I have shopped there many times. The group purchased the property in 2010. it absolutely screams 1990searly 1990s, even. The most central node, where all three wings of this triangular structure converge, is truly the stuff of childrens books.Not only is it inordinately largethis was the second biggest mall in Ohio after all (and the biggest mall is even more defunct)but the developer clearly devoted more time and energy to interior design than Ive ever seen, at least outside of Dubai. Contact&Address: 600 Cincinnati Mills Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio - OH 45240, US . The site has development opportunities that are being discussed on both sides of the county line. I was the perfect age to be completely wowed that such a place could exist. How could it be, without heat? Over the next two years, the mall would undergo a large renovation, and many independently owned businesses would be forced out of the mall. B Adventurous is now closed and how the exterior was decorated from the previous tenet called Wonderpark that had an arcade and some rides. Forest Fair Village, Part II: a lesson in how not to create a regional mega attraction. FFM introduced a new concept in 1992 called The Shops at Forest Fair to revive the mall. And the last major tenant to depart, Babies R Us, still looks like it could open again tomorrow, at least judging from the signage. Great cliff-hanger at the end. The southwestern wing featuring Parisian and Elder-Beerman became "The Fashions at Forest Fair", featuring apparel and traditional department stores. A white elephant that stands, thirty years later, as a testament to both ego and a creative vision unrestrained by financial vagaries during conception, then clobbered by them after the execution. Following the sale of Mills's portfolio to Simon Property Group, the mall was sold several times afterward, while continuing to lose many of its key tenants. Are you talking about Forest Fair specifically, or malls in particular? Forest Fair Village - Wikipedia Theres a couple of things I find fascinating about it. In addition, I will couch my exploration of Forest Fair Village (formerly Cincinnati Mall, as well as a couple other names) in terms of a broader understanding of the socioeconomic forces at work, particularly in light of developers increasingly desperate attempts to transform centers of commerce into major eventsanimated landmarks of regional significance. Michael D. Pitman, Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio. Meanwhile, all the entrances from the exterior appear unrestricted. The easternmost corridor adopts a sort of rural Americana theme. It's such a cool looking place that deserves to be repurposed and made into a multi-use entertainment and shopping complex. Equally alarming: even in this state of desuetude, the mall was not close to empty. Its demise is usually attributed to its close proximity to both Tri-County and Northgate malls, as well as being kind of out-of-the-way in a non-favored quarter of the region with weak demographics. But even beyond that, during my 45-minute visit, I encountered approximately 25 people, often in some of the most desolate and vacant corners of the mall. With all the trouble that its gone though, its mind boggling that it hasnt been demolished or at least decanted into a power center or lifestyle something or other. Forest Fair Village, formerly Forest Fair Mall, The Shops at Forest Fair, Cincinnati Mills and Cincinnati Mall was a two-level shopping mall 25.1 miles (40.4 km) southeast of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, between Cincinnati Mills Drive, Forest Fair Drive, South Gilmore Road and Interstate 275 in Fairfield, a suburb of Cincinnati. How does Forest Fair Village fit within the broader commercial context of the Cincinnati suburbs, and is there a counter-example? There will be an investment upwards of $3 million to refresh the interior of Kohl's, which is committed to staying. The mall is located in two cities, two counties - Hamilton and Butler - and three school districts - Fairfield, Northwest and Winton Woods. The mall, built in phases between 1988 and 1989 as Forest Fair Mall, has become noted for its troubled history; despite being the second-biggest mall in the state and bringing many new retailers to the market, it lost three anchor stores (B. Altman and Company, Bonwit Teller, and Sakowitz) and its original owner LJ Hooker to bankruptcy less than a year after opening. That was a play-it-safe tale put out by the ownership. I didnt have to dig too far to find images of Forest Fair Mall from before the massive renovation; go to the mostly inactive site, Dead Malls (http://deadmalls.com/malls/forest_fair_mall.html), and scroll to the oldest entries at the bottom (yes, it was being written about as a dying mall even in 2003). And the last major tenant to depart, Babies R Us, still looks like it could open again tomorrow, at least judging from the signage.And there was the occasional telltale sign of peeling paint or seepage (as in the ceiling in the photo above). The Forest Fair Mall was a shopping mall in Forest Park, Ohio, United States. Forest Fair Mall has the most unique architecture and design. This