A Visit to River Oaks Center

River Oaks Center is a surviving mall near the Indiana Border of Illinois. Hard times have hit this mall, but life goes on as alternative businesses find a new home here.
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[@TenPoundHammer]

I went here in 2010. The mall was about the same as it is now. Mostly doing well enough, but clearly aiming lower end. Nice to see it's still stable, as lower-end malls don't usually tough it out especially not after losing anchors. The junior anchor you mentioned around the 8:00 mark was Jewel-Osco, which was later one of the two theaters in the mall. The other theater was the former Kresge space in the now closed-off Sears wing (that wall around 9:00). The downstairs space was the original food court. The current food court was a local department store called John M. Smyth. There was another junior anchor called Evans which lasted into the 90s. That space was later Steve & Barry's and is now The Look (seen around 11:00).

[@ChrisAnderson79]

The lower level is a food court that was there before the indoored the mall. It closed when they built the new food court and enclosed the mall in the early 90s There have been a lot of violence in the area and with the closing of heavy industry the south suburbs have gone down socioeconomic. JC Penney was also and addition which I believe happened in the early 80s

[@BoratWanksta]

Calumet City(and not just there, and other south suburbs) have slowly been declining for a while, like you said. Cal City isn't as bad off as say Harvey, but it still has been starting to slide. As to what I think hurts this mall, it does have the reputation of crime, which does hurt this mall. That said the last time I visited this mall(2013 or 2015?, I have a vague memory of walking through its JCPenney and seeing new Blackhawks Stanley Cup merchandise at that time), I felt fine in this mall and didn't feel unsafe. Seeing this video, is a reminder that I need to revisit River Oaks. And at least per online reviews(doomie's visit was probably before then), the FYE store here closed in late 2022. Back at the time I visited(either 2013 or 2015), this still remains the ONLY FYE store I visited where part of the store was covered over with a curtain. A note Doomie forgot to put in this video is that River Oaks so to speak dodged a bullet, when JCPenney at the last minute decided against closing their store here in summer 2020. As of now(April 2023), its JCPenney is still open. They did recently announce closing a different store that was originally on that summer 2020 store closing list and then the company retracted from that list at the last minute(Concord Mall in Elkhart, IN), so I worry how much longer the JCPenney here will remain open. This was also one of the first Chicago area Macy's to get a Macy's Backstage section(clearance), so perhaps that is a good sign for this store? Btw for those who don't know, the Peter Francis Geraci law office used to be the site of a sit down McDonald's that was separate from the River Oaks food court.

[@garypaez3947]

The 1960s white stone stairs led to a series of small service businesses, barber, shoe repair etc. many years ago. Now there is a walled off section that was the old food court that is directly under the current food court. It is still intact but water and drain pipes are everywhere because they reasoned that the old food court would no longer be in use.

[@garypaez3947]

These 1960s white stairs originally led outside as it was an outside mall.

[@willinmilwaukee]

A few random thoughts from someone who grew up close to this mall. I enjoyed the mall more before it was enclosed (childhood memories maybe?). BUT it did look great after enclosed and was on par with Southlake in Hobart, IN until 2002 or so. The building that housed Westwood College was a professional building through the 80s. The big box you referenced around 7:45 may have been Jewel originally, then a 2 screen theatre. River Oaks had 10-12 screens total but they were scattered throughout the mall, both in the mall itself and outlots, and even a few across Torrence Avenue in the River Oaks West Center. Marshall Field's was a huge store but the last few years wasn't kept up as much as Orland Park. They did have a great cafe in the lower level. Always my favorite lunch spot when I worked nearby.

[@BoratWanksta]

My memory was that theaters 1-6 were attached to the mall near Sears(now demolished), 7-8 were attached somewhere else, 9-10 were just outside of the mall, and a few theaters(11-12, or was it 11-14?) were indeed in the River Oaks West shopping center. 9-10(located in the parking lot southwest of Field's/Macy's) were the original theaters, before all the other theaters were added in Calumet City. I think this info was once documented, on Cinema Treasures. And if I can confirm info somewhere else, I'll update this comment. Lansing(just south of the Cal City/Lansing border) had a theater too in the shopping center to the south, and that held on for longer than all the theaters in Cal City. On a different historical theater note, the former Lans Theater on Ridge Road in Lansing is now a Beggars Pizza location, with even a pipe organ that is played inside that dining room at times.

