Does MPHS have photographs: Yes
Address: Rand and Central
Is building standing: Yes
When was business founded: 1961
Is business still operating: Yes
Interesting stories, facts, history:
While strip malls are rarely of much historic interest, the Mount Prospect Plaza has more to say than one might imagine. When the Plaza was built, there were very few shopping plazas in America. When the Plaza was started, it was a pioneering concept. In the long run, strip malls have dramatically changed the landscapes in America, particularly in suburban communities. Strip malls are based on people driving to one location, which is at the outskirts of town and is isolated from the rest of the community. This is a very different concept of shopping than the small town days of the 1950s. Earlier in Mount Prospect’s history, there were small community owned businesses in the downtown area, which was a mixed use neighborhood with offices, store fronts, and houses within close proximity. The heydays of downtown Mount Prospect came to an end in 1962 with the opening of Randhurst and the Mount Prospect Plaza. These locations brought in larger national chain stores and were based entirely on an automobile culture. Ample parking was a necessity, but a pedestrian scale or an attractive street front was not.
Mount Prospect Plaza opened in mid-March in 1961. The grand opening, however, was a bit rocky. Construction delays prevented some of the stores from opening on time, and the parking lot pavement wasn’t finished. Despite these challenges, the completed stores and the Mount Prospect Plaza Merchants Association celebrated the occasion with numerous giveaways, including a weekend for two in Las Vegas and a complete family Easter wardrobe. The rest of the stores opened in the following weeks.