Abandoned - Dixie Square Mall

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Today, I'm diving deep into a fascinating and infamous mall located in the suburbs of Chicago. It was once a lavish, modern shopping showcase following the first malls in America. By all accounts, it should have succeeded and for its first few years, it did! However crime and population shifts plagued the mall over the next few years and heinous events occurred far too regularly. After just 12 years, Dixie Square Mall closed for good, bringing a much different legacy for the property. Blues Brothers was filmed there, yet afterwords was left to decay and that's how it sat for the proceeding 30+ years...
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Thumbnail & Some Photos From This Video
Credit - jonrev
www.jonrev.com
Twitter - @jonrevProjects
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BrightSunFilms 2021
Presented in 4K

[@robswystun2766]

"A spectacular showcase of failure and decay." Gonna start using this in my personal bio.

[@phoenix5054]

Aw. Hold yourself together bro. There’s hope for the future.

[@everyhandletaken]

👌🏻

[@RockyFoxxowo]

Hey now, I'm sure it'll get better for ya

[@Dr170]

Well, at least achieving "spectacular" failure is more than your average Danny Depresso can lay claim to.

[@Hitman23NYY]

Kind of reminds me of “A wretched hive of scum and villainy.”

[@brehndun]

malls being abandoned is so interesting to me, because it always seemed like these retail giants seemed almost too big to fail

[@fawh7]

That's what they said about Lehman Brothers and the Titanic

[@Ben-bb7mi]

This mall was so poorly thought out that it failed during the golden age of malls

[@andymanaus1077]

@@Ben-bb7mi They could not have predicted the departure of major job providers in the area and the unexpected urban decay that resulted.

[@RK-zf1jm]

Malls being abandonded is facinating to me as a Brit we dont have abandoned anything really when an area gets run down or companies go bust its either levelled and turned into flats or redeveloped. So the fact that in some cases some of these American made buildings are falling apart months after being abandoned is really interesting, one of the hotels jake looked at looked like it had been closed for decades and it had been 4 years amazing.

[@dx.feelgood5825]

@@RK-zf1jm it's sad really. Interesting, but sad how we have so many

[@JP-ee8ni]

I was a meter reader for the electric utility company back in 1976 to 1980 and used to have to walk through the mall by myself. The security guard would open the doors to let me in but refused to accompany me through the mall, afraid of the homeless and others he knew might be in there. And he was an armed guard! Anyway, it was very unsettling but bizarre to walk through there alone looking at all the skid marks and damage done by the Blues Brothers movie. They left it exactly like it was after they finished filming. Thanks for this great video and bringing back some crazy memories.

[@austinalmanza7394]

I would be too scared! You are brave.

[@nicoledickson6099]

Brave!

[@kevinloving3141]

Sounds more like a "security"guard who couldn't be bothered to do his job.

[@renroxhrd]

How old are you?

[@joanna7350]

the chicken shit security guard should have been fired. kind of defeats the purpose of his job if he refused to go with you.

[@taylorp535]

As someone who lives in IL, I asked my grandpa if he remembered this mall BEFORE the Blues Brothers. He said “oh yeah, that mall was popular back then, but it became so unsafe, that it lost that popularity. It was on the news constantly and when it closed, no one was shocked.” He watched this video with me and really enjoyed it because it shows IL back in the day.

[@cwshawk]

Illinois is representative by a corporate-owned, profit-driven shopping mall? That’s pretty screwed up thinking.

[@alanrobledo1573]

This story is straight out Insane. Especially how John went to his contractors.

[@LKOnyx]

Dude walked in thinking he was Denzel Washington in Training Day

[@alexgrashorn2242]

“I’m going to get you”

[@bobbbobb4663]

I get the impression that his actions are typical of doing business in Illinois.

[@qpol]

@@alexgrashorn2242 “oh no i’ve been arrested”

[@dontmesswiththeman]

@@bobbbobb4663 just Chicago.

[@Tsumami__]

Small correction : Kim was killed by three girls, not three boys.

[@BrightSunFilms]

You’re absolutely right, my mistake.

[@ThatBulgarian]

finally, the recognition women deserve :)

[@andymanaus1077]

@@ThatBulgarian Sugar and spice and all things nice...

[@henriklarssen1331]

Is there more to this Case? Sounds pretty sad and brutal for 3 Teenagers to kill a random 13 year old?!

[@fixinah]

Name and shame.

[@colbystearns5066]

It's fascinating how this mall was abandoned around the same time that a lot of the abandoned malls you've talked about before were first opened to the public, so this mall was further along in its state of decay even more so than a lot of other famous abandoned malls.

[@urbaxvibes]

👏🏼

[@austindoran9746]

Crazy how mall closures were so uncommon back in the day but so common now, wish I coulda experienced what they were like in their prime. Great vid as always!

[@theshapeexists]

I used to spend my whole weekend at the mall. Playing games at arcades, hanging with friends, going to the theater for a movie, meeting girls. Super fun times.

[@colewebb1425]

hi Austen Doran I remember my time's at the mall I had three different mall's to go to it was a place to hang out all the shop's the store's all the different food place at the different mall's at the time you had haft a dozen different places to eat in the mall's plus there was arcade games places it was real good time's with my friend's but time's change Wall Mart (i call Wall Mart weird Mart because the cast of thousands you can find in them some real weird people) and Target Kohls and other big box stores that had more a lower cost America start started to live and shop differently moving out of the old nabor Hoods well nothing for ever you just injoy it while it lasts well have good night Austin Doran :-)

[@marcoamazo]

Yeah for me there was a mall near me that was recently torn down due to financial reasons that I honestly loved going to and would go there with my mother from time to time

[@daniman0114]

Honestly I can’t relate, to the closures part, I live in a small Central American country so we don’t really have mall closures because we only have a few true malls in total. So from age 5 to age 20 I’ve always been close to the malls. They’re cool but they’ve kinda overstayed their welcome, at least for me.

