Ford City Condos Cafe'
This website is generated by a Ford City Condo owner. This is not an official page of, nor does it represent the Board of Directors, the property management, or the staff of FCCA HOA.
Fascinating History of the Ford City Condos Neighborhood
Ford City Condos acquired its name due to its close proximity to the Ford City Mall.
Ford City Mall, the very first enclosed shopping center in the city of Chicago, opened in 1965. From 1977 to 2003 the city had a second indoor mall, The Brickyard, on the northside. However, the Brickyard did not survive and was demolished and rebuilt as an outdoor mall. [1]
But the history of the area goes back even further. The website Chief Engineer explains this history concisely, "[the] Ford City Complex Has A Past Most Don’t Remember." [2]
CE goes on to report:
"[the area now known as Ford City Mall and the Tootsie Roll Factory was built between 1942 and 1943] to manufacture airplane engines [for the B29 bomber used in WWII]. The government arranged for the construction of a new defense plant, what would be the largest plant in the world. With the purchase of 432 acres of marshland bounded by Cicero Avenue on the west, Pulaski Road on the east, the Belt Railway Tracks on the north and a yet-to-be-constructed 77th Street on the south. The Dodge Division of Chrysller was in charge of building the engines so the facility was referred to as the Dodge Chicago Plant. " [3]
There were a total of 10 buildings constructed for this defense plant. The facilities went vacated in 1945 after the war. "In 1947, the former engine production facility was transformed into an auto manufacturing plant when it was purchased by the Preston Tucker car company. [The facility was renamed the Tucker Corporation.] Tucker used the facility to make its Tucker Torpedo, which was billed as the first 'modern automobile' in the industry at the time. [Only 46 Tucker Torpedoes were ever assembled.] However, due to competition from the 'Big Three' and fraud allegations by the SEC, Tucker went out of business not long after, and the factory was once again abandoned." [4] [5]
Now you're probably wondering, 'But where did the name Ford City come from?". Well, "in 1950, Ford Motor Company purchased the site and once again put it to use for airplane engine construction during the Korean War. Ford ended up using the plant well after that war, until 1959, when the property went vacant again." [6]
In 1961, "Harry F. Chaddick, along with a select group of Chicagoans, believed in the future of Chicago. They envisioned one of the greatest commerce centers in Chicago to be located here. But much work needed to be done. Buildings were torn down to make room for parking lots. Those left standing were remodeled to make them attractive to potential tenants." [7]
"The northern part of the former factory site remained industrial, and the southern section of Building 4 was partially demolished and refashioned into two separate retail buildings, both of which opened for business in 1965 as Ford City Mall. The north retail building, North Mall, was made into a strip mall, anchored by a supermarket, a bowling facility, toy shop, and a small two-screen cinema. The south building, across the parking lot from the strip center, was fashioned into an enclosed mall. It was anchored by a one-level Wieboldt’s department store and a one-level JCPenney, with an enclosed corridor of stores connecting them. Also present in the enclosed mall was junior-anchor Woolworth’s, a Lerner, and Harvest House Cafeteria." [8]
Connecting the strip center on the north end of the complex to the enclosed mall on the south end was, and is today, a subterranean corridor. When the mall opened, it was called Peacock Alley." [9]
Click here to learn about the history of the Ford City Condominiums.
Where Owners of Ford City Condominiums
can grab a cup of coffee and keep up-to-date on what's happening in their community
