When the Ceiling Was Sky
The ceiling hovered high, a pale grid above soft-lit floors and brick-wrapped columns. Inside Randall Park Mall, the air once smelled like cinnamon from the pretzel stand and freon from the skating rink chill. Each step echoed sharply against terrazzo tiles that carried sound deep into the concourse.
In 1976, Randall Park Mall rose from the dust of a former horse track in North Randall, filled with big-box anchors like Sears, JCPenney, Horne’s, Higbee’s, and the May Company. The mall opened on August 11 of that year with 200 shops and its own theater…