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Westgate Square Shopping Center (Racine, Wisconsin): Difference between revisions
Westgate Square Shopping Center (Racine, Wisconsin) (edit)
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{{coord|42.7165|-87.8378|display=title}}▼
{{Infobox building
▲| coordinates = {{coord|42.7165|-87.8378|display=inline,title}}
| name = Westgate Square Shopping Center
| image = Westgate Mall Shopko, 2011.JPG
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The general contractor on the shopping center's construction was [[Tonn & Blank]] of [[Michigan City, Indiana]].<ref name=construction-19800603>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48632033/the-journal-times/ "Construction under way on Westgate supermarket"], [[Racine Journal Times]], June 3, 1980, p. 4C.</ref> On September 8, 1979, a flatbed truck owned by [[James Cape and Sons]] stolen from the construction site was found being driven by a 15-year-old with no driver's license. <ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48630197/the-journal-times/ "Police"], [[Racine Journal Times]], September 9, 1979, p. 2B.</ref> The center's primary anchor and first tenant, [[Shopko 27|Shopko store #27]], opened on November 5, 1979, before the rest of the L-shaped building had been constructed.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48630590/the-journal-times/ "ShopKo opens Monday"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 30, 1979, p. 1D.</ref> On January 30, 1980, [[Randall's Foods]] announced plans to build a 40,000-square-foot [[Randall's County Market]] supermarket at the mall, which would become Racine's largest grocery store.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48630995/the-journal-times/ "Supermarket planned: Biggest in city"], [[Racine Journal Times]], January 31, 1980, p. 6C.</ref> On May 29, around the time that construction on the addition began, surveying equipment owned by Tonn & Blank valued at $1,600 was reported stolen from the construction site.<ref name=construction-19800603/><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48631785/the-journal-times/ "Police"], [[Racine Journal Times]], May 30, 1980, p. 1B.</ref>
The first store to open in the new addition was Fashion Plus, a women's specialty store which opened on July 28, 1980.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48632907/the-journal-times/ "Westgate Mall store will open"], [[Racine Journal Times]], July 22, 1980, p. 4C.</ref> Racine's third [[Radio Shack]] store opened at the center on September 5.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48633684/the-journal-times/ "New Radio Shack store opening"], [[Racine Journal Times]], September 4, 1980, p. 4C.</ref> The center's parking lot hosted the "$7 million car sale" during the weekend of September 25-27, 1980, in which seven local car dealers<ref group="note">The participants were [[Schmerler Ford]], [[Palmen Dodge]], [[Gentile Olds]], [[Wiese AMC and Jeep]], [[Garbo Mercury-Lincoln]], [[Schaefer Pontiac]], and [[Don Hutson Chevrolet and Cadillac]].</ref> joined together to sell over 500 cars.<ref name=carsale-1980>Herman, Robert J. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48634125/the-journal-times/ "Racine auto dealers joining for gigantic sale"], [[Racine Journal Times]], September 21, 1980, p. 3B.</ref><ref>Trower, Ralph. [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48640266/the-journal-times/ "Tent sale without tent"], [[Racine Journal Times]], September 26, 1980, front page.</ref>The dealers successfully sold the majority of their collective inventory during the three-day sale.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48640399/the-journal-times/ "Dealers sell 267 cars"], [[Racine Journal Times]], September 29, 1980, p. 4C.</ref>
Shari's Card Shop, part of the [[Cherkinian's Card Shops]] chain, opened at the center in late October 1980.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48640678/the-journal-times/ "Card shop to open in Westgate"], [[Racine Journal Times]], October 19, 1980, p. 7C.</ref> [[The Gamut (Wisconsin)|The Gamut]], a variety store selling sporting goods, school and office supplies, and arts and crafts, opened November 10.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48633600/the-journal-times/ "Another store signs for Westgate"], [[Racine Journal Times]], September 3, 1980, p. 4C.</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48642051/the-journal-times/ The Gamut advertisement], [[Racine Journal Times]], November 15, 1980, p. 8A.</ref><ref name=lambertons-19801117/> Sound & Video Warehouse, an audiovisual equipment store, opened November 28.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48642539/the-journal-times/ "Sound store to open"], [[Racine Journal Times]], November 19, 1980, p. 4C.</ref> [[Lamberton's (Racine, Wisconsin)|Lamberton's]], a local women's apparel chain, moved one of its locations from the [[Western Village Shopping Center (Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin)|Western Village Shopping Center]] to Westgate Mall after the Western Village lease ended on February 28, 1981.<ref name=lambertons-19801117>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48642133/the-journal-times/ "Lamberton's to move to Westgate"], [[Racine Journal Times]], November 17, 1980, p. 4B.</ref> The store opened at Westgate on March 3.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48643710/the-journal-times/ "Store opens at Westgate"], [[Racine Journal Times]], March 3, 1981, p. 4C.</ref> The first [[Sweet Temptations (Racine, Wisconsin)|Sweet Temptations]] candy and ice cream store also opened at the center in March.<ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48646600/the-journal-times/ "Ice cream store to open"], [[Racine Journal Times]], February 17, 1981, p. 4C.</ref> Pants Towne, a jeans store located at [[424 Main Street (Racine, Wisconsin)|424 Main Street]] in downtown Racine, moved at the end of March 1981 to Westgate Mall, doubling the store's floor space. <ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48643840/the-journal-times/ "Jeans store at Westgate"], [[Racine Journal Times]], February 27, 1981, p. 4B.</ref>