[@austindoran9746]

@@colewebb1425 cool story! Luckily my local mall is still doing well so I’ll make the most of it

[@kuceracm]

My mom actually got her first credit account at the JCPenneys at this exact mall. Our family used to shop there before the crime in the area got too bad. The mall shut down about 4 years before I was born though. Anyone who knows anything about dead malls and urban exploration knows about Dixie Square. It's probably still the most infamous abandoned location in the world, even though it's no longer standing.

[@kimberlyx4060]

Dixie Square Mall got me hooked on abandon malls. Then it was Lincoln Mall. I’ve been to both while they were open. I just wished cleaner videos are available on Dixie Square Mall. Even Woodmar in Hammond Indiana.

[@FlatBroke612]

“Before the crime in the area got too bad”. That’s racist, the are only became more “urban” or “vibrant”.

[@kynlary]

@@kimberlyx4060 for me it was cincinnati mills

[@ovvenn.]

@@FlatBroke612 how is that racist lol

[@tonyvreal]

My Grandfather was actually the General Manager that opened that JCPennys!

[@gkft]

Dixie Square mall is in my opinion THE "dead mall" and the genesis of the dead mall subculture. I in the mid 00's I obsessed over it and scoured the internet for images and videos of the site, and came SO close to getting to see it in person in 2008 but time constrictions did not allow, and it was demolished not long after. I wish it was still around.

[@bittertriumph2045]

It was once known as the "Deadest Mall in America."

[@johng5710]

It was a dead mall before dead malls were a thing

[@richardcline1337]

@@bittertriumph2045 Just look at the surrounding neighborhood...it never had a chance once that started.

[@urbaxvibes]

😱

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

Same Here

[@satyendrandonibanerjee8682]

Jake has now completed his mall trilogy ! Rolling Acres, Randall Park, and now Dixie Square !

[@satyendrandonibanerjee8682]

@@riley8280 he's got to do Owings Mills as well !

[@staringcorgi6475]

Fredrick and century 3 mall

[@satyendrandonibanerjee8682]

@@staringcorgi6475 That's what I call the secondary Mall trilogy, which should be completed with his Owings Mills video, should he ever make one. Randall Park, Rolling Acres and Dixie Square are what I believe the top tier of abandoned malls.

[@MaxHocket19]

He should do Greenspoint Mall, it’s basically abandoned

[@andrewkuder4159]

Honestly, it seems like the property is just cursed at this point

[@Crackrzz]

Yeah that is exactly what I was thinking. Indigenous burial ground or something, perhaps?

[@johng5710]

No...it's Harvey, IL...that's all you need to know

[@Malignus68]

That's one way to put it.

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

I bet Christine is parked somewhere inside there too

[@Crackrzz]

@@isaacsrandomvideos667 lol well the whole thing is torn down now.

[@VGHSyntheticOrchestra]

The funny thing about strip malls: it all started with them, and because of the shifting demands of the consumer, it seems they are the future as well. Enclosed malls seem to be the world's longest fad that is dying an extremely slow death. The only malls that seem to survive are the ones that stay up to date aesthetically (no matter how boring that may look) and happen to be in growing or well developed areas.

[@arthurmezacasa1021]

This is a very interesting subject for me, since I live in Brazil, and most shopping centers (as we call malls here) seem to be doing fine. In places where streets are considered un-safe and are ugly and uninviting for people to shop (as most streets are in brazilian cities), shopping centers are a safe and nice option. Most of the large properties are owned by a few very rich businesses across the country and are located in bigger cities. In more suburban places malls do struggle, but most of the time they fail since their very inception.

[@junrosamura645]

The strip mall kinda lives on in Japan. Due to lack of space, it's easy to put a lot of flagship stores under one roof. Even outside big cities, you'll still find malls out in the country as a place to socialize and shop.

[@MunchieTheGnome]

Oversaturation was also a huge problem. I moved to richardson tx (a suburb of dallas) in 1998, in a 25 mile radius there were 7 malls. today only 2 remain, Northpark and the Galleria, both on the upscale side.

[@videodistro]

That was not a strip mall. A strip mall is different. Strip mall refers to numerous stores along one front, usually off a main road.

[@Blakbox92]

It's not as if all malls globally are doing badly, or even all malls in America. In the US, malls face a lot of problems - bad transportation infrastructure, making it harder and more time consuming to get to malls, which are usually built far away from residential areas or other amenities - over-expansive development, no eye for density or walkability - over saturation, massive malls built in areas that can't support the mall long term Fortunately the decline of malls in many places is an opportunity for fascinating new mixed use developments in the future.

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

The legend of all Dead Malls This is was first Dead Mall I ever researched on KZbin The Mall is open But No One Is Shopping Dixie Square

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

Love your username :) What a classic but that opening song is iconic.

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

@@BewareTheLilyOfTheValleyThank You

[@Tina-ts9wv]

Been rewatching code lyoko these days. What a throwback

[@RQBtv]

You forgot to mention that in 1975, Dixie Square underwent an extensive battery of renovations (the result is that metal archway seen in the Blues Brothers screenshot, the triangular blockades in the middle of some aisles, as well as the blue paintjob seen on storefronts) and tried rebranding themselves with a somewhat modern look as Dixie Mall. This inevitably helped exhaust their financial resources, contributing to the mall's closure two and a half years later.

[@zetametallic]

Also, that the closing down sales were referred to as "Dixie's last gasp". I'm from the UK and have not visited the US as yet but these videos bring it to life. 😉

[@girlscanbedrummers5804]

Also to note, when they expanded with another block in conjunction with the new turnstyle store, they used poor quality building materials so that part also probably helped a lot in the decay.

[@RQBtv]

@@girlscanbedrummers5804 Oh yeah they cut corners on that addition in about every way imaginable, which really gives you an insight as to how much either they were hemorrhaging money or just didn't care. I believe that wing was also the part that suffered the most amount of structural fault over the years as well as containing the most amount of asbestos-laden building materials.

