More than a half-century after central Illinois’ first enclosed shopping mall opened in Pekin in the early 1970s, the property has a dramatically different look and a new roster of tenants.
Now known as East Court Village, the property has undergone more than two decades of extensive changes to become an open-air shopping center
In the most recent overhaul, developer Cullinan Properties signed leases with national retailers Marshalls, Ross Dress for Less and Five Below and reconfigured the center to try to reverse the trend in recent years of Pekin residents spending their shopping dollars in nearby municipalities.
Working with Pekin leaders to regain sales tax revenue, the development firm led by Diane Cullinan Oberhelman created a plan to preserve three primary structures and reuse elements such as exterior walls, foundations and roof structures to reduce the project’s cost and timeline.
The $18 million public-private project was selected by a panel of real estate professionals as a 2026 CoStar Impact Award winner for redevelopment of the year.
About the project: The Court Street property is about 170 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. It began with 57 stores under one roof in the early 1970s.
It has undergone massive changes since 2002, with evolving shopping habits and closures of department stores leading to the mall’s conversion to open-air shopping.
The latest phase of redevelopment replaced Bergner’s, which was the property’s last remaining department store when it closed in 2018.
The three new tenants are credited with helping increase traffic to East Court Village, which the developer and city officials expect will boost tax revenue and lead to more retail leasing in the area.
Success with those stores has led to the next phase of development, focused on small-shop spaces.
They made it happen: The project was led by Kyle Essex and Ryan Whalen of Cullinan Properties.