The city of Chicago filed an emergency motion to vacate the property at 7601 S. Cicero Ave. by noon Monday.
On Sunday, would-be shoppers found the doors already locked.
"It really is something that holds dear to our hearts. If you're from the South Side of Chicago, this is the mall that you came to. It holds a lot of memories for us as kids. I'm going to cry because I have so many stories about shopping here and experiences and coming with friends," Lili Milewski said.
Some were disappointed it closed early.
"We spent our entire childhood here. The fact that we are here and can't go in, that's disheartening. We spent our days in high school just hanging out. We would cut school and come here and have good clean fun. To see a place go down like this is disheartening," one person said. "It was going to be nostalgic. We were going to match up our pictures like when we were in high school. Here's us in the 90s and here's us today. We're celebrating 30 years of friendship this year. What a way to do 30 years of friendship then to take pictures. This is really emotional."
The city of Chicago filed a motion to close the mall over concerns of a defective fire suppression system and health and safety issues.
It opened in 1965, and was once home to more than 100 stores.
Alderman Derrick Curtis of the 18th Ward said it's bittersweet, but the mall has been deteriorating in recent years.
"There's water that's continuing to leak every single day, hundreds of gallons of water. There's no fire suppression. So I think this was the best time to do this and the most responsible thing to do," Curtis said.
The alderman has been in discussions with a potential buyer, he says, who wants to redevelop the property. It's not clear what would go there.
He's meeting with them Monday.
"The drifting, the donuts, the burning of the tires, it's time for a new company to come in, fix the roads, fix the streets come in with a whole new vision. And that's what I'm looking to see," Curtis said.
A rally is also being held Monday at Alderman Curtis' office to discuss revitalization efforts and the future of the property. While the mall is closing, the movie theater and businesses around the mall will remain open.
The mall suffered the same fate as a number of other large retail establishments, many of which had struggled. Analysts say it's also possible to succeed, and some are.
Online retail and quick delivery are luring an increasing amount of consumer spending.
Woodfield in Schaumburg, an indoor mall, continues to do well.
Oakbrook Center, which is mostly outdoor, has a number of successful anchor tenants and several popular restaurants and attractions included.
"You hear a lot about the death of the shopping mall. But I don't think it's a blanket statement for all malls," said Amanda Lai, with McMillan Doolittle.
Lai consults with shopping mall owners, and says modern malls need a little extra to draw shoppers.
"Unless you can make it into something that's gonna attract the community to come in and spend more than one hour there, then it's hard for these shopping centers to make it," said Terri Cox, with Matanky Realty.
Cox has worked with strip mall owners to find the right mix of retail to attract shoppers in their specific neighborhoods. It can be quite a challenge.
"You really have to give a compelling reason to get people out of their homes, rather than having a box show up in their doorstep," Lai said.
ABC7 reached out to the owner of the mall last month for comment but did not hear back.