When discourse arises concerning the declining fortunes of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, and its inner-ring suburbs, many are quick to lament the vacant stretches of sidewalks, devoid of pedestrian activity, and the boarded-up storefronts, waxing nostalgic about the halcyon days of the 1950s and 1960s.
When discourse arises concerning the declining fortunes of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, and its inner-ring suburbs, many are quick to lament the vacant stretches of sidewalks, devoid of pedestrian activity, and the boarded-up storefronts, waxing nostalgic about the halcyon days of the 1950s and 1960s.
“Downtown is dead,” they proclaim.
“Crime is rampant,” they echo.
Such sentiments are frequently invoked when the topic of inner-city revitalization is broached. Yet, seldom is mention made of the failures that have plagued the outer suburbs. Beyond the rusting hulk of Kenwood Towne Place along Interstate 71 in Columbia Township, there stands the colossal 1.5-million-square-foot Cincinnati Mall, a behemoth that has essentially been a failure since its inception in July 1988.
Heralded as the largest shopping center in the Cincinnati metropolitan area, the single-level Forest Fair Mall was constructed by L. J. Hooker. Initial success prompted the addition of an eastern wing two years later, featuring a Bigg’s hypermarket. By 1989, additional wings and tenants had opened, bringing the mall to a total of 200 stores and four anchors. However, elevated construction costs saddled Hooker with debt, and in June 1989, the mall was put up for sale. In September of that year, Hooker sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing debts of $1.7 billion.
It was not long before the mall’s fortunes began to decline. Major anchors and tenants commenced a rapid exodus, and by the summer of 1991, the mall’s occupancy had plummeted to a mere 56%.
The first reinvention of Forest Fair occurred in 1992 when the mall was rebranded as the Malls at Forest Fair, and the shopping center was divided into four distinct retail themes. A $25 million renovation was undertaken, and the mall was expanded in 1993 in an $8 million project called the Festival at Forest Fair, occupying the former Bonwit Teller tenant space. By 1994, occupancy had rebounded to 75%, and prospects appeared promising.
In 1996, the mall was purchased by Gator Forest Park Partners of Miami, Florida, for $18 million, and the company unveiled plans to convert Forest Fair into an outlet center, proposing to invest $10 million over the subsequent three years. Tenants and anchors were shuffled, closed, and opened in the following years, and Forest Fair gained several new tenants as part of phase one, including Bass Pro Shops, Burlington Coat Factory, and Saks Off Fifth. The Wonderpark Family Fun Center, an indoor children’s amusement park, opened in 2001 as part of phase two, followed by the construction of a massive multi-level parking deck in the ensuing year.
In 2002, the Mills Corporation acquired Forest Fair for nearly $70 million and embarked on a much-anticipated $70 million renovation project in 2003, aided in part by $19 million in tax increment financing. Upon completion, Forest Fair Mall was rechristened Cincinnati Mills on August 19, 2004. The renovated center boasted nightclubs, two movie theaters, themed restaurants, 145 tenants, and a 93% occupancy rate. At total build-out, the mall would contain 200 retailers and 15 anchors, claimed the Mills Corporation. However, the company soon faced financial difficulties, and by 2006, it was seeking to divest its mall portfolio. Just two years after the renovations were completed, the Mills had dwindled to 115 tenants and was one of the weakest shopping centers in the corporation’s portfolio.
The Mills was subsequently sold to the Simon Property Group, and at the time of the acquisition, the mall’s occupancy hovered around 66%. Entire wings stood deserted, with mall walkers and strollers occupying the vacant storefronts instead of legitimate retail spaces. Simon, who was constructing Monroe Premium Outlets in Monroe, Ohio, allowed the mall to languish. Bigg’s, one of the largest tenants at Forest Fair, closed their hypermarket, and many of the outlet stores decamped for Monroe Premium Outlets upon its opening, such as Saks Off Fifth.
