Can't find any reference to "warzone" on my article, but this is what I wrote: "By this point, crime in the center was so rampant that a police substation was installed adjacent to the parking garage.". I'll concede that it is entirely possible that gang members went to the mall but the idea that it was a threatening or dangerous place is ludicris. The Forest Fair Mall was opened in 1989 and originally featured Bigg's Hypermarket, Bonwit Teller, B. Altman, Elder-Beerman, Parisian, and Sakowitz as anchor stores. Grill (Fairview Mall) Menu and Delivery in Toronto Too far to deliver Location and hours 1800 Sheppard Ave E Unit F4, North York, Ontario M2J 5A7 Sunday 10:45 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Monday - Saturday 10:45 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Keep in mind, the place was PACKED with people, and she just laid them down there for anyone to take off with. Finally called them and they said they were next to the food court which was completely closed except for an unpatronized Japanese restaurant. Today, this nearly 2,000,000 square foot mall has only Kohl's, Bass Pro Shops (leaving later in 2015), and Babies R Us as anchor stores. Seeking to turn around its flagging fortunes, FFM rebranded the mall as Malls at Forest Fair in May 1992 as part of a $25 million project which included dividing the concourses into four retail themes centered around entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, and value. It is interesting to walk the ghost-town mall. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. IMO Kenwood was always the go to mall. Official MapQuest website, find driving directions, maps, live traffic updates and road conditions. Over the years, the Cincinnati Mall, known currently as Forest Fair Village in 2022, has changed names numerous times. I remember it well. Tri-County Mall | Barge Photography , 2023 Cincinnati Wedding Photographer | West Chester Photographer | Cincy Bride | ProPhoto Custom Blog by NetRivet Blogs. Welcome back to where it all started, FOREST FAIR MALL, to celebrate 1,000 subscribers with a newly re-rerecorded, re-shot, re-mastered, re-booted edition. They didn't put a substation there to curtail crime, it had always been there. LOL Yeah they sure did have a fog machine in there. As everyone knows I love exploring dilapidated areas and buildings, so I wanted to photograph one of my favorite malls. I think I placed the date of the substation too far ahead, so I'll correct that. Cant remember the name of this place. Or a good location for a Halloween scare. Phone # Not Available . What's the status on Cincinnati Sports Zone and the new "Forest Fair Village" name? 13 The Festival at Forest Fair, a themed restaurant and bar district, opened in the former Bonwit Teller at the cost of $8 million in August 1993. 4 20 The mall was rededicated as Cincinnati Mills on August 19, 2004. Also, you can't enter the nightclub from within the mall itself, you have to go outside. They often had 10 or more folks undercover at any point. Not so, now. 1 10 It thrived with three anchors, 145 inline tenants, several themed restaurants and nightclubs, and two movie theatres, and boasted an occupancy rate of 93%. Skin therapist at Ulta at Bridgewater Falls hits service sales Local IKEA celebrates Black entrepreneurs with $25K grant. Powered by Invision Community. Owing to an economic downturn and financial considerations, the new Bass Pro Shops store was never built. man i miss those days at Bourbon Street. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I think the incident you're referring to is when a gun was pulled and there was a huge response from the Fairfield and Forest Park police. However, I sometimes go to the one at Cincinnati Mall because my brother works in Fairfield, so I can meet him for lunch. Amazingly, the entire mall is still open to the public. Even the Tot Lots went up there to Metropolis on occasion! and our We went everyday in the summer. ^It was called Bourbon St. All rights reserved. Found this out firsthand, the management will try anything to keep it out of the papers. Bass Pro Shops building new West Chester store, closing Forest Fair Mall., Callahan, Denise. No offense, but some people are way too young to remember anything significant that occurred there during the early 1990s. Bourbon Street must have been on the upper level of the old Bonwit Teller, back when it was Festivals of Forest Fair. We couldnt find the damned thing. Mall cinema shuts down. Cincinnati Enquirer 2 March 2010. Cincinnati Mall works on debt plan., Baverman, Laura. It is a high crime and drug related area with violence and theft much higher than upper class Tri-county Mall which is 5 minutes away. I think its time to tear this down and reclaim the land for another use. Are you kidding me? Yes - I've been inside when it's just been a dark concourse. The three times that I went there in the past year were at night, and during the time when the club was open, and it was very uncomfortable to walk anywhere near the car and not be followed, or see general shit happen. Does Greenhills work better? ^Were you babysitting one of the kids there? The sad thing is the retail landscape in this country has changed. 