The impact and blazing speed of urbanization change in the post-WWII era is clearly illustrated by the ruins of the Dixie Square Mall, located in Harvey, Illinois, some 20 miles south of Chicago. Opened in 1966, the mall stands as a symbol of de-urbanization where new modern malls in the suburbs takes business away from aging and rapidly shrinking city centres. However, as the mall expanded, eventually hosting some 64 stores in 1968, so did crime in the vicinity, which became increasingly violent in the early 1970s. An attempt to regain lost customers and business, the mall was renovated in 1976, but it was already too late and the mall closed partially in 1978 and for good in 1979. The megatrend that created this mall also killed it, just twelve years after it opened.
Apparently, the owners realized the game was over and the mall was used as a temporary school building. What makes this mall really special is that it was the scene of the amazing mall chase in the epic movie "Blues Brothers" from 1980, where Jake says "This place has got everything". A clip from the recording can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENAb2JTyn_M . Although the production company properly hired the place, it appears like the aftermath was not really thought through and one can wonder who actually signed that contract in the first place and what was written in the fine print. It does not take much of fantasy to imagine how trashed the mall must have been at the time the crew left. The Harvey-Dixmoor school district sued Universal pictures for damages, but it appears like nothing really happened and from some futile attempts to board it all up, the mall was left to the vultures after that.
Another clear illustration of this ruin is how perishable modern structures are and how different the philosophies and prospects must have been when the downtown skyscrapers were built in the 1920s. It feels like the invention of the modern mall concept relied on very efficient and low-cost building techniques, and when the gloss is all gone, this clearly shows at Dixie. One-storey buildings, made with very light steel beams, corrugated sheet steel, liquid filler and plaster boards required very basic ground reinforcement- and preparation work. Certainly nothing that was designed to stand as monuments for future generations, but probably an important invention in the de-urbanization process.
Today, the mall is nothing but an empty shell where the beams and steel sheets have rusted beyond recognition. Large sections have collapsed and the steel is now joining the dirt, turning into a compost which provides a growing ground for plants.
