Ford City Mall History - Is it abandoned?!

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[@luisjanetperez7610]

Oh shit. Here we go! 10 min from this location.

[@kylesingactor]

Man! I ain’t been to FCM in a minute! Hitting all the old haunts.

[@77FlavorsChi]

it’s so wild! was such a memory rush being in there

[@kylesingactor]

Love this kind of stuff! More please! And I won't be mad if ya'll record a tour thru them malls. Love y'all!@@77FlavorsChi

[@HisShadowX]

It’s about crime. People are still shopping. Also Peacock Alley closed in the early 2010s. I remember when the stores in the basement went upstairs because everyone left. Now the hood is destroying Chicago Ridge Mall like they did at Ford City and Evergreen. It’s crazy it took so long for the streets near Ford City to get repaired but let be honest the streets in that area are dependent on shoppers and who wants to shop at a mall where there was riots and easy access from the 79th street bus

[@mayraplascencia2007]

Crime is also affecting other suburbs…shootings and looting and brawls happen almost every other weekend in North Riverside Mall.

[@HisShadowX]

@@mayraplascencia2007 Yes from the hood of the west side ghettos

[@danofthegarden]

Grew up here, the signage always reminded me of Universal Studios or something epic. Would you ever do a story on Haunted Trails or Kiddieland while you're down memory lane? 😅

[@77FlavorsChi]

right?! so cool!! yes absolutely! stay tuned

[@ChrisFisher-hz5cy]

Riding the 79th St bus to Ford City as a teen is a great memory. Got my ear pierced at Piercing Pagoda in 1993. Watching Ford City and Evergreen Plaza decline the way they have just makes me feel old

[@valentingalvan121]

It’s kind of sad to see the rapid decline of the mall. I remember growing up and going there. The old ride o go around and the entertainment. The food court was pretty good too. I miss the old vibes going there. Orland Square was also a good mall going to, but Ford City definitely was my childhood favorite.

[@77FlavorsChi]

💯💯💯

[@blkthunderbolt]

I miss malls. Evergreen Plaza gone, Lincoln Mall in Matteson gone, River Oaks and Ford City just not the same anymore.

[@abreckenridge3001]

Cool video! Guys looked like you had a lot of fun making this. Can you do a video on River Oaks mall?

[@77FlavorsChi]

Yes we can!

[@moriyahmarieyisraelMrsMoore]

You two are so informative and interesting. I love y'all energy. Thanks for your time and effort! The history of this place is awesome to me. I enjoyed this content. My mom drove the 79th street bus years ago and my husband took me on our first date there over 22 years ago lol! I haven't been there in quite some time. This made my day thanks.

[@77FlavorsChi]

oh wow!! thank you so much! those are some special memories

[@robertmasina7388]

I grew up several miles away from Ford City mall and this was the place for teens to hang out back in the 1970's.

[@Wax032]

Bruh, the tilt, food court and the bus ride there was all nostalgia. Great memories waiting on g ma to finish getting her hair done in the salon at J.C. Penney’s ❤

[@diamondjack-cooper5322]

They need to renovate Ford City Mall ASAP! This will give people something to do and somewhere to work! AMEN!

[@user-is6de8pp7k]

Love your channel. Please keep up your great channel. 🤗

[@amygudmundson1050]

Grew up there. Worked at Lerners, The General Cinema across the parking lot and John's Garage. So many memories.

[@alexisguzman5391]

Under the mall there’s tunnels that lead to the tootsie roll factory and under the gym, explored it a couple months with my friends, very interesting and unknown to the public

[@77FlavorsChi]

💯💯💯

[@troyv8302]

Used to drive our bikes from Bridgeview to Ford City as kids. Was a fun place to hang out back in the 80's. It's a shame what happened to that mall with all the violence.

[@fishyjoes6238]

So glad to find this. I spent my childhood mid-70s through 80s in peacock alley. Used to take the bus from Chicago Ridge. It was a great time to be a kid.

[@okito2010]

It’s the 79th CTA bus that caused most of the issues in this mall.😂

[@77FlavorsChi]

lol smh…

[@diamondjack-cooper5322]

I want to visit Chicago ASAP! I heard the food is delicious and It's always something to do! AMEN!