2341021 The project was aided by $19 million in tax increment financing for two parking garages. That was unheard of at the time. Everything else 2 days before Christmas was boarded up except for bass pro shops (about to close) and babies R us. First you talked about rampant crime in the mall, then you further went on to post about gangs and violence. If you put in a school and some offices, that will lend itself to a bustling food court and some retail options. Store Directory for Wolfchase Galleria - A Shopping Center In Memphis, TN - A Simon Property. FAIRFIELD, Ohio The former Forest Fair mall is set to be demolished, along with 825 other structures across the state, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Friday. Were there any larger stores in the bigg's wing besides the sporting goods shop and the bigg's? [], [] https://abandonedonline.net/location/cincinnati-mall/ BACKGROUND MUSIC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQyzEyIf7P0&t=254s []. The mall is the second largest mall in Ohio with 1,500,000 square feet. Hooker in 1986, with the east wing of the mall opening in July 1988 with Biggs hypermarket and value-oriented inline tenants. That section of the mall opened about a year before the rest of it. The Castle: Inside Rackspace's Headquarters, When you visited the mall, was the arcade type store already closed? Recently we uploaded a video about Forest Fair Mall the state it is in now, Here is a video of what the mall looked like with the original asteadics and Time. Forest Fair Mall was constructed by L.J. Please be sure to consider us for your high school senior photography, dance photography or your upcomingweddinginCincinnati, Dayton, Liberty Twpand entire tri-statearea. The funding was approved in 2021 but it took a while for the state to develop grant guidelines. 659 reviews of Bub City "I was in the new location this past Thursday. There is nothing like coming across a wayside junkyard nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains while traveling in Pennsylvania. Hence the need for the substation. I thought it was a nice mall, only went there a couple of times-where liveliness go ? 13 Nov. 2008: 6B. Some malls are using space for academic uses, as well as office space, which is always at a premium. Let me say the place is amazing. Sounds more like a place for toddlers and tots to hang out. Biggs occupied the entire right sideKohls 1 of only 2 anchors leftKohls garage entrance now closedPBS Back yard playgroundLove Auntie Annes!Showcase Cinemas 10 The 2nd of 2 cinemas located at the mall. Kohls opened in the B. Altman location in September 1994. site has almost 2,000 feet of . * Police substation opened in December 1991. Hooker was saddled with debt as construction costs that were estimated at $200 million came in at more than $250 million. Mike DeWines office last fall about the deadline that appeared to jeopardize the $8 million project. The mall is the second largest mall in Ohio with 1,500,000 square feet. Forest Fair Mall holds a small place in my heart. XtremeXploring 20 days ago Actually looks kinda nice in 2007. They had ties for 300!! [] Forest Fair Mall/Cincinnati Mills/Cincinnati Mall is one of those shopping centers that never really took off. events and such there. 3 6 Cincinnati Mills had declined to 115 tenants by mid-summer and the shopping center had become one of the weakest performers in the Mill Corporations portfolio, with sales per square feet less than half the average for similarly sized facilities. Fairfield, Ohio bordered with Forest Park, Ohio | Forest park, Butler county, Hamilton county Travel Destinations US Destinations Uploaded to Pinterest Bourbon Street nightclubs at Forest Fair Mall. 12 Nov. 2008. Kenwood? Also supposed to be opening are Arcade Legacy (opened Feb 12), Extreme Baseball Academy, Bee Active Adventure Zone, Universal Fitness, Brain Freeze Treats and Grill, and Body of Influence. It later became the place my friends and I came to call our favorite place to go on the weekends Bourbon Street night club. I liked all the different clubs. Malls new look holds surprises. Cincinnati Enquirer 8 July 2004. An update from my post yesterday. Note, the logo is still present on the groundtodayPlace 2 B Nite Club This nightclub replaced the former nightclub Metropolis. A major redevelopment of the mall likely requires planning commission and/or city