Inside America S Abandoned Malls In 35 Haunting Photos

Empty malls across America are being abandoned at a staggering rate. But instead of demolishing these dead malls, most cities are allowing them to rot and be reclaimed by nature.

All things must come to an end, and the era of the American shopping mall is no exception. Brick and mortar retail shops — especially niche stores — are becoming increasingly unprofitable. As a result, empty and abandoned malls are now almost everywhere. And whether they’re left to be overtaken by nature or simply remain frozen in time, these dead malls are equally mesmerizing and unnerving.

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1 of 36Malls across America are emptying out at a rapid rate.Seph Lawless 2 of 36While the mall was once seen as a suburban meeting place of sorts, it’s quickly becoming an echo of the past.scubabrett22/Flickr 3 of 36Seph Lawless 4 of 36In the 1970s and 1980s, malls were enormously popular across the country.Seph Lawless 5 of 36Along with being a social gathering place, the American mall was also a cultural symbol for many suburban families.Seph Lawless 6 of 36Seph Lawless 7 of 36Malls were once a popular place to shoot movie scenes, especially films geared toward teenagers.Seph Lawless 8 of 36Although some are still intrigued by malls today, it is the abandoned shopping centers that pique people’s curiosity.Seph Lawless 9 of 36Seph Lawless 10 of 36Many abandoned malls are left to rot in decay and disrepair, a haunting reminder of what used to be.Seph Lawless 11 of 36Some curious photographers venture into old malls, like this one in Texas, to capture the abandoned spaces.Wikimedia Commons 12 of 36Seph Lawless 13 of 36Perhaps one of the most chilling remnants left behind in these abandoned malls is shattered glass.Seph Lawless 14 of 36While some malls are still lively and busy today, many of them look more like this empty one.Jacob Bizub/Flickr 15 of 36Seph Lawless 16 of 36The once-staggering popularity of the mall ultimately proved to be its downfall.Seph Lawless 17 of 36Excited by the prospect of quickly making money off of a large flat building, corporations simply made too many malls.Justin Cozart/Wikimedia Commons

18 of 36Seph Lawless 19 of 36The invention of the internet has been cited as one of the main reasons for the mall’s decline.Seph Lawless 20 of 36Some fans of malls are determined that they’ll eventually make a comeback by evolving with the times.Payton Chung/Wikimedia Commons 21 of 36Seph Lawless 22 of 36This abandoned mall near a bustling neighborhood in California proves that just because potential shoppers are nearby doesn’t guarantee a shopping center’s survival.Wikimedia Commons 23 of 36Despite how creepy abandoned malls can be, they are also oddly mesmerizing. Justin Cozart/Wikimedia Commons

24 of 36rheinitz/Flickr

25 of 36It’s hard to believe these malls were once full of people.fireatwillrva/Flickr 26 of 36Abandoned food courts are just as chilling as the empty stores and atriums.Isiegel3/Wikimedia Commons 27 of 36pointshoot/Flickr 28 of 36While some malls are overtaken by nature, others are unfortunately trashed.Justin Cozart/Wikimedia Commons

29 of 36Some empty malls, like this one in Colorado, still have nice parking lots despite the shuttered businesses.Wikimedia Commons 30 of 36fanofretail/Flickr 31 of 36Walking through an abandoned mall is almost like stepping back in time.Justin Cozart/Wikimedia Commons

32 of 36JJBers/Flickr 33 of 36Though some of the decor is a bit outdated, it will certainly strike a chord with those who grew up with shopping malls.Jacob Bizub/Flickr 34 of 36Wikimedia Commons 35 of 36The future of malls remains unclear, but one thing’s for sure: These abandoned shopping centers have certainly cemented a place for themselves in history.Isiegel3/Wikimedia Commons 36 of 36Like this gallery?Share it:

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35 Eerie Photos Of Abandoned Malls That Are Now Ruins Of A Lost Era View Gallery

Malls enjoyed a booming heyday in the 1970s and 1980s — even as the economy was tanking. This was when the wealthy (and usually white) people migrated away from urban zones and into the suburbs. They purchased glistening new homes and went shopping to fill their spacious rooms and closets.

