company continued to struggle into the 1970s. In 1973, its 102nd year in business, it purchased a small discount store chain, the Miami -based Jefferson Stores, renaming these locations Jefferson Ward. Mobil , flush with cash from

1936-545: Was replaced by TigerDirect office. Tico Clothing store used to be located on the north side of the mall in 1980s till it was relocated to the south of the mall in the early 1990s as the Home Depot extends. In the mid-1990s, it was closed for TigerDirect store to take over. Luria's the Jewelry and Gifts store closed in mid-1990s at the south end of the mall and replaced by Ross Dress for Less The Home Depot moved to

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