"It was something very innovative at the time, to have a shopping mall like this," Frances Worrell recalled.
The 81-year-old Aurora resident remembers the day Buckingham Square Mall opened. It was August 5, 1971.
"There was a little ice cream shop," Worrell said. "And a Joslins (department store). I loved Joslins."
On Tuesday, the demolition process for the mall officially began.
The Buckingham Square Mall will be replaced by The Gardens on Havana, a $110 million development, which will include shops, restaurants and housing.
The development will take up more than 900,000 square feet.
"Mixed use is the way to go," said Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer. "What it's really about is connecting the Havana district with the area, in a vibrant and live place."
The Gardens on Havana are scheduled to be complete by early 2009.
