Building Design
The mall opened in 1976. It was built in a straight line, and later it was in a "T" shape following the expansion. Originally, it was anchored by Sears, with a Hills added at the opposite end in 1983; another wing with Chappell's was added in 1986. Local department stores Addis & Company and Dey Brothers also had junior-anchor locations, and the mall included a three-screen movie theater.
Wilmorite entered a partnership with the Eagan family, the mall's original owners, in 1989. The Wilmorite company built another mall, Great Northern Mall in Clay, in 1988. Both Sears and Chappell's moved to Great Northern, with Steinbach and Caldor replacing their respective stores at Penn-Can. The Pyramid Companies opened its Carousel Center nearby in 1990, further increasing competition against Penn-Can. After Steinbach closed, it was replaced with a Burlington Coat Factory in 1993. Caldor replaced the Chappell's a year later, following the opening of Caldor stores at other Wilmorite properties.
In 1994, Wilmorite announced plans to demolish the main mall structure, leaving the Burlington Coat Factory, Hills and Caldor stores. Under these plans, the mall itself would be replaced with a power center which would have included an unnamed big box home improvement store and a movie theater operated by Regal Cinemas.
The mall itself closed in 1996, leaving only the Hills store operational until that chain closed in 1999.
Read more about this topic: Penn-Can Mall
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