[@igotthatgoinforme9182]

I grew up not very far from Harvey. Every time we would drive through it my dad would say "look its beautiful downtown Harvey" then one of us would add "except they forgot the beautiful part". The whole south side suffered greatly from the 70s and everyone fleeing farther south or west of the immediate suburbs around Chicago. It is like a bunch of mini Detroits all around the south side. They lost their industry and mainly people so too many abandoned buildings and massive loss of tax base meant the cities couldn't offer the same services any more to the people who lived there.

[@NewPaulActs17]

living by elgin and growing up in elmhurst, i've forever been confused as to why wealthy suburbs are located far away from indiana and i-80. it's like i-55 is a money border

[@igotthatgoinforme9182]

@@NewPaulActs17 that all goes back to the 70s and most of the middle class who built all those post ww2 suburbs left in droves to go a little more west and north. Also most of the good employment for the south side areas had to do with steel or cars. Once the oil embargoes and cheaper foreign steel came in around the 70s time frame the towns lost huge tax revenues. So the schools, roads, and all other basic services suffered.

[@robertorosas845]

Agreed

[@wrathofatlantis2316]

"Fleeing" precisely what, would you think? Oh right, bad economics. Mh-hm.

[@mnoliberal7335]

I was born & lived in Harvey, a block from the golf course when in elementary school and I could see our house on the overhead video. The course was sold for the Dixie Square development just before my folks white-flighted us out of there. I've followed the Dixie Square saga ever since The Blues Brothers came out. The ruined apartment buildings nearby were being built around 1960 when we lived there and Harvey was a clean & safe, working class suburb.

[@tktru]

IDK if you’re ever coming to Southern California, but you should cover the CLA Building at Cal Poly Pomona. The iconic building, which is less than 30 years old, has been abandoned for quite some time now, and is set to be demolished because of it being on a fault line among several other problems. They say it was built as a vanity project for a former university president.

[@whiteglovian]

socal is full of dead malls, i used to explore them as a young teen before they were abandoned completely

[@sergeipohkerova7211]

The elevators are also really slow and the classrooms are poorly ventilated. The lower offices of the building where the cash office is is okay, but the spire is trash.

[@OasisMusicOfficial]

Hi! I am a student at Cal Poly Pomona and according to many academic counselors, teachers, and alumni, the building has been consistently rumored to either be demolished or open up again. It is unknown what the future of the building may be, but it still stands today unused. I would really love if he covered this building since it is still featured as the icon of Cal Poly.

[@Mohound]

Another thing that I remember when going to Cal Poly Pomona was the fact that the building was suppose to be pointed to the port of LA because it is the port of commerce but it was not built in the correct direction.

[@shizz812]

KALIFORNIAN HERE COMMENT

[@AsherSchmutz129]

“There’s pants and burgers!” “Yeah, lots of space in this mall!”

[@robbicu]

New Oldsmobiles are out early this year!

[@Dr170]

Do you have a Miss Piggy?

[@charliesperformance1510]

Discos Pants and Haircuts

[@Golbez1991]

Pier 1 Imports. This mall has everything.

[@bigburgerboi2005]

🍔🍔🍔

[@RoundSeal]

It always boggles me that big, abandoned places like this aren't somehow nested up and made safe for living in, giving people who desperately need access to cheap housing more options. I live around the corner from a truly putrid building built during a bubble in Ireland, that had sat empty for well over a decade. Considering the housing crisis we have going on, it's nasty that places like these aren't actually put to some good.

[@snappylobster3118]

It doesn't make people any money so they won't do it. The middle school I went to was a historic building aka was too small and cramped for a modern school. The town built another school and sold that building to a developer who turned it into luxury apartments. $3000 a month for a 1 bedroom in a town of 35,000 people, two hours drive from the nearest coast or city???? It's a 15 minute drive away from the nearest trailer park. Fucking ridiculous.

[@DanielRichards644]

well who exactly is gonna spend the money to make cheap housing? They won't make any money off that. Also just an FYI, most "homeless" people are homeless because they are drug addicts or have other mental issues, they don't actually want to live in a home because of these issues.

[@NewPaulActs17]

@@DanielRichards644 way to oversimplify a societal failure. why is "homeless" in quotes? everyone deserves proper shelter.

[@DanielRichards644]

@@NewPaulActs17 Well I had a reply but commietube deleted it to make youtube a safe space, so screw it, i'm done, EVRYTHING WOKE TURNS TO SHIT, FUCK KZbin

[@NewPaulActs17]

@@DanielRichards644 then perhaps delete your google accounts?

[@karenelizabeth1590]

The first time I heard about the "Dead Malls" thing was when I read about Dixie Square from a Blues Brothers fan site, back when Dead Malls were mostly covered by photo blogs and websites and dead malls were a curiosity and not an epidemic. For years Blues Bros fans with Bluesmobiles would go there to re-enact the mall scene! Sometimes the cops would catch them just by seeing these distinctive cars driving towards it.

[@BethelAbba]

I'VE BEEN THERE!!!!! I used to shop there way back in my teens. I'd forgotten all about this place, but I can remember a really cool record store I used to go to in that mall. Sad how time has taken it's toll on this mall.... and my health.

[@mats7492]

There's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark out, and we're wearing sunglasses.

[@tarajones9675]

"Hit it!"

[@f.michaelbremer-cruz2708]

The Dixie Square Mall rise, fall and decay is a stark reminder of how temporal modern life can be, on a very modest scale. The one commonality to BSF's videos are a stark reminder of how buildings thrive when people inhabit them...and how they die after people abandon them.

[@jorge.figueroa1]

"Anything else?" "Yes, do you have a Miss Piggy?"

