Dixie Square Mall

The Dixie Square Mall is a defunct shopping mall located in Harvey, Illinois, that has been abandoned for over twenty-five years, more than twice as long as it was in business. It is famous for having been used, both inside and out, for the mall chase scene in the movie The Blues Brothers. [1] More recently, it achieved notoriety because of a growing Internet cult following dedicated to covering the mall's deteriorating condition. Like other "dead malls", it had been characterized by high vacancy rates and low patronage, which led to its closure. However, while other dead malls were redeveloped or demolished, Dixie Square has stood out due to its extensive neglect, vandalism damage, and bleak history.

Ever since the mall closed, there have been plans to demolish the structure, although no plans have ever come to completion. The first plan to demolish the mall came about in the late 1970s, though the filming of The Blues Brothers prevented this. Ever since, there have been many plans to demolish and redevelop the mall, although all have fallen through. The man who recently purchased the mall held a heavily publicised "demolition" of the mall, although after media coverage of the "demolition" stopped, the demolition stopped as well. Only the former Montgomery Ward building was demolished. The current owner is responsible for removing asbestos present in the mall before any further work on the mall can be done. As a result, the mall still stands today, although many believe that it has been completely destroyed due the the heavily publicised "demolition".

History

Constructed in 1965-1966 at the cost of $25 million, Dixie Square opened in August 1966 on the site of a former golf course. It had sixty-four shops at its peak, including JCPenney, Woolworth's, Walgreen's and Montgomery Ward department stores as its anchors. There was also a Jewel next to Walgreen's, but the supermarket did not open into the mall. Montgomery Ward was the first to open in late summer 1965, with JCPenney opening later the same year. The JCPenney and Wards stores were considered cutting-edge at the time, complete with psychedelic wallpaper and fixtures. The mall enjoyed four years of success, until around the time the Turn Style department store was added in 1970. At this point, crime began to plague the town of Harvey, a failing suburb 20 miles (32 km) south of Chicago. Many of the stores, including the anchors, renovated their stores several times in the 1970s to keep up with the times in the ailing mall. The mall itself went through a renovation in 1976. From 1973 to 1976, Dixie lost many stores, including Montgomery Ward in late 1977. By 1978, it was down to its last twenty stores, with JCPenney closing on January 25. The mall closed in November 1978. However, Walgreens and Jewel food store stayed open until 1979, when they moved out.

On January 25, 1979, a full year after closing, JCPenney briefly reopened and held what they called "Dixie's Last Gasp", in which they sold off outdated merchandise, mannequins, and display cases. Jewel supermarket was the last to leave, closing in June 1979. Only months after Jewel closed, director John Landis rented the vacant mall for eight weeks to film The Blues Brothers. The filmmakers left the mall in bad condition, as it was used for the famous car chase scene where Elwood and Jake destroy much of the mall while being chased by Illinois state troopers. Following the movie shoot, the mall was boarded up once again. It stayed in the same state until 1984, when vandals broke in and effectively destroyed the mall. By the next year, any piece of metal of worth was removed. Weather was harsh on the mall, and the mall sat decomposing, decaying, and deteriorating more each day. By the 1990s, there were full-grown trees in the parking lot and cave-ins of the roof.

On December 24, 2005, demolition started at Dixie Square, starting with the mall's central energy plant next to Montgomery Ward. Part of the Montgomery Ward building was accidentally demolished as well. Ironically, the Montgomery Ward building was the only part of the mall that was to be saved and not demolished.

The Blues Brothers

The mall chase scene from The Blues Brothers.

In 1979, shortly after being closed for business, the mall was rented for eight weeks for filming of a scene in the movie The Blues Brothers. Police cars were driven through the mall, destroying parts of it; afterwards, the mall was boarded back up. Some of the mall's former tenants refused to be seen in the film, such as Hickory Farms and Walgreens, so they were either "dressed-up" as other stores (such as the Walgreens becoming a Toys "R" Us) or not featured at all. The fake wall the cars crashed through in Toys "R" Us at the beginning of the scene was still there until about the mid 1980s.

Montgomery Ward renovation

In January 2005, an agreement was made with American Kitchen Delights to turn the former Montgomery Ward building into a showroom for American Kitchen's products. Just days after the agreement was made, work on the store began. First, all debris was removed from the floors, which included years of fallen ceiling tiles which had turned to a thick mush. Attention then turned to the store itself, which included removing all of the store's original decor and signage. However, it was found that the store contained asbestos; the debris being pushed out the store's mall entrance was covered in plastic. The renovation was put to a halt in late June 2005. It was also found that the company had gutted the old store without a permit. On December 24, 2005, during demolition of the mall's central energy plant, a large portion of the building was accidentally demolished, killing any chance of a renovation. The remainder of the Wards building was demolished in 2006.

Current condition and future

File:Dixie Square Mall Interior.jpg

Mall interior in 2004.

In the early 1990s, the Harvey Police Department moved their headquarters from 15320 Broadway Avenue near downtown Harvey to the southwest corner of the lot the mall still stands on. A juvenile court was built on the far west end of the parking lot. The current site of the mall itself is wide open, even after numerous attempts to board it up. Vandalism is the primary cause, but many homeless people have turned the former mall site into makeshift living quarters. There has been much debate on what to do with the site.

On April 14, 2005, a plan was set in motion to demolish the remnants of Dixie Square and bring top-level retailers to the former mall site, including Costco, Kohl's, and Old Navy. This plan hopes to bring over 1,000 jobs to Harvey, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in Cook County.