[@SnarkticonDM]

River Oaks was best in the 80’s when it was an outdoor mall

[@jeffbarnes54]

Being a former Chicago resident I can tell you that Calumet is a very bad area and has been since the mid to late 1980s due to the massive demographic changes that began at that time. Major white flight out of the Southern Chicago suburbs due to crime and gangs led to almost every malls downfall. (The now demolished Lincoln Mall in Matteson is one example). However, it appears that this mall is doing pretty well. There seems to be a lot of stores and the fountains are still running and Macy’s is still there as well as some national retailers. It appears that a lot of local or perhaps regional chains have gone in that reflect the demographics of the area. So good for them I’m glad that this isn’t sitting completely abandoned and ready for the wrecking ball like so many other malls in the Chicagoland area.

[@Senior_Partner]

Glad to see people tell the truth and not be cowardly or in denial.👍

[@shadowski1839]

Looking around, it looks identical to how it looked in the early 2000's. The flooring and detail work are still in great shape, particularly the oak leaf design in the brass tile barrier between green and white. The rough green seems to be holding up, and the white flecked tile doesn't seem to be cracking much. The general aesthetic design was always good, and it's so nice to see that the maintenance seems to be kept up. (mostly) The green backed signs with the colored edges and brass colored lettering have been there since open. In fact, the general color theme and design hasn't changed since it was enclosed. It just seems to work. The and oak leaf reliefs everywhere have been a staple there. And oh my god, the colored tiles in the food court. That's identical to how it ever was. They used solid materials when they built this. I remember the floors having a very distinct hard tap when you walked. They didn't feel like trash flooring at all. The problem is crime. It's just not a great or even safe place to shop, and businesses are pretty uneasy about opening a shop there.

[@canonwright8397]

I think I was at that mall, once in the 70's and once in the 90's! I remember the fountain being bigger in the 1970's. It (the fountain) had water jets that shot up high into the sky: And people would toss pennies into it -- if I remember correctly.

[@tooty4551]

I worked for the management company of this mall; left in 2013. I know where all the skeletons are in that mall.😮 Every nook and cranny. Every exit. Every hidden door. Sad what happened to that mall. My years there I saw so much change and not for the better. It really turned into gang haven. So many gang fights in center court. I am truly surprised it is still there or should I say open. I was there when we lost 2 Anchors Sears and Carsons. I could write a book. Dont go there after dark folks and keep your head on a swivel if you do. Oh they have always lacked security. ALWAYS. Im not telling whats down the stairs but I know. Ha ha

[@SeeGraeginatorRun]

I watched that mall went down to shit too

[@SnarkticonDM]

There were 2 movie theaters in a separate building right next to the Calu-MET river

[@djstephlove]

Thank you! I really couldn't figure out what he was talking about. SMH.

[@locaexploranda]

That Macy’s reminds me of the one I saw at Fox Valley, also an old Marshall Field’s. Also like the fountain and skylights there. If I make it to Chicagoland ever again, I’ll have to check this mall out. Great video.

[@BoratWanksta]

The Hawthorn Center and Fox Valley Marshall Field's stores, were basically sister stores to each other in design. I'd also note their stores at Old Orchard, Oak Brook, River Oaks, Cherryvale, and Mayfair(in Milwaukee, WI area) have a nicer look to them, versus some of the other Field's stores turned into Macy's(i.e. Louis Joliet, Orland Square, Spring Hill until it closed, and I like to think Spring Hill and Louis Joliet seem to be sister stores to each other). Although I do like how the Louis Joliet Macy's has a nice mirrored ceiling above the escalator, and interesting wooden railings next to its stairs.

[@timothyhennon1510]

I shopped here regularly for Christmas and birthday gifts after the mall was enclosed in '94 and near its peak in the late '90s. It was surprisingly nice given how the surrounding community was already well into decline. They did have some specialty higher-end retailers; I bought my mother a purse and wallet from a Coach shop in the mall one Christmas. While Sears was the big anchor store on the northeastern end of the mall, Sears Automotive was in a separate building at the east end of the property. (And yes, both Sears and especially Marshall Field's were huge and easy to get lost in. One time I stumbled into Field's fur coat section where coats were retailing for up to $50,000.) As other posters have mentioned, there was a 10-story or so office tower attached to the mall near the southeastern food court entrance, easily visible from the I-80/94 expressway about a mile and a half to the south of the mall. You could still go through the glass doors and down the stairs into the smaller shopping area, tailored more toward the people who worked in the office building rather than the people who visited the mall. They did, however, have a barber shop that I used once, run by an absolutely adorable and super-sweet older Swedish (IIRC) woman who came to the U.S. shortly after WWII. Sadly, she's probably long since dead. She lamented that she got nowhere near the traffic in the '90s that she did when the office building was packed back in the '70s and '80s. As Illinois' taxes went up, the taxes in nearby and neighboring Indiana went down, so a number of businesses in that area relocated across the state line, especially after the year 2000. People moved, too, and the tax base and average income of the area around River Oaks fell. River Oaks' movie theaters lost a lot of traffic when Showplace 12 and Showplace 16 opened up in nearby Schererville, Indiana in the mid-to-late 1990s. Since 2010, especially, all of the higher-end stores have fled the area, leaving River Oaks with an overabundance of kiosks and stores selling cell phone accessories and discount body jewelry. Last time I was there was in early 2020, a few weeks before Illinois locked everything down for the pandemic in mid-March of that year, and nearly a third of the shops were empty. As others have mentioned, Calumet is pronounced "CAL - you - MET". The Chicago area is full of place names that were originally French, still spelled using the French spelling, but pronounced by English rules. Example: the town of Des Plaines, Illinois is pronounced "Dess Playnz". Don't even get us started on the correct pronunciation of Bourbonnais. A lot of people say "Bourbon - AY", but a lot of old-timers from the town itself call it "Bur - BONE - iss".

