Dixie Square Mall

Urban Cartography blogs about Chicago, including the Dixie Square Mall, an indoor shopping center built in the southern suburb of Harvey in the mid 1960's and closed in 1979. The Mall's most famous moment came when the Blues Brothers rampaged the mall in their Blues-mobile, uttering lines like:


Still taken from this page.

The filmmakers were able to take advantage of Dixie Square's recent demise, creating a stand-out scene early in the film that made viewers wonder if they really destroyed a mall. Yes they did, but not completely, because the mall is still standing today. Like a ruin, it's been taken over by vegetation, a reminder of more prosperous times.


Image taken from this page.

The latest news involves a developer who unveiled plans to bring national retailers to the site in a $74 million project that could create 1,000+ jobs for residents, many out of work. The project would involve demolition of the vacant mall to make way for potential retailers Costco, Kohl's, Old Navy, and others.

More information and images at these links:

Dixie Square.com

Dead Malls.com

The Rise & Fall of Dixie Square Mall

The Center for Land Use Interpretation