Demolition of the former Harlem Furniture/The RoomPlace store at the Lincolnwood Town Center is expected to begin this month to make way for redevelopment of the site.
The other remaining interior tenants have 60 days to move out, said Lincolnwood Village Manager Anne Marie Gaura, who explained demolition has been delayed as village staff works with developers to coordinate the extensive process. The second phase of the demolition will be the interior of the mall, and the third phase will include the building where Kohl’s is still operating.
“We have been a proud member of the Lincolnwood community for more than 20 years, both as a business and employer,” Lillian Hardy, a spokesperson for Kohl’s said in an email. “We intend to maintain our store presence and continue to operate as normal.”
Partners Prairie Ridge Development and Xroads Real Estate Advisors purchased the 31-acre mall property at the intersection of Touhy Avenue and McCormick Boulevard in December for $12.3 million. The partners, who were unavailable for comment, submitted a pre-development agreement to the Village Board, which was approved on April 21, that provides a conceptual master plan for the redevelopment. The plan includes a 150,000- to 175,000 -square-foot retail store, an automotive dealership, along with additional commercial and retail uses. The names of the proposed tenants have not been revealed as of yet.
“We’re still in the initial stages of the development, and our hope would be we would be seeing plans submitted to the Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals within the next three to six months,” Gaura said.
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Only a few tenants remain in the mall, which had been a long-time centerpiece of the village for decades. When village leaders witnessed the loss of anchor and interior tenants, they worked closely with Houseal Lavigne and other contractors in 2022 to create the Lincolnwood Town Center Concept Plan. The plan includes three sample designs for a mixed-use project on the mall site, including residential, retail, dining, and entertainment.
However, the conceptual master plan submitted by the new developers in April does not currently include residential for the site.
“The village is excited to see the potential redevelopment. The community is very thankful for all that the Lincolnwood Town Center has meant to the community over the past 30-plus years,” Gaura said. “But I think people can see some of the challenges that we’re faced with. It’s a two-anchor mall and losing one of the two anchors is a significant challenge.” Harlem Furniture, which later rebranded as The RoomPlace, filed for Chapter 11 and eventually closed all of its stores in Illinois in September 2025. Over the course of the last few years, the number of vacancies in the mall has also increased, exceeding 50% in January.
Gaura said previously that a Tax Increment Financing District is something village leaders are considering to help spur redevelopment of the site.
“The village looks forward to working, as we have been, with the developer about how this area can be repurposed to best serve the community,” she said.
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.