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42 Staggering Photos Of Abandoned Detroit Buildings

24 of 36rheinitz/Flickr

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And if you liked this post, be sure to check out these popular posts:

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24 of 36rheinitz/Flickr

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24 of 36rheinitz/Flickr

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1 of 36Malls across America are emptying out at a rapid rate.Seph Lawless

2 of 36While the mall was once seen as a suburban meeting place of sorts, it’s quickly becoming an echo of the past.scubabrett22/Flickr

3 of 36Seph Lawless

4 of 36In the 1970s and 1980s, malls were enormously popular across the country.Seph Lawless

5 of 36Along with being a social gathering place, the American mall was also a cultural symbol for many suburban families.Seph Lawless

6 of 36Seph Lawless

7 of 36Malls were once a popular place to shoot movie scenes, especially films geared toward teenagers.Seph Lawless

8 of 36Although some are still intrigued by malls today, it is the abandoned shopping centers that pique people’s curiosity.Seph Lawless

9 of 36Seph Lawless

10 of 36Many abandoned malls are left to rot in decay and disrepair, a haunting reminder of what used to be.Seph Lawless

11 of 36Some curious photographers venture into old malls, like this one in Texas, to capture the abandoned spaces.Wikimedia Commons

12 of 36Seph Lawless

13 of 36Perhaps one of the most chilling remnants left behind in these abandoned malls is shattered glass.Seph Lawless

14 of 36While some malls are still lively and busy today, many of them look more like this empty one.Jacob Bizub/Flickr

15 of 36Seph Lawless

16 of 36The once-staggering popularity of the mall ultimately proved to be its downfall.Seph Lawless

17 of 36Excited by the prospect of quickly making money off of a large flat building, corporations simply made too many malls.Justin Cozart/Wikimedia Commons

18 of 36Seph Lawless

19 of 36The invention of the internet has been cited as one of the main reasons for the mall’s decline.Seph Lawless

20 of 36Some fans of malls are determined that they’ll eventually make a comeback by evolving with the times.Payton Chung/Wikimedia Commons

21 of 36Seph Lawless

22 of 36This abandoned mall near a bustling neighborhood in California proves that just because potential shoppers are nearby doesn’t guarantee a shopping center’s survival.Wikimedia Commons

23 of 36Despite how creepy abandoned malls can be, they are also oddly mesmerizing. Justin Cozart/Wikimedia Commons

24 of 36rheinitz/Flickr

25 of 36It’s hard to believe these malls were once full of people.fireatwillrva/Flickr

26 of 36Abandoned food courts are just as chilling as the empty stores and atriums.Isiegel3/Wikimedia Commons

27 of 36pointshoot/Flickr

28 of 36While some malls are overtaken by nature, others are unfortunately trashed.Justin Cozart/Wikimedia Commons

29 of 36Some empty malls, like this one in Colorado, still have nice parking lots despite the shuttered businesses.Wikimedia Commons

30 of 36fanofretail/Flickr

31 of 36Walking through an abandoned mall is almost like stepping back in time.Justin Cozart/Wikimedia Commons

32 of 36JJBers/Flickr

33 of 36Though some of the decor is a bit outdated, it will certainly strike a chord with those who grew up with shopping malls.Jacob Bizub/Flickr

34 of 36Wikimedia Commons

35 of 36The future of malls remains unclear, but one thing’s for sure: These abandoned shopping centers have certainly cemented a place for themselves in history.Isiegel3/Wikimedia Commons

36 of 36Like this gallery?Share it:

Flipboard

35 Eerie Photos Of Abandoned Malls That Are Now Ruins Of A Lost Era View Gallery

35 Eerie Photos Of Abandoned Malls That Are Now Ruins Of A Lost Era

View Gallery

Malls became cultural symbols of the time, as well as marketplaces. The wide variety of goods in one place was like a Sears catalog come to life. Add in the social gathering aspect, and it’s easy to see how the mall became as iconic as it did.