[@LiamP-597]

*CRASH* _"I Can't Turn You Loose" starts playing_

[@bobross4449]

Pants and Burgers Yeah lots of space in this mall

[@johng5710]

"Pier One Imports" "This mall has everything!"

[@julosx]

"OH MY GOD JACKIE !!!"

[@macmedic892]

“The new Oldsmobiles are in early this year!”

[@Ben-bb7mi]

disco pants and haircuts

[@AsherSchmutz129]

yeah

[@fluffy_preacher]

Baby clothes this place has everything

[@TeardropSidemarker]

‘Pier 1 Imports’

[@msabccbscnnoanfoxnews]

All two models?!?

[@Iceify_]

As soon as he said, “It was built outside Chicago in Harvey Illinois” I knew what exactly happened to this mall.

[@vcvcf1896]

Lol Golf Mill & Stratford Square are next.

[@vcvcf1896]

I really wanna see him do a video of Lakehurst Mall and what Randhurst Village used to be.

[@AssassinDevil34]

@@vcvcf1896 yea they are I use to live by golf mill I remember when going to the mall and toy r us was popular there and that mall of also popular back in the 2000s now that area is a sell of its fomerself CICI pizza and toy r us I miss that places of all those area

[@AssassinDevil34]

@@vcvcf1896 yea I remember going to the old randurst amc for movies growing that was next to stake n shake where the pet smart is now the inner part of it is slowly dieing as different stores pulled out and that outdoor mall is like 5-10 minutes from my parents house and their closest amc is there

[@donnakubiski5572]

I still live down the road from Golf Mill and worked at the Sears store there from 2001 to 2014. Right now it has more storefronts closed than open. I really don't know how it is surviving.

[@after-worknetwork6095]

Bright Sun Films, gotta say congrats! I remember finding you back in 2016 and you've kept leveling up in content and production value. It amazes me how you're able to find these structures and share their stories so thoroughly yet concisely. Here's to many more well made videos! Cheers

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you so much! Cheers!

[@kathryncoffey8961]

Wow, that's just insane! I never realized such a mall could have that much crazy history about it. Great vid as per usual, Jake!

[@wii8]

how is this comment 6 days ago

[@fawh7]

@@wii8 If you buy in to Jake's subscription service (it keeps blocking my comment) you can get episodes early.

[@nickrustyson8124]

It's funny this Mall was abannoned before the Big Mall Boom of the late 70s and early 80s

[@NewPaulActs17]

the economy wrote it off as a one-off, and not a harbinger . weird to see malls designed and built in the 21st century- a few shown as "abandoned" on the channel, as the lesson wasn't learned

[@danplaysyt5893]

I know that I keep suggesting this, but Fall River's New Harbour Mall has a long story of being opened up, almost dying, spiking back up in popularity, and then closing to be redeveloped.

[@RedWhaley14]

Yeah the New Harbour Mall has a very interesting history to look at, it was an almost depressing place in it’s final years. You also have the Swansea Mall nearby with a big history of decay and an obvious downfall. Kind of unfortunate how both malls fell but both have brighter futures now that they’re in new hands, with the new development on the area actually bringing in visitors and with the Swansea Mall being redone as well.

[@b4804514]

@@RedWhaley14 What about Silver CIty in Taunton? 1.2 million sqft. built in 1992. Torn down last year. Valued at 200million sold for 7 million. This was an A mall not like the others.

[@evanmcmaster3900]

Fall River is one of those towns in Mass that is half nice half dangerous I think that's why the mall can't stay on its feet. They have an awful opiod problem down there too.

[@thomaslovely6525]

Dartmouth mall is pretty ratchet too. Used to go there when i went to umass

[@P_araps]

oh my god i live really close to where that mall was,, i'm surprised it was so infamous,, tho i did hear the area it was in had/has a sorta bad reputation

[@indygamertag829]

You really should look into “Twin Peaks Mall” in Longmont Colorado!! Mall was nearly, if not completely abandoned by late 2000s, early 2010s. I remember running around in the gutted sears! Now it’s been rebuilt and is an outdoor mall.

[@jacobfleming565]

That place was so gross

[@DanielGarcia1980]

@@jacobfleming565 Yes, even in its heyday, the 80's thru early 2000's, Twin Peaks was NOT a desirable place to shop.

[@DanielGarcia1980]

Now Westminster Mall was a fascinating mall. Renovated as early as 2004, at which point it still had every department store except Wards, yet it was shuttered in 2012 right after Christmas 2011. I took my kids to see Santa at Westy for the last time in 2011... the were 3 of like 6 kids when we went.

[@NotDaender]

I remember reading something in Hot Rod Magazine back in the 2000s that Universal left a wrecked cop car inside the mall after filming concluded, along with all the other destruction, lol.

[@toddprater14]

Yeah,just like the movie company left the damaged trains from “The Fugitive” next to the rail line,just sitting there ..

[@richardcline1337]

Bet that car was stripped to the bare frame in just hours after they left it there.

[@dysequilibrium]

5:49 when that building changed from grayscale to colour, it gave me chills. little things like this really enhance the storytelling on your videos

[@bigjaquatics]

When I hear that intro I just know Jake is about to tell us some cool… he makes history awesome I would love a Signed copy of the New Orleans video that would be awesome

[@andymanaus1077]

Sounds like an awesome merchandise opportunity for Jake. Although DVDs are, themselves, almost abandoned these days.

[@bigjaquatics]

I would pay for one ASAP

[@apolloadamos8771]

He basically reads Wikipedia entries and adds his annoying little voice affectations to try to sound like he’s competent. Lazy content.

[@egill624]

@@apolloadamos8771 your mom is lazy content

[@sabrinashelton1997]

@@apolloadamos8771 pretty much, yeah.

[@phil_matic]

I wasn't alive in the 80s, but I know malls were quite the place to be. Still, Malls in the 90s and early 2000s were an amazing place to be, with so much life. I will never forget them.

