this would be a fun place! * Forest Fair having issues with teen control in the parking lots and garage. They tore that club down, built a store, and the moved the club to a different area I think near Kohls. It had games and some movies for sale. Crab Du Jour | Cajun Seafood Boil & Bar Did you know that MS-13 roamed the mall back, and in the surrounding suburbs of Sharonville and Winton Woods? Web Site: Not Available . I encourage you to stop by there and take a walk through this unique work of art before it is shuttered. Mall cinema shuts down. Cincinnati Enquirer 2 March 2010. It's been #1 in the trade area for over 20 years. She strives to deliver the most impactful, comprehensive and crucial information about all aspects of local government to her readers every day. Saks Off Fifth signed open as an anchor outlet store in August 2000 followed by Burlington Coat Factory in October and Bass Pro Shops in November. 11 By June, Forest Fair was put up for sale. By continuing past this page and/or using this site, you agree to abide by the Terms of Use for this site, which prohibit commercial use of any information on this site. "CINCINNATI MILLS CHANGES CAP CODE" August 28, 2004. July 14, 2004 in Ohio Business and Economy, "Crime was so rampant that a police substation was built.". I think its time to tear this down and reclaim the land for another use. 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. Privacy Policy. From the archives: Remembering the Forest Fair Mall when it - Reddit Still searching, news search engine hanging. Or R20^llin? There was a huge CompUSA next to the Bigg's, but it didn't have an entrance inside the mall. Bourbon Street must have been on the upper level of the old Bonwit Teller, back when it was Festivals of Forest Fair. 26The city of Fairfield discussed plans this week for what it wants to happen with the former Forest Fair Mall, known currently as Forest Fair Village. Bourbon Street was closed down in 1999 and replace with Burlington Coat FactoryMy VIP card. . It will most likely never be a mall again in the sense that it was before, but as a multi use facility, especially academic and office space, it can work. Does Greenhills work better? events and such there. Also, you can't enter the nightclub from within the mall itself, you have to go outside. I just moved to Cincinnati a month ago and discovered this by accident. "Did you know that MS-13 roamed the mall back, and in the surrounding suburbs of Sharonville and Winton Woods?". Hopefully a new buyer will come in and restore it, and find some kind of entertainment use for this gem of a place. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. It's a statement that noted the gangs not only thrived in Forest Park, but in other suburbs (of Cincinnati). Butler County officials are confident they will be able to get an extension to June 2024 to preserve an $8 million state grant to down the old Forest Fair Mall, but some Fairfield officials arent wild about what might come next. 24 25 Hillwood pledged to match $2.6 million toward demolition costs that were estimated at $10.5 million. The land bank applied for $11.5 million to topple 51 eyesores with the the Ohio Department of Development last February and was awarded $8.7 million in October. Denise has been reporter with Cox since 2006. The context you brought it up in made you seem like you were attributing it as a suburb of the mall. Please join our group and share your memories/pictures of one of Cincinnati's unique nightclubs located on the second floor of the now defunct Forest Fair Mall. They often had 10 or more folks undercover at any point. 12 Nov. 2008. Fasig, Lisa Biank. I was living in Corryville at the time and had already been drinking so I didn't want to drive. Though it was the coolest one of the three I frequented in my mall rat years in the 90's . From the archives: Remembering the Forest Fair Mall when it was buzzing with activity, Scan this QR code to download the app now. 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.. Don't know if anyone has shared this video but it's so creepy. I remember there always being rumors of gangs there, but I don't remember anything about an indoor shooting war. Supposedly, in the beginning, the bigg's wing was always the discount wing, and it was laid out so that you could take your shopping cart from store to store, and that there was a two-level store called "Super Sports USA", "Summer Sports USA", or just "Sports USA" (it could've been Oshman's SuperSports USA, but I have no proof of that). Country, Dance, and I forget the other two. ..30 years of failed attempts at the same thing. View our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy & Cookie Settings. 11 Complications with leasing delayed the opening of the west "fashion" wing with upscale tenants until March 1989. The Forest Park and Fairfield Police had a substation there for years and often held D.A.R.E. By the early 2000s, all of the anchor stores original to the mall had closed except for Bigg's Hypermarket. From what I remember from the bigg's section there was a travel agency, a hair salon, CompUSA, and I believe a Japanese steak house (that may have come a little later). Cookie Notice Up to 600 teenagers were involved in the melee on Pete Rose Way. Watch out for that Ferris wheel ya'll! While these malls don't have substations, they do have a constant police presence. Also, the substation closes with the main mall and doesn't stay open with Metropolis. Tri-County?). 