[@bossfan49]

And Matteson is pronounced just as it's spelled, but most of us say instinctively "Matson". And Hobart, IN is pronounced HobErt for some reason. 😀

[@rebekah3548]

Matteson, like matte photo paper. Matt-son. Not Madison like Wisconsin. Two syllables.

[@djstephlove]

I literally grew up, in River Oaks. I remember when they enclosed it; I was 10. I got my 2nd ear piercing at the Claire's, by Penny's, for my 13th bday. Sears was my 1st job, in 02. I moved out the area in 02 and Orland Square became the mall my kid grew up in. It's been sad to see the decline of what once was a beloved mall to us 80s babies. I couldn't pay me to step foot in that shit hole, now, or in the last 10 years. Just so sad how far it's fallen. I'm amazed that it's still open.

[@SnarkticonDM]

If you didn’t get shot, you’re ahead of the game

[@jitkachaloupkova3027]

Thanks Doomie, nice video as always

[@TheBeeno2]

It’s now no longer. A great piece of my childhood

[@andysorensen1737]

That arcade urban legend is wild .

[@coreycoyle9548]

Wonderful Video!!!! Love the Fountains!!! F+L, Corey

[@marymaksimik826]

River oaks mall had movies theaters in the mall itself and around it. They were torn down about 6 years ago

[@teesbytom6232]

My mom and dad took me and my sisters to River Oaks the day after it opened. I remember going there in the winter while the frigid winds whipped around the buildings. Green lake is north of it and I remember a number of cars that were leaving the mall would somehow end up in the lake with some drowning. They installed steel barriers then. By late 70's car thefts at River Oaks were notable. Mom took me many times to Kresge to buy models to build.

[@willgrellosbelts8695]

This mall used to be solid mall, but now its just ghetto. Stores like Rainbow, Black Queen, and Jimmy Jazz.... yeah no thanks

[@bossfan49]

I was in Macy's a few years ago but haven't shopped the mall in over a decade. When I was growing up it was an outdoor mall. Most people seemed to love it that way especially in the winter because of the Christmas decorations and actual snow. I recall a lot of people disgruntled when they announced it would be closed in. Trying to recall some of the stores from yesteryear.. Of course Sears was the anchor store. It had it's own cafe. I do recall Kresge's.. Red Cross Shoes, Herman's Sports, County Seat (denim/jeans) Carson Pirrie Scott, Magic Pan restaurant. Marshall Field's had it's own cafe on the lower level. I think there may have been a Woolworth's in there as well. Later there was Crown Books, K&B Toys, Spencer's Gifts, .. restaurants- Tavern In The Oaks, Giappo's Pizza, Siam Marina (Thai). The only out-buildings I recall were the Sears Auto Center on the southeast corner(which I believe was demolished) and the movie theater in the far southwest corner just off Torrence and the river. It was a big twin theater owned by Cineplexodeon. Also, there were smaller theaters in River Oaks West that were owned by Plitt. (They closed once Loews built an 8 screen theater on the other side of the river in Lansing).

[@user-nw2jl8ty2h]

In the not to distant future this mall will be just like Lincoln Mall in Matteson Illinois NO MORE!

[@Senior_Partner]

Yep.

[@davidrgoyer1985]

It is pronounced Calumet like get.

[@Filmaker25]

Still looks ok!

[@Burnout1701]

Thought I'd share some of my memories. Sad to see how empty it is. I was a little kid at the time but I vaguley remember what it was like before they put the roof on it. 7:40 The wall you're staring at used to be a McDonald's. KB Toys was in that vicinity as well. Middle of the mall had a Disney store in it as well and a candy store, Sweet Tooth I think. Can't believe how empty the food court is. Used to be a Baskin Robbins there and across from it a kiosk for a "Galaxie Cunstruction" that was there seemed like forever. The was a Spencer's Gifts there at one point going toward Auntie Anne's which I'm surprised is still there. Fye used to be Record Town and across from it was a GNC (General Nutrition Center). In the JC Penny's area was an EB Games that I frequented during my teens back in the 2000s which used to be Walden Software back in the 90s. Somewhere in there was a Walden Books as well but I don't remember where.

