Dixie Square Mall, Harvey,IL:
"The Center of South Suburbia"


All pictures taken or used with permission

Opened to the public on August 31st, 1966 and located at Dixie Highway and 154th Street in Harvey, the mall is located on the lot previously used by the Weseloh and Hendrich farms, then converted as a former golf course. It was one of the very first covered malls in Illinois. Before its closure, the building was renamed McKinley Middle and served as school. Students attended their courses there 'til Rosa L. Parks Elementary opens up. In 1979, the mall was officially closed in reason of shootings, serious crime rate and economic failure of Chicago south surburbia. This legendary shopping center was the movie location of the first-ever mall bashing car chase of all the history. The Blues Brothers began filming in the summer of 1979 and wrapped in the fall. Abandonned since 25 years, it is still standing up! The whole neighborhood is in bad shape and almost everyone (Burger King and Jack In The Box, per example) went out of business around there. The Town of Harvey is trying to bring the area back to life. A police station has been built on one of the former mall parking lot, but it continues to witness violence: two rapes and one murder occured in the mall in July 1993. However, in September 2004, YMCA has annonced its plans to build senior housing on a former JC Penney parking lot at 166 - 153rd Street. There's also rumors of some other projected developments. More recently, demolition crew have torn down the old Montgomery Wards store. Demolition activities have been suspended by the State of Illinois in reason of environnemental issues.

July 2009 - Site of 'The Blues Brothers' movie catches on fire:
(ChicagoBreakingNews.com),
(WBBM 780 AM),
(WLS - ABC 7)

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"Many of the stores at Dixie like JCPenney were located in Downtown Harvey before they moved to the mall. My mother used to work at JCPenney and she remembers being assured that JCPenney would not close. However, a wall was constructed in the front of the store's mall entrance and the handwriting on the wall became clear. In November 1978, that department store decided to close. JCPenney moved out in January 1979. The last retail tenant, Jewel Food Store, moved out in June 1979. Thus Dixie Square officially closed in 1979" - Kevin Martin, long term resident of Harvey, Social Studies teacher and history buff.


"This place has got everything!" - Jake Blues


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Dixie Square Mall - Now and Then:




Exterior

Interior



Grand Opening
Credit: "Harvey historic documents" website
Dixie Square Mall - 2006
Barraclou.com exclusive pictures:




Exterior (1)

Exterior (2)

Exterior (3)

Exterior (4)

Exterior (5)

Exterior (6)

Exterior (7)

Exterior (8)

Exterior (9)

Exterior (10)

Exterior (11)

Exterior (12)

Dixie Square Mall - 2004
Barraclou.com exclusive pictures:




Barraclou @ Dixie Mall (By "City Life")

JC Penney and Jewel Food Store (JC Penney, Jewel and TOYS'R'US, in the movie) (Outside view)

Mall entrance (Next to Montgomery Ward)

Walgreens Drugs and Liquors (TOYS'R'US, in the movie)

Mall "C-B" to the atrium

Central atrium plaza (Art and craft display, in the movie)

Harvest House Restaurant, Hickory Farms and the Mall "A-C" to Montgomery Ward

Thom McCann shoe store and hallway

Woolworth department store (Depasto Oldsmobile, in the movie)

Bombay Shops, Hardy Shoes and mall "B-A"

Montgomery Ward (near mall entrance)

Montgomery Ward (1)

Montgomery Ward (at large)

Montgomery Ward ("Thank you... Please come again..." sign)

Montgomery Ward (Door Controls Ad)

"The Blues Brothers" movie locations memorial at Barraclou.com



Rogers Jewellery
Credit: "Harvey historic documents" website
Dixie Square Mall - 1989
Mike Bargerhuff pictures:




Burt's Shoes

Hardy Shoes

Hickory Farms

Jewel Food Store - Exterior view

Mall (1)

Mall (2)

Lockers (1)

Lockers (2)

Roof (1)

Roof (2)

Key Hut

JC Penney - Escalator

JC Penney - Hats Departement

Pier One Imports (1)

Pier One Imports (2)

Pier One Imports (3)

TOYS R' US

Walgreens Drugs and Liquors



Historic Harvey pictures:




Harvey station

Harvey businesses - 1900

Harvey, 1900's

Harvey, 1902

Harvey, 1962



Dixie Harvest House
Credit: "Harvey historic documents" website



Links to valuable and interesting DSM websites:




Blue Brothers Central

Chuck's photo spot

DeadMalls.Com

DixieSquare.Com

DixieSquareMall.Com

Dixie Square Mall (Bargerhuff.com)

Eddie's Dixie Square Mall page

Forge22.com

Harvey historic documents

MallHistory.Com

Google Street View (Walk around the block from your computer!)

Neighborhood Profile

Pleasant Family Shopping

Satellite aerial view (1999) (Microsoft - TerraServerUSA)

What is the history of the Dixie Square Mall?



Wanted:

I would like to retreive any Dixie Square Mall's heyday and early decay pictures, advertissements, historical infos, etc...
Please, e-mail me at jpg.
Credit will be given to the author (if known).


Thanks to Mike Bergerhuff, Tim Hunter, Chuck Janda, Kevin Martin, Bill McInerney, Paul McVay and Scott A. Weseloh for their collaboration.

 

 

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