5 Jan. 2009. 11. The neighborhoods in Forest Park average home value is low. First you talked about rampant crime in the mall, then you further went on to post about gangs and violence. It was rumored when the West Chester Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas opened in 2016, this location would close, but fortunately, this location is holding its own and has stayed open, Cincinnati Wedding Photographer | West Chester Photographer | Cincy Bride, OHIO spring NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY BARGE PHOTOGRAPHY, Amy & Stephen are married! I'll have to dig around to see if I can find some old photos and information. ^Were you babysitting one of the kids there? The second and latest was in January this year. 12 Nov. 2008. Officials have estimated it could take 12 to 18 months to down such a massive development. Hard to connect it up other than that. Fasig, Lisa Biank. Sorry, I just felt the need to point that out. Found this out firsthand, the management will try anything to keep it out of the papers. 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.". Parisian moved to Kenwood and Bass Pro Shops occupies that space. That section of the mall opened about a year before the rest of it. ^Wasn't that called Bourbon St or something to that nature? For more information, please see our Youre lucky the lights are kept on! Biggs occupied the entire right side, Showcase Cinemas 10 The 2nd of 2 cinemas located at the mall. ), 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. BUB CITY - 739 Photos & 659 Reviews - Yelp CincyImages, Former Forest Fair Mall, other buildings will be demolished if funds come through., Demeropolis, Tom. Or a good location for a Halloween scare. The point of the substation at Cincinnati Mall/Forest Fair was supposed to be some educational thing done between the Fairfield and Forest Park police, since the mall fell into both of their jurisdictions. Fairfield Mayor Mitch Rhodus told the Journal-News while he would be thrilled to see the eyesore demolished he isnt wild about warehouses at the citys front door. Today 10:00AM-9:00PM . Bourbon Street Memories - Forest Fair Mall | Cincinnati OH - Facebook Many of the walkways and escalators are barricaded off. One was done in the early 1990s to make the mall more of a . Kohls opened in the B. Altman location in September 1994. Learn how your comment data is processed. Turn it into a hotel with outlet stores in it or a entertainment center like scene 75 with outlet stores. Explore! One was done in the early 1990s to make the mall more of a discount-based mall and cost $8 Million. It's creepy as hell, to find just a handful of stores open in complete darkness. Yes, Bub City offers both delivery and takeout. FOREST FAIR MALL: The Mall That Should Have Never Been - YouTube The Castle: Inside Rackspace's Headquarters, When you visited the mall, was the arcade type store already closed? 41 votes, 21 comments. The problems this mall had in my opinion are because of poor planing, foresight, and enforcement. It's a good article and a good recap story how that place never panned out, but I think the statement on crime is quite a big exaggeration. And as an aside, Winton Woods is not a suburb, it is a school district and a park. According to the funding application, the property is currently valued at $9.2 million, with $2 million of that on the Butler County side. Maybe drop ceilings were there?? Bonwit Teller closed in October 1990, followed by B. Altman and Sakowitz in November. Hence the need for the substation. Entry #7Only Bass Pro and Kohls are openMall entry #6 looking into the old Biggs HypermarketEast end of the mall. Not that its pretty much gone, Cincinnati may have to do what was done with the old Markets International mall (remember that? Boyer, Mike. Most of what you talked about is rumor, as others have said. I just walked around there yesterday, and there are no stores open except for the anchors, the Danberry movie theatre, and one restaurant in the food court. We ate at Chik-Fil-A []. Cincinnati Mall - Abandoned They have signed a lease and are going to try to remain open, Cincinnati Mall plans for new sports complex. Become a Mall Insider today for the chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree! Thinking of moving to Cincinnati -- help? . Forest Fair Mall / Cincinnati Mills / Cincinnati Mall Boyer, Mike. Bourbon Street must have been on the upper level of the old Bonwit Teller, back when it was Festivals of Forest Fair. The mall was dead from the start. Parisian closed its anchor store at the mall in June 1998. Or make it a land mark. While I agree with you about the anti-downtown attitude most suburbanites seem to place on downtown while not looking in their own backyard (i.e. * Crowds of teenagers gathering at Eastgate in 1992 that led to some major disturbances. When Rookwood was built it hurt it a little but they both exist and well with each other. And I remember accessing it from within the mall via a escalator. Can Cincinnati Mills work? Cincinnati Enquirer 4 Feb. 2007. 