Ford City Mall redevelopment proposal deserves more scrutiny

Ford City Mall redevelopment proposal deserves more scrutiny

Pete Kastanes is reminiscing about the golden days of the Ford City Mall.The rambling Southwest Side indoor shopping center opened 60 years ago this summer, as Chicago's enthusiastic answer to the big suburban malls that were luring customers — and retail dollars — from the city.Kastanes grew up in Ashburn and hung out in the shopping center as a teen in the 1970s, when major retailers like Wieboldt's, Sears and furniture store John M. Smyth's H…