lakehurst tribute

Opened in 1971 in Waukegan, Illinois, north of Chicago, Lakehurst was a sprawling, mixed-use complex which housed a 1.1 million square-foot enclosed shopping mall and numerous freestanding commercial, office, recreational, and residential structures. Lakehurst remained in operation for 30 years, until competition from nearby mega-mall Gurnee Mills and the departure of many of its anchor retailers led to the mall's demise and eventual closure in 2001. The shuttered Lakehurst Mall spent three years in decaying limbo and was completely demolished in 2004. The property is now being redesigned as a new mixed-use development to be known as Fountain Square of Waukegan.

Nicole Yugovich's website serves as a tribute to Lakehurst and as an archive of its history and memories. Included on this site are a detailed history of the Lakehurst property, numerous pages of photographs, a listing of stores from throughout the years, a step-by-step photographic tour of the demolition, and a memories page. Your contributions, recollections, and reminiscences are welcome and encouraged, and will be included on this site with your permission.