Melvin Simon & Associates announced the development of Markland Mall in 1967. Original tenants included Sears, Danners 5 & 10, a Kroger supermarket, SupeRx drugstore,[3] and an Ayr-Way discount store.[4]
The Danners store became William H. Block Co. in 1974.[5] Ayr-Way was converted to Target along with the rest of the Ayr-Way chain in 1981.[6] In 1985, the William H. Block store was expanded, taking over a mall hallway and space vacated by Robert Hall Village. This was part of a mall expansion that included the installation of new floor tiles and skylights, as well as the extension of certain storefronts to give the hallways a "staggered" appearance.[7] Block later became Lazarus in 1987, and then Macy's before closing.
A Chili's restaurant opened outside the mall in 1999.[8] In 2001, Old Navy was added to the mall, replacing space once occupied by a Goodyear service center.[9] Lazarus became Macy's before closing in 2005. The movie theater, also an original tenant, closed in 2006.[10] In 2011, the former Lazarus space became Carson's, resulting in the closure of an Elder-Beerman at the nearby Kokomo Mall (now Kokomo Town Center).[11] Old Navy closed in 2016,[12] with Sears and MC Sports both closing in 2017.[13][14] Later in 2017, it was confirmed that the Sears store would be torn down for Aldi, Party City, PetSmart, and Ross Dress for Less.[15] Gravity Trampoline Park replaced the MC Sports store the same year.[16]Carson's closed in Summer 2018 along with the rest of the chain.[17] In 2020, Dunham’s Sports took over the space that was occupied by Carson's.
References
^ ab"Leasing Sheet"(PDF). Simon Property Group. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 October 2006. Retrieved 29 March 2013.