An ultra-modern Clock Tower was the focal point of the COMMERCIAL CENTER. In its early days, people came from miles around to "ooo" and "ahh" at the revolutionary mid-century shopopolis.
Photo copyright Park Forest Historical Society. Reproduction -without permission- is prohibited
The cluster-type complex was centered on a landscaped courtyard . The Jewel supermarket, in the center of this image, was the largest in the chain when it opened in March 1950. The supermarket was fully air-conditioned, as were all of the stores in the shopping center. This was big news in the early 1950s.
Photo from Malls of America Blogspot
A circa-1951 physical layout shows a partially-complete complex. At this time, there are over thirty tenant spaces. Stores would continue opening into the mid-1950s.
PARK FOREST COMMERCIAL CENTER STORES 1951:
JEWEL TEA COMPANY supermarket / S.S. KRESGE 5 & 10 (with luncheonette) / Art Mart / Blossom Florist Shop / Dr. Fixit & Mr. Makit / Esco Television / Fidler's, Limited Store For Men / Fran's Women's Apparel / Holiday Theatre (single screen) / Karmelkorn / McClurg Book Store / Mobile Service Station (outparcel) / Park Forest Bakery / Park Forest Barber Shop / Park Forest Beauty Shop / Park Forest Cleaners / Park Forest Currency Exchange / Park Forest Drug Store / Park Forest Hardware Store / Park Forest Hobby & Sports Center / Park Forest Jewelry Store / Park Forest Laundromat / Park Forest Liquors / Park Forest Lumber Company / Park Forest Shoe Repair / Public Service Company / Sexton's Lounge / Shapiro's Shoes / Sheldon's Delicatessen / Sherry's Drive-In Snack Shop / Seifer of Park Forest Furniture / Vistain's News Agency / Youngster's Shop
Drawing from Goldlatt Brothers, Incorporated Annual Report 1952