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On the morning of August 16, 2010, a 24-year-old Perkins employee gave birth to an infant which she discarded in a dumpster behind the Old Country Buffet restaurant. After she experienced complications and denied having given birth, medical professionals and police officers realized she had abandoned the infant and searched the dumpster, where the infant's body was found.<ref>Thoreson, Bridget. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-accused-of-abandoning-baby-in-trash-bin-after-giving/article_3be61fa2-b792-11df-8d2c-001cc4c002e0.html "Woman accused of abandoning baby in trash bin after giving birth"], [[Racine Journal Times]], September 3, 2010.</ref> The mother was sentenced to nine years in prison for reckless homicide.<ref>Thoreson, Bridget. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-to-serve-nine-years-in-prison-for-leaving-newborn/article_532a93bc-66d5-11e0-8dfa-001cc4c03286.html "Woman to serve nine years in prison for leaving newborn in trash bin"], [[Racine Journal Times]], April 14, 2011.</ref>
In March 2011, [[Careers Industries (Racine, Wisconsin)|Careers Industries]], a local organization employing people with developmental disabilities, announced that it would purchase the southwest corner of the building for $1.3 million and move its facilities there from [[3502 Douglas Avenue (Racine, Wisconsin)|3502 Douglas Avenue]].<ref>Burke, Michael. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/careers-industries-to-buy-unused-corner-of-westgate-square/article_27012110-5579-11e0-8ae4-001cc4c002e0.html "Careers Industries to buy unused corner of Westgate Square"], [[Racine Journal Times]], March 23, 2011.</ref> The 55,000-square-foot segment of the shopping center had contained a small enclosed mall which by 2011 had been vacant for several years, and the owners of Westgate were reportedly "elated" to bring "momentum" to the suffering shopping center. The move was described by the [[Racine Journal Times]] as a "creative" form of
The [[Old Country Buffet]] restaurant, alongside 45 other locations in the chain, closed abruptly and unexpectedly after a normal day of business on January 18, 2012. The closures were announced the following day as part of a bankruptcy action by the chain.<ref>Burke, Michael. [https://journaltimes.com/business/local/racine-old-country-buffet-closed-in-bankruptcy-action/article_75938f8a-45e1-11e1-a5c3-001871e3ce6c.html "Racine Old Country Buffet closed in bankruptcy action"], [[Racine Journal Times]], January 23, 2012.</ref> The Old Country Buffet space was extensively remodeled and Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet, a Chinese and Japanese buffet restaurant, opened there on July 27.<ref>Burke, Michael. [https://journaltimes.com/news/local/new-asian-buffet-restaurant-in-old-country-buffet-space/article_15d1c5ca-d7dc-11e1-9f44-001a4bcf887a.html "New Asian buffet restaurant in Old Country Buffet space"], [[Racine Journal Times]], July 27, 2012.</ref> Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet ultimately closed a little over a year later at the end of September 2013, after poor business that led the restaurant's original owner to sell it.<ref>[https://journaltimes.com/business/local/hibachi-grill-supreme-closes-its-doors/article_d15ebc20-4ad7-11e3-9ea7-001a4bcf887a.html "Hibachi Grill Supreme closes its doors"], [[Racine Journal Times]], November 11, 2013.</ref>
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==Tenants==
===Current tenants===
* [[Main Moon (Racine, Wisconsin)|Main Moon II]], opened February 12, 2005
* [[Careers Industries (Racine, Wisconsin)|Careers Industries]], opened December 19, 2011
* Scores Sports Bar & Grill, opened October 2014
* [[The Salvation Army]] Family Store & Donation Center, opened October 14, 2016
* Wisconsin Smiles Dentist
* Security Finance
* Dollar General
* CSL Plasma
* Service First Staffing
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* [[Randall's County Market]], opened March 25, 1981, closed March 2001
* [[Sweet Temptations (Racine, Wisconsin)|Sweet Temptations]], opened mid-March 1981, closed unknown
* Attitudes, opened early 1990s. Currently located in Pleasant Prairie at Premium Outlets
* Pants Towne, opened April 1981, closed November 30, 1982
* Scene II, opened July 1981, closed June 26, 1983
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====More information needed====
* [[Hallmark]] was open in the early 1990s. It was replaced by Radio Shack (Which left the mall and returned in the mid 1990s)
* Diane/Maries
* Erv Johnson Studios
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==Notes==
==References==
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