Westfield Old Orchard Mall’s Renovations Signal A New Era for Malls

Former public school teacher Marla Spector, 70, has visited Westfield Old Orchard countless times since she was a child. As Spector entered high school, she got a job in the mall’s long-closed Saks Fifth Avenue store, enjoying her 30% employee discount on clothes. Memories like Spector’s exemplify the sense of community the mall has brought to the North Shore neighborhoods, over the course of its nearly 70-year existence.

“When I was in middle school, we used to come and hang out here,” Spector said. “All the kids used to meet here, and it was like a big congregating area.”

Old Orchard Mall had its grand opening in October 1956. In December 2022, Westfield, which acquired ownership of the mall in 2002, announced they will be adding new experiences and institutions to the storied mall. These renovations include new entertainment venues, including Puttshack, and apartments in the mall’s vicinity, shown in concept art accompanying the announcement.

Westfield’s announcement mirrors developments occurring in similar malls in the past few years, making them more community-focused by implementing extensive restaurant offerings and entertainment options. Even the shuttered Bloomingdale's in Old Orchard now hosts activities like Downton Abbey: The Exhibition.

Other North Shore malls, such as Northbrook Court, have redevelopment plans in the works. Looking beyond the North Shore, wider construction in malls across the country has been happening since the late 2010s. Beginning in 2017, Florida’s Aventura Mall has successively opened the Aventura Slide Tower, Treats Food Hall and a large Apple store over the following years.

Westfield Old Orchard Mall senior general manager Serge Khalimsky, 37, said Old Orchard’s transformation is a product of this new mall-shopping atmosphere.

“It's just adaptation to the market, offering the community a depth of different experiences, whether it be different restaurants, entertainment, medical or even residential,” said Khalimsky. It's just keeping up with the demand of the community and giving people more than one reason to enjoy being here.”

Khalimsky said the mall’s transformation didn’t come about from the increasing competition brought on by online shopping. Khalimsky said he sees online and mall shopping as a symbiotic relationship, both sides benefiting each other.

“A lot of online retailers are choosing to open brick and mortar spaces because they know having a relationship with their shoppers is very important,” Khalimsky said. “You can never really have a relationship through a computer screen.”

The presence of concept art showing Old Orchard’s future on the mall’s walls, and an entire webpage dedicated to the transformation on the mall’s website, make it clear Westfield has a lot of confidence in its future success. Despite the company’s optimism, some shoppers weren’t aware these developments were already in motion.

“I'm not very familiar with any new developments at the mall, other than loosely aware they're happening,” said Software developer Mulholand, 36.

This lack of awareness toward the plans could affect shopper engagement when Westfield completes Old Orchard’s renovations in 2026. Despite that, Khalimsky said the new apartments and medical facilities, planned to be in the same area as the mall itself, will widen the community around it.

“It's almost like a mini-city,” Khalimsky said. “It creates a built-in audience and a built-in place for people that live on site to enjoy the different things."