As of July 3, 2005, the site renovation project was put on hold until a contractor can be brought in to remove the asbestos in the current building. Plans by the YMCA to build low-income senior housing are not affected by the asbestos and are continuing as planned.

On February 16, 2006, the entire mall property was sold to developer John Deneen of the Emerald Property Group. A ceremonial demolition of part of the former Montgomery Ward building occurred soon after, but no other demolition has occurred since.

Chronology

1960s

October 12, 1964 - 58 acres of land, comprising the Dixie Hi golf course, are annexed into the corporate limits of Harvey, Illinois, following an act of Harvey's city council.
November 11, 1964 - Walgreens leases space at Dixie Square Mall.
Early 1965 - Ground is broken for the Montgomery Ward store, with developer Meyer C. Weiner and Montgomery Wards District Mgr. Richard Daley in attendance.
Late summer 1965 - Montgomery Ward opens its doors.
Late 1965 - JCPenney opens its doors.
April 1966 - The mall first opens to the public, though it is still under construction.
September-October 1966 - Construction on the mall is completed.
November 9, 1966 - The mall is dedicated by the mayor of Harvey.
November 10, 11, and 12, 1966 - The mall's grand opening.
1967 - It is first announced that Turn Style, the mall's third anchor store, will be added.
February 2, 1967 - The United States Postal Service opens a branch at Dixie Square.
1969 - Construction on Turn Style begins, enlarging the mall by more than 100,000 square feet.

1970s

1970 - Turn Style opens to the public.
November 7, 1973 - Unidentified flying objects are spotted in the sky above the mall.^{[citation needed]}
1973/1974 - City Life Lounge, a large disco/nightclub, opens at the mall.
May 5, 1974 - Flagpole sitter Richard Blandy falls to his death at the mall.
1976 - The mall undergoes a minor renovation, adding green turf carpeting, canvas awnings, and a new triangular framework main sign near JCPenney.
November/December 1977 - Montgomery Ward closes.
Early 1978 - Turn Style closes after parent company Jewel/Osco sells the chain to May Department Stores and May decides to close the Dixie Square location (and only the Dixie Square location).
January 25, 1978 - JCPenney closes and relocates to Orland Square Mall.
November 1978 - Dixie Square Mall closes after twelve years of operation.
January 25, 1979 - JCPenney re-opens briefly to hold a sale called "Dixie's Last Gasp", in which older merchandise and store fixtures are sold off.
1979 - The mall is donated to Harvey-Dixmoor School District 147, on the condition that the school district assume the mall's debt, consisting of roughly $800,000 in back taxes and mortgage payments. The school district uses the mall as a temporary school until 1981. The former Turn Style location is converted into a gymnasium.
Spring 1979 - Jewel and Walgreens, the last two stores at the mall, close their doors.
July 23, 1979 - The mall is leased to Universal Pictures to be used in John Landis' 1980 movie The Blues Brothers. The mall is refurbished and used as a movie set for the film.

1980s

December 17, 1981 - The school district files a lawsuit against Universal in federal court, seeking $87,000 in damages due to Universal's failure to "return the mall to its original condition after filming".
1984-1985 - Teenage vandals break into the mall and vandalize it, stealing anything of value in the process. Up until this time, the mall was boarded up, untouched since production of The Blues Brothers ended five years earlier. Jack Barton, employed by the city of Harvey to maintain the mall, looks after the mall during this time and cleans out garbage dumped at the mall by residents, as well as occasionally providing tours to developers.
1985 - The mall's canvas awnings and main sign, both added in the 1976 renovation, are removed. The mall's canvas roofing is also removed at this time, allowing water, snow and other debris to enter the mall, causing further decay and plant overgrowth inside the mall.

1990s

July 1993 - Raymond Eaves rapes and murders Denise Shelby in the former JCPenney store. Four years later he is sentenced to life in prison for the crime.

2000s

November 10, 2002 - An announcement is made that the former JCPenney building will be leased to house the offices for five state agencies, and also demolish the remainder of the mall. This plan never comes to fruition.
August 2004 - Special land use permits are issued by the Harvey City Council, allowing the YMCA to build housing for senior citizens on part of the property.
January 2005 - American Kitchen Delights purchases the former Montgomery Ward building and begins gutting it, removing all original decor and fixtures, which had been untouched since the store's closing. The debris is pushed out into the mall and through the store's exterior entrances.
May 2005 - Fencing is erected around the mall. By July, most of the fence has been destroyed.
June 23, 2005 - It is found that the debris from Montgomery Ward contains asbestos. The renovation is halted and the debris is covered in plastic.
December 24, 2005 - a large portion of the former Montgomery Ward building is accidentally demolished.
February 16, 2006 - The mall is sold to an area developer who intends to construct a retail center. [2]
February 26, 2006 - a fence is again built around the mall, 24-hour 7-days-a-week security is employed, and a demolition crew moves in.
March 1, 2006 - As part of a publicity stunt, a portion of what remained of the former Montgomery Ward building was demolished. As a result, the media mistakenly believes the mall has been completely razed. [3]
May 2006 - the security and demolition crews leave the mall, even though they were not supposed to leave until August 21. It is suggested that the mall's owner ran out of funds to support them.
June 5, 2006 - Although it was heavilly publicized, the demolition ended up not happening, and the crew left the mall, with only the Montgomery Wards and the energy wing destroyed. They promise to have the mall down by August, though evidence supports that it is highly unlikely.

References

Dixie Square History

External links