For starters, here's the original design for Ford City.
And here's a list of Ford City's tenants in 1975:
GRAND MALL:
WIEBOLDT'S (with Veranda Restaurant) / J.C. PENNEY (with Auto Center) / F.W. WOOLWORTH (with Woolworth's Grill) / Harvest House Cafeteria / Bressler's 33 Flavors / Minnesota Fabrics / Hallmark Cards / R and R Crossing apparel / National Tea Grocery / Ford City Restaurant / Tally-Ho Restaurant / Wurlitzer Organs / Frank's Shoes / Flagg Brothers Shoes / Musicland / Tobacco Teepee / Dunkin' Donuts / Super-X Drug / Saint Anne Shop / Gift Studio / Lerner Shops / Thom McAn Shoes / Pam's Young Folks children's apparel / The Knot Shop / Bond's apparel / Marc Allen Shoes / Singer Sewing Center / So-Fro Fabrics / Buster Brown Shoes / Karroll's / The Gap / Polk Brothers / Mailing Shoes / O'Conner and Goldberg Shoes / Orange Julius / Fanny Farmer Candies
NORTH MALL:
JEWEL SUPERMARKET /Ford City Cinema / Talley's Pub / Ford City Bowling Center / Print King / Fayva Shoes / John M. Smythe Furniture / Turnstyle Toys
PEACOCK ALLEY:
Pagoda House / The Shelf Shop / Nickleodeon Pizza / Park Magnavox TV and Stereo / Village Records and Tapes / Gingiss Formalwear / Ford City Karate / House Of Lewis / Allsport Sporting Goods / Tricks -N- Toys / Toby's Bridal / Ford City Key and Lock / The Loft apparel / Ford City Catholic Center
Had you forgotten some of these places? Also: How many damned shoe stores did we need back then?
12 comments:
Seriously, how cool is peacock alley. It's a tunnel, that connects the south mall to those stores.Plus, you can pop up in the middle of the parking lot and go down the stairs. Ahead of it's time I tell ya. Sure would love to explore the tunnels that supposedly lead to Midway Airport. Miss that Nickelodeon Pizza!
Hey, No mention of Ford City Beauty School in Peacock Alley. I went there from March 1974-August1975. Loved strolling the mall in my cool white uniform. LOL
Can't forget the beauty school. Home of the crook-ed hair cut 2 hour long hair cut. How funny. I remember waiting for what seemed like hours as my sisters got their hair feathered there!
This is cool, John!!!! tnx
I remember hearing Joan Jett's "I Love Rock-n-Roll" in Nickelodeon Pizza...thinking I'm only like...8...but I'm "standing there by the record machine...new he must've been about 17" as if I'm much older and cooler.......
Nickolodean pizza was the best, they had a cool jukebox, i always played the kiss songs. Tally ho had good food too, and who could forget the bottle cap show, 6 bottle caps got you in free saturday mornings! I saw giggle snort hotel's dirty dragon in the mall appearences. Johns garage had the best burgers. The arcade at the bowling alley was awesome! Peacock alley ruled!!!
The first time i saw the movie "Jaws" was at Ford City. I also remember shopping with my mom at the Jewel/turnstyle. My very last visit at the mall we also went to Johns Garage. Is it still there ? I spent the majority of my youth either as Ford City Mall or Evergreen Plaza. Ahhh.... to be young again.
Awesome. I totally remember going to Turnstyle with my mom and I was born in 1971. I also remember how Peacock Alley was total Stoner Alley and I was terrified to go down the hall where the railroad track sign was (not sure what was there). I also remember going to the tshirt place for some cool unicorn decals/shirts (ha!) and then thought I was all that and a bag of chips and desperately wanted a gold, fake fingernail for my pinky. Little did I know that would have labeled me as a cokehead.
I remember buying Chinese Stars at Caseys Sports in Peacock Alley. I worked at a building outside the mall but in the Ford City complex in the 90s. It had access to the underground tunnels. I went down there once and there were plane parts and old office phones still down there from the 40s (along with a ton of rats). I don't think it reached Midway. There was a rumor that there are multiple levels underneath there. They should open them up for tours someday. It is a great part of Chicago history.
The basement floors of the major department stores and Peacock Alley are all the "first" floor of a tunnel complex. There were (are) rumored to be 13 levels, one of which went directly from Ford City to Midway Airport. The complex that houses Tootise Roll, Sweatheart Cup and the Post Office (also where the Tucker Automoblie was built) also has entry ways into the tunnel system. As one previous poster mentioned it is full of some old parts and lots of rats. I know this because I was in those tunnels in the mid 1970's and then again in the early 1980's.
There had to be a Lerners store too. I worked there when I was 16-17 years old and that was in 1976. I remember they sold women's and kid's clothing. They sold garanimals. Remember those?
People call the tunnel that leads to Midway a "myth" - tell you what - it's not. Well - it actually led to a commercial space near Midway. My dad used to work at the mall (management) in the 1970's and 1980's. I was with him when we DROVE through this tunnel! I spent many days exploring the spaces BEFORE it became Peacock alley.
Want some photos of that era, shot in the mall? I have plenty.
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