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 32 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 1979 (J.C Penney official closure), close to 10 proposals had been announced, all including ideas to demolish or redevelop the property, though none 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. In 1983, Harvey Mayor David Johnson held onto hope that a handful of developers, who had all provided land use proposals, would revitalize Dixie Square. None of those plans came to fruition, however. In 2002, an announcement is made that the former JC Penney store will be leased by the state to house offices for 5 state agencies. The plan also includes the demolition of the rest of Dixie Square. After these proposals failed, Dixie Square 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, Block A entrance, the former Woolworth anchor, and the former Montgomery Ward building. Final demolition began in February 2012 and was completed in May of that year.
