Woodfield Mall was a game changer for Schaumburg Township when it opened in 1971. It became a beautiful marriage of a magnificent structure, strong anchors, engaging stores and, of course, location, location, location.
Over the years it has become a shopping destination for, not only, greater Chicagoland but, also, visitors from many nearby states. In addition, it provides entertainment, numerous eating opportunities and a chance to meet, see and be seen.
The shopping center not only serves as a workplace for people of all ages but it is also the catalyst for the many layers of development around the mall. Take a look as you’re driving past all of the restaurants, hotels, office towers and shopping centers. If area developers and Schaumburg local government hadn’t seen the possibilities, much of it would not be in place today.
In honor of the 50th birthday of Woodfield Mall, check out this timeline for some of their major happenings. And, if you have anything else to add, please contribute a comment or send an email. Don’t keep those details hidden!
October 8, 1969 The groundbreaking is held for the future Woodfield Mall under a red-and-white striped silk tent on 191 acres at the intersection of Route 53 and Golf Road. Dignitaries included A. Alfred Taubman, chairman of the Taubman Co. that was developer and manager for Woodfield Associates; C.J. Kennedy who represented Sears; Gerald A. Sivage, president of Marshall Field; H.W. Wright, regional vice president of J.C. Penney and Schaumburg Mayor Robert O. Atcher.
September 9, 1971 Woodfield Mall holds its grand opening ceremony. Vincent Price served as master of ceremonies and actress Carol Lawrence was also in attendance.
August 16, 1973 The Woodfield Ice Arena opens.
October 2, 1973 The Lord & Taylor wing opens.
June 8, 1974 The rock band, KISS, appears as part of The Great KISS Off, in promotion of their first album, KISS.
October 2, 1974 Maestro Henry Mazer leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Grand Court for an audience of approximately 40,000 people. [Daily Herald; October 15, 1975]
1975 The mall appears in the Guinness Book of World Records for the first time as the world’s largest mall.
October 16, 1975 To honor their fourth anniversary, the Chicago Opera Studio, Inc. presented “Marriage of Figaro” and musician Galen and singer, Gina Lyden performed.
May 6, 1976 John Travolta appears as part of the promotion of his first album, John Travolta.
October 26, 1976 President Gerald Ford participates in a campaign rally and delivers a speech for up to 35-40,000 people. [Schaumburg Voice; November 3, 1976]
November 11, 1976 Dick Clark conducts a book signing for his book, Rock, Roll and Remember.
October 23, 1979 Ray Charles performs at Grand Court.
August 5, 1980 Charlie Daniels appears at the Sears Record Department to promote his new album, “Full Moon.”
July 13, 1981 Rick Springfield performs at Grand Court.
1983 A massive LEGO exhibit called “Americana” featuring 13 life-like models of historical American monuments such as the Statue of Liberty, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial went on display in January and February.
1984 Many of the restaurants participated in the first Taste of Woodfield, offering samples, free of charge to visitors.
1985 Woodfield Mall Cinemas opened inside the mall and took the place of the Woodfield Ice Arena.
March 1986 Barbie on Tour featured more than 700 Barbie dolls owned by Billy Boy, a 26-year-old Paris designer.
Spring 1986 Pulte Homes builds their first model home in Grand Court as part of their Summer Living Showcase.
July 31-August 2, 1987 The singer, Tiffany, performs at the mall on her “Beautiful You: Celebrating the Good Life Shopping Mall” tour.
November 9, 1987 The Shopper’s Shuttle begins as a Pace bus service to move riders on routes along Martingale and Woodfield Roads.
June 24, 1988 Dweezil Zappa and Larry Bud Melman stopped by Woodfield Mall as part of the MTV Museum of UnNatural History tour.
September 1988 A valet parking program, run by Slomar Enterprises, begins in approach of the holiday season. They operated out of the entrance between Sears and Marshall Field’s.
May 6, 1989 The first Emerald Ball was held on a Saturday night after the mall was closed. Three more balls followed in successive years.
June 10, 1989 The United States Volleyball Association stages a volleyball exhibition on a sandy beach volleyball court outside of Marshall Fields. The court required 2 1/2 truck loads of sand and six hours of work to haul it into the mall.
Fall 1990 The lease for the Woodfield post office that was located near Lord & Taylor expired after a 15-year run. The post office closed in April 1991 and reopened at the northeast corner of Mall Drive and Kimberly Street.
September 8-23, 1990 Woodfield Celebrates Hong Kong was held in conjunction with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Various events were designed to provide insight into the culture and mystique of Hong Kong, and exhibit the merchandise of modern day in the Woodfield stores.
February 13, 1994 Over 90 couples exchanged or renewed their vows at a ceremony at Grand Court. The ceremony was hosted by FM 100 radio personality Steve Cochran and was officiated by retired Cook County Judge Kenneth J. Cohen. The event drew at least 10,000 onlookers. [Daily Herald; February 14, 1994]
October 1994 A three-level parking deck connected to Marshall Field’s is completed.
