Retailpocalypse

The north central court of Fairlane Town Center. A network of ramps and stairs connect the levels, and the court is capped by a disco bulb lined Octa-Loft elevator. The mall's majestic fountain used to be at the bottom of the frame, but was removed in 2013 for the contemporary searing you see here. Since this photo was taken, the wooden handrails have been painted a matte black.

The central court of Lakeside Mall, showing the 2020 refurbished fountain in full glory, which dates to the mall's opening. While the elevator is out of commission, and various storefronts have changed over the years, this scene remains largely unchanged from the mall's opening. Upon its closure, Lakeside was the last Taubman mall with 90% of its original features intact.

A belated happy birthday to two Taubman gems, both opened 50 years ago on March 2nd, 1976.

Fairlane Town Center heads towards a murky future under mall slumlord Kohan, and Lakeside is closed awaiting demolition.

#deadmalls #malls #photography #detroit #taubman #architecture #atrium #fountains

Thankfully the deadline has passed, and repairs are being made. The mall remains open.

A broken HVAC and sprinkler system due to recent winter cold spells and Namdar's cavalier ownership is bringing Berkshire Mall's fate futher into question.

Those local to Chicagoland and in need of plans, check this out.

Eight Saks Fifth Avenue locations, along with one Neiman Marcus outpost set to shutter amid ongoing restructuring.

The atrium of the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago, currently undergoing renovation by Google for offices.

Perhaps Google should leave art to the artists.

Then of course, they're ruining a perfectly good building, anyway...

Link in comments.

#chicago #artists #architecture #modernismsucks

Webpage screenshot showing clarification for exact closing date of June 27th, 2026 for MacArthur Center in Norfolk, VA.

June 27th per official Norfolk city documentation.

MacArthur Center to close and be demolished The closing of the mall sets the stage for a long-planned redevelopment project in downtown Norfolk.

www.pilotonline.com/2026/02/06/m...

Looking down a hallway towards a dead end, showing the mall's interior profile. Taubman's signature interior is present, consisting of angles, geometric patrerns and plant life, topped by skylights allowing plenty of natural light.

The mall's central atrium, featuring a set of three elevators and a fountain at the base. A pattern of jets shoot arcs of water at set intervals.

Angular plaster details make up the majority of the design language, contrasted with chome pillars and a grand row of clear skylights, offset with colored panels throughout.

Fancier versions of Taubman's signature conversational seating enclosures grace the hallways and anchor courts. In addition to lights for the plant and flower beds, tablesude lamps are provided for shoppers needing to sit and relax.

MacArthur's Parked.

Closing June 30th, 2026 to pave way for redevelopment by the City of Norfolk.

This was the last mall built by Taubman Centers using their trademark geometric, space age interior design language. Link in comments.

#deadmalls #photography #architecture #taubman #virginia

Hallway of a mall leading to center court. The hallway dead ends at an abandoned department store. The former customer service desk, now used as a makeshift security outpost, sits at left-center. A lonely pair of benches sit among a planted tree.

A potted plant and benches are the only signs of life in this mall hallway. Empty stores grace either side, with natural light pouring in through the skylights running the length of the concourse.

Winterfell.

CT's Enfield Square closed for emergency repairs following the recent winter cold spells.

www.courant.com/2026/02/05/p...

#malls #deadmalls #empty #wintersucks #allmallsgotohell #connecticut #photography

A fountain sits in the middle of a mall atrium, quiet with no stores open. Velvet ropes surround the fountain and light pours in from skylights above.

A mall directory sits in an empty hallway. A closed Sears sits in the background.

Mall hallway looking towards Macy's in the distance. The mall's fountain visible in the background. Benches line the hallway.

Boulevard Busted

Interior access to Buffalo's Boulevard Mall has been closed off to the public.

Soon to be a memory.

#malls #deadmalls #photography #photos #buffalo

Crime of the Century Part 2: The Decline Join me on a three part journey chronicling the history, downfall and abandonment of one of the pioneers of the shopping mall experiment. Part 2 explores the mall's decline.

New post, focused on the beginning of the end, for Pittsburgh's Century III Mall.

Report: Eddie Bauer store operator expected to file for bankruptcy, close stores Eddie Bauer is reportedly planning to abandon brick and mortar.

Eddie Bauer to close remaining stores. They've been hitting the rocks for awhile..

chainstoreage.com/report-eddie...

On a side note, I wish Bluesky had an edit button for typos...

archive.ph/s9VU8

An elevator, framed in globe lights and smoked glass, sits perched above a mall concourse. Natural light pools in from above.

Skylights and ramps entangle throughout the mall, with multiple levels coming together. The building itself, is an art piece unto itself. Everything has a place and purpose in the design.

"Structuralist Transformation" by David Barr sits in the Sears court of the mall, natural light bathes the space below. The food court, added to the mall later, sits to the left.

Greater Deteoit's Fairlane Town Center has been placed into receivership for 3.4 million in missing rent, and 1.4 million in unpaid taxes. Owners Kohan Retail Investment Group doing what they do best. Link in the comments.

#malls #photography #slumlords #detroit

A mall concourse with vast skylights, allowing natural light to fill the expansive space. A few empty storefronts grace either side of the hallway, a lonely kiosk sits in the middle of the floor.

This emptiness is a curse.

Mall at Tuttle Crossing ~ Columbus, OH

#malls #deadmalls #photography #photos #architecture #columbus #ohio

Minneapolis

An exterior entrance to a department store, bridged to the upper level from a parking garage. A covered canopy protects customers from the elements on the ground floor. Marshall Field's distinctive arches front the entrance.

Marshall Field's Forever.

Woodfield Mall ~ Shaumburg, IL

#departmentstores #retail #photography #architecture #stores #illinois #chicago #marshallfields

I agree.

All this stoked by social media. And for this hobby in particular, a "me first" mentality, everyone jockeying for position to have the biggest collection, hit the most spots, etc.

Also, I blame lockdowns for the sole reason of limiting these kids' social behavior, increased screen time, etc. These things certainly will stunt things. Normal coming of age routines, social interactions are gone or severely limited at a time when brains are still developing.

There's certainly more to it. Parents being one, lack of places for these kids to go and do things and interact socially (like malls), not a screen. I just don't have enough paragraph space.

Here are the charges:

Eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon

Two counts of communicating threats

Two counts of resisting a public officer with injury

Injury to real property

Injuring/tampering with a vehicle

Reckless driving to endanger

On top of that, you add Covid stoked lack of social interactions for budding adults, parents who have heads in the sand, or contribute to the problem, lack of spaces for these kids to unwind and socialize, etc and you will have this continue to unfold. Need more proof? Look at Westminster Mall.

Nothing wrong with wanting to enjoy a hobby or add to a collection, but when it turns into a dick measuring contest, and worse still, devolves into something like this, where is the line in the sand? I've certainly had moments of kleptomania when it comes to this stuff, but never like this.

I'm sure by now, most have heard of this. There has been a subsect of the retail hobby, mostly made up of teens and young adults devoted to gathering as much of a collection, or exploring/exploiting the most spots, to get internet credibility and pump the social media algorithms. This is a result.

And it's official. Bankruptcy announced hours ago.

archive.ph/HLSTn

It is absolutely atrocious what has occurred at Westminster Mall. Real urban explorers, historians, archivists, etc would never do what has