The media reflected this, as many films — especially ones from the 1980s and 1990s — heavily feature shopping malls as important locations. Mallrats, Clueless, The Blues Brothers, and Dawn of the Dead all have characters who spend major time in malls (though one just happens to be filled with zombies).

Today, as abandoned malls have become the norm, the very notion of these indoor shopping centers has taken on an entirely different character. Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl, says, “For kids of the ’80s especially, dead malls have a very strong allure. We were the last of the free-range kids, roaming around malls, not really buying anything, but just looking. To see all those big looming spaces so empty now — it’s a childhood haunting.”

What Shopping Centers Were Like Before The Era Of Dead Malls

The idea of the American mall began in Minnesota, and that’s where it reached its peak.

Edina, Minnesota is home to the very first enclosed shopping mall. Designed by Victor Gruen in 1956, the Southdale Mall is a climate-controlled complex. It has a central atrium, two floors, and escalators.

Gruen wanted to recreate the pedestrian experience of European cities by designing a place for the community in the deserts of suburbia. Americans were enthralled by their automobiles, and the mall would be primarily used for shopping, but also for relaxation, green space, food, and fun.

Until this first enclosed shopping mall, retail areas were characteristically extroverted. They had separate windows and entrances. The new malls were introverted: Everything was focused on the inside.

Not everyone was a fan of this concept. “You should have left downtown downtown,” architect Frank Lloyd Wright grumpily proclaimed during his visit to Southdale.

It has undergone numerous renovations and store closings over the years, but when Southdale first opened, it was downright glamorous. It cost $20 million, which went a long way back in 1956.

Minnesota also hosts one of the biggest malls in the nation, and it attracts approximately 40 million visitors a year. The gigantic Mall of America takes up 96.4 acres — enough to fit seven Yankee Stadiums inside. This may seem like it’d be an environmental disaster, but the mall does its part to be green.

With no central heating, indoor temperatures are maintained year-round with solar energy, skylights, and lighting. More than 30,000 live plants act as natural air purifiers, which is helpful as the mall is large enough to require its own zip code.

Both Southdale and The Mall of America still stand today, but whether or not they’ll survive the culling of retail chains, or succumb and become dead malls, remains to be seen.

Why Abandoned Malls Are Everywhere Today

Seph LawlessThe empty mall at Rolling Acres in Akron, Ohio.

The insane popularity of the mall ultimately meant that corporations built too many of them. “Developers realized they could put a large, flat building in the middle of a field and quickly make money — so for decades… that’s what they did,” notes Amanda Nicholson, a professor of retail practice at Syracuse University.

But they didn’t account for one thing: the invention of the internet.

Online shopping meant you could get virtually anything you needed without leaving the comfort of your home. So malls that were trying to survive during the start of the online shopping boom never stood a fighting chance.

Of course, now customers are no longer wanting to keep their shopping introverted, as was the mall’s design. Products are tied to influencers in a world with instant access to everything. Deliveries and un-boxings have become YouTube “haul” videos as attention is bought and sold like currency.

Who needs to “be seen” by locals at a likely empty mall when the whole world is now your oyster?

It’s also arguable that malls aren’t actually dying at the same rate they once were. Some believe that malls are evolving — and offering experiences and amenities you can’t replicate online. Millennials and Gen X-ers express the desire to spend their money on experiences, rather than on material goods.

Whatever the case, the abandoned malls of yesterday aren’t likely to be renovated. They’ll probably be leveled to make way for the next Southdale, or the next big, glamorous advance in commerce.

If you liked this visual dive into the empty malls of America, check out these haunting images of abandoned Detroit. Then, take a look at these photos of strangely beautiful abandoned places.

Empty malls across America are being abandoned at a staggering rate. But instead of demolishing these dead malls, most cities are allowing them to rot and be reclaimed by nature.#

What Shopping Centers Were Like Before The Era Of Dead Malls#

Why Abandoned Malls Are Everywhere Today#

Empty malls across America are being abandoned at a staggering rate. But instead of demolishing these dead malls, most cities are allowing them to rot and be reclaimed by nature.

What Shopping Centers Were Like Before The Era Of Dead Malls

Why Abandoned Malls Are Everywhere Today