[@elultimo102]

I watched this because I once actually went to that mall, when it was already on the decline. There was a coin-op laundry at the time. That seemed a strange type of business for a mall. Harvey always seemed to be a scary place, and not somewhere you wanted to be. Even in my youth, the location of a mall there made no sense to me. My only connection to that town was that it was the location of Local (draft) Board 112, where in '67, I had to previously register for LBJ's Viet Nam war. (They didn't have the convenient post office registration back then).

[@adamtrombino106]

My mom frequented that mall up until about 74. By that time it and the city of Harvey was going riches to rags and she no longer felt safe being there, even though it was just a few miles from Blue Island. During 75-76, the mall underwent a massive overhaul, but by then most people were staying away. She could go to OakLawn or Chicago Ridge and it was much safer.

[@ocotillo8291]

I used to go by this place and I remember seeing how many attempts were made to tear it down. It is named because it is right off Dixie highway. Just about the only employers left in the are are Illinois Central and Ingalls. It's a shame too because Harvey was such a beautiful town in the past. It went the same way that Chicago Heights and Ford Heights did.

[@NewPaulActs17]

i've driven through ford heights a couple times in the past year to visit my friend in lynnwood- seriously wtf happened? area looks like a bomb went off, but decades ago

[@vabeachkevin]

Looks like the perfect space for an Amazon distribution center.

[@RK-zf1jm]

what next to set of slums with a population so desperate for work they work for 60 cents an hour and be willing to piss in a bottle to keep their job ? Amazon would love it not so sure it would be good for the area.

[@Adeadoornail7226]

@@RK-zf1jm lol 60 cents an hour what???? I work for Amazon this is not true.

[@pacmancdi]

@@Adeadoornail7226 my girlfriend works driving for them and it's not that bad. Maybe it's just the one she works for though

[@Karmy.]

@@pacmancdi I make 16 bucks an hour at Amazon

[@pacmancdi]

@@Karmy. she does too. Plus they pretty much let her work as much overtime as she wants. Not a bad gig really. I work for a smaller regional company with a better reputation and get treated about 100x worse

[@Viper-rf7qu]

Today: Dixie Square Mall is a plot of dirt and weeds Tomorrow: Amazon walks in “allow me to introduce myself”

[@UnhungHero]

Dixie Highway runs near there, likely the inspiration for the name

[@richardcline1337]

Viper 8991, if Amazon is smart they'll stay as far away from that area as they can get. Their theft rate would go through the freakin' roof!

[@avonee1976]

Jake, thank you so much for finally telling Dixie’s story! I went to grade school in Harvey, plus I roller skate down the street from the site of Dixie Square. It’s a notorious abandoned mall for south suburbanites like me!

[@blueroses918]

This mall always fascinated and scared me a bit. There's this extremely weird vibe to it that I can't really shake off. The first time I heard about this mall was an accidental click on a KZbin channel that covers this mall and he panned over this one part of the mall so fast, the comment section kept asking what's up with the fast pan. He hasn't responded to the comments tho.

[@jonrev]

Gonna need more details, here...

[@blueroses918]

@@jonrev Holy shit, I've watched all of your Dixie Square Mall videos back four years ago or so. But I don't remember on top of my head but there was a part where the person who was recording a part of the mall suddenly zoomed past a part of the mall and people commented the time stamp and never got an answer to why it was zoomed past. I'm pretty sure there is an answer but like I've mentioned before, I've last seen it four years ago. Idk if it's your video or if it's another channel's video.

[@jonrev]

@@blueroses918 Hmm, if you remember I might might have an answer -- whether it was mine or someone else's.

[@blueroses918]

@@jonrev I'll look into your videos again and lyk if that's fine with you?

[@blueroses918]

@@jonrev okay so I believe the video was Dixie square mall 1/11/2009. It's the part where towards the end of the video you're showing the fitting rooms and just quickly backed out of them. Now that I've watched it again, it just seems now that you were showing them as quickly as possible, nothing scary.

[@aaronlockhart9491]

Dixie Square Mall was probably one of the most infamous abandoned spots showcased on the internet at one time, right up there with the Detroit train station... I remember reading about this place when I was 14 and now at 31 they're still making documentaries about it...

[@mr3urious]

Being from Phoenix, might I suggest Scottsdale's Los Arcos Mall as a potential future Abandoned episode? Also, from what I've heard, other malls got the idea to have Toys R Us as an anchor store (or at least an outparcel) after the popularity of Blues Brothers, despite them never being one before.

[@andymanaus1077]

Toys R Us's Australian subsidiary went broke a few years back, shutting down their entire Australian network, dozens of stores and thousands of jobs, overnight. Not before they put almost every other toy store out of business though.

[@star_is_a_potato]

@@andymanaus1077 They've been slowly coming back though haven't they? Just under a different name. I feel like I've seen some popping back up over the past few years

[@andymanaus1077]

@@star_is_a_potato You might be thinking about Toyworld which was in direct competition with Toys R Us. They were getting hammered until Toys R Us went belly-up.

[@EmberMoonprincess92]

Metro center too would be cool to see

[@mr3urious]

@@EmberMoonprincess92 Sad to hear that it and Paradise Valley Mall closed recently. I now live in Tucson, so I just discovered this news. Los Arcos would probably be more interesting because of all the controversies and arguments surrounding its future plans before its eventual development into ASU's SkySong complex.

[@ScareFestTTV]

Love the Bright Sun content especially Abandoned Series! Cheers from New Brunswick Canada 🇨🇦

[@bittertriumph2045]

This is the mail that got me into dead mails and urbex in the first place. I grew up 20 minutes from Dixie and my wife was born a few miles away. Thank you for this, Jake. I was so excited when I saw this listed.