North Star Realty was the next entity to purchase the mall in 2008, although little was done to maintain the property. Of the 1.46 million square-feet of space, only 56% was leased. The only visible change was the renaming of the mall to Cincinnati Mall and the failure to make payments on property taxes and construction costs associated with the parking garages. The situation was further exacerbated by the presence of Metropolis, a rather unsavory nightclub that attracted hordes of rowdy youths, resulting in sporadic altercations inside the entertainment venue and throughout the mall’s concourses and parking lots. By this juncture, crime in the center had become so rampant that a police substation was installed adjacent to the parking garage.
The revolving door of ownership continued. In March 2009, Cincinnati Holding Company, a subsidiary of World Properties of New York, acquired the mall for a paltry $4.7 million. The sixth owner began to negotiate settlements for delinquent bills and initiated efforts to rebrand the shopping center as a more family-friendly destination. In January 2007, Cincinnati Holding announced a proposal for a 170,000-square-foot Candlewood Suites with “two upper levels,” a 100,000-square-foot ice hockey arena, an indoor mountain bike park, an agriculture museum, and an indoor water park. These attractions would be housed within the 1.6-million-square-foot mall, potentially creating 2,000 jobs in the Fairfield region. Furthermore, Ellsworth stated that the mall was attempting to renew leases with its remaining anchor stores and that the proposed attractions would be completed within three years, contingent upon financing and permitting.
Thus, while the narrative of downtown’s demise persists, it is evident that even the suburbs are not immune to the ravages of neglect, vandalism, and crime after years of decline. The cautionary tale of Cincinnati’s retail behemoth serves as a sobering reminder of the fragility of economic prosperity and the imperative to safeguard our communities from the perils of urban blight.
9 Comments
Add Yours →Well, I went last week and had a ball! Really amazing mall – does anyone have a mall directory from the 90's? I've found directories from 2002 on up but nothing prior, also did Forest Fair have a website, I found an archive of Cincinnatimills.com, but wonder if they had one. Oh, and also was there a grand opening flyer for both forest fair and Cincinnati mills?
Thanks
Nick
My Brother had the Bennaton store there at the food court second level many years ago when It first opened, I was there when Donald Trump toured the mall and passed it by, I remember he just kept shaking his head NO……….and he still had the same hair………….
Alright, cool – thanks for your response.
Its hard to believe from the pics I've seen online that its nearly pitch dark in there, yet there's still active stores.
Would I get by taking pics with an SLR, or is a point n shoot better? I'm not sure how the security is there regarding people taking pics.
I didn't have much of a problem, but I was handholding my photos at a high ISO without a tripod.
Seriously? Thriving? This was written when Bass Pro Shop was an anchor – and still is. There were literally a handful of stores in operation in the concourse at that time, and those have since closed. I should do a reshoot sometimes, as they have now walled off one concourse that has been long vacant.
By the way, it's called Cincinnati Mall. Cincinnati Mills was the former name, and if you would read the attached article (https://www.abandonedonline.net/commercial/cincinnati-mills/), you'd know that this occurred quite a while back. This is a blog post, and can be dated since the time of writing and won't be updated.
Get rid of this story. THat mall has been thriving for the past five years. They have a Bass Pro Shop and its now called Cincinnati Mills. Your story is so out of date.
More errors….The police substation was opened while it was still Cincinnati Mills. Also, this latest plan was announced in January 2011….not in 2007 as stated.
This mall is in a very ethnically diverse suburban area of Cincinnati. And like it or not, it's the reason for the failure of this very nice property.
Three errors in the article. First, the outlet mall Simon constructed in Monroe, Ohio in 2009, along I-75 between Cincinnati and Dayton, is called Cincinnati Premium Outlets. NOT Monroe Premium Outlets. It is very successful. Secondly, the parking deck/garage is original. It was not added during the mall's history (2002 per the article) as the writer states. Finally, it is not a single level mall. In fact 75% of it is 2 level (as one of the photos shows). The mall is build like a Y and the base of the Y is the only part that is single level. That is where the 250,000 sq foot bigg's store was. A photo of this part of the mall is the one with the giant American Flag.