Retrofit Atlas

Malls · Illinois

Dixie Square Mall

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedRegreenedDemolishedHarvey, IL

Opened 1966. Closed 2012. Redeveloped · Regreened in 2012.

Status nowDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
What it becamemixed, industrialextracted, unreviewed
Last sale$4.0M · 2010public reporting
Retrofit year2012extracted, unreviewed
Walkability16.5 of 20 · 15-minute 6 of 6EPA, OpenStreetMap
Rail within 800 mNo · Opportunity ZoneOpenStreetMap, HUD
Reach the owner Download dossier (PDF) · early access Download record (JSON) API Share LinkedIn Correct this record

Solid = from the authors' map · outlined = public source · dashed = model-written, not yet reviewed by a person. Tap any value's source label to see where it came from.

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Site profile23 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Former anchors
JCPenneyThis site: JCPenney wikipedia · all sites with this
Montgomery WardThis site: Montgomery Ward wikipedia · all sites with this
WoolworthThis site: Woolworth wikipedia · all sites with this
Finance and pipeline
High attention (20k+ Wikipedia views a year)This site: 28,825 wikimedia · all sites with this
Ownership
Public bodyThis site: Harvey-Dixmoor School District county-parcels · all sites with this
Place
15-minute neighbourhood (5+ of 6 daily needs within 800 m)This site: 6/6 openstreetmap · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -11% census-cbp · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 4,853 units, Cook County census-bps · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $2,228/mo zillow · all sites with this
Grocery within 800 mThis site: 3 stores openstreetmap · all sites with this
High heat wave riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
High inland flooding riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
High natural hazard risk (FEMA NRI)This site: Relatively High; tornado, inland flooding, heat wave, cold wave fema-nri · all sites with this
High social vulnerability tract (SVI ≥ 0.75)This site: 0.99 cdc-svi · all sites with this
High tornado riskThis site: Relatively High fema-nri · all sites with this
Lower-income tract (< $50k)This site: $34,492 census-acs · all sites with this
Opportunity ZoneThis site: 17031827400 hud-oz · all sites with this
Shrinking countyThis site: -0.7% census-acs · all sites with this
Walkable block group (EPA ≥ 12)This site: …index 16.5 epa-walkability · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: …brownfield land, cold storage warehouse extraction · all sites with this
RegreenedThis site: …brownfield land, cold storage warehouse extraction · all sites with this
New use
Logistics and industrialThis site: …brownfield land, cold storage warehouse extraction · all sites with this
Mixed useThis site: …new_use field extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusDemolishedextracted, unreviewed
StrategyRedeveloped · Regreenedextracted, unreviewed
New usesmixed, industrialextracted, unreviewed
What is there nowbrownfield land, cold storage warehouseextracted, unreviewed
Retrofit year2012extracted, unreviewed
RedeveloperMG Development South LLCextracted, unreviewed

Planning

Zoning changeintermodal freightextracted, unreviewed
Entitlement year2015extracted, unreviewed

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
2016Sold—city of Harvey ← John DeneenWikipedia
2010Sold$4.0M closedMG Development South LLC ← John DeneenWikipedia
2006Sold—John Deneen ← Harvey-Dixmoor School DistrictWikipedia

Site context

Transit within 800 mno rail station; 2 bus stops within 400 mOpenStreetMap
Motorway junctions within 2 km349A, 349B, 350, 6AOpenStreetMap
FEMA flood zoneno NFHL polygon at point (unmapped or outside coverage)FEMA NFHL
EPA-regulated facilities within 500 m7: CLARK SERVICE STATION; DUNBAR ARMORED; HARVEY AUTO MALL; MARATHON, QUICK GAS & MINIMART; MCDONAGH DEMOLITION INCEPA FRS
Census tract 170318274002,935 people, 2,669 per sq mi; median household income $34,492; 44% renters; 28.6% vacant units; 2.0% commute by transitACS 2023 5-year
Walkability (EPA, block group)index 16.5 of 20; 129 intersections per sq mi; no transit stop within the EPA search radius; land-use mix 0.67; 224,970 jobs within 45 min by car, 34,562 by transit; 35% of households without a carEPA Smart Location
Within a 10–15 minute walk (800 m)6 of 6 daily needs: 3 grocers, 2 schools, 5 parks or playgrounds, 1 health, 6 civic, 2 food and drink; 1 cycleway segments, 54 sidewalk-tagged segmentsOpenStreetMap
Opportunity Zoneyes, tract 17031827400 (rural)HUD
Housing permits, Cook County (IL), 20244,853 units in 5+ unit buildings, 512 in 2–4, 1,142 single-family; 2023: 3,332 in 5+Census BPS
Social vulnerability (CDC SVI 2022, tract)overall percentile 0.99; socioeconomic 0.92; housing and transport 0.99; 43% below 150% of poverty; 19% of households with no vehicleCDC/ATSDR
Other atlas sites nearby1 within 10 km, 11 within 25 km: Illinois Brick Company's yard 22 (5.0 km)computed
Overture Mapsno place match; building footprint 4,597 m², 4.1 mOverture (CDLA-Permissive 2.0)
Attention: Wikipedia page views505,108 since 2015; 28,825 in the last 12 months (-14% vs the prior 12); peak 2015-09 with 36,934Wikimedia
Tract change 2013–2023population -33% (4,399 → 2,935); median income +18% ($29,095 → $34,492); renters 63% → 44%; median home value +18% ($88,000 → $104,200)Census ACS 5-year
Natural hazard risk (FEMA National Risk Index, tract)relatively high overall (score 87.6); expected annual loss $2.4M; high: tornado, inland flooding, heat wave, cold wave; community resilience relatively highFEMA NRI
Tax-credit housing within 1 km1 LIHTC properties, 41 units: Varylin Terrace Apts (41 units)HUD LIHTC
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 202313,577 establishments (-11%); 214,575 jobs (-4%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $340,258 (+6% 1 yr, +23% 5 yr); typical rent $2,228/mo (+5% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
House price index, tract, 2024159 (2000 = 100)FHFA
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)14,842 vehicles a day on Dixie Hwy (principal arterial, 4 lanes); 1,150 trucks; 10 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

