Ford City Center, Chicago, Illinois.

THE WAR EFFORT

Ford City Center was initially built as a manufacturing plant for the Dodge Chicago Plant in 1942. It was used to produce B-29 bomber aircraft engines and other war materials during World War II. Approximately 17,000 workers were employed. By October, Building No. 1 was finished. 

The Dodge Chicago Plant office building, 7401 South Cicero Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, in 1942. Built on 500 acres of undeveloped (greenfield) land. The Dodge Chicago plant office building was 32,844 sq. ft. It also had a loading dock of 2,300 sq. ft. The plant had 5,551,744 sq. ft. or 128 acres of floor space. Only B-29 airplane engines were built here, each using over 18,000 individual parts. Five machines were built for every B-29 so replacements would be readily available.

By the spring of 1943, 10 steel, concrete and wood buildings had been constructed. The building covered approximately 6,000,000 square feet. The largest building was Building No. 4. It covered 62 acres and was built out of reinforced concrete. The plant contained 7,000 miles of underground piping and 15 miles of cables and wires for water and power.

By December 1945, the plant was left vacant due to the end of World War II. The government attempted to sell it without success.

The plant was later retrofitted for automobile production by the Tucker Corporation. The "Tucker Torpedo" was the name given during the concept and design phases. All 51 production cars sold under the "Tucker 48" nomenclature, so named for its model year.

The building remained a white elephant until the Korean War when it was reopened to build airplane engines for the war effort under contract from Ford Motor Company. The Ford company modernized everything inside the building, employing nearly 12,000 people. The facility closed again in 1959.

FORD CITY

In 1961, the government sold the shuttered plant to Harry F Chaddick, who, along with other investors, planned to develop a shopping center. Some buildings were torn down to make room for parking lots. The buildings that remained were remodeled to attract retail tenants. Developers divided the building into separate portions for the mall.

Ford City opened in 1965. The mall consists of two halves, a strip mall and an enclosed mall. 

Ford City Floor Plan 1966

The mall's original front facade and Main Entrance. A Woolworth Five and Dime and Harvest House Cafeteria are in the foreground, with a National Food grocery and JCPenney off in the distance.

The mall consists of two halves, a strip mall and the enclosed mall. The strip mall portion is connected to the enclosed mall by a tunnel called "Peacock Alley." It utilizes the basement between the severed halves of the buildings directly below the parking lot. The Connection was originally called Peacock Alley from the late 1970s through the 1980s. It was built in 1943 as part of the Ford City factory complex. The arcade was named after the famous Peacock Alley at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. As Ford City began to decline in the 1980s, many of the stores in the arcade closed, and the arcade itself became rundown. Changing the name to The Connection did not help revitalize the arcade, which closed in January 2019.

The Grand Mall at Ford City, soon after the official opening of the shopping center. The interior entry of the Harvest House Cafeteria is on the left. The Ford City Grill, also operated by F.W. Woolworth, is in the center of the image.

Another vintage view of the Grand Mall. The entry of the Wieboldt's department store, which anchored the west end of the complex, appears in the background.

Ford City Floor Plan 1975

Wieboldt occupied the western-facing space until 1987, when Carson Pirie Scott & Co. moved in. Montgomery Ward last occupied the southern-facing space until that chain's bankruptcy. That space has since been demolished. JCPenney occupies the eastern-facing space. 

In January 1988, a $52 million renovation got underway. The entire complex was given a facelift, store spaces were reconfigured, and the 10-bay Ford City Food Court was built in a previously-existing area. New signage, water features, flooring and skylights were installed.

A 1986 exterior view of the Ford City Wieboldt's. The nation's largest single-level department store was represented by 219,300 square feet.

Ford City was renamed Ford City Mall in 1989.

Ford City Floor Plan 1990

The General Cinema Corporation Ford City 14-multiplex was built, as a freestanding structure, in the southeast parking area. This venue debuted on August 1, 1990, with the Ford City I-II-III and Ford City East theaters being shuttered. The 14-multiplex was upgraded when the AMC Theatre bought it.

JCPenney built one of their "New Generation" stores at Ford City. It was the chain's largest single-level location. A freestanding JCPenney's Auto Center is seen on the right.

Turn Style had anchored the east end of the strip mall portion until the store was sold and converted to Venture and then to Sears until they closed the store in August 2010.

Until February 2008, General Growth Properties Inc., a private investment company, managed the mall.

In 2009-2010, Ford City Mall began a multimillion-dollar long-term capital redevelopment program undertaking North Mall infrastructure work, Cicero Avenue frontage and North Mall parking lot resurfacing. During this time, new tenants such as Conway (later Fallas), U.S. Cellular, Rodeo, Amici, Star Diamond Jewelers, GNC, She Bar, Eldorado Fine Jewelers, Avon, China Max, Sprint, and other stores opened for business at Ford City Mall. 

In early 2011, the Cicero Avenue pylon signs were refurbished for the second phase of the long-term capital redevelopment plan. This allowed tenants to gain maximum store signage exposure along heavily trafficked Cicero Avenue.

As part of the 2011 capital redevelopment program, Ford City Mall is demolishing several small out parcel buildings and a former vacant anchor store, leading the way to future development options under discussion.

In the summer of 2012, Ford City Mall closed part of The Connection and moved all retailers upstairs.

In mid-2013, a facelift renovation was announced, which was to have commenced in mid-2014. This would have rebuilt the complex's interior, relocated its Food Court, reconfigured most inline store space as big box retail and added several freestanding restaurants.

Ford City's renovation began in 2016. Plans include renovating the mall with corridor seating, new lighting and flooring and a newly remodeled food court. The Carson Pirie Scott & Co. and JCPenney were remodeled. A Five Below store in the North Mall portion opened in September 2016. In addition, several out parcels will be constructed near the Southern end of the mall as well as a new CTA transit center to be opened in 2017. An out-lot building that housed a Chipotle Mexican Grill and a Mattress Firm opened in 2017. An H&M store opened on August 9, 2018.

On April 18, 2018, Carson Pirie Scott & Co.'s parent company, The Bon-Ton Stores, announced they would close all of Carson's locations, including the Ford City, due to their bankruptcy. The store closed on August 29, 2018. 

Ford City Floor Plan 2019

The closure of Carson Pirie Scott & Co. left JCPenney as the only remaining anchor.

THE UNDER 17 MALL CURFEW

In 2009, the mall did institute a curfew for unaccompanied minors. The curfew prohibits children under 17 from entering the mall after 6pm on weekdays and 7pm on weekends. There are a few exceptions to the curfew, such as if the minor is accompanied by a parent or guardian or if they are attending a scheduled event at the mall. The curfew was instituted in response to concerns about minors' loitering, vandalism, and theft. The mall management believes that the curfew will help to create a safer and more welcoming environment for all shoppers.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale. Ph.D.