614, In 2007, Cincinnati Mills was a contender for IKEA, a Swedish home furnishings retailer, but the deal fell through after IKEA announced that it would build a free-standing store in West Chester. Boyer, Mike. The mall suffers from crime, hence the need for a police substation (how many other malls have that? The agriculture museum might have potential, but I don't quite understand the concept. Skin therapist at Ulta at Bridgewater Falls hits service sales Local IKEA celebrates Black entrepreneurs with $25K grant. Kiesewetter, Sue. * Police substation opened in December 1991. There is nothing like coming across a wayside junkyard nestled deep in the Appalachian Mountains while traveling in Pennsylvania. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. * Breakdown in arrests since the mall opened in 1987: * Huge disturbance in the parking lot 3 days prior to article published, melee. 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. Can't make it to us? Butler County Treasurer Nancy Nix, who chairs the land bank board, said she finds it hard to believe their grant wouldnt be extended. I wonder if all those tenants will really appear and if/when they do - will they last? Nearest MBTA Station: Orange & Red Lines / Downtown Crossing Station . ^One of my friends got busted for underage drinking in the garage. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Yea, I don't ever remember hearing anything about a shooting inside the mall. The mall reportedly changed its name to Forest Fair Village in 2013 but never officially changed any of the exterior or interior signs saying "Cincinnati Mall". Even the Tot Lots went up there to Metropolis on occasion! I remember going there in the late 90's/early 2000's and security not letting you walk around in large groups (they also had this policy at Northgate and Tri-County when I worked there), but I can't find any information on an indoor shooting war. I remember thinking that was the coolest thing of all time. The Journal News reports that Cincinnati Sports Zone has signed a 25-year lease to open a new sports complex inside the space formerly used by Bigg's. I remember going to them as a kid. I was thinking, "If I want to go to a rough bar, I think I'll stick to ones around here, not the one all the way up at the mall.". 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. The remainder of the money was to be awarded on a first come first served basis. LOL Yeah they sure did have a fog machine in there. Store Directory for Wolfchase Galleria - A Shopping Center In Memphis, TN - A Simon Property. You dont have to, but we always recommend one! Former Forest Fair mall to be demolished along with 825 other vacant Follow Us: About Us; Contact Us; Hours; WestShore Plaza, 250 WestShore Plaza, Tampa . 12 Nov. 2008. He told the land bank board a year ago they were just beginning redevelopment talks with Fairfield and Forest Park but they hope to put light industrial buildings on the site that could have a value of $150 million and potentially produce 900 to 1,500 jobs. My friend was working with a woman at the Macys watch counter. 12 Nov. 2008. I was shocked to find out that so much of the mall had been shut down that it was nearly impossible to actually walk from the store to Chipotle. Even the bathrooms had the water shut off. We played, ate, went to the dollar movie theater. I could actually hear the drips given the heavy rain we had the day before, This cinema changed names 3 times since opening at the beginning of the mall. Thats my unprofessional real opinion, I was there. Unsafe?!?! Is Bub City currently offering delivery or takeout? 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. 1,604,828 6,781. She looked at me, barely saying thank you or anything, and simply stated in a very snotty voice that "things like that don't happen at Kenwood." put stuff in there for teens and kids to do like ice skating roller skating the movie theater bowling jump zone games dance room! Getting it demolished is a great idea, weve been wanting it done, Rhodus said. The mall underwent two major renovations since its debut. Bourbon St. Cincinnati Mall has replaced the former Metropolis Night Club, which close in June 2011, with a new night club tenant. Ben Davis with Hillwood could not be reached for comment but told the Journal-News previously they couldnt comment because they didnt yet own the property. I remember watching the ruckus from the hotel parking lot across the way cause I saw all the cop cars on my way home from work. It was sandwiched in between two other oversized malls in an area that wasn't that densely populated. SIMON SEARCH. Just visited during peak holiday shopping season to go to the arcade with my sons. 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. Yeah they were just super unfortunate that both north gate mall and tri-county mall bookended forest fair mall on 275 so most people had to pass another mall to get to forest fair. Metropolis and Bourbon Street are both owned in part by Ron Malone, but under separate corporate entities, said a mall spokeswoman. The property, which is. I do remember the rumors of gangs roaming it in the 90's though. 