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

Same Here

[@marvell2192]

Several suggestions for abandoned malls: -Summit Place Pontiac, MI -Northridge Mall, WI -Euclid Square, OH (briefly mentioned in RAM update, so why not) -Greenspoint Mall, TX (it's infamous for the same reason as DSM, but i think it's still open. Called Gunspoint Mall) -Gwinnett Place (despite famous for starcourt mall from stranger things, it became abandoned since last year?) -Metrocenter Mall, AZ (famous for bill & ted movie, closed last year due to pandemic) -Cinncinati Mills (aka Forest Fair), OH. Still opened despite looked "abandoned"

[@jaywade6443]

I was LITERALLY in the middle of watching the rolling acres episode, from 5 yrs ago, when I got the notification for this video!

[@TheCriminalViolin]

The whole history of this place's abandonment is like a comedy edition of a messy divorce, with a bit of horror elements for extra spice.

[@ItsVictoriaG]

Welcome to Cook County, Illinois! It's par for the course here.

[@kimberlyx4060]

I cannot believe you did it! Thanks! I became interested in Dixie Square Mall as a child back in 1973. I actually had great memories about getting ice cream there and listening to someone play pianos in the store there. My brother who was much older would be overly protective when we went there. I didn’t understand why immediately. This area is so interesting. This mall was close to two interstates, I-57 and I-294. 294 is technically a Chicago bypass.The further West you travel in the South Suburbs, it becomes more separate as far as economic diversity. Northwest Indiana is no different. On a side note, Woodmar in Hammond, Indiana is another interesting story…. Another excellent presentation! 👍

[@petlovers3679]

Same here Hi Kimberly

[@UniCommProductions]

This is a fantastic production--and it's always great to see the archival and photography work of JonRev getting its due. Thanks for making this video, Jake!

[@DuRango007rmx]

My dad lived across the street from that mall and I can remember the night club city life. It was so sad to see theall close. I this was very informative. I knew it was petty crime but never heard about the killings on the the premises. And it sat for decades after that and torn down maybe 30 years after

[@kfdaddy]

Bought my first "Cimeqa" watch in the parking lot of Dixie Square mall from a guy who was selling them out of his car. Yes, I thought it was an Omega watch, and it turned out to be a $20 lesson on how not to be scammed in the future. Some time after that, I heard about the shootings at the mall and never went back there again.

[@appeasing]

Me: wow this town is a shit hole, who would wanna live there? “Homes are under 90k” 👀

[@chrome2infinity938]

The hell does a house value have anything to do with quality of life. Thats a very shallow thing to say.

[@churblesfurbles]

@@chrome2infinity938 its called economics, and outside a homestead type lifestyle, home prices tend to indicate something. In places with fashionable opinions like california a million+ dollar home keeps people from having to face the consequences of their politics.

[@chriscollins550]

@@chrome2infinity938 property value decline in prices when the area declines itself. More crim and less money all helps to drop housing prices.

[@shammydammy2610]

@@chrome2infinity938 It's a measuring stick of an area. Bad area = cheap houses.

[@sed6657]

I really said 🤡👀 as soon as I heard that. 60k for a HOUSE? Come on…

[@TacoTraveller]

I learned about this mall from a "Pop Up" version of the Blues Brothers around 2005 on AMC. When it was popular to share tidbits of a movie while watching. They mentioned Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, Il. and how the mall was still standing and the crime in the area, that stayed with me for a few years. One day in 2008, I searched "Dixie Square Mall" on KZbin and came up with some interesting videos someone had created with 70's rock deep tracks for a soundtrack. Those videos led me down a rabbit trail for years! It began a search for both music and urban exploration that I never knew existed before! I even used (with permission) a portion of one video for a presentation on urban sprawl in a public speaking course I was taking at the time. Sadly, all of those videos disappeared around 2011 when YT started cracking down on copyright infringement. I completely look at the US and our history differently because of Dixie Square!

[@CVTaxi]

I remember those videos. They were from PAW Filmworks. There was actually supposed to be a full length documentary, but there were so many delays that the project was abandoned just like the mall that it was based on.

[@RavenFilms]

I was so excited to see you posted a video about this mall! I’m from Chicago, so I took a special interest in this mall when I found out about it around 2007. Back then, I had no idea about “dead malls” or that it was an interest anyone else had. This mall takes me back to the early days of discovering “dead mall” and abandoned places communities. It’s almost nostalgic for me.

[@kwilde1131]

I remember the mall. Never went there. Harvey wasn't the sort of place you wanted to go to in the late 70's.

[@TacoTraveller]

What’s so interesting about Harvey is that so many people left in the 60’s and moved around the country that there are now “Harvey Daze” reunions that take place in certain parts of the US.

[@NewPaulActs17]

why do i get the feeling they're super white?

[@brianwells4507]

​@NewPaulActs17 don't be 100% confident them being all white? I grew up in Dolton Illinois, my mom said as a kid Harvey was always segregated. Like from the 30's! Not a huge demographic but there were a lot of black owned shops. Most worked in the blue collar factory jobs, like the whites. Doesn't matter what your skin color is, if the area gets rough, you get the hell out!

[@elizabethmctaggart6695]

I'm so amazed you did a video on this mall since when I first got into abandoned malls years ago, this mall, along with Rolling Acres were two of the first abandoned malls that sparked my interest in abandoned/decaying malls before I found your and Dan's channel going over the history of abandoned/decaying malls. The history of this mall is so interesting, but depressing due to all that had happened in it.

[@shizz812]

CALIFORNIA 🚬🚬🚬🤧🚿🚿🚿🚿🚽🧻🚽🧻💧💧🚿🌞😷🍓😷🍓💡☀️

[@Durwood71]

That scene from _The Blues Brothers_ is an absolute classic. "Baby clothes." "This place has got everything!"

[@austinlawler3739]

This was such a well done video! You really did your homework on not just the mall, but the town itself. Anyone who lived or grew up in or around Chicago knows the history very well, so for you to get all the little details is incredible. You even mentioned Penny's using their (brand new) logo for the filming of the Blues Brothers. Sadly it isn't just Harvey that is a very low income town, the surrounding towns are also just as bad. Harvey had a very long time mayor (the name is escaping me) who was corrupt, so I'm sure that played a part in the mall just sitting there with no plans for redevelopment. It was also great seeing old photos from the 80's, taken from the inside of the mall.

