carolyn fath
There has been an ebb and flow to the development of Hilldale over the years that has not always felt organic. It launched in 1962 as a shopping center with outdoor walkways; was enclosed as a mall in the late 1960s; and had a new exterior “street” and row of shops and parking garages added in 2007. This filled in what had formerly been the front parking lot and made Hilldale seem, well, a little invisible and overwhelmed.
Now, the original shop strip — what became the mall — is being phased out in favor of two complete rows of shops along the new streetscape. Planners have also reopened the
Linda Falkenstein
Joe Parisi speaks at the Hilldale renovation celebration.
central east-west corridor as an outdoor pedestrian walkway to the rear of the center. A new restaurant on the west end of the plaza, Cafe Hollander, is expected to open by late summer.
The new Hilldale is gaining some high-end brand names in its new shops (Kate Spade, Sur La Table, Michael Kors), but it’s “not cookie cutter,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi at this week’s grand reopening, noting that original tenant Morgan’s Shoes and longtime grocer Metcalfe’s remain.
The east-west plaza hosts the new site of Morgan’s Shoes as well as shops like LUSH (natural-ingredient cosmetics) and Mes Amies (a dress boutique that’s moved from Chicago to Madison).
Cafe tables are on order; catenary lighting (strings of small white bulbs) are strung in a web overhead throughout the plaza for evening atmosphere, and the commons area on the west end outside Morgan’s will be open for community events.
The un-malling of Hilldale — bringing it back to its roots as an open-air shopping center - seems to be for the good. There’s a new energy, more visibility.
Lucky Brand, Sur La Table, Morgan’s Shoes and its sister stores Stride Rite and New Balance opened this week. Mes Amies is slated to open June 10, LUSH on June 12 and Michael Kors on June 18, with more to follow.