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. The sad thing is the retail landscape in this country has changed. Like Bourbon Street Memories - Forest Fair Mall I guess it goes to show that some malls just can't be saved no matter how much money is poured into them. STORES. 6 March 2009. The music venue is beautiful and the food as always is so so good. The Cottrill Opera House in Thomas, West Virginia opened in 1902 and closed in the 1970s. Maybe drop ceilings were there? The . Former Forest Fair mall to be demolished : r/cincinnati - Reddit Forest Fair may be locked up for good? : r/cincinnati - Reddit Sign up for a new account in our community. 12 Nov. 2008. The police always had a kind of "ambassador" presence there, it wasn't put there to curtail rising crime post-mills renovation that your article seems to suggest. A few years back, an old friend tried for like half and hour to drive us up to Metropolis. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 25 Only a handful of shops and services were operating at the site, including Bass Pro Shop and Kohls. Forest fair mall was home to many grocery stores over the years. 11Occupancy dropped to 56% because of uncertainty in the shopping centers future. People would go in to gawk at the prices but you couldnt buy anything there. They had a very strange experience to say the least when visiting at night back in 2010. The newspaper reports that the zone will take up 180,000 square feet. What kind of "general sh!t?". Metropolis was opened in November of 2000 at this new location, after the closure of Bourbon Street, The 2nd of the 2 anchors left. According to the Butler and Hamilton county auditors websites, the properties have not been sold. Hooker in 1986, with the east wing of the mall opening in July 1988 with Biggs hypermarket and value-oriented inline tenants. The History Of The Forest Fair Mall Grocery Stores | Denver Mart 18 The idea never came to fruition. Bourbon Street Memories - Forest Fair Mall, Cincinnati. I remember the first time I went there was when The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course came to theaters back in 2002 ago. 12 Nov. 2008. Greater Cincinnati mall under contract; demo and $150M project planned.. If you have a link to an article on this, I'd love to read it. The Kroger store was located in the north end of the mall, near where the food court is now located. The majority of the mall property is in Hamilton County, but those officials had already submitted demolition applications to the state so Hillwood came to Butler County for help. In February 2022, Hillwood Construction Services began negotiations to purchase the site with the goal of tearing down the 1.9-million-square-foot shopping center and redeveloping the site with 1.5 million square feet of light industrial buildings at the cost of $150 million. My point was, and while I may be "too young" to remember, that the mall wasn't as bad or dangerous as a place that your article seemed to make it out to be. Get the inside scoop (and a chance at a $1,000 shopping spree) today. I think that groups of kids hanging out places sometimes get in fights. That mall was a financial disaster from the get go. The place certainly had it's problems back in the day and there was crime. Forest Fair Mall chronology. Cincinnati Enquirer 29 Oct. 2000. I've never heard of a shooting in the mall and only know of a couple instances of significant fights at the mall. Mills later took over the mall and spent nearly $70 million renovating the struggling mall into Cincinnati Mills, which opened in 2004. A mall of this size, and in its location (which was a poor idea to start with) simply wont work. By The name was changed to Cincinnati Mall in 2009. After struggling to keep the mall filled, Simon sold the mall off. Like I'm sure no one has ever stolen a thing from that entire mall. ever.stupid Bi*ch. Let me say the place is amazing. Just seen an article that states Cincinnati Mall will change names once again. * In May 1992, Cincinnati Police had to halt teen dances in downtown because of over 20 assaults. 1 like. The mall is the second largest mall in Ohio with 1,500,000 square feet. 7Biggs closed its hypermarket due to slumping sales in June 2008 following an attempt to partition off a section of its store and attempt an outlet store concept. Shop Target OakPark Store for furniture, electronics, clothing, groceries, home goods and more at prices you will love. There was a large incident at Metropolis in 2008 (IIRC), which may have been posted here, where about 200 youths got rowdy and started causing mass disruptions at the night club and throughout the mall. That was the main reason for the initial failure of the Forest Fair Mall. No offense, but some people are way too young to remember anything significant that occurred there during the early 1990s. When I moved to Ohio at the age of 14, the first place I went was FFM. FOREST PARK, Ohio - Cincinnati Mall has a new plan to mix retail with sports entertainment to make use of thousands of square feet of empty retail space. I'll never forget being amazed by the indoor Ferris wheel and all the games. An active community of residents and others; the official subreddit for Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, and nearby places in the greater Tri-state region. What's the status on Cincinnati Sports Zone and the new "Forest Fair Village" name? Hooker in 1986, with the east wing of the mall opening in July 1988 with Bigg's hypermarket and value-oriented inline tenants. He said they are hoping to redevelop the entire 90-acre site. Northgate? I miss the good times from early 90s in that mall. The property, also known by its original name, Forest Fair Mall, consists of a 1.9 million square foot mall on approximately 90 acres. Not so, now. 12 Nov. 2008. I also remember after seeing the film my parents took me and my sisters to Wonderpark to conclude our time there. Land bank Executive Director Seth Geisler has been communicating with the Ohio Department of Development. 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. You have neighboring malls 2 exits away in both directions that have been established for a long time. Forest Fair? (813) 287-9772 Sign Up For Email. Forest Fair: Mall on the Mend. Cincinnati Enquirer 29 Oct. 2000. Apr. Bourbon St. I shopped at Parisian once I graduated from college but the selection was small and it was still expensive. Probably a good spot for laser tag or paintballing in the future. The mall has changed hands more times than I can remember, and now has just 5 tenants, including the two anchors, Kohls and Bass Pro. Note, the logo is still present on the groundtodayPlace 2 B Nite Club This nightclub replaced the former nightclub Metropolis. Between the constant juggle of different owners, bankruptcies, and rebranding efforts, the mall never reached full occupancy and it has been on life support for many years. Copyright 20042023 Yelp Inc. Yelp, , and related marks are registered trademarks of Yelp. When the mall was renovated to "Cincinnati Mills," the substation was moved down by the food court. Steve & Barrys filed bankruptcy in 2009, andthe Forests Fair site was closed in 2008One of the original anchors, Elder-Beerman closed its doors in 2004. Even though I moved out of Fairfield, I still have to go back there every now and then for eye appointments, they keep the place pretty well maintained and they were pretty quick to throw me out of there for shooting photos. Bourbon Street Memories - Forest Fair Mall | Cincinnati OH - Facebook For the life of me I can't remember what store took over the Bourbon Street area. Description: This cinema has been closed since 2014Entries #2 and #8 and Steve & Barrys. Metropolis was opened in November of 2000 at this new location, after the closure of Bourbon StreetFormer Ruby Tuesday then MargaritasThe 2nd of the 2 anchors left. They didn't put a substation there to curtail crime, it had always been there. Counties have until Feb. 13, 2023 to request a grant extension for the Demolition and Site Revitalization Program. From working at that store, I know they had a massive security apparatus. 1 / 14. There are other locations throughout the Cincy area, and I think it might (?) Forest Fair Mall holds a small place in my heart. The bulk of it was for the mall which straddles Fairfield and Forest Park, in partnership with potential developer Hillwood Construction Services. Grab a copy of the Abandoned Kentucky hardcover book, available in stores and on Amazon. It is interesting to walk the ghost-town mall. An update from my post yesterday. The fact that it's Bubcity and Joe's I mean what an awesome combination. Where else in the world would you be legally allowed to enter premises that are closed for business. Yes - I've been inside when it's just been a dark concourse. Will have the memories forever though!! 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. We offer everything from delicious starters like wings, po-boys, chicken . XtremeXploring 20 days ago Actually looks kinda nice in 2007. Found some papers that I obtained that should provide more specifically the crime that occurred in the mall. Yeah, the article made it seem like it was installed after the Mills renovations to curtail some high spike in crime at that time. Grill (Fairview Mall) 4.5 (200+ ratings) Fast food More info With Forest Fair Village, an almost completely dead mall straddling two mature northern suburbs of Cincinnati (Forest Park and Fairfield, hence the name), we have a mega-facility that, from all I've read, after a slow rollout in 1988, never achieved roaring success and therefore underwent numerous rebranding efforts over the years in an . Forest Fair Mall closed following fire and safety inspection Yep but you do need to show proof of vaccine to eat in. development isn't happening, either. For more information, please see our I took my niece and nephew there all the time. This cinema has been closed since 2014, Entries #2 and #8 and Steve & Barrys. Cincinnati Mills hopes sparked. Cincinnati Enquirer 6 Feb. 2007. Forest Fair Village is a mall that was built in 1988 and 1989 in the Northern suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio, between Fairfield and Forest Park on the I-275 beltway. The mall still seems most commonly refered to as Cincinnati Mills. In 2002, the Mills Corporation purchased the Malls at Forest Fair for $69.4 million and began a $70 million renovation project in February 2003.