As early as the 1960s, the intersection of Royalton Road and Howe Road in the rapidly expanding suburb was coveted for commercial use. A secret plan by former Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell to build a new stadium at the site was exposed by the media in the 1980s and subsequently scrapped. The land was eventually sold to the Richard E. Jacobs Group, which later unveiled its first plans for a major mall. The Higbee Company and May Company Ohio, Cleveland's two major department store companies, announced that they would join as anchors. Plans were approved in 1991 and ground was broken in 1995, with the $200 million SouthPark Center opening on October 16, 1996. The completed center included not only Dillard's and Kaufmann'sdepartment stores, but also JCPenney, Sears, over 100 retailers, a food court, and a grand porte-cochere — a massive, extended greeting canopy above its main entrance. Kohl's was also an anchor, though on the outlying perimeter road surrounding the mall. The project also made allowances for an eventual fifth mall anchor store location -- originally planned to be Nordstrom -- later to become Dick's Sporting Goods, plus substantial peripheral development. Westfield Group acquired the shopping center in early 2002 from the Richard E. Jacobs Group, and renamed it "Westfield Shoppingtown SouthPark", dropping the "Shoppingtown" name in June 2005. In 2006 it commenced a $60 million expansion and reconfiguration of the center, thus adding 25 upscale shops and restaurants, a rear porte-cochere entrance, and a 14-Screen Cinemark Movie Theater. Dick's Sporting Goods was also added at this time to become the mall's sixth anchor store. In April 2012, the mall was sold to Starwood Capital Group, along with seven other Westfield properties. As a result, Starwood changed the name to SouthPark Mall. In May 2016, Starwood Retail Partners announced the opening of The Commons At SouthPark Shopping Center, a $14 million redevelopment of a former Giant Eagle located on Rt. 82. New shops/restaurants included DSW, Michaels, Brown Aveda Institute, Orangetheory Fitness, The Vitamin Shoppe, Spavia, The RAIL, and first to market CoreLife Eatery. On May 31, 2018, Sears Holdings announced that the Sears location at SouthPark would be closing in September 2018 as part of a plan to close 72 stores nationwide. The Sears store officially closed on September 5, 2018. In August 2018, Starwood Retail Partners announced the opening of the newly remodeled center court. Featuring upgraded seating with built-in cell phone chargers, deluxe carpeting, and premium finishes. H&M also announced the expansion of its SouthPark Mall Store. The new store re-opened June 13, 2019. As of October 2019, SouthPark Mall remains the largest retail destination in Northern Ohio.