[@kmiller1974]

Wasn't it Kellog?

[@adamtrombino106]

@@kmiller1974 Yep!

[@andymanaus1077]

I'm constantly amazed at how many abandoned urban places exist within the United States, including malls, stadiums and entire suburbs. Here in Australia, there are abandoned urban places but they are extremely rare and in most cases, quickly demolished and redeveloped. Abandoned malls in particular are virtually non-existent.

[@RK-zf1jm]

Same here in the UK we dont leave space abandoned

[@Peter-ev2kr]

Yeah it's weird to see. Some American cities look 3rd world.

[@jacksonteller3973]

@@Peter-ev2kr well our country is much bigger so that's kind of inevitable, when you have a much smaller country you can't afford to love a lot of space filled with abandoned buildings.

[@Peter-ev2kr]

@@jacksonteller3973 Australia is a big country

[@andymanaus1077]

@@jacksonteller3973 We seem to have stronger local laws regarding the removal of large abandoned structures. I think it's due to people here, who get very upset if a building in their area starts to look run down. In rural areas it's a different story, and we have many run-down towns suffering from a migration of young people to the suburbs.

[@pablovicencio3960]

OMG, I LIVE IN ONE OF THE NEIGHBORING SUBURBS HERE. I never thought you would make one about Dixie Mall, this is so cool :D

[@VazDraeStudios]

Been waiting for a video story on The Dixie Square Mall. Years ago when I became fascinated on the dead mall genre I came across this mall pretty early on, and was hooked on its history and everything. It has a crazy story, and you told it well! Thanks for this Jake!

[@thomaslubben8559]

My family moved near here in late 1966. When it was new. For several years, it was our main shopping mall. I went off to college in 1971, and never went back to the mall. Its decline was indeed precipitous.

[@ojsefg]

I remember watching them demolish it back in the summer of 2012. It was fun to watch but kinda sad at the same time.

[@iron1349]

I guess in the Blues Brothers universe, Harvey didn't suffer as much of a decline and the Dixie Square Mall stands in 1979/80.

[@Imperial0666]

In that universe the mall is in Park Ridge not Harvey.

[@ItsVictoriaG]

Chicago south suburbs! I grew up about 10 miles away from Dixie Square. It loomed in the background of local culture. My dad would tell me how his friends were extras in the Blues Brothers car chase scene at Dixie Square, but he couldn't go because he had work. After we watched The Blues Brothers for the first time together (the R rating meant nothing; Blues Brothers is part of the cultural zeitgeist), my dad drove me around the block in Harvey to see the decay for myself. As a child, I saw it as a spectacle. As an adult, I see how it is the textbook example of white flight caused by redlining, corrupt local and county government, bad timing, crime exasperated by economic depression... I do know that some collectors managed to salvage some of the signs that you mentioned. I read discussions about it on Internet 1.0. The Burt's Shoes sign was the holy grail of Blues Brothers/Dixie Square memorabilia.

[@Golbez1991]

Seriously Jake, this mall was so talked about I was sure you already did a video on it. But I'm glad you did. :)

[@djhaloeight]

I’ve lived in the south burbs of Chicago all my life and this place has always been there. They only just completely tore it down around 2011 or 12. . Crazy. My dad being an Illinois State Trooper always made the Blues Brothers entertaining. He had a squad and uniform just like in the movie 😂

[@henryatkinson1479]

Don't think you mentioned this, but there was a guy who drove a Bluesmobile through the mall again in the early 2000s. Also, all the crime over there is ridiculous as its literally *right next* to a police station.

[@bittertriumph2045]

They deliberately put the police station there to try to stave off crime on the mall property. It didn't work.

[@randomepic6204]

Yup. Travis bell. Dude tells the story of owning the blues mobile and getting to film at all the film locations even recreating the 110mph Chicago street scene

[@johnsiders7819]

The Democratic rulers won’t let the police do their job same here in louisville !

[@bittertriumph2045]

@@johnsiders7819 What the hell are you talking about and what does that have to do with ANYTHING?

[@bigneasy2106]

@@johnsiders7819 Why Chicago is the shape it’s now and getting worse like most Demorat cities

[@hiker64]

Can't say enough how much I enjoy your content, the media you find and use and the detail that you undertake the research. You're such a talent and so many good things await - Thanks for the videos and piquing the urban explorer within me!

[@salty6pence672]

Thanx Brother this was a long time coming. I have actually been to that mall. Sending some Chicago Love!

[@adamtrombino106]

Hey you were in my neck of the woods! My mother used to talk about Dixie being the go to place for shopping during the 60s. It was as big of a deal as driving to downtown Chicago to the middle class. The city of Harvey wasn't in dire straights back then. But by the early 70s, she wouldn't dare go there by herself and certainly not at night. Muggings and car thefts were on the rise, besides the cases you showcased, and everybody knew it. By about 73, Harvey was in a serious decline according to mom, and with other malls starting to open in OakLawn as well as Chicago Ridge, there were safer choices. She said she stopping going to Dixie altogether in 74. Harvey now is in extremely bad shape with many vacant homes/businesses and old factories. High crime and city corruption also keeps dragging it down. If you go to the site where Dixie once stood, all you see is brush and some concrete lighting mounts here and there. Fun Fact: When I was about 7 ( 1982ish) my mom took me in the car and we drove around the parking lots to see what was left of the mall.

[@SouthwestSpeedLLC]

Epic. I remember the Blues Brothers movie when it was new and thinking...woah....these guys are trashing this mall!! Years later seeing an "abandoned" video on Facebook. Now, big props and thanks to people like Jake and Bright Sun Films to bring us some incredible history and even more detailed viewpoints as is now. Awesome. Thank you.

