In October 1960, Golf Mill Mall opened at 239 Golf Mill Center in Niles, Illinois, at the meeting point of Golf Road and Milwaukee Avenue.
The property covered 88 acres and had parking for 7,000 cars. From the start, it leaned into a mill-themed “town center” look instead of a basic strip of stores.
Ponds and bridges shaped the walkways. A working waterwheel turned near “Mill Island,” where people could sit outside by a koi pond…