Unfortunately, the Century Shopping Centre has seen better days. The last time I visited, it was undergoing renovations. These renovations, while not actually improving any internal features, seems to have been the death of it. I am sad to say, the Century is not a destination for anyone unless they fit into a very specific niche market. If you are female, between the ages of 18 and 40, and spend a lot of time and money on your appearance, and if you live in the city of Chicago and rarely leave it, this mall might be of interest to you.
Located on North Clark Street in the City, the Century is built inside an old multi-story theatre. When I visited this mall on a regular basis, there were all sorts of interesting stores. I remember a Role Playing and board game store I visited on occasion. Now, however, stores of interest are limited to Victoria's Secret, LA Tan, a Bath and Bodyworks store, and other similar fare. A hair salon is located on the first floor. Evidently, there is once again a functional theatre here as well, which I did not remember from my time living in Chicago.
A beautiful building on the outside, the Century does not contain much in the way of standard mall architecture. The interior is very utilitarian in appearance. Lighting is marginal, and functional escalators criss-cross the central open area.
By and large, though it pains me to say this, the Century Shopping Centre has little to offer except for those who live close enough to visit it as a convenience.
Pros - It's in the city, and is easily accessible by bus (the 22 Clark). It's a beautiful piece of architecture. There's no WiFi, but with a Borders right across the street, who cares?
Cons - There's not much here of interest except for stores catering to maintaining one's appearance.
I give the Century (a tear in my eye as I say this) 2 Kiosks.
Yeah, it's too bad, because from the outside, it looks more interesting. The stores are irrelevant to me, so I wouldn't shop there. I am surprised it's not more diverse in the retail options, and at the lack of WiFi.
ReplyDeleteHey, just an idea for you, it might be good to include a little Google map pinpointing the location of the mall you're reviewing, maybe in the right margin, so if people want to get a better idea of location (or may want to visit it themselves), they have the information handy.
Thanks for another good review, Randy.
Dom