1976 Old Chicago Mall and Amusement park television commercial Bolingbrook, Illinois

Old Chicago was a combination shopping mall and indoor amusement park that existed in the southwest Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Illinois from 1975 until 1980. It was billed as "The world's first indoor amusement park", and it was intended to draw visitors all year round, rain or shine. It opened to great fanfare and over 15,000 visitors on June 17, 1975, with an enormous building that housed major rides, such as three roller coasters and a Ferris wheel, as well as a turn-of-the-century-themed shopping mall with design reminiscent of the architecture of Louis Sullivan, such as his work for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. However, only six months after opening, the complex ran into financial troubles due to construction cost overruns. The opening of a competing amusement park in Chicago's north suburbs (known today as Six Flags Great America) hurt attendance, and the lack of large anchor stores failed to draw enough local and repeat shoppers. Despite management changes, the center continued to lose money. By 1978, the mall began closing on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in early 1980 the entire amusement park shut down and the rides were sold, only five years after opening. Efforts to find alternative uses for the huge building failed, and the structure was demolished in the spring of 1986.

[@djs2356]

Thanks for posting. I recall one of the early Old Chicago commercials was a tap dancer, outdoors dancing on the top of the big dome. She said "Directly beneath my dancing feet is Old Chicago". Then the camera showed the rides etc. I'm sorry it's gone. I wish it was still there. It was great fun!

[@That0neMonkey]

I’ve had this jingle stuck in my head for so long and could never find it… til now. I’d started to wonder if it was really a commercial after all. Thanks for certifying that my memory is intact!

[@bethbatt2081]

Me too! I got to go there three times in the 2 1/2 years we lived in Chicago. I also managed to not only attend Bozo's Circus but get selected for the Grand Prize Game. Guess I squeezed a lot of class 70s experiences into our brief time there...

[@pjspezzz9977]

I researched the creator of OC & hear is the story : Robert R. Brindle at the age of 53 was a developer from Sothern California who built a mall in 1972 on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance California. This was built on 19 acres, 320K square foot of structure at a cost of 30 million to build, which he would sell as a “Recreational Retailing” As you can see from the photos the strong comparisons to Old Chicago. There was a main street with shops and a two story carousel with singing security guards on cobblestone hallways. He named it “Old Towne Mall”
1973 Robert chooses Illinois because there was no competition since the 1960’s when Riverside amusement park closed. In the summer he proposed to the Village of Bolingbrook’s planning commission a plan that would put them on the map! He pitches the idea of a 345,000 square foot complex on 57 acres site he will call it Old Chicago! Robert starts the 20-million-dollar construction project in the late fall without any permit or approval from the village. In January 1974 he finally submits plans to the village but continues to install 40 ton walls still without approval. Construction to the job is delayed and Robert finds himself in conflict with the village right up to the Grand Opening.
June 1975 Robert finds himself in another standoff with the village waiting for an occupancy permit to allow 15,000 people in for a preview party. Construction was not completed and the space was in a dangerous form with exposed electrical and a fire sprinkler system incomplete. There where guests at the entry and the streets in gridlock entering the parking lot. Robert forced the villages hand that night, but the animosity for each other grew greater. Soon after opening day Illinois Central Rail Road realized there easement rights from as far back as 1916 had been encroached. A lawsuit would have bankrupted Robert, so settlement of ownership was rewarded to the rail road.
January 1976, 6 months after the grand opening rumors of bankruptcy started even though fifty thousand visitors came to the park weekly. The founder Robert R. Brindle was removed of his duties as the general manager, but not financially removed from the project until February 1977. The rail road became the management then appoints a new GM. In June the one-year anniversary of opening day comes with an annual cost 3.5 million dollars to employee salaries and utilizes. The Park files for bankruptcy to reorganize finances and blames the 8 million dollars overages on constructions costs. Marriott’s Great America opens in Gurnee IL.
August 1977 the rail road hires the founder of Six Flags to oversee and improve on their amusement park. Fun fact: Brian DePama shoots a scene in his movie “the Fury”. 1980 the park has been open less than 5 years and rumors to sell the property grow louder! Talk of needing new attractions like a movie theater or bowling alley is discussed. The rail road complains that it’s costing them fifty thousand dollars a month to cover utilities and the attendance is at an all-time low. By august the building is boarded up and rumor of the value dropped to half the cost to build with millions upon millions of leans held on the property.
1982 prospective buyers entertain the idea of purchasing the building, but as the years go by, the vacant building falls deeper in to decay. In June they try to auction off the property with a starting bid of 5.4 million. There were no qualified buyers out of the 140 prospects. The winter of 82/83 came quick and the rail road decides not to heat the building and turns off the fire protection system because of deteriorating damage. By that summer the liberal mayor Ed Rosesnthal wants to try to sell the building and keep it in the community, but the other useless lifelong politicians R.Claar & J.Meyer sooner see it leveled. Time marches on with several two bit hustlers lobbing hope to purchase, but never putting up hard money in escrow. The village holds hope for revitalization with hotels, shops, restaurants ect. While the rail road wants to flatten the building, stop the bleeding and move on with the inevitable.
November 1985 a last stitch effort comes from a county politician J.Annerino who sells an idea that the Country of China would purchase and he goes on a trip to China on the tax payer’s dime and brings F.Rousseau a crooked insurance man with him. He returns with no letter of intent or escrow money?! The rail road has the building and its 16 story dome completely torn down by May of 1986.
***** Now what I can tell that happen to Robert R. Brindle is that he took the profits of Old Chicago and had the vision to see a market open up in 1979. He and his wife Luella first purchased 300 acres in northern California, north of Eureka CA., he opened up a RV Camping park called Red Wood Trails Inc. which he expanded to four locations throughout California. He successfully managed them until he retired to Palm Springs CA. and died in 2005 at 86 years old. His son Robert M. Brindle and grandson Damon Brindle ran the company in to chapter 11 bankruptcy. They then opened the company up to public stock (QROA) Quality Resorts of America which was then merged in to 4 other companies, ending up as “Quality Resorts of California” They sold “life time memberships” at $8000. But as the companies merged the contracts were not transferable. Screwed a lot of people out of their money and found themselves in trouble with the Security and Exchange Commission in the ball park of $17,000,000.

[@MrSilkySweat]

I've heard rumors that the entire park/mall was nothing more than a front for the mob.

[@xaismith157]

Hocus Pocus and the pointer sisters

[@joeguetzloff4465]

LOVED going there as a kid. Too bad high construction costs led to super high rent which led to really high prices. Eventually couldn't compete with K-Mart and Zayre right across the street. Doomed from the start. 😕

[@xaismith157]

Gatson and kamek

[@jeffbrown3009]

Haha my local theme park has what used to be the Chicago Loop coaster, it's been moved a couple times
It's still kicking, but verrrry rough.

[@happyhal7593]

The Canobie corkscrew was actually dismantled a few months ago. It won’t be relocated again sadly.