Remember when the Forest Mall first opened in Fond du Lac? Features included the fountain and yearly bazaars.
FOND DU LAC – Fond du Lac's footprint on the mall scene lasted more than 40 years, after the craze started in the 1970s and 1980s.
Forest Mall was the area's first enclosed shopping center. It opened in 1973 with room for about 52 merchants, according to The Reporter archives.
When construction started the year before, it was planned to be the largest and most modern shopping complex in the Fox River Valley, with climate control to keep "springtime" shopping conditions year-round.
Four department stores were on board for the building while still in the planning stages: H.C. Prange Co., J.C. Penney Co., G.C. Murphy and Montgomery Ward, though Montgomery Ward wasn't finished until 1974.
More than 1,000 people attended the grand opening of the mall, greeted by characters such as Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam and Robin Hood.
Rather than a traditional ribbon-cutting, mall officials reenacted King Arthur's feat and pulled a version of Excalibur from a stone, in line with the opening's theme, "The Enchanted Forest Mall," according to archives.
In addition to the department stores, initial businesses included Hanover Shoes, Musicland, Bresler's 33 Flavors Ice Cream Shop, Motherhood Maternity Shop, Walden Book Store, Coach House Gift Shop, Fox Jewelers and many others. Cinema I & II also opened in the mall that year, offering up-to-date technology in the screens and push-back seats.
Over the years, Forest Mall hosted sidewalk sales, shopping bazaars and themed holiday events, such as visits from Santa and the Easter Bunny and the occasional haunted house at Halloween time.
The mall also saw several celebrity visits, including Packers stars, Harlem Globetrotter Hallie Bryant and actors Clayton Moore from "The Lone Ranger" and Mark Valley from "Days of Our Lives."
A centerpiece of the mall's décor was its water fountain, which had often been likened to a dandelion puff or a giant snowflake.
However, the fountain was removed in the mall's first renovation in 1985, replaced by a staging area in the center court. The remodel also included new skylights and flooring, and split the then-empty Murphy store into space for five new stores, including Radio Shack and The Deb Shop.
Younkers opened in 1992, and after the arrival of Staples, Sears and Gap later in the decade, another renovation gave the building a facelift in 1998 through 1999 to make it more appealing for both shoppers and prospective retailers.
Shoppers and walkers continued to frequent the mall into the 2000s, as stores circulated in and out. However, malls in surrounding communities proved competitive, especially the Fox River Mall to the north, which had one particular advantage: a food court.
By 2009, the mall lowered rent and lease times to attract more local businesses, succeeding in bringing in Gypsy's Emporium and Sub King, among others.
The original owners, Simon Property Group, sold the mall to WP Glimcher in May 2014, and by the end of the year, J.C. Penney, Cinema I & II and Sears closed.
The mall sold again in 2016 to ATR Corinth Partners, though the company didn't acquire the Sears portion until the next year.
As redevelopment became the major target for the building, stores continued to close over the next few years, including Younkers in 2018 under direction of its parent company, Bon-Ton Stores Inc. ATR Corinth Partners did not have ownership of the Younkers building.
By 2020, most of the mall was demolished to make room for an incoming Meijer store, and the Younkers property was razed next in favor of a Froedtert ThedaCare Health hospital.
What remains today is Kohl's, which opened in 1983, and T.J. Maxx, which moved into the former Staples store in 2021, as well as available space next to and behind T.J. Maxx.
More history: It happened this week
May 23, 1967: The Fond du Lac School District Board awarded construction bids for renovating Goodrich High School and adding new stadium seating and lights at Fruth Field to local companies, including Rosendale Construction Co., J.F. Ahern Co. and Kaufman Electric Co.
May 24, 1970: Archbishop William E. Cousins of Milwaukee formally dedicated the new addition at St. Mary's Springs Academy, hanging a large wooden crucifix at the entrance of the building with assistance from St. Mary's Parish assistant pastor Gerald Schmitz and student David Colwin.
May 20, 1985: A newly formed city committee announced its intent to study how best to use the vacant Haentze property on Linden Street. An initial idea in the announcement was to create more parking for Goodrich High School students.
May 20, 1990: Owen Gromme, local wildlife artist of international renown, was awarded an honorary University of Wisconsin doctorate of humane letters degree at age 93. The school also created the Owen and Anne Gromme Endowment Fund for preserving wild birdlife.
"Remember when ..." is a bi-weekly column from Streetwise Reporter Daphne Lemke that looks back at businesses of Fond du Lac's storied past. Tell her what you'd like to see next by emailing [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: The Forest Mall lasted over 40 years in Fond du Lac