council approval, including multiple meetings and public hearings, Kaelin said. I encourage you to stop by there and take a walk through this unique work of art before it is shuttered. I don't think that anyone is arguing whether or not gangs were there on occasion and such. The second and latest was in January this year. Officials have estimated it could take 12 to 18 months to down such a massive development. It is being restored today after years of neglect. Latest plan for Cincinnati Mall: ice rink, water park., Baverman, Laura. Why else would it be worth mentioning? ?I wonder how old this candy is!Sadly all the buckets you see are for leaks in the ceiling. This mall was built in 1988, and it was there when I moved into my first apartment that I furnished it with everything from the senior anchor, Biggs Hypermarket. Its a gateway to the community so were concerned with what plans and what companies want to bring to us., Fairfield Economic Development Manager Nathaniel Kaelin told the Journal-News there have been discussions about keeping the Kohls store intact and they expect the developer will work with Kohls to determine how they fit into a redevelopment project.. Probably a good spot for laser tag or paintballing in the future. Fasig, Lisa Biank. Ambitious plans for Cincinnati Mall., Mink, Dan. Still searching, news search engine hanging. We are conveniently locatedin our new location inLiberty Twpjust minutes north ofWest Chesterat 5471 Oakview Terrace, Liberty Twp, OH 45011, Forest Fair Village aka Forest Fair Mall. ^One of my friends got busted for underage drinking in the garage. Forest fair mall was home to many grocery stores over the years. Hence the need for the substation. Thinking of moving to Cincinnati -- help? The gangs were not walking around the other malls like they were at Forest Parks, Forest Fair Mall. They had a substation there for years. I worked for bigg's at Forest Fair Mall when it first opened in 1988. I don't think I personally have ever felt threatened walking around there. If you want to use this photo please contact me (Nicholas Eckhart) in one of the following ways: >Send an email to eckhartnicholas@yahoo.com. The decrepit Monsour Medical Center in Jeannette, Pennsylvania was demolished last month. This mall was also built off an exit that didn't get nearly the development as around the area's other malls. Bear_Salary6976 2 mo. ago. From the website, Metropolis looks like its still open. CincyImages, Amazingly, the entire mall is still open to the public. 5 By December, occupancy was down to 66%. The property, also known by its original name, Forest Fair Mall, consists of a 1.9 million square foot mall on approximately 90 acres. Megan Nagy with the DoD told the Journal-News they are willing to extend the deadlines if counties ask but she wouldnt address Butler County specifically. Hope to see you in soon! more. ..30 years of failed attempts at the same thing. Learn how your comment data is processed. ^So that's why there's that strange concrete alcove next to the Bigg's wing entrance. Thats my unprofessional real opinion, I was there. The picture that Gordon painted seems much closer to reality. Like I'm sure no one has ever stolen a thing from that entire mall. ever.stupid Bi*ch. 14, North Star Realty of Georgia purchased the mall in January 2009, although the company became delinquent on property taxes and payments relating to the construction of the parking garages. Not sure why the rafters were visible in some of the garage roofs. Forest Fair Mall chronology. Cincinnati Enquirer 29 Oct. 2000. and our Chief. And I remember accessing it from within the mall via a escalator. Forest Fair Village Cincinnati, OH | Barge Photography, Mall entry #6 looking into the old Biggs Hypermarket, East end of the mall. The mall suffers from crime, hence the need for a police substation (how many other malls have that? 1617. The local government will need to clear the tax liens before anything happens with this property. I remember seeing my first thong contest, and seeing a lot more than just thongs up on those platforms. It had games and some movies for sale. Greater Cincinnati mall under contract; demo and $150M project planned.. http://www.southlandstone.com/projects/Forest_Fair_Mall.pdf, I saw an article that stated the nightclub at Cincinnati Mills will be closing. Just visited during peak holiday shopping season to go to the arcade with my sons. Boyer, Mike. Enjoy thisForest Fair Village Forest Fair Mall Cincinnati Mills Mall Cincinnati Mall photography provided byBargePhotography offeringnature and skyline nature photography in theCincinnati metro area and the entire country. I could actually hear the drips given the heavy rain we had the day beforeThe coolest food court Ive ever been toThis cinema changed names 3 times