At the Hilldale entrance on Midvale Boulevard, one piece of a summer road project still isn't in. On September 24, 2026, the City of Madison's update on the Midvale resurfacing and safety project said the work between Mineral Point Road and University Avenue was nearly finished. Two rectangular rapid-flashing beacons were still to come, one at Hillcrest Drive and one at the Hilldale entrance. The original schedule on the same page ran from July 6 to August 15.
The center behind those beacons is also near the end of a long rebuild. For Spring Harbor, Hilldale is the nearest full shopping center, and most of what changed there this fall goes back to one building: the former AMC Madison 6. The theater closed in 2022. Four years later its last open space is under construction, and two restaurant firsts have arrived at the edges of the property. What's left unsettled is a single pub space and a three-acre expansion that has its zoning approved but no public timeline.
The Theater Footprint, Almost Fully Spoken For
AMC said it stopped operating the Madison 6 after the close of business on December 1. A later Wisconsin State Journal retrospective puts that closure in 2022. The building didn't sit empty for good. In November 2024, Hilldale started a 40,000-square-foot expansion inside the former theater and named Warby Parker, Sephora, Sweetgreen and Jaxen Grey as tenants.
That work covered the side of the building facing the main shopping street. The back of the building is the final piece. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Pottery Barn is coming back to Madison in that space, five years after it left. The retailer had a store at West Towne Mall for years before it closed in 2021, and its new Hilldale store is being built on the back side of the old theater. The State Journal said the store was set to open "later this year." As of this writing, Hilldale's tenant page still says "Coming Soon" and gives no date.
When Pottery Barn opens, the screens that closed in 2022 will have been replaced by a row of storefronts in about four years. Here's where each space at Hilldale mentioned in this post stands now:
| Space | Before | Now | Status as of late September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Former AMC Madison 6, front | Movie theater | Warby Parker, Sephora, Sweetgreen, Jaxen Grey | Tenants named in the 2024 expansion |
| Former AMC Madison 6, back | Movie theater | Pottery Barn | Listed as "Coming Soon" |
| 670 N. Midvale Blvd., north end corner | Not covered in our sources | North Italia | Opened Sept. 2, 2026 |
| 750 N. Midvale Blvd., by Chase Bank and LaserAway | Not covered in our sources | CAVA | Expected "this fall" |
| 357 Price Place | Great Dane Pub & Brewing | No tenant announced | Vacant since Nov. 8, 2025 |
| Former BMO site and nearby parking lot | Bank and surface parking | Three-acre expansion | Rezoning approved, no schedule published |
Two Restaurant Firsts, at Opposite Ends
The fall's restaurant news comes from outside the theater building. North Italia officially opened on September 2, 2026, at 670 North Midvale Boulevard, on the north end corner of Hilldale. The Wisconsin State Journal reported it as the chain's first Wisconsin location. The restaurant takes up nearly 7,000 square feet and seats close to 200 people across the dining room and a covered outdoor patio. The company describes it as a spot for weekend brunch, weekday lunch, and dinners with friends and family.
CAVA is next. It will be the first Madison location for the Mediterranean bowl-and-pita chain, at 750 N. Midvale Blvd., next to Chase Bank and LaserAway. WMTV's September 14 report said it would open "this fall" and gave no day. Before opening, CAVA plans a Community Day with a free meal and donations for a local cause, which the company will match up to $1,000. Hilldale General Manager Amanda Stiebens described the appeal this way:
"CAVA brings bold flavors and a build-your-own format that makes it easy for everyone to find something they love. We can't wait for Madison to experience it."
Neither restaurant moved into the space that opened up most recently. CAVA's announced spot is next to the bank and LaserAway, not in the former Great Dane space.
The Space Still Waiting at 357 Price Place
Great Dane Pub & Brewing announced on September 15, 2025, that its Hilldale pub at 357 Price Place would close. November 8, 2025, was its last day. The company pointed to a changing restaurant and retail environment and falling revenue at that location.
That was nearly eleven months ago. Hilldale's July 2026 directory no longer lists Great Dane, and we found no replacement tenant announced in local coverage as of our research. So while new businesses opened elsewhere on the property this year, this space has stayed empty. The center has added two national restaurants that are new to the market, and this full-size restaurant space is the one open question left from last year.
The Next Phase Is Approved but Has No Date
Further south, Hilldale's owner is planning something bigger. WS Development, which owns and develops Hilldale, describes a planned three-acre expansion that would add retail, dining and green space. The Cap Times has reported on what that means on the ground. The plan would redevelop the former BMO site and the parking lot next to it with retail and restaurants, possibly a hotel or housing, and a public plaza. The City Council approved rezoning for four buildings.
That approval is the most recent firm step we could find. WS Development's property page still calls the expansion "planned." None of the sources we reviewed gave a construction start or schedule. The theater conversion is a separate, smaller project. Pottery Barn opening won't start the three-acre phase. For now, the BMO site and its parking lot look the way they did before the rezoning.
The two projects also differ in kind. The theater rebuild put new businesses into a building that already existed. The southern phase would add new buildings and a public plaza, so it would change how the south end of the center is laid out, not just which stores are there. Hilldale has been a Madison landmark since 1962 and is built around a central green that hosts events year-round, according to WS Development. The planned plaza would give the south end an outdoor gathering space of its own.
Getting There From Spring Harbor This Fall
Things are changing close to home as well. Spring Harbor Beach at 1918 Norman Way is now listed as "Closed for Season." Public Health Madison & Dane County tests beach water from Memorial Day through Labor Day. If you're driving, biking or walking to Hilldale on Midvale, the main thing to watch is the two beacons still to be installed at Hillcrest Drive and the Hilldale entrance. University Avenue isn't a factor this time. The city lists its major reconstruction as complete, with the project schedule ending June 30, 2024.
For updates on area planning, the Spring Harbor Neighborhood Association's all-neighborhood fall meeting is on the calendar:
- When: Wednesday, October 21, at 7 p.m.
- Where: Spring Harbor Middle School library
- Agenda: Colin Punt of City of Madison Planning, plus the First Nations art installation at Merrill Springs, a sculpture of a Ho-Chunk man carving a canoe and one of six installations around Madison
The association lists the City Planning speaker on the agenda but doesn't say which topics he'll cover. If you have questions about how the city is handling growth on the near west side, this meeting is the closest one on the schedule.
Changes at Hilldale, like a long-empty restaurant space, a new anchor store, or a large expansion that's approved but not started, can also affect how nearby homes are priced and marketed. If you're in Spring Harbor and wondering what these changes mean for your home's value or timing, Accord Realty can walk you through it in plain terms. Contact Us when you're ready to talk.
