Century Mall was an indoor shopping mall located on the southeast corner of Broadway (Indiana 53) and US 30 in Merrillville, Indiana. The mall opened in 1979 with anchor stores Goldblatt's and Montgomery Ward. Competitive and economic factors sent the mall into steady decline and national retail chains left throughout the 1990s until the mall was ultimately sold for redevelopment in 2001 then closed and largely demolished in 2002. The mall's interior stores also suffered following Montgomery Ward's remodeling. Montgomery Ward removed their mall entrance and told customers that no stores remained, when in reality close to a dozen stores were still open. A strip mall development named Century Plaza now occupies the land and some of the former anchor store buildings.HistoryThe mall was originally proposed in 1977 as Broadway Mall. It was to have featured 90 stores on two levels, but plans were reduced to just a one-level mall. Original anchors were Montgomery Ward (145000sqft) and Goldblatt's.Between its 1979 opening and 1982, it was only 70 percent leased. Simon Property Group bought the mall in August 1982, a day before Goldblatt's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed its store there. Simon then split the Goldblatt building among Burlington Coat Factory, Service Merchandise, and other stores. The company also converted the mall to an off-price and discount-oriented concept, similar to what it had done at Eastgate Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana and Arborland Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.