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Mount Prospect's mall: The history of Randhurst

Randhurst Shopping Mall was an incredible project in its time. Built on top of one of the last farms in Mount Prospect, construction started in 1958 and the center opened to the public in 1962.

The mall was originally constructed by the Carson Pirie Scott Co., which purchased the land through the George L. Busse Realty Co. At the time Randhurst opened, it was the largest shopping center under one roof in America and possibly the largest shopping center in the world.

People traveled miles to see the first modern shopping mall in the suburbs. In the first month of business, more than 1 million shoppers visited Randhurst. Those who lived in Mount Prospect at the time remember the mall being so crowded that you could barely walk.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, the Randhurst Corp. began hosting special events, such as fashion shows, children's fairs, and educational programs. In both 1976 and 1977 the mall hosted a full three-ring circus. The mall also brought in a number of celebrities such as Robert F. Kennedy, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno and cast members from the "Planet of the Apes."

As time went by and the mall began to lose prestige, the indoor mall had to push back outward in order to draw shoppers. First came the sprouting of satellite locations on the perimeter of the property, such as the addition in the 1990s of the movie theater complex and its renovation at the end of that decade, then the addition of Borders, Steak 'n Shake, Home Depot and Kid's World. All were attempts to draw visitors to the mall location and draw them into this commercially created environment with the mall at its center.

As mall fashion went full circle and strip malls came back into fashion, segregating the shops and experiences, removing centrally located social opportunities and hosting of events, malls were no longer as much a place of gathering, with exceptions such as Woodfield Mall.

In 2008, Mount Prospect officials approved a $150 million proposal to demolish the enclosed part of the mall and rebuild it in an entirely different style. Randhurst Village opened in 2011 as an open-air shopping center with a prominent dining/entertainment component. The center still features department stores, but its structured in a walk-up, Main Street-style manner.

  The original enclosed mall has been torn down. It reopened in 2011 as Randhurst Village, an open-air shopping center. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com, 2016
Children play on a sculpture at the original Randhurst mall in this vintage photo. Mount Prospect Historical Society
Mayor Clarence "C.O." Schlaver, left, cuts the first of six Randhurst ribbons, one for each arcade entrance, as Randhurst Corporation General Manager George M. O'Neill, right, holding microphone, looks on. Courtesy Mount Prospect Historical Society
Carson Pirie Scott was the original anchor store at Randhurst Shopping Center and continues today at Randhurst Village. Daily Herald File Photo
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