[@stefenpapiez9354]

I used to live about 20 minutes from Dixie Square's (former) location. I always found the story so fascinating even though it's been gone for almost a decade now, thank you so much for discussing it, Jake!

[@courtneylynch842]

I swear the rise and fall of shopping malls is one of my favorite things to learn about. Thank you for this !

[@misterninetyseven2898]

Uploaded 19 minutes ago? An Abandoned hot off the press? I'm in!

[@elizabethfrohn-hengst296]

I actually love they saved the trees from the golf course most places just rip them out

[@Cevan692]

This was by far the best "dead mall" videos on KZbin. Thank you for posting it. Great Job.

[@masons3251]

Nothing makes my week better than seeing a BSF video posted. Would love to see you do a video on the crossroads mall in okc. Place was open for so long. Now it just sits there.

[@dorkultra]

"now this part gets insane, so stay with me" - as if i'm going to leave while listening to this madness!

[@lost_places_global9008]

God, I love these abandoned mall documentary type videos! Good video as always, Jake and whoever helped you with it(if ever ofc) :) thank you for putting so much effort in your videos when editing or researching(I probably thanked you more than 1000 times by now^^)

[@BrightSunFilms]

Thank you for watching!

[@rachle81]

Your videos are always interesting and delightful to watch regardless, but I must say there's something very soothing about hearing you say "What's up, guys?" near the beginning of each of them. It's such a simple greeting but I've come to expect it on these videos, and it's really like someone is happily welcoming me to your channel each time I hear it. Great video as always! Keep up the awesome work, Jake and Co. :)

[@chibikim77]

Im from Chicago, Illinois Jake! Thanks for covering this mall. It has been the stuff of history and I was waiting on someone to do a story about the mall.

[@Karmy.]

Jon made me hyped for this

[@deborahboggs7573]

Our mall here in Wa. State was almost identical to that one. After leaving Penny’s you had the yummy smell of Carmel korn. But halfway through the mall the smell turned into Sewer they never solved that issue. The mall itself is closed but Penny’s is barely making it and other stores come and go! Thankyou for bringing back those wonderful days of people enjoying the mall! More stories but that’s it for now 😊

[@ancamp98]

This felt like a classic episode of Abandoned. Great video Jake!

[@tristanwoodmansee477]

Loved this episode!! I always love how informative you are in ALL your content. You and Sal are my ultime fav’s❤️❤️

[@savagesn]

I have probably watched this video start to finish 5 times now. Such a fascinating place, both while open and, of course, once it closed and was in a state of decay. I think the sinister history adds an element of infamy to this now long demolished place.

[@Ben-bb7mi]

Perfect soundtrack piece for this video would be: "I can't turn you loose"

[@SBF96]

Thanks for this. I’ve lived locally to Dixie Square my entire life and it was always an eerie place to drive by.

[@winklepicking3202]

I’ve been wanting videos like this for sooooo long, explaining the background to abandoned places 👌🏻

[@petlovers3679]

Same here Hi 👋

[@knottheory79220]

It's amazing to me the Blues Brothers Mall is dead and gone, but the Dawn of the Dead Mall is still in operation.

[@karenelizabeth1590]

Not for long! That place has been in decline lately, which sucks because it used to be one of the "big city" malls I loved to visit as a teen

[@Sandi-ke9mi]

I love your channel so much and your films. I’m so happy to see you doing so well. Can’t wait for your next feature film, love your first one. I already have CuriosityStream and Magellan, now I have to get Nebula. I love anything educational and documentary related. 🙏🏻💞

[@petlovers3679]

Same here Hi 👋

[@smittmasterflex]

I just discovered your channel and I've only watched three videos so far. LOVE IT! Why didn't I find this sooner?? I don't know why this stuff fascinates me but it's reassuring to know other people find in interesting too. Thank you!

[@jonathankeyes4577]

Yessss I've been WAITING for this episode since this channel's inception!

[@Galaxxi]

Crazy to see something so close to home, the former location is like a ~10 minute drive from where my grandma lives in Midlo and where I grew up, and my parents have talked about visiting the mall when they were younger. Didn't know the crime was so bad, guess that's one more reason why we moved out 😅

[@AlexTyler1267]

My grandma lives close to here in Lansing and my whole life I've never heard of this place. Crazy interesting stuff!

[@chidrummer]

I grew up in this mall. I was there when it opened in 1966. My family left the area in 1974 so I never knew about all the troubles Dixie Square had later on. I remember it as a great mall that had almost everything one could want. I rode my bike there on countless occasions. My family bought most of the food we ate from the Jewel at The Square. Late in my teenage years I would end up working the Montgomery Ward at the Yorktown mall. The "Waterfall" was awesome. Hardy Shoes had a spot there. You are correct that there was never a Toys R Us in Dixie Square (nor was there a Frank's Drum Shop). I was in college when the Blues Brothers film came out and I instantly recognized Dixie Square and wondered how could they trash the place like that? That's when I phoned home and my mother told me the Square had been stolen out of business. That was shocking at the time, I could hardly believe it. I guess most people know this mall as the original "ghost" mall. I'll always remember Dixie Square as a lively, vibrant place that didn't deserve the outcome fate had in store for it.

[@robertorosas845]

I truly appreciate you taking the time to describe the Dixie Square Mall. I’ve grew up and lived in the south suburban Chicago area and much of your description rings true. Once the thriving areas and quintessential “America” of tree lined suburbs with nice downtowns and many strip malls - turned to dust with the hugely vital steel plants and industrial jobs being taken away. Also, much of the assisted housing that was torn down in Chicago cause flights of population to migrate to the southern suburbs and as you note the racial inequalities resulted. I’d support your looking into the Lincoln Mall in Matteson - once the jewel thriving mall of the south suburbs with every biz box store you can name of - now gone to dust as well.