Dixie Square Mall opened in 1966 with anchors Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, Woolworth, Walgreens and Jewel, but closed permanently in 1978 due to high vacancy and low patronage. After closure it saw temporary use as a school, a movie set, and then years of abandonment before demolition in 2012. The site was later redeveloped as brownfield land hosting a cold‑storage warehouse, with the city of Harvey acquiring the property in 2016.

Why. The record cites high vacancy rates and low patronage as the reasons for the mall’s closure, compounded by subsequent neglect and vandalism. No explicit anchor loss, competition, or debt factors are mentioned.

Where it stands. The mall is demolished; the site is now brownfield land with a cold‑storage warehouse, controlled by the city of Harvey following its 2016 purchase from John Deneen.

For a planner

  • Early example of a dead mall that transitioned through temporary civic and cultural uses before demolition.
  • Zoning was changed to intermodal freight and an entitlement was granted in 2015 under a redevelop/regreen strategy.
  • Open questions include the extent of environmental remediation needed, flood‑plain considerations, and transit access for future reuse.

For a developer

  • Site size is not specified in the record.
  • Control lies with the city of Harvey; entitlement was secured in 2015.
  • Context‑layer constraints (flood, transit, environment) are not provided, so they are unknown.
  • Market signals are weak: opp_score 0.0 with reasons noting the retrofit is already built, the site is closed/demolished, and housing is present in the record.

What we do not know yet

  • Exact parcel dimensions and current building footprint are missing.
  • Flood‑zone status, transit proximity, and environmental contamination details are not in the record.
  • Post‑2016 ownership details beyond the city of Harvey are unspecified.
  • The record is marked as 'draft' verified, indicating possible unreviewed or model‑extracted fields.

Generated by nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b on NVIDIA API via Hermes CT from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Lincoln Mall, Matteson, IL · Malls · opened 1973; closed 2015; same strategy: redevelop
  • Cape Cod Factory Outlet Mall, Bourne, MA · Malls · opened 1972; closed 2011; same strategy: redevelop
  • Ford City Mall, Chicago, IL · Malls · opened 1965; same strategy: redevelop; also in IL
  • Indian Mall, Jonesboro, AR · Malls · opened 1968; closed 2008; same strategy: redevelop

Elsewhere on the web

Pages with photos

Search images: Google · Bing · Commons · references: ULI case studies · Google Scholar

Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • closed or demolished site (sourced)
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1966Wikidata
Closed2012Wikidata
Original developerRobert Meyer Corporation, Meyer C. Weiner, Robert E. Fryling, T. C. MacDonaldextracted, unreviewed
ArchitectHornbach, Steenwyk, and Thrall
AnchorsJCPenney, Montgomery Ward, Walgreens, Woolworth, Jewel
CountyCook County
Census division3 · East North Central
NotesWikipedia categories: Demolished shopping malls in the United States

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA. Know it? Tell us.

Background

Dixie Square Mall, formally the Dixie Square Shopping Center, was an enclosed shopping mall at the junction of 151st Street and Dixie Highway in the Chicago suburb of Harvey, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1966, the mall featured Montgomery Ward, JCPenney, Woolworth, Walgreens, and Jewel as its anchor stores, with discount store Turn Style joining in 1970. The mall was in operation for twelve years, closing permanently in 1978. It is thus considered an early example of a dead mall; it was characterized by high vacancy rates and low patronage, which led to its closure. While many other dead malls were redeveloped or demolished, Dixie Square became notable for its extensive neglect, vandalism damage, and history. After closure, the mall was used for a scene in the film The Blues Brothers and then left abandoned. It achieved notoriety because of a growing Internet cult-following of urban exploration groups dedicated to covering the mall's deteriorating condition.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1966 Opened (Wikidata)
  2. 1966 opened
  3. 1978 closed
  4. 1979 temporary school
  5. 2012 Closed (Wikidata)
  6. 2012 demolition

Sources

  • Wikipedia: Dixie Square Mall · supports: after notes, original developer, status, strategy, zoning change
    10 quoted sentences
    developed by Robert Meyer Corporation...
    The vast majority of the former site is now brownfield land...
    final demolition was completed in May of that year
    November 2015 article suggested...

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