[@joejazzy3588]

ITS amazing its still open , could the problem be theft ?? Happy to be long gone from that area. PEACE

[@DJb-ill219]

At 8:53 or something I believe that is where a person would enter what I guess used to be Westwood College I remember ppl going in there 20 years ago with books and backpacks

[@KevinKeller-zk1dm]

Back in November 2022, there was a robbery and murder there. The only time you hear about that mall (even as a local myself) is something horrible that occurred

[@jeremyud]

Old Orchard Mall resisted the enclosure stuff, and I'm guessing it probably worked out okay for them that they didn't enclose.

[@BoratWanksta]

Same with Oak Brook Center. I do wonder if the owner of Old Orchard and Oak Brook, sold off River Oaks at some point? I'm guessing that was the case. This same owner, also built and owned the(now too often forgotten today) Park Forest Shopping Center. Back in the day a la River Oaks, it did have Marshall Field's and Sears as anchors. Some of the buildings of that former shopping center, still do stand in Park Forest, IL to this day.

[@sirekumasutra7022]

As much as I love Chicago, it has never been known to be safe. I mean there were murders that lead to closing Dixie Square Mall the OG dead mall in 1978.

[@DaleTerry-xn9ui]

nice big mall

[@thewadeeffect]

I use to work there.

[@bossfan49]

What's your beef with "Chicagoland"?

[@rrhistorian8828]

He’s an idiot who should stay out of the “region” of Chicagoland as he called it.

[@ms.zelman3032]

I went to Bath and Body Works yesterday and I purchased the new Gingham Gorgeous Body Cream, the Black Cherry Merlot liquid hand soap and the new Iced Lemon Pound Cake foaming soap. WOW! they are absolutely amazing. I highly recommend buying it on your next trip to BBW's.

[@renardfranse]

Namdar????? Can you say Kohan or Moonbeam???????

[@ms.zelman3032]

Not counting a few things, I really like this mall. I usually hate white malls but for some reason I kind of like it for once. I also really like the fountain. Super cute.💚😊⛲

[@Senior_Partner]

All malls, neighborhoods, cities are White dear. That's who it was intended and built for. Be happy and grateful for your priveledge. Though we know that never happens. Of course you could be just talking about the white colored buildings. Which would just make you very silly.

[@DJb-ill219]

P.S. Namdar Reality Group......doesn't seem to care about a few of the Mall Properties they own a Whole lot 😅

[@WhittyPics]

1st. It looks like a nice mall. Not as dead as most of your malls.

[@WhittyPics]

NAMDAR. UGGGGGG. It will sure to sink

[@BoratWanksta]

@@WhittyPics They are the same company that bought Ford City and Northfield Square, when those malls began to die. Namdar also bought Stratford Square, when it started to decline.

[@dvferyance]

They got very lucky back in 2020 that the JC Penny here was taken off the closing list. Otherwise it would be in trouble.

[@philpostma9423]

I remember a pizza place many years ago.

[@rrhistorian8828]

Giappo’s Pizza, the best stuffed pizza as they called their deep dish. There was a second Giappo’s on 106th St. on the East Side.

[@todaysuniverse]

​@@rrhistorian8828wow! I miss Giappo's on the Eastside of Chicago. It was right under the Skyway. The decor and pizza were fantastic!

[@uselessflunky]

Pronounced Cal-u-MET like the NY baseball team. Used to be some decent strip clubs off Torrance back in the day.

[@kendalson7100]

I remember that area being very industrial back in the day. Things like steel mills and oil refineries. I haven't lived in the South suburbs since 1985, fortunately.

[@brianmurphy2695]

Filthy fingerprints all over the glass on entrance doors.

[@kippaseo8027]

Just over 6 minutes in before sbeing the 1st white person. Imagine what it must look like post 5 PM when the natives of the surrounding area wake up.

[@sKid-ez7zn]

All malls are mostly blacks now. WHITE people are afraid to go to them

[@rrhistorian8828]

That mall is all shines.

[@lauriesmith5008]

It’s Chicago’s way of defunding the police. Makes crime go up and business leave.

[@nicelol5241]

the problem is that police is inefficient

[@lauriesmith5008]

@@nicelol5241 because they were defunded.

[@nicelol5241]

@@lauriesmith5008 nope, because they’re corrupt

[@lauriesmith5008]

@@nicelol5241 your police are not corrupt.

[@nicelol5241]

@@lauriesmith5008 it is, look at statistic about police brutality