1960’s Dead Mall Tour | Golf Mill

1960’s Dead Mall Tour | Golf Mill - Niles, IL

Рет қаралды 22,790

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 98

@stevenflebbe 4 ай бұрын

When I was growing up in the 1960s, this was one of the shopping centers we went to. My brother and sister and I always had to stop to see the water wheel, and run back and forth across the bridges and watch the koi in the mill pond. Thank you for the memories.

@violetw2653 Жыл бұрын

The plants in this mall are amazing! I hope they all find good homes once the mall is closed.

@Frank00 Жыл бұрын

Any sympathy for the people who lost their jobs ?

@watershed44 Жыл бұрын

@@Frank00 I think it goes without saying. While those jobs didn't pay really well many of them did allow people to pay their bills and live without struggling constantly moving from temporary job to temporary job.

@francoamerican4632 Жыл бұрын

@Frank00 I feel bad for the people who lost their jobs but people are capable of finding new jobs. The mall plants will have to rely on people for relocation. Those are nice looking, mature plants and it would be a shame to see them become casualties of corporate greed.

@jamielissau8541 Жыл бұрын

I wish I could take some of their plants. I hope they rehomed too. Plants matter 🌱 🪴

@peterdelestrez8880 Жыл бұрын

Really feel bad. My allergy doctor was in that office building. Plus every year in grade school, my class went to the Mill Run Theater. So sad to see Sears gone.

@donnadecicco Жыл бұрын

My allergy doctor was in that building too. I shopped in the mall nearly 35 years, so sad

@paboy2727 Жыл бұрын

The malls built in the 60’s and 70’s always had a great style to them

@jayman4095 Жыл бұрын

I used to live in Des Plains and hang out at Golf Mill all the time (usually at fye) it's been almost 10 years since I've been there and my god wow what a sad sight to see it dwindle away... I still will forever miss getting my cup of Gloria Jeans coffee there.

@BoratWanksta Жыл бұрын

I think Gloria Jean's is still open to this day, or did it finally close? I'm amazed it survived(or is still surviving?) as long as it did, considering the Gloria Jean's at Stratford Square finally closed a year or 2 ago.

@culcune Жыл бұрын

As a kid growing up in the 70s in Chicago, I don't recall this shopping center as much as I recall the Old Orchard not too far away. We moved out of Chicago to L.A. in 1979, but visited relatives numerous times since, and the Old Orchard didn't disappoint in keeping it nostalgic. The last time was the summer of 2021 post-ish pandemic with my own kids, and it STILL looked familiar.

@richardhawkinson3020 Жыл бұрын

It is strange looking back. I'm old enough to remember when the advent of malls spelled the end of many downtown retail centers. Now, I've seen a new technology and concept put an end to many malls.

@PremiumFuelOnly Жыл бұрын

Everything has a life cycle.

@richardhawkinson3020 Жыл бұрын

@@PremiumFuelOnly Isn't that the truth. The older I get the more apparent that becomes. I think that applies to me as well!

@NicholasShade-eq1ts 11 ай бұрын

The music sounds really good. 😊 I love Dead Malls 🤎

@QuietExp 11 ай бұрын

Thank you :)

@JoePCool14 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for doing this. I remember going to this mall in the 2000s decade for Christmas photos at JCP. Also went to the theater and remember having Sbarro pizza back when the food court was larger. If they haven't started demo yet, I might have to stop by for myself. While I didn't go here often, I still have some memories of it!

@doctortimetv1577 Жыл бұрын

what a great mall. i hate seeing great buildings like this demolished. i hope it gets stopped so people can continue to enjoy this cool mall shopping and spending time together in a cool place

@QuietExp Жыл бұрын

Same here, I wish they would at least repurpose these buildings so we could still visit. A mall hotel would be awesome

@Larry Жыл бұрын

I do love the look of '60s malls, I wish some kept their original asthetics, just for the retro/nostalgia vibe. themed metro malls, I'm calling it now!!!

