Ford City Mall Closure in Chicago Delayed by Judge

The fate of Ford City Mall in Chicago is back in limbo after a Cook County judge hit pause on the city’s effort to shut it down over safety concerns.

A planned order to vacate the Southwest Side shopping center was delayed this week after the mall’s long-troubled fire suppression system was brought back online, buying owner Namdar Realty Group more time to address a growing list of issues. A new court hearing was set by Circuit Judge Leonard Murray for May 15, Block Club Chicago reported.

The city of Chicago had moved to immediately clear out the 960,000-square-foot property at 7601 South Cicero Avenue, arguing conditions inside posed an “imminent health and safety risk,” according to an emergency motion filed April 10. The order came after inspectors found the fire suppression system was not functioning properly.

That failure capped nearly a year of escalating enforcement. City officials first filed a complaint in May 2024 after stalled attempts to get Great Neck, New York-based Namdar to fix the system. When conditions didn’t improve, the city sued in 2025, citing broader deterioration across the property, according to the publication.

The main mall building has emerged as the focal point. City attorneys pointed to large vacant spaces, flooding, exposed wiring and even the potential for a sinkhole as evidence the structure has fallen into disrepair, as previously reported in The Real Deal. The property’s physical decline mirrors a familiar arc for aging regional malls, where vacating tenants often compound maintenance challenges.

Namdar’s back-and-forth with the city over the mall’s future are happening while Chicago-based Kurv Industrial, formerly Bridge Industrial, seeks to acquire the 66-acre property from Namdar and pursue a roughly $150 million redevelopment, according to Crain’s.

Namdar, a frequent buyer of struggling retail properties, has argued it is actively working to stabilize the property. Court filings say the landlord has hired contractors to address major plumbing failures, including burst sprinkler heads and damaged pumps, and has been in regular contact with the Chicago Fire Department.

Both sides have agreed on a partial path forward for now. Plans call for vacating the main mall — home to 16 tenants including JCPenney — while allowing outparcels like the North Mall section and an adjacent AMC theater to remain open.— Eric Weilbacher