Dixie Square Mall site (Harvey, Illinois)

USA / Illinois / Dixmoor / Harvey, Illinois / Dixie Highway, 15100
 abandoned / shut down, demolished, historical layer / disappeared object
Dixie Square Mall was opened in 1966 as part of one of the first enclosed malls in the Chicagoland area. Anchored by Montgomery Ward and JCPenney (with a Turn Style discount store joining by 1970), the mall quickly lost business when crime became a huge problem as the town of Harvey deteriorated. By 1979, the mall had completely shut and serving as temporary school space, except for Walgreens and Jewel (the latter being exterior accessed only, despite what Blues Brothers would have you believe), both of which closed that year. It was used in the movie "The Blues Brothers", which dressed it up as a functional mall, including a Toys R Us (never in the mall) and a Jewel (never had an interior entrance). Redevelopment plans all ended up stalling as the mall deteriorated, becoming a magnet for vandals, scrappers, wild dogs, the homeless, and urban explorers alike. In 2012, what was left of the mall was completely demolished.

www.deadmalls.com/malls/dixie_square_mall.html
www.labelscar.com/illinois/dixie-square-mall
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixie_Square_Mall
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   41°36'47"N   87°40'8"W

Comments

  • Use to be a Penneys and even a Turn-Styles (owned by Jewel)
  • At its peak, it had a Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, Woolworth's, and over 60 stores. Turn Style (the white building) was added later.
  • The upper-left building is Penney's and the lower-right is Wards. Jewel Food should be "hanging" to the lower-left of the Penney's building.
  • Consolio was me. Of course, the "white building" indication means nothing anymore, since it's gone.
  • Was a great place long ago before the marauders destroyed it. Murders, rapes, muggings, and wholesale theft was the real reason it closed. Not the nicely polished excuses given to the curious after the Blues Brothers made it famous.
This article was last modified 10 years ago