Dixie Square Mall

Dixie Square Shopping Center

Front cover of mall directory
Location	Harvey, Illinois
Address	151st to 154th Street and Dixie Highway, Harvey, Illinois
Opening date	August 31, 1966
Closing date	November 1978 (demolished February to May 2012)
No. of stores and services	64 (in 1968) 20 (in 1978)
No. of anchor tenants	3
No. of floors	1 (2 in JCPenneys)

Dixie Square Shopping Center was an enclosed shopping mall located in Harvey, Illinois, United States, at the junction of 151st Street and the Dixie Highway. It stood vacant for over 30 years, more than twice as long as it was in business. It was famous for having been used, both inside and out, for the mall chase scene in the movie The Blues Brothers. More recently, it achieved notoriety because of a growing Internet cult following (including local urban exploration groups) dedicated to covering the mall's deteriorating condition. Like other "dead malls", it had been characterized by high vacancy rates and low patronage, which led to its closure. However, while other dead malls were redeveloped or demolished, Dixie Square stood out due to its extensive neglect, vandalism damage, and sordid history.

Since the mall closed in 1978, numerous plans had been proposed to demolish or redevelop the property, though most never came to fruition. The first plan to demolish the mall was developed in the late 1970s, but the filming of The Blues Brothers prevented this from happening. The mall was then left to decay, due in no small part to a lack of funds. For some time, the only parts of the mall that had been fully demolished were the central energy plant, the former Woolworth anchor, and the former Montgomery Ward building. Final demolition began in February 2012 and was completed in May of that year.

At the cost of US$25 million, Dixie Square opened in 1966 on the site of a former golf course. Construction had begun in late 1964, and Montgomery Ward was the first of the mall's stores to open, on October 21, 1965. A soft opening took place August 31, 1966, with 36 stores. Construction was completed nearly three months later, and the mall was dedicated on November 9, 1966, with grand opening celebrations from November 10–12, and 50 stores open. Grand opening celebrations featured Homer and Jethro, Art Hodes and Sid Sakowicz, the Art Van Damme Quintet, and Ned Locke of the Bozo's Circus show. The mall had 64 shops by 1968, including the two anchor stores, Woolworth, Walgreens, and a Jewel supermarket. In 1970, Turn Style was added as another anchor.