Comments on: Golf Mill Shopping Center; Niles, Illinois

By: Angel76

Angel76 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:50:11 +0000

Does anyone know whether General Growth Properties still owns Golf Mill? If so, are rennovations completely done? It’s a pity. I love the outdoor malls!

By: billymac72

billymac72 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:50:48 +0000

The Target was never a standalone. The Mill-Run Theater used to stand where it and Kohl’s are now. When the indoor portion of the mall was built in 1986 (the interior seen in your second photo), the area where Target is now was indeed a sporting goods store (I recall Sportmart, but someone mentioned Herman’s. That might be right). It was completely torn down with the Target built in its place. They kept that ugly indoor mall hallway for some reason.

I went to see “Stand By Me” at the movie theater with some friends when they were building the indoor mall. We walked through it after the movie (it was wide open) and smoked cigarettes. I remember sitting in the middle of it, looking around and thinking to myself how ugly it looked. I’ve never liked that mall. When it opened, there was a lot of “Totally 80s!” neon and mirror. A lot of the same fixtures were still there until recently.

By: billymac72

billymac72 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:18:24 +0000

Very little is the same from how I remember it. The black Golf Mill sign on the corner of Greenwood and Golf has been there as long I can recall. Structurally, the JC Penny’s building looks the same, the white “golf ball” office tower, and the Sears building. Sears, however, used to be a lot nicer (probably true of all Sears!). They moved the doors, for some odd reason, from the middle where they used to be, off to the sides. Golf Mill Theaters is, of course, now a fitness center, but the exterior is still somewhat the same in parts (I took some pictures before they redid it. Maybe I’ll dig them up & post them). Virtually everything else is different. Nothing remains north of Sears. The Toys R Us across the street has been there as long as I remember (bought my Star Wars figures there!), but the fascade has changed completely.

The whole Golf Mill area was always a tad seedy, imo, but my fondest memories are from the days of the original movie theater & outdoor mall, Bowl & Dine, the original Pinocchios, Axle Roller Rink, Lawrey’s Records, Mil-Run Theater, Millionaire’s Club, Golden Bear, Burger King, Ponderosa, etc.

By: Robyn

Robyn — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:47:24 +0000

To anyone that has shopped at Golf Mill in the 60’s and 70’s….
Is there ANY THING that is the same and hasn’t changed at Golf Mill?

By: Robyn

Robyn — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:43:39 +0000

wow am I ever dissapointed in this mall remodeling!
I used to live in Des Plaines when I was in Jr. High in 1969 and I used to shop and hang out at Golf Mill.
I thought it was the coolest “mall” and I have very fond memories of walking around and shopping OUTSIDE! I loved the diner where you could sit in a booth next to a window and people watch (in my case it was “boy watching”). I remember the chocolate candy shop also. I am planning a trip to Niles and surrounding suburbs later this year and I was anxiously planning on going back to Golf Mill and reminiscing. I saw the pictures of the shops in the ENCLOSED mall and I got very sad! It doesn’t look anything like the old Golf Mill that I remember.
It’s too bad. I understand that it probably needed to be remodeled but I don’t think it needed to be enclosed and TOTALLY changed – to be TOTALLY UNRECOGNIZABLE! I still plan on going to Golf Mill when I visit because I just have to see it for myself
(probably for the last time). I am so very sad….

By: Brumbalow

Brumbalow — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:24:07 +0000

It should probably be mentioned that the original movie theaters for this mall (Golf Mill Theaters) were a detached unit in the SE corner of the parking lot. The building only housed 3 theaters (I think), but the main theater was massive, including balconies on either side of the projector room. Many movies were snuck into by having someone on the inside hold the back exit door open. It closed I would guess around 2000, as I do remember seeing a movie there as late as 1999. An XSport Fitness currently stands where the theaters once were. There was also a shoddy bowling alley right there, I think just to the west of the theaters.

By: Jason

Jason — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:38:15 +0000

I had to go to that mall from my store in Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi, MI in 1996 to to train a new manager of the Pretzel Time. Sears cutting right through the middle of the mall was one of the weirdest things I have seen in a mall. And I have seen many malls!

By: Sheila

Sheila — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:33:31 +0000

We used to go to the Mill Run Theatre back in the 70’s when I was in high school. It was a long drive from the south suburbs but well worth the quality shows we used to see. Is the theatre still in operation?

By: bad gramer

bad gramer — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:54:00 +0000

To john gallo above:

on December 18th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

when gm was built the ancor space that is today jcpenney wes a one and only branch of evenston based lords department store thay closed allmost right away. penneys took there store and exspanded it . years a go a freind of mine managed the golf mill gap the mall had had problems with high return rates, it seams that the locals wood go to woodfield or old orchard and then come do all ther returns close to home witch is what maid his store unprofitable and the gap eventrly closed there not vary long after he left that store.

Please take an English class.

By: Mike J.

Mike J. — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:00:29 +0000

Interesting piece of mall trivia…
Golf Mill had (at least up to around 2000) its own radio station! A low frequency station called Mall Radio that broadcast on either 88.3 or 88.5 fm, and that could be heard in the parking lot and on the adjacent roads!
It was just a tape of ads for stores in the mall played on a loop (”Mention this ad with your purchase and receive a 10% discount”).
I always found that cool!