@jeanniebonds5358 Жыл бұрын

So sad what's happening to malls in America!!😔😔💔💔

@vrj40 Жыл бұрын

The majority of industries left America for cheap labor overseas and so many other remaining industries are automated to death. What once took hundreds of employees to run can now "run" with probably 50 employees or less. And the human element has been erased out of almost everything so much so that even restaurants that only pay workers $2 per hour is even trying to eliminate them by getting customers to place their own orders on PC tablets instead of using a waiter or waitress. So if the majority of Americans no longer have jobs that pay living wages, how can the afford to shop at a mall? And all of this was intentionally done by the majority of our politicians being bought off by corporations and no longer working for average Americans who put them in office. So now they've gone so extreme in middle class job elimination that it's starting to backfire as even Dollar stores are seeing declines in sales.

@ghostproductionsmalls Жыл бұрын

You are right man it sucks big time 😔😔

@ek6919 Жыл бұрын

Very sad I agree.

@christinelopez163 Жыл бұрын

I grew up in that mall. I remember when Santa's House would open up by the Water Wheel. I went every year as a child. Once I grew up, I loved going there to window shop. I will miss the way it used to be 😢

@QuietExp Жыл бұрын

They’re supposed to bring back a new water wheel when they redevelop the site, it’s interesting how they’re bringing it back to a similar outdoor concept like it once was

@jamielissau8541 Жыл бұрын

Lots of memories there as a kid and teenager of the 80s/90s. I had to look up this mall it just crossed my mind. I have been living in Colorado for 23 years so haven’t seen it in all that time. Sad to see it go!

@wheretheheckarethealbans Жыл бұрын

I remember this being. an outdoor mall and then when they enclosed it. Now it's going to be an outdoor mall again. LOL! I know you said you were nervous because of security, but I wish you would have went down the wing to where the movie theater is. Oh well. Great job on this. I had a lot of great times at this mall. They used to have the best Video Arcade over by the JC Penny's. 👍☮

@Mallaien 7 ай бұрын

I worked at Lakehurst Mall, that used to be in Waukegan. I worked at Gurnee Mills on opening night. I remember seeing the Golf Mill cylindrical building, but never went to that mall. I have been to the Hawthorne Mall in Vernon Hills, Woodfield Mall, and Water Tower Place. A few Malls I have been to outside of Illinois; Mall of America, and a few other "Mills" malls on the east and west costs.

@LauraGeralynKline Жыл бұрын

💙🔥💙Thank you so much for posting. I used to go Christmas🎄Shopping at Golf Mill with my mom and dad as a child. Sears was excitedly always the first store we hit. Good memories. I still go to the mall to see a movie at AMC now and then. Harlem Irving Plaza in Norridge is a mall doing exceptionally well with recent additions to it. Its another place that was originally built in 1956 as an outdoor strip mall and now its a two level indoor. Its lovely there too.

@kathleenpignatari5306 5 ай бұрын

Same here, such fond memories shopping with my mom and dad at Golf Mill on Saturdays and going to the Harlem Irving Plaza with my friends-I lived close to ‘The HIP’ (Harlem Irving plaza). I was born and raised in Chicago and damn proud of it!!!!!!!!!!! Then end of an era-makes me so painfully sad 😞.

@GetFitEatRight 3 ай бұрын

You walk through the dead mall and all I see is that Gloria Jean that's been there since the 80s. I see Aunt Anns, Gamestop / Funkeland, The toy store with so many different names, All the stores I did IT work for. The back halls my brother used to skate around in. Lots of memories. I took this same walk with some friends in the spring and it kind of hurt. They live right behind the mall.

@SalAvenue Жыл бұрын

Great vid! Really liked the non renovated side especially the light fixture and ceiling lights. 👍👍

@tinypanther Жыл бұрын

My dad used to work in the office building in the 1970s. This area hold a lot of nostalgia for me.

@jeanniebonds5358 Жыл бұрын

You did a phenomenal job on this video thank you I truly do appreciate it

@susanrolls2211 Жыл бұрын

Americans have less disposable income. Plus inflation, coupled with online ordering. This in an era of the past. Sad to see this decline! Thanks for video.

@Galidorquest Жыл бұрын

Exactly. Advancement in technology and many people are struggling financially. The Covid 19 scare was the final nail in the coffin.

@DyingRetail Жыл бұрын

Nice video. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with next.