mall98% vacant yet also 98% open to the publicis hardly unique, even by Cincinnati standards, which, like most metros of its size, is no stranger to . Loved this article as when I was a kid this was always the mall that we visited. Im going out on a limb here, but the stars on the American flag and the red/blue motif vaguely echo the aging Cincinnati Mall sign out along the highway, leading me to wonder if this wing of the mall received a bit of a face lift during the short-lived Cincinnati Mall period, perhaps part of an aborted rebranding that otherwise would have carried throughout the mall. Disclaimer: The information provided here is based on our interpretation of available data and advice. While it wasnt crowded, it wasnt empty either, though perhaps one might have expected a gloomy winter afternoon during the holidays to be peak business. Not far from the Kohls is the only other viable inline tenant: B Adventurous, a play area for very small children filed with inflatables, and featuring what look like simple concession-style foods. Clearly not up to code. Its sad to see it go, but were focused on making the best use of the space for the future. Forest Fair Village hours of operations Store hours may vary. Oddly enough, this was the only WonderPark ever and it closed without warning around 2007 or so. A Parisian store and BonWitt teller store in Forest Park/Fairfield area was out of place. But all things considered, its amazing how unlittered, vacuumed, and generally clean the mall appearedwith very little graffiti (outside of that playground) or vandalismexcept for one feature.Yikes. The mall also features a food court and a variety of stores and restaurants. Forest Fair Mall, Cincinnati Mills, Forest Fair Village . There was a move to renovate back around 2011 in which they would have put it ice skating rinks amoungst other things but this fell through after issues with the ceiling being too low I believe. It wasnt the mall but rather the other mall as soon as it was built. The Forest Fair Village mall is a mall in the northern Cincinnati suburbs that is also known as Cincinnati Mall, Cincinnati Mills, and Forest Fair Mall. Redevelopment plans with Prudential Commercial Real Estate fell through in 2014. In that previous paragraph I demurred before using the word austerean unlikely adjective for such a meretricious and kitschy place. There was a Guitar Center in that wing of the mall, but it moved near Tri-County Mall a couple years ago. Got to experience the colossal Forest Fair Village (Cincinnati Mall) in The mall was then purchased by Miami-based company Gator Investments in January 1996. My favorite thing about traveling is getting lost because it allows me to discover unexpected gemsfinding a hidden museum or stumbling upon a beautiful park in the middle of the city. Id assume it was made to compete with Segas GameWorks or Dave & Busters, but again this was the only location ever. My dead mall postings have routinely become some of my most popular articles, and I still have quite a few great spectacles that I could share someday, stored a Bio Press City Albany Albuquerque Alexandria VA The story of Forest Fair Village has been a rollercoaster ride filled with ups and downs. There were talks of putting an ice rink/sports complex in there around 2012 but nothing came of it. Great Lakes Crossing Outlets | Michigan's Largest Indoor Outlet Mall Not going strong exactly, but its completely open to the public. Hillwood, a Perot company based in Dallas, has a contract. In addition, the president of Bigg's reported that their store in the mall had constantly struggled in sales due to it being located at the back of the property. I remember riding the little roller coaster they had there. By using this website you agree. Mills Corporation renamed the property to Cincinnati Mills in 2002 and renovated the mall once more in August 2004. Proof positive that a poor location cannot sustain retail for long, no matter how attractive the facilities might be. [46], Elder-Beerman announced the closure of its store in 2003, as the chain wanted to focus on smaller stores in markets with lower populations. However, the mall struggled with high vacancy rates and changing retail trends. Its a relative latecomer in the era of malls, and the location was pretty lousynot a high-end part of town and way too close to two other malls (both of which now are also failing). Kohl's in Forest Fair Village opening hours (mall hours) Monday: 10:00am-9:00pm Tuesday: 10:00am-9:00pm Wednesday: 10:00am-9:00pm Thursday: 10:00am-9:00pm Friday: 10:00am-9:00pm Saturday: 10:00am-9:00pm Sunday: 12:00pm-6:00pm Forest Fair Village location and map Directions to Forest Fair Village Kohl's in Forest Fair Village - store location plan And by the 80s, malls were still king but other shopping topologies (festival marketplaces, downtown malls, power centers, factory outlets) were getting tested to varying degrees of success. Forest Fair Village (MONTAGE): a 98% defunct mall, frozen in 1991. Hillwood made a presentation to Fairfield City Council, saying it envisions a Class A industrial park with four buildings on the former mall site. The mall faced further challenges under new ownership, including