Evergreen Plaza Shopping Center

I’m giving The Plaza the highest rating from my memories of it as the finest (and only) shopping mall of its kind on the South Side.
My family lived in Oak Lawn and my grandmother was a long-​standing Field’s shopper (basement in the days when the scratch & dent was placed down there at discounted prices — where she bought her Duncan Phyfe Dining Room set). She’s the one who loved The Plaza when she didn’t have time to go downtown. I remember days shopping with her and having lunch at the Wimpy’s (grandma was a Brit). Sometimes we’d take the bus to The Plaza and walk 95^th Street back home, or the bus both ways. Grandma was a great walker — she never learned to drive.
The Plaza became a hangout for me, my sister and our friends by about junior high and on into high school. We loved the shopping, accessible on our funds from allowance and babysitting. I later supplemented my funds further by being an usherette at The Drury Lane Theatre, across 95^th Street.
Later, in the mid-1970’s I worked for a firm in the office tower adjacent to The Plaza, which allowed me convenient access during lunch hours, and boy did I shop! Carsons for suits and shoes, and cosmetics, The Jewel Box for some bling and Lyttons for clothes and shoes. I took my brother to one of the men’s stores to buy him a proper suit for a party for my dad’s 65^th birthday.
I remember my husband and I saw the original Star Trek movie at the theatre.
It’s sad that it has closed and I hope the site will be used to even better purpose. As much as The Plaza was great in it’s hey-​day, the concept is no longer viable. Here, around Denver, CO, old malls have been raised to reimagine them as mixed use areas with apartments, condos, townhouses, along with retail, theatres and restaurants, one that includes an ice skating rink. And, these areas are not enclosed, but are designed more reminiscent of an old style main street USA. Folks may fondly recall the old malls, but everyone loves the new concept.
Here’s hoping for good things for The Plaza’s second life.

Evergreen Plaza Shopping Mall holds many great memories for me. I remember shopping there when I was in high school. My cousin and I would take the suburban bus that ran down Morgan Boulevard and go straight to the Plaza.
We would shop at Lerner’s (where my grandmother bought us identical Nehru-​type dresses with black fake fur collars and cuffs). We also shopped at Montgomery Ward, 5−7−9, Thom McCann Shoes and numerous other places. When I shopped with my sisters and mother for Easter clothes or clothing for church, we would split up and meet at Walgreens for lunch. I always had a club sandwich and a tall glass of iced tea.
When I married and was expecting my first child, I registered at Maternity Vogue and won a free gift when I accurately guessed the date of my daughter’s birth, July 4^th! In 2003, I bought a Samsung portable television at Circuit City. I still have it, and it works just fine. I also loved the movie theater. I would take my daughters, nieces and nephews there during Christmas break. We saw too many movies to name.
Years later, I knew the Plaza movie theater was in trouble when I slipped into a movie theater one afternoon and was the only one to view the movie. After this happened two more times, I was not surprised to learn the movie theater was closing. That hurt… a lot.
Eventually, many of my favorite stores left the mall too, such as Lerner’s (which became New York and Co.), Naturalizer Shoes, Evans, 5−7−9, all of the bookstores, Walgreens, Montgomery Ward, and many others.
When Walmart moved across the street and offered good deals at great prices, I knew the Plaza stores were in trouble. How could their stores possibly compete with the highly respected discount chain store?
A few more years went by. Then on May 31, 2013, Evergreen Plaza Shopping Center, with the exception of Enterprise Car Rental, Planet Fitness, Applebee’s, and Carson, Pirie, Scott, finally closed its doors.
I am heartbroken. It’s like a part of my life has shut down or disappeared.
What will they do with the mall? Some say a new mall will be built in its place. Others say it may become an apartment complex.
What ever they decide, they can never take away the memories. I will keep them forever and cherish each and every one. They were an important part of my life.

