Judge Orders Ford City Mall to Close by June 22 Over Fire System Leaks
Updated
Updated · WLS-TV · May 15
Judge Orders Ford City Mall to Close by June 22 Over Fire System Leaks
9 articles · Updated · WLS-TV · May 15
June 22 at noon is the deadline a judge set for Ford City Mall to shut permanently after Chicago sought an emergency closure order.
The city said the South Side mall's fire suppression system has been leaking and malfunctioning for two years, creating a risk of death or serious injury in a fire.
Chicago's Department of Law also warned the still-unidentified leaks could erode soil beneath the property, raising the threat of a sinkhole or catastrophic structural failure.
The emergency motion to vacate the mall was filed last month over health and safety risks to tenants and visitors; the mall owner had not commented.
After years of neglect turned Ford City Mall into a 'death trap,' what accountability will its owner face for the fallout?
As a historic Chicago mall is replaced by warehouses, is this the inevitable future for America's dying retail centers?