since opening at the beginning of the mall. UNLESS they can convince some STRICTLY Upscale retailers to open up shop here, and Im talking Versace ans such, it will have to become a multi use facility. There is a lot you won't find in the newspapers, because it's just bad PR. ), You also forget that in the winter of 1992, 2 rival gangs went to the Forest Fair Mall and started a, Forest Fair Mall / Cincinnati Mills / Cincinnati Mall, http://www.labelscar.com/ohio/forest-fair-mall-cincinnati-mills-cincinnati-mall-cincinnati-ohio. Will have the memories forever though!! I do remember the rumors of gangs roaming it in the 90's though. That hardly seems to indicate some Forest Park- Fairfield turf war being waged inside the mall. . 1,604,828 6,781. Development group wants to put light industrial buildings on site if it acquires properties. The agriculture museum might have potential, but I don't quite understand the concept. Denise has been reporter with Cox since 2006. Regardless if the mall had "crime" or not (I'm sure Kenwood and Tri-County had "crime" as well), it was a safe mall and I do remember it well in the 90's. The mall is the second largest mall in Ohio with 1,500,000 square feet. We offer everything from delicious starters like wings, po-boys, chicken . Hopefully a new buyer will come in and restore it, and find some kind of entertainment use for this gem of a place. Uh oh. Could things have gone down @ Forest Fair, probably, but gang members go shopping like everybody else and that doesn't mean there was blood in aisles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_-cBLQlB-A. There was a rumor that there were gang wars inside Forest Fair during the 1990s, guess it was true after all? Bourbon Street Memories - Forest Fair Mall created the group Bourbon Street Memories - Forest Fair Mall. New stores announced for Cincinnati Mills. Cincinnati Mills 9 July 2004. For more information, please see our Hooker literally bought controlling interest in the upscale anchors and forced them to open at the mall. With all this talk about crime, I thought something entirely different when you said "tagging". Counties have until Feb. 13, 2023 to request a grant extension for the Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. Just seen an article that states Cincinnati Mall will change names once again. Entry #7Only Bass Pro and Kohls are openMall entry #6 looking into the old Biggs HypermarketEast end of the mall. Arcade Legacy is actually pretty neat and run by some really nice guys. That could work. There are other locations throughout the Cincy area, and I think it might (?) Also, the substation closes with the main mall and doesn't stay open with Metropolis. Sherman, you're my friend and I enjoyed reading this, but that is nothing for than mere speculation attempted to be put forward as fact. 11 By June, Forest Fair was put up for sale. This cinema has been closed since 2014, Entries #2 and #8 and Steve & Barrys. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers. 12 Nov. 2008. Each of the 88 counties automatically received $500,000 for demolition and $1 million for brownfield remediation, which is the removal of hazardous materials left when industrial, or even commercial such as dry cleaners blight is downed. Now it looks like the Metropolis may remain open at the mall. "Cincinnati Newcomers" questions answered. 12 Nov. 2008. "Did you know that MS-13 roamed the mall back, and in the surrounding suburbs of Sharonville and Winton Woods?". Mills was later taken over by Simon Malls. It takes quite a while to get all your ducks in a row when youre talking about a project that massive. Cincinnati Mills sold again. Cincinnati Enquirer 2 Jan. 2009. This mall is very modern for a dead mall. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Demeropolis, Tom. I miss the good times from early 90s in that mall. By 2, The malls fortunes mirrored the Mills Corporations finances by April 2006. The Butler County land bank won $7.9 million of the demolition money to raze the old Forest Fair Mall now called the Cincinnati Mall along Interstate 275, the total demolition is estimated at $10.5 million and there is a $2.6 million local match the developer would pay. so yet another space that will need filled, will be totally empty soon if they dont get something else in there. Bonwit Teller closed in October 1990, followed by B. Altman and Sakowitz in November. It's not located adjacent to the parking garage, it's located within the mall itself. 41 votes, 21 comments. 11, FFM placed Malls at Forest Fair on the market in February 1995 which was acquired by Gator Forest Park Partners of Miami in 1996 for $18 million.11 Gator envisioned Forest Fair as a destination outlet mall3710 and pledged to invest $10 million into the shopping center over the next three years.