@historiclift27 Жыл бұрын

I count myself lucky that malls around me are doing quite well. In the Texas heat and humidity malls are still a main social hub. Several near me are even older malls. One dating back to the 1980’s still has a working neon glass block elevator. And every weekend there are so many people you can hardly walk. Another has a River that comes up to it with shops and restaurants along it. And the other has some amazing original features from 80’s and 90’s as well. Every time I see these vids I like to go to my malls and think at least for now thank goodness mine still are bustling and full of life. Some are down an anchor ( Sears ) but for now are still very busy.

@GACOMO7660007 Жыл бұрын

This particular Mall's demise has certainly been accelerated by poor decisions and lousy management, which I suspect are behind it. To chop the mall in two, by blocking access from both north and south sides, when a hallway could have easily been set up where Sears used to be, but no, "Let's choke this thing up and kill it!" seems to have been the plan, probably to write it up as a loss at tax time. Very suspicious!

@jameslebeau7078 Жыл бұрын

Not nearly as dead as Stratford Square, but still awesome

@doughy041 Жыл бұрын

Also I kept on thinking that putting a store as the only way to get to the other side was very odd as it's closing would impair the mall completely.

@FatherMcKenzie66 Жыл бұрын

there is some life still! i’m glad to see it still alive

@mattheww1472 Жыл бұрын

Great video! Really interesting, too. I'm not from the midwest so I had never heard of this spot until now. Good captions -- and I really liked when you mixed the music with the video's sound. Maybe look for a little more variety of the same kind of chill music? Can't wait to see where you go!

@jimbartel2576 Жыл бұрын

Really Cool Mid-Century Modern Mall, spring break 2023 I walked through, I have no life. If the Cubs wins you get a free Chick Fila sandwich, also I have the Panera coffee plan. The Panera and Chick Fila are both out parcels, but I did walk through the mall. This is a cool place hope that it stays around, redevelop, but still mid-century modern.

@doughy041 Жыл бұрын

I remember this as Golf Mill Shopping Center with Sears at one end, JCPenneys at the other and the rest being open air shopping. I watched them enclose the mall and now to unenclose the mall. What comes around goes around.

@nole8923 Жыл бұрын

Sad story about Sears. A couple of bad CEOs did this to the company. Board of directors making bad decisions with their CEOs. As for why malls are dying I can only give my reasons for why I don’t go to malls. 1. They are too far away and a pain to get to. 2. I work from home so clothing and fashion isn’t a priority. 3. Malls don’t sell what I want to buy. I’m 6’5 and they don’t sell clothes and shoes that fit me. Malls need specialty stores for people who are bigger like me and there are a lot of people like me. 4. Malls usually don’t have hardware stores in them since home improvement/repair is where I spend my money for non grocery items. So I guess changing customer preferences on what they purchase and malls not adjusting to this might be a factor.

@jeffjay2323 Жыл бұрын

i am pushing 60 and grew up in niles. Spent many weekends at the mall, even back when it was open air and it had the water wheel. its sad to see it now.

@kathleenpignatari5306 5 ай бұрын

I always remember it being open air just like Old Orchard mall-those were the days…….so 😢

@mrjsanchez1 Жыл бұрын

I have been to a few Malls lately, there were plenty of people walking around, but too many closed shops, it is like people want to get out of the house and do something post pandemic, but many of the retailers did not survive . I think malls will comeback one day, or be reinvented.

@fionaterry-chandler8056 Жыл бұрын

Nice video. TFS

@waltertomaszewski1083 Жыл бұрын

Sears used to sign 99-year leases with malls,….

@oldtechie6834 Жыл бұрын

I had 25 year roof shingles installed by Sears but the shingles lasted 12 years only.

@rogervondrasek5677 Жыл бұрын

The Sears stores in Nebraska were attached to the malls but were not owned by the mall. Mall gift certificates were not accepted at Sears and they didn't participate in mall promotions. They claimed the malls depended on their presence to be successful.

@hiker64 Жыл бұрын

Compared to many malls, there are still a lot of tenants here - Many die a very slow, decaying death until they are razed.

@moewuffer Жыл бұрын

I drive past this mall all the time! I’ve been there a couple times only though.

@gobbletegook 10 ай бұрын

To this day I cannot believe how SEARS ran itself into the ground. Biggest retailer in the US at one point, with 350,000 employees

@randomexploring541 Жыл бұрын

This mall is in way better shape than a lot of other dead malls. Why don’t they start with those. Haha. It’s so strange.