[@Salana_Banxxx]

Definitely come visit us I promise it’s not as bad as people say. We have great food, great shopping, museums and festivals. This city has such a rich culture and yes there’s always something fun to do!!!!😊

[@jameschanin]

be careful car jackings murders robberies home invasions shootings high taxes high gas prices are out of control.

[@trilljimigoat5709]

I went there 3 months ago it was so empty 😭

[@77FlavorsChi]

yea it kind of is. but lowkey better than a lot of malls

[@Salana_Banxxx]

I pass it sometimes coming back into the city from the south burbs,it always looks pretty much empty.

[@l.french560]

I went to the Marshalls in the area a few months ago and it still looks exactly the same way it did when I moved away from the area in 2007

[@user-is6de8pp7k]

Back in the 70s all my girlfriends and I would spend Saturdays there. We loved the clothing store called Lerners.Thise we’re the days.🥰☀️👋

[@RockyHerk]

Tootsie roll industries is still there it was separate from the mall The lower level originally opened as peacock alley

[@Frisky0563]

I grew up blocks from here and spent so much time here as a teenager. I remember Christmas here just beautiful. Sad I will not shop for clothes on Amazon.

[@jrossi9250]

The underground tunnels that connected the shopping areas was originally test cells to test the jet engines produced there. My dad worked there. This mall was also the factory where the Tucker was built in the late 40's.

[@mayraplascencia2007]

I remember going there on Sundays after church. There are so many album photos of us when little, going to take pics with Santa, I saw my first movie Lion King when it came out in the theater there, would love the little camp they had there…sigh so sad to see malls deteriorating

[@mikegraham3040]

Any thoughts on going residential?

[@charleskadletc2431]

Check out NORTH RIVERSIDE MALL. AND YORKTOWN MALL.

[@AndrewHarbisonSr]

Tootsie Roll Industries is still located behind Ford City. 7401 S. Cicero Ave.

[@77FlavorsChi]

💯

[@77FlavorsChi]

💯💯

[@D2503T]

Most anchors own their own property and don’t rent from the mall which causes issues. Many Carson’s are empty bc the mall can’t control it unless they gone through courts to get it

[@77FlavorsChi]

oh interesting

[@moonoink]

I remember the Tilt Arcade.

[@luisjanetperez7610]

How was the food court at the mall?

[@77FlavorsChi]

we didn’t make it that far 😂

[@SharainaLatrice]

There’s only TWO restaurants left in the food court. It’s so sad. Most of the store have left.

[@russb257]

Wow what a difference from the last time I was there in early 1976 before I went active duty in the USAF in June. Connections at that time was called Peacock Alley with a lot of Spencers type stores and wannabe head shops throughout it. The front of the mall at the time had Weiboldts as an anchor and the downstairs of Weiboldts was an S&H Green Stamps redemption store. At one time there was an Olson Electronics in the mall as well, one of the competitors of Radio Shack. Along Cicero across from the mall there used to be a Millionaire's Club as well back then closer to the Tootsie side of the Cicero frontage. I lived near 65th and Austin (Clearing) and we would ride bikes down 65th to Cicero then past the Cracker Jack plant (one of my aunts worked there for a while) then over the bridge that went over the railyard and then we would pass Tootsie Roll (another of my aunts worked there at Tootsie at the time) and my dad's partner (my dad was a CPD patrolman from 56 to 96) lived just south of the mall around 79th. I miss that period of growing up in Chicago around Midway and Ford City and the factories in Bedford Park but I wouldn't live there now. I retired from the USAF in 1995 and went south to rural central KY. During high school ( I went to Kennedy on 56th and Narragansett) I worked at the now-gone Candlelight Dinner Playhouse and Forum Playhouse near Archer Ave on Harlem Ave and there was a Prince Castle Ice Cream place right next to the Forum end of the building. BTW Tucker bought the plant after the engine plant was closed but he only got like 50 cars built before he lost it thanks to the federal SEC. I heard that Ford (FoMoCo) bought it back and was going to build cars there but ended up selling it again and I guess the mall sprang up from it.

[@russb257]

BTW I'm old enough to remember when EJ Korvettes was around and when KMart was still SS Kresge's in a strip mall before KMart was a thing.