We used to call this place where I came from as ‘Forever black plaza’ and this was the mall to hang out at, but when I got to high school that mess started to go downhill this was in the early 90s (I’ve been out of HS since 1993). It got really ghetto with the hoodrats taking over the mall using it as their hangout spot. Plus they had a lot of issues with gangs fighting in the mall which resulted in the increase in security and it was bad when they had the movie theater out in the back of the mall. Now when you walk into Evergreen it looks literally dead with the exception of a few straggling stores, but overall it really has suffered since Montgomery Wards and Circuit City had closed down which was one of their larger anchor stores. The only way the mall could come back is putting anchor stores in the spots where Circuit City and Wards was. That also applies to the spaces across the street from the mall since some stores left out of the mall due to the high rent and they couldnt afford to pay it so they wound up taking space in the strip mall down the street.

I honestly don’t know how Evergreen Plaza is still in existence. If I had the start-​up money and a business plan I would buy it and convert it into office space or a movie theater. There was a time when this mall thrived, having been home to stores like Carson’s and Montgomery Wards, but that time has came and gone. Seems like a store has closed every time I go there, which is really only to grab a cookie from Mrs. Fields. If you want to try out the «mall walk» for some exercise then its your best bet to come here. Otherwise, if you actually want to shop, don’t waste your time.

As many of you have already stated, Evergreen Plaza used to be a vibrant shopping center. When I was a young man living on the far southwest side, I traveled on the 95^th street CTA bus and look forward to shopping at Merry-​Go Round, Foot Locker, and Carson’s. I remember looking forward to those days .
I have to be honest and say that the shopping center is not the same anymore. If you take a drive from the Beverly neighborhood to the Evergreen Park border, you will notice that a lot of businesses have been affected by the economic downturn. People are looking to save money.
Memories are great but if you stay behind, you will fall behind…

This is one of the first shopping malls to be built in Chicago by Arthur Rubloff & Company. It was a premier mall that was far ahead of its time when designed and built. In fact, I remember when it was not enclosed and was an open air mall. I remember when Montgomery Ward was called The Fair Store. Much has changed since its early beginnings.
Evergreen Plaza catered to the affluent Beverly crowd and was anchored by upscale shops along with Carson Pirie Scott, which was once considered almost on par with Marshall Field’s. Montgomery Ward catered to more middle class family interests. Evergreen Plaza, in its heyday, was a top shelf experience, decorated with cages of exotic birds, ponds with colorful fish and fancy ice cream shops and an impressive movie theater.
Prior to Evergreen Plaza and the modern shopping center craze, most shopping areas were modeled after major downtown commercial intersections such as Chicago’s State and Madison. Locally, we can point to 63^rd and Cottage Grove which was once called the downtown of the southside,. Roseland from 111^th to 115^th Street on Michigan Ave. anchored by Gateley’s People Store was another fine example of a busy urban shopping district. 91^st and Commercial Ave. located on the southeast side was known as South Chicago, anchored by Goldblatt’s Dept. Store for the working class families that were employeed in the many nearby steel mills.
Today, we live in a world of big box stores that do not carry the elegance nor the class that once defined the American shopping experience. Pushing a shopping cart on tile floors at a Target is not exactly very classy but then again neither are most Americans in today’s time in life.
However, for those that care to disrespect Evergreen Plaza must be cognizant of its precious place in Chicago’s history that this mall represents. It was the first mall of its kind in the Chicago area.
Unfortunately, I believe Evergreen Plaza peaked back in the middle 1960’s and since that time has never been quite the same experience.
Thanks for the memories.

WOW This place has gone down hill fast. half the stores are closed and the food court is so sad I saw roaches moving out. Just went there for pepes tacos and it looks like a ghost town even at christmas time.

