of Bolingbrook nixed the idea and the building was put up for auction in 1982. Illinois Central expressed their desire to demolish the structure, but the village, in the hopes of finding a buyer, changed its zoning laws to prevent the destruction. While Bolingbrook sought a new buyer for the building, structural damage from roof leaks began damaging the vacant building. In addition, vandals repeatedly broke into the building, causing more damage. In 1985, the building was finally sold to investment banker C.L. Carr, who initially pledged to keep the building open as an entertainment complex, but later attempted to sell parcels of the land beneath it. Last-ditch efforts to salvage the enormous building—as an international trade center for the People's Republic of China, as a venue for the cancelled 1992 World's Fair, even as a Major League Baseball stadium for the Chicago White Sox—all failed, and the building was demolished in the spring of 1986. On January 21, 2020, Amazon paid $50.5 million for the former Old Chicago mega mall site. Old Chicago's legacy The concept of an amusement park inside a mall emerged years later at two famous malls—West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Galaxyland), and Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota (Nickelodeon Universe), as well as Adventuredome at Circus Circus in Las Vegas, and Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi. The now-expanded street where Old Chicago once stood is still named for the mall. Arena Auto Auction's address is 200 Old Chicago Drive. The Chicago Loop roller coaster that stood inside the mall's amusement park was renamed the Canobie Corkscrew and operated at Canobie Lake Park from 1987 until 2021. It was among the first four in the world to turn riders upside down twice, along with Corkscrew at Knott's Berry Farm, Wabash Cannonball at Opryland USA, and Corkscrew at Magic Harbor, all four opening in 1975. See also List of defunct amusement parks Six Flags Autoworld (another indoor park that flopped) Knott's Berry Farm (the park that inspired Old Chicago) External links commercials at The Museum of Classic Chicago Television Old Chicago Amusement Park Amusement parks in Illinois Defunct amusement parks in the United States Demolished shopping malls in the United States Former buildings and structures in Chicago 1975 establishments in Illinois 1980 disestablishments in Illinois Bolingbrook, Illinois Shopping malls in Illinois Indoor amusement parks Shopping malls established in 1975 Amusement parks opened in 1975 Amusement