October 20, 1995 Tony Bennett appears as part of the mall’s rededication following a large scale expansion. The remodeling featured the relocation of Lord & Taylor and a new wing with 50 new storefronts anchored by Nordstrom.
1996 The Walk Woodfield program begins as a free club that allowed walkers of all aged the chance to log indoor miles year round.
November 13, 1999 Santa is escorted into the mall, arm in arm, with the Radio City Rockettes. He even joined the dancers in one of their famous kicklines.
February 12, 2000 Pop star Mandy Moore pays a visit to the Sam Goody music store where she signed CD covers and posters for fans.
November 2000 The Woodfield Trolley service begins, circulating between Woodfield, the Woodfield Green Shopping Center, the Streets of Woodfield, IKEA and Roosevelt University.
March 15, 2003 Grammy-winning, singer-songwriter, Michelle Branch, appeared in the atrium outside of Marshall Field’s. She signed autographs but did not perform. She drew 3000 fans.
May 30-June 1, 2003 The Schaumburg shopping center hosted the traveling version of the TLC cable network’s “Junkyard Wars.” At Woodfield, the contestants got only 10 minutes to build a functional mini-race car from hundreds of supplied pieces.
January & February 2004 The fountain, fish tanks, waterfall and aquarium are removed.
July 2006 Woodfield is named the No. 1 Illinois tourist attraction, winning out over Chicago’s Navy Pier and Brookfield Zoo.
September 9, 2006 Marshall Field’s, like all other stores in the chain, becomes Macy’s.
July 2009 Peter Max, an artist known for his pop art and psychedelic art in the 1960’s and 70’s, appeared at Wentworth Gallery to sell and sign paintings, prints and books.
August 26, 2010 Hundreds of Indy/Car fans flocked to the parking lot of Woodfield to meet their favorite drivers like Danica Patrick, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Sarah Fisher.
December 2011 More than 100 women in matching pink dresses danced through Woodfield Mall as part of an ad for T-Mobile’s “Home for the Holidays” campaign. They danced to the tune of “There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays.”
April 19, 2012 Kim and Khloe Kardashian appeared at Woodfield to meet fans and promote their clothing and home good lines at Sears.
2012 Simon Property Group purchased 50% of Woodfield Mall in the final quarter. Simon also assumed management of the mall from Taubman Centers, Inc., the original developers of the mall.
June 22, 2013 Weezer played a free concert to mark the grand opening of the Microsoft store.
November 2015 The mall undergoes a major $13.9 million makeover, removing outdated fixtures, adding a second elevator and two escalators, and creating more space in the facility’s center. It also included new seats, new carpet, new flooring, new signs–and no brick.
2017 The first generation of Schaumburg’s Woodfield trolley fleet is replaced after 16 1/2 years of service. The second generation of the iconic dark-green trolleys retained the same look and design as the first iteration of the trolleys.
May 18, 2018 A new dining pavilion opens on the second floor near Sears. It would offer more than a dozen fast-casual restaurants.
April 11, 2019 Woodfield holds a second, annual group photo of the children of some of the Chicago Twin Moms with the Easter Bunny. The group began taking such photos with Santa Claus at Christmas 2017 and continued with the Easter Bunny in successive years.
May 29, 2020 Woodfield Mall reopens to the public, with limited hours, following a month and a half closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
December 29, 2020 Long time anchor, Lord & Taylor, closes their store.
May 2, 2021 The Sears store becomes the last full-line Sears in Illinois.
September 9, 2021 Woodfield Mall celebrates its 50th anniversary!
Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org
History of Schaumburg Township 
I helped build and install the geodesic domes and skylights (29 if I remember correctly) in the roof of the mall. I worked for IBG Corp (Ickes Braun Glasshouses) in Buffalo Grove. IBG’s main business was greenhouses. I worked in their “Special Structures” division. FYI, IBG Greenhouses were considered the Cadillac of all greenhouses. Everything that they did was top quality, German engineered. I’d be interested to know how those domes and skylights have weathered the past 50+ years in that climate.
Dick,
This is an incredible detail about Woodfield. It is fascinating to stop and consider all of the contractors the Taubman corporation must have worked with during the construction. I hope that most of them were local–like IBG.
Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org
Thanks! I’d still really be curious about the domes & skylights. Are they all still there? Have any of them been replaced or removed and the openings closed up due to weather problems etc? They were double glazed so that moisture wouldn’t drip down off of them onto the areas below them.
I contacted Woodfield Mall and they told me that the domes and skylights still exist. They have not been replaced but there is a wire mesh that was installed through them and/or to cover them.
Jane Rozek
Local History Librarian
Schaumburg Township District Library
jrozek@stdl.org