01 April 2016

Newmarket Mall, Chicago, IL

A dead mall

The eighties were absolutely the height of the mall boom. They had become a cultural icon, prominently featured and even starring in productions such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Ridgemont Mall,) Mama’s Family (The GalleRAYa) and the classic Chopping Mall (Park Plaza Mall.) Chicago is one of those big cities surrounded by countless suburbs and even more malls, many of which are long gone and forgotten to this day. Among them, tucked away in a non-descript bedroom community along the Windy City’s outskirts was the tiny, yet influential, Newmarket Mall.

 
L- Newmarket Mall’s original logo seen from Gary’s Shoes. R- A patron walks past a Newmarket mall map.

Built perhaps sometime between the mid and late seventies, the small neighborhood shopping complex was rather basic in design. Its corridor formed somewhat of a racetrack, with an island of stores in the center of the facility. Through its early years, it never really emerged as a popular choice in shopping, especially amongst heavy nearby competition. But then in the mid-80s, it all of a sudden became the place to be seen.

 
L- A scene from Muldin’s famed Timepiece Department. R- Muldin’s entrance into the mall.

Anchoring the facility was Muldin’s Department Store, with their overwhelming selection of elaborate timepieces amongst their claim to fame. Other popular spots were Rainbow Toys, Gary’s Shoes and Accessories and the Newmarket Cinemas. The mall seemed to find its niche in the community until late in 1987 when the larger and more strategically located Lakeside Mall opened in the next town. Newmarket immediately felt the pinch of competition.


A happy shopper displaying the Lakeside Mall logo.

In a twist of fate, however, Lakeside seemed to be cursed with bad publicity from the onset. One notable incident involved the parachuting Santa accident and a subsequent loss of sponsors, retailers and thousands of dollars in gift certificates. Newmarket immediately regained many of the customers it had lost and actually flourished in the shadow of its larger neighbors.

 
L- A student from nearby Polk High School walks past the mall’s new logo. R- A view outside the Newmarket Cinema, with excited patrons waiting in line to see “Rudy.”

It also seemed to attract both favorable and dubious notoriety. There were reported Elvis sightings within its concourse; the universally panned documentary A Day in the Life of a Shoe Salesman was filmed there, and their Christmas decorations and popular Santa were almost professional in appearance. But, alas, the drumbeats of time continued and, though updated at least once with brighter colors and a new logo, the mall was never expanded. This, and the absence of any nationally known retailers, led to the neighborhood mall’s inevitable decline.

 
 
TL- People gather in the popular mall. TR- An eighties style seating area near the food court. BL- Rainbow Toys shines brightly in the dark corridors. BR- The documentary A Day in the Life of a Shoe Salesman as it was being filmed.

The neighborhood was changing as the children who used to call Newmarket Mall home were growing up and moving on. The neighborhood, and its mall, were dying. Newmarket remained until June 9, 1997, the day it was cancelled, and joined Dixie Square Mall as another of Chicagoland’s early generation malls that slipped into obscurity.

 
L- The mall’s noted Christmas decorations. R- Santa makes an appearance.

2 comments:

  1. Fantastic! April 1st you say...

    Haven't even thought of this old mall in years, love your site!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This mall was in one day at a time. The same sign was used in both shows

    ReplyDelete