[@user-iu5vf6us4q]

Ha! We were practicly neighbors. 64th Knox. But not anymore. The neighborhood has changed greatly. Your area is still ok. Many cops live there. All that industry on 65th Street is gone except for a couple of factories. Hubbard High for me. Take care.

[@bubcat54]

In the 70's my friends and I would ride our bikes inside from one end of the mall to the other, including thru the two huge fountains that were on either end back then. We would access the tunnels at the end of Peacock Alley and walk all the way to the bowling alley where a chain link fence blocked further access. We would sneak behind the counter at Orange Julius and unplug the machines. They would take a hour to figure out that's what happened, no matter how many times we did it. Their was a shop called Tabacco Teepee in the center of the mall. We would sneak peaks at the playboy magazines they had on display. We would buy Covered Wagon cigars which were huge novelty cigars like you would see on the 3 stooges and walk from end to end smoking them. Every Saturday there was Bottle cap movies at 8am at the theatre. 7 Pepsi bottle caps to get in. The movies were all the worst b movies available, but we went just to have fun. Alot of other memories than that, but it's a shame to see it like that now. Thanx for sharing.

[@mikegraham3040]

Lived right down the street

[@AmyMortensen78]

Stratford Square Mall is even more of a ghost town. Not sure how the stores still in these malls can make rent.

[@77FlavorsChi]

yea it’s wild. i’m pretty sure the anchor store is what covers majority of the cost

[@AnnetteGorz]

Tootsie Roll was NOT Ford City Mall. It was separated from the mall. Sweetheart Cup was another big plant next to Ford City Mall.

[@joseherrera8489]

Tootsie Roll does own what used to be the Sears in Ford City now.

[@charleskadletc2431]

My uncle worked at FORD MURPHY MOTORS and he knew the franchise owner of the FORD dealership.. was his next-door neighbor.

[@michaelreed4744]

Hello. Do you think that the rise of online shopping, and the status of the economy have something to do with the decline of malls?

[@J.Giovanni]

Ford City was the best until you finally get you driver's license and were able to go to Orland Park or Chicago Ridge 😆

[@neubro1448]

So many third places gone when they were destination places to go out, especially the youth. Places of hospitality where you can spend a few bucks.

[@77FlavorsChi]

so true!

[@spike2544]

Sad I'm in here now I haven't been here in about 20yrs ....& it will be Gome soon

[@willyjoerockhead]

I still eat at their food court (because i hate crowds)

[@QuartiyoPasdevHerjiKreuz]

I would love to see Ford City Mall be 65 years old in 2025.

[@77FlavorsChi]

Same!

[@diamondjack-cooper5322]

Me too. The community has to take a stand and also support the mall! AMEN!

[@indeficit2]

I wish you would have walked around and showed us more of the mall instead of sitting there talking into the camera.

[@77FlavorsChi]

A few things: 1) appreciate you watching the video 2) the security was nice enough to allow us to continue creating this even tho we showed up unannounced 3) we are small creators doing the bet we can, so while we appreciate feedback, we also like the fact that we are doing the best we can when nobody asked to do this in the first place. Feel free to watch other things if you need more or deeper information or heck grab your own camera and fill in any blanks you think we missed on your own time. Thanks! 🫡

[@indeficit2]

@@77FlavorsChi Just saying, I think everyone would love to see more of the mall. Appreciate your effort anyway.

[@jameschanin]

It was a horrible place in 1994 that was the last time I was there.

[@Sophia-k6j5w]

I think it's getting abandoned I have been there to get my school uniforms

[@israelgasca9489]

Ah fort shitty. The glory days of when it was bussin. It went to shit as soon as they closed down Tilt Arcade

[@markpolacek7840]

Not a great video. I have fond memories of the ford city bowling. Sunday morn doubles! I had some of my best series there. Peacock alley was a fun place in the 80's. Sorry that people that disrespect stores and steal don't know or care that it reflects the whole shopping complex!😮

[@willyjoerockhead]

If this mall should close it would be good for the migrants and homeless center

[@bubcat54]

So would the other side of the Mexican border. Ford city would make a good prison though.

[@junemerritt1517]

The migrants need to go back home.