On May 26th, Mall 205’s 24 Hour Fitness gym will close permanently, with current members transferring to the Hollywood location at 4224 NE Halsey Street. This closure is the second gym to cease operations in the area this year. The ample exercise space offered an indoor lap pool, steam room, sauna, basketball court, and the standard assortment of fitness equipment.

Representatives for 24 Hour Fitness did not provide a specific reason for the gym’s closure, saying only that it is “due to a combination of circumstances.” Like many in-person fitness locations, 24 Hour Fitness suffered financially during the mandatory pandemic closures and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 15th, 2020. Although the national chain recovered from that setback, emerging from bankruptcy in the same year, the company close over 100 locations as part of its restructuring plan. The Mall 205 location survived those cuts, but gyms have continued to suffer post-pandemic. Nearby Cascade Athletic Clubs closed its Montavilla location earlier this year, citing a slow recovery after reopening.

The fitness chain opened the soon-to-be shuttered location at 10052 SE Washington Street over two decades ago, occupying the southeast corner of the L-shaped building. Members access the exercise facility from the back parking lot. However, the location retained interior access prior to the recent mall reconfiguration. The shopping center failed to draw many customers to its interior corridors, and most stores relied on the outside doors for access when they could.

In 2022, the Mall property sold to an investment group that ended leases with the interior tenants. The property’s new owners will renovate the building to support larger storefronts independently accessed from the parking lot. Recent building permit applications state that Hobby Lobby will open a location somewhere on the property between Target and Home Depot. Other national brands are expected to take space in the revitalized shopping complex, and the 24 Hour Fitness vacancy should help with that transformation.

The exercise location’s closure, regardless of the cause, will leave just one general-use gym in the area. MUV Fitness is less than 1,000 feet from the 24 Hour Fitness Mall 205 location. That business attracted some former Cascade Athletic Clubs members and could become a viable option for 24 Hour Fitness members. People uninterested in switching to 24 Hour Fitness Hollywood location will likely consider MUV Fitness or look to alternative venues like Mt. Tabor CrossFit at 8028 NE Glisan Street.

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