Forest Fair Mall/Cincinnati Mills questions (Dayton: waterpark, purchase, cinema)

[sjohnson76]

About the food court Dead Malls mentions...it did exist. I remember being able to see a burned out Gold Star Chili behind cracks in the drywall FFM staff used to cover it up. The mall did also drywall up abandoned bathrooms as well during the late 1990's in un-occupied wings of the mall. The staff @ Cincinnati Mall doesn't even do that anymore. The abandoned store fronts and just blacked out (black like tint on the windows) of many former stores. Biggs, Johnny Rockets, Step 'N Style, Games Galore, American Eagle, Wilson's Leather, Media Play, Copacabanna and Namco's Wonderpark are all like this. The mall is basically a ghost town these days. I honestly don't see how they can afford to pay the utilities there. It is truly Cincinnati's dead mall.

[soozycue520]

For those that may be interested, there is a blog by a guy, who is a photographer, who loves to photograph abandoned buildings and other interesting things. He was at FFM, and here is the blog:

Queen City Discovery: Portrait of a Dead Mall

I love all his stuff, and this is very interesting!! Enjoy!

[mike1003]

This Mall was dead on arrival.

Too big and on the wrong side of town. It might, I say might, have made it on the Montgomery side.

It was a grand idea to make a shopping experience that would bring in tour buses and visitors. Way to big for normal shopping.

[BobM11385]

Not sure if you're aware from other sources but the developer of the mall, George Herscu, owned all of Bonwit Teller and B.Altmans and was partnered with Parisians. Although the property was ill conceived to begin with, the Hescu bankruptcy prompted the liquidation of Bonwit and Altmans. That left a lot of cheap, empty space.

Just a tidbit of information from when I worked the bankruptcy.

[Texan Guy]

I believe I found the answer to my questions.

1) When did CompUSA open?
Since the beginning, it was where Guitar Center later occupied.
2) Where was the original food court?
Almost directly above the current one.
3) What was "O-2"?
I think it was just a marker on the directory. Moore's Fitness was there.
4) What replaced Time Out on the Court and what is there now?
I believe it was either Urban Behavior or the movie theaters.
5) Did rival gangs really move into the Mall in the mid-1990s?
Don't know. Seems hard to believe, and if it was, certainly exaggerated
6) Did Parisian replace Sakowitz?
I've heard it did. It lasted from 1991-1998 and was wildly unsuccessful.
7) What was the Festivals at Forest Fair like?
Don't know, but it had shops, restaurants, and a few bars. Not much else is known.
When did it become Bourbon Street?
By the late 1990s only one place remained, America Live, which was replaced by Bourbon Street.
8) Does anyone have any vintage mall directories/list of stores in 1989 they can share with me?
Guess not.


OK, how about the indoor beach playground? It was around in 1998, but not much is known. Obviously it had sand, but did it have water? How much?

Also, was the mall ever "officially" (this means signage and ads) renamed to Forest Fair Fashions prior to Cincinnati Mills?

[Daytonnatian]

^No and No.

However, the mall did have a small bumper car area, mini-putt course (like 3 holes or something), a ferris wheel, and a really sweet ball maze exhibit thing.

[Texan Guy]

Here are the only two references on the Internet.

"or a mall with an indoor beach playground (Forest Fair in Fairfield)."
The Enquirer's Cinciguide "s", 1997

"The eight-screen Super Saver cinema will remain, as will the Beach and Time Out indoor amusement park."
Forest Fair Mall redefines itself, 1999

This implies the Time Out (the original amusement park) and the Beach area were separate. Much much later, I read that an ambitious prospective owner of Rolling Acres Mall wanted to put a beach area inside the old Target with sand and water fixtures. I can't find a "real" reference for it, though.

[Daytonnatian]

^Yes, they were. Completely different sections of the mall, if I may add. Time Out was by (included) the Ferris Wheel and was in the big end of the mall near what is now the Danbarry Cinema. The beach was closer to the food court and right next to the amazing ball maze.

[mike1003]

Where is the basketball kinetic sculpture that was in center of mall?? I hope that they didnt trash it

[Cincy-Rise]

Originally Posted by mike1003

This Mall was dead on arrival.

Too big and on the wrong side of town. It might, I say might, have made it on the Montgomery side.

It was a grand idea to make a shopping experience that would bring in tour buses and visitors. Way to big for normal shopping.

I agree with you on the most part, but I would say it would be dead from the beginning on the Montgomery side as well.


To be honest, I think the "mall" in general is doomed .... at least the indoor mall.

I can see something like Rookwood Commons, minus the sea of parking surviving though.