the closure of significant tenants and delinquent property taxes. Unless the mall has changed significantly in the last yearand the economic conditions of 2020 would make it hard for real estate has depressed as Forest Fair Village to either improve or to decline even furtherId imagine it looks about the same. The Cincinnati Mall, while not entirely vacant just yet, is hanging on by a thread. This is the ugly, uninviting entrance, which the signs recognize as being dowdy (an awning is on the way), but its still better business for the gym than providing an entrance through the malls corridor itself. A video walkthrough is nearly always more captivating than my still photographs, all the better when it gets juxtaposed with found-footage distorted mall adverts from the 80s and 90s, courtesy of Dan Bell (whose postmodern manipulations of cheap local advertising reinforce the heavy Tim and Eric vibe) or the more apocalyptic, methodically researched technique of Salvatore Amadeo (who is equally fond of accompanying his footage with the vaporwave music genrethe dead mall soundtrackand Romantic-era opera). These two Oshkosh West students have earned Herb Kohl Educational Foundation awards. By this time, Guitar Center had also closed, and a studio was proposed for its space, while a hotel was slated for the former Elder-Beerman/Steve & Barry's space. Were working closely with stakeholders to ensure a successful redevelopment that benefits our community. City Official, The demolition and redevelopment of Forest Fair Village present an opportunity to revitalize the area and attract new businesses, which will contribute to the growth of our local economy. Forest Fair Mall closed following fire and safety inspection Antique/Flea Markets. Under ownership by Gator Investments working with Glimcher Realty Trust, who had previously purchased the Montgomery Mall in Alabama, the Cincinnati Mall underwent another renovation between late 1999 and early 2000. In recent years, Forest Fair Village struggled to maintain its tenants and foot traffic. One last interesting thing is that its only very recently that the inline parts of the mall have been allowed to deteriorate in any appreciable way. Under North Star's short ownership tenure, most of the businesses that left relocated to Cincinnati Premium Outlets in Monroe. [23] All of the other Sakowitz stores were also liquidated at this point, along with all but two locations of Bonwit Teller. Got so many great liminal pictures. Most of the retailers were being stolen blind. And the entrance to Bass Pro Shops isnt as welcoming as Kohls. I hope someone does something with it eventually. This is so sad. [2] According to these plans, the mall would consist of 1,500,000 square feet (140,000m2) of retail space, with 70 percent of the building in Forest Park and 30 percent in Fairfield. It still says Cincinnati Mall, the facilitys official name from 2009 until around 2013. Finally, center court and the former location of Bonwit Teller became "The Festival at Forest Fair", focused on entertainment and new restaurants. If the deteriorated condition isnt obvious enough, the naming should be. This wing also featured the entrance to one of the two surviving anchors. I guess its also a testament to how little foot traffic it received after that mega-investment from the Mills Corporation and how ineffectual it was at ensuring a sustainable IRR. This area also features one of Forest Fair Villages two surviving inline tenants: It boggles the mind how this business can continue operatingone of three locations in metro Cincinnati, and it apparently keeps chugging along until midnight on the weekends, long after Forest Fair Village would have remained open when functional (movie theater notwithstanding). This blog article clearly has gotten too long; stay tuned for part two to learn more. [48] By January 2005, the mall had a 90 percent occupancy. Just my guesses. Just be warned: it would be only about 10 degrees warmer than the outside air. If the deteriorated condition isnt obvious enough, the naming should be. It was mostly gangs from forest park that harressed shoppers at the mall, and young teenage girls. Also, that playground used to be PBS Kids-themed, and the long stretch of drywall across from it was a Biggs supermarket. As for other malls in the US, its hard to make any judgment as to what will happen in the era of COVID-19. DeWine stated the city of Fairfield will demolish the former Forest Fair mall site on Cincinnati Mills Drive. Around this same time, the cinema was closed. This outlet has more than you are looking for as it offers a variety of different stores. Ive read there was a CompUSA in the mall that also moved near Tri-County, but I cant find much about it. But all you have to do is drive south on Winton road and see there area has become blighted. [16], LJ Hooker filed for bankruptcy soon after the mall opened due to debt accrued by the company's expansion in the United States. Tuesday Morning store closings 2023: See the full list It opened with anchor stores like Biggs, Higbees, and Bonwit Teller and quickly attracted a diverse range of tenants, including: Unfortunately, the malls initial success was short-lived.