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The Development of Shopping Centers in the 1950’s

The 1950s population boom had a dramatic effect on commercial development in Mount Prospect. Before the 1950s Mount Prospect’s commercial area were located downtown. That changed with the construction of Randhurst Shopping Center and the Mount Prospect Plaza. There was quite a bit of controversy over these developments. Mount Prospect considered not annexing the land of the shopping centers unless petitioned by the developers, Carson Pirie Scott and Dan Serafine. Carson Pirie Scott had originally wanted 80 acres to be annexed by the town, but that number later swelled to 108 acres. Dan Serafine, developer of Mount Prospect Plaza wanted 60 acres of land annexed but the town was reluctant to buy into his plan. The developers wanted their projects to be annexed so that they would have access to vital town services such as water, police, and fire protection. Mayor Lams and citizens of Mount Prospect were not sure that there was a sufficient population to support two shopping centers less then one mile apart from each other. But trustees pressed on, saying that Mount Prospect would benefit from the commercial taxes, arguing that these new taxes would allow them to lower taxes in the residential areas.

Carson Pirie Scott eventually got the land they wanted annexed, but Dan Serafine had more trouble winning approval for his shopping center. He threatened that if Mount Prospect didn’t annex the land he would ask Des Plaines to, or build the Mount prospect Plaza in unincorporated land. Despite a veto by then mayor Theodore Lams the trustees eventually allowed for the annexation of the Serafine development. Both shopping centers were built. Randhurst Shopping Center opening in 1962 and included stores from development partners Montgomery Wards and Wieboldts, along with Carson Pirie Scott’s 5 suburban store. When the mall was first built it was the largest indoor shopping mall in the world. It forever changed the way commercial developments  are constructed.