JC Penney to Close at Ford City Mall as Judge Orders Most of Shopping Center Shut Over Safety Hazards

One of Chicago's most recognizable shopping destinations is coming to an end. JC Penney will shutter its Ford City Mall location on Sunday, becoming the latest casualty of a court-ordered closure that will force most of the sprawling Southwest Side mall to go dark beginning Monday.

What's Happening

A judge last month partially granted the city of Chicago's emergency motion to close the bulk of Ford City Mall, citing a range of serious and ongoing safety hazards inside the facility. Under the terms of that ruling, most of the mall's operations must cease by Monday.

JC Penney, which had been the mall's sole remaining anchor tenant, confirmed its location will close one day earlier, on Sunday. The retailer said officials are actively searching for a new location in the area, though no alternative site has been announced.

The Safety Crisis Behind the Closure

City officials pursued the emergency closure after determining the mall posed a significant danger to the public. Alderman Derrick Curtis of the 18th Ward, whose ward encompasses the mall, painted a grim picture of the conditions inside.

"They have no fire suppression, you have huge pipes in the basement that's leaking thousands and thousands of gallons of water per day, and they don't know where it's coming from — the floor, the ground could give out at any time because it's washing everything away," Curtis said, adding that the problems have persisted for years.

Photographs submitted to the court documented repeated flooding and water damage throughout the basement and other areas of the mall. Some city leaders went so far as to call the structure a "death trap" as they pushed for its closure.

Prior to the court's ruling, the city reached an agreement with the mall's owner to begin vacating tenants from the main section of the facility, including JC Penney.

What Stays Open

Not every business at the site will be affected. Stores located outside of the main mall structure will be permitted to remain open, and the movie theater on the property is also expected to continue operating under the court order.

A Long Chicago Landmark Coming to an End

Ford City Mall has been a fixture of Chicago's Southwest Side for decades, serving generations of residents on the city's 63rd Street corridor. Its closure marks the end of an era for a community that relied on the mall for retail access and local employment.

With JC Penney now actively seeking a new Chicago-area location, the future of retail service for the surrounding neighborhoods remains uncertain. The broader question of what becomes of the Ford City Mall property — and how the city and developers might address the vacant site — is likely to shape the area's economic landscape for years to come.