No stars this place is a ghost town. It was once a thriving mall in the 70’s,& 80’s early 90’s

This review is very similar to a letter that I’m going to write The Plaza after coming here last night just to kill time by walking around:
Dear The Plaza shopping center,
I like the layout and the high safety rate of your mall, but you are really lacking in good stores and restaurants. After picking up a Directory pamphlet, and looking at it, I saw NO Bath & Body Works, NO Cinnabon, NO Express, NO New York & Company, NO Victoria’s Secret, and NO McDonalds. Maybe this is why your shopping center has so very few shoppers, closes earlier and opens later than most malls in the metropolitan area, and has so many stores that have left and are leaving. I spotted two or three that are liquidating all of their merchandise when I came here on Friday March 4^th, 2011.
Because of my entrepenuerial attititude and spirit, I’m going to tell you which stores you need to add to boost sales and visitors, but this may put pressure on nearby Chicago Ridge Mall, my favorite mall in the south burbs. Nevertheless, here it is:
You need a: Wet Seal, H&M, Avon, Victoria’s Secret, Hallmark store, New York & Company, A’GACI, Body Central, Fossil, Home Goods, Shoe Carnival, McDonald’s, Arby’s, Starbucks, Cinnabon, Aeropostale, and maybe a Ruby Tuesday.
Look where you’re located, Evergreen Park, IL and Beverly neighborhood of Chicago, a much posher area than the pile-​of-​crap area I reside in. The nearest strip mall to me is at 69^th & Ashland, and the stores you have at the moment look like they are from that strip mall or belong there. Better yourself! Get a new facelift! You’re in a safe, sweet area!
Sincerely,
Baroness-​Ann

The 3 stars are for the memories and nostalgia. My adolescent memories of going to movies and then having pizza are what keeps this place dear to my heart.
They don’t have any good shopping anymore, most of the spaces are vacant. It’s pretty good if you have children because the kids stores are pretty nice. I take my grandmother there to pay her State Farm bill and we always have a little walk around. The oatmeal cookies and mixed popcorn from the snack bar are a must have when we visit.
I did get lucky and find a nice linen suit for a friend who was headed to Vegas. It’s just not what it used to be though. Maybe after the economy gets back together, it can come back to it’s glory.
What’s funny is that it’s a lot safer than Ford City… a whole lot.

I like the Carson’s that is in there. It’s never very busy, and the service is pretty efficient AND they have great deals most of the time. However, when I need to buy some good stuff I’ll just drive the 40 minutes to Oak Brook and get stuff from Eddie Bauer and Nordstrom.
This mall royally effed up in the 90s by going after an all black clientele, going so far as to hang the flags from EVERY country in Africa in the food court. Totally chased the white clientele away, which then chased all the middle-​class black clientele away, and it became mega-​ghetto.
I feel safe there now, though.

As trashy as it gets, the whole place. I’ll drive 45 minutes to get to another mall before I step foot in this place.

OOOOK, Those who know, remember when Evergreen Plaza was the place to be, you can meet your one night stand there, you had the movie theater in the back, restaurants here and there, sidewalk sales, Montgomery Ward, even Walgreens. Circuit City. All the good bookstores are GONE. Nice African stores, gone. What I hate about The Plaza, when one particular store closes up, another one just like it moves in it’s place. They only what, have 5 or 6 restaurants in there, and McDonalds is still in there? You can eat that s. t anywhere. Same people every weekend. Same sales all month long. I think I want to buy Evergreen Plaza. Maybe they need new management. Until I do, go somewhere else.

They took out all the good stores. They took away the movie theater.
They almost burned down during the Christmas holidays. They are in desperate need of a makeover. They are only good for a quick run for hosiery, or vitamins.

This mall is great if u don’t want to go to River oaks or ford city. and Its actually the safest mall on the south side. nice stores o. k food court .I Like the big dollar store they got in that boy.

I’ll be straight up; I haven’t been to The Plaza in years, but when in grammar school this was the place to be. I had my first kiss here (during Terminator 2). I bought my 8^th grade graduation dress here, I bought my first book of «erotica» here (Anne Rice’s Sleeping Beauty series) and I attempted to buy my first Metallica album here, then the dude behind the counter looked at me like I was crazy — «black people don’t listen to that $%*!» (Though this one did…) — and I realized that I would have to go elsewhere for my heavy metal needs.
I also saw The Crow like, five times here.
Like I said, it’s been awhile since I’ve been to The Plaza, but I got nothing but love, and wonderful memories.

It’s not many stores there, and many stores sell the same kinds of clothes, but they do have a Walmart next door.