America's very first dumbell plan mall covered approximately 428,000 leasable square feet and contained fifty-eight tenant spaces. 5,000 autos could be parked in the mall's lot at one time.
HILLSIDE CENTER TENANTS 1957:
CARSON PIRIE SCOTT (with Beauty Salon and Bridal Service) / GOLDBLATT'S (with Snack Bar and Garden Center ) / F.W. WOOLWORTH 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / KROGER supermarket (outparcel) / STRICKLAND'S supermarket (outparcel) / Baron's / Berland's / Bond Clothes / Burny Brothers Bakery / Corned Beef Center / Fabric Fair / Fannie May Candies / Field's Juvenile Store / Ford Hopkins / Goldblatt's Delicatessen / Gold 'N Mello Popcorn / Hillside Barber Shop / Hillside Center Currency Exchange / Hillside Optical Center / Hillside Savings & Loan / Household Finance Corporation / Karoll's men's wear / Kinney Shoes / Klein's Sporting Goods / Kobey Snack Shop / Koshgarian Rug Company / Kuelmann Foods / Lyon-Healy Music / Mach Importers / Mary Jane Shoes / Maternity Modes / Mrs. Snyder's Candies / Robinson's / Shoreline Cleaners / Slenderella Figure Salon / Steinway / Stewart, Kestor, Kassberger & Lederer Insurance / Tally-Ho Snack Shop / The Cotton Shop / The Country Cobbler Shoes / Thom McAn Shoes / Vicki's Card & Gift Shop / Western Tire & Auto / WTAQ Radio
By the mid-1960s, HILLSIDE was being usurped by the nearby YORKTOWN and OAKBROOK malls. A $600,000 renovation was completed in August 1967, with all courts and concourses enclosed and climate-controlled.
Drawing from Greenfield Real Estate Investment Trust
A second major overhaul was done between May and November 1983, with the shopping hub being promoted as HILLSIDE MALL. Two entrances were sealed, The Oasis Food Court set up in vacant space and the main entrance rebuilt. A tall tubular framework now graced the refurbished entryway. It was hoped that the brightly-painted scaffolding would give the mall more curb appeal from the adjacent expressway.
