Eclipse Center, formerly known as Beloit Plaza or Beloit Mall, is a

mixed-use development Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

and former

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

in Beloit,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. It is undergoing a renovation with the aim of making it a pivotal point in the city. It formerly housed the department store Elder-Beerman, and still houses several Rock County government offices, a convention center and bar, and two

School District of Beloit The School District of Beloit is a school district in the county of Rock County, Wisconsin serving the City of Beloit. The School District of Beloit educates and nurtures close to 7,100 students in 6 elementary schools with limited class sizes, ...

charter schools. There are also an automotive shop and a culinary program run by students from

Beloit Memorial High School Beloit Memorial High School is a public, four-year comprehensive high school in Beloit, Wisconsin. Academics Beloit Memorial has an enrollment of approximately 1,700 students, with 120 full-time certified staff and an average class size of 28 s ...

Overview

Set on a high profile, site on a bluff overlooking Riverside Drive ( US Highway 51) and the Rock River, the Beloit Plaza was the first major shopping center in Rock County. Early success was followed by a decline resulting from competition with the

Janesville Mall Uptown Janesville (formerly Janesville Mall) is an enclosed shopping mall located in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. Opened in 1973, the mall has more than 68 tenants. The anchor stores are Dick's Sporting Goods, Ulta Beauty, and Kohl's. Ther ...

and developments in Janesville and Beloit with easy access to

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

. Several redevelopment efforts failed, but with the involvement of Beloit billionaire

Ken Hendricks Kenneth A. Hendricks (September 8, 1941 – December 21, 2007) was an American businessman who, along with Diane Hendricks, his business partner and wife, grew a Roof shingle, shingle supply company into a $2.6 billion fortune and a spot on t ...

beginning in 2004, a new plan to make it a mixed-use development with public services and other facilities has raised local hopes for the site. Tenants included an Elder-Beerman store, Cardinal Stritch University, the University of Wisconsin–Extension, the Beloit Public Library, the Rock County Health Department, the Beloit Area Community Health Center, School District of Beloit facilities, a convention and banquet facility, and smaller businesses. Elder-Beerman closed in 2018. The mall includes an event venue known as the Eclipse Events Centre.

References

External links

Hendricks Development Group
{{Shopping malls in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Beloit, Wisconsin Defunct shopping malls in the United States Shopping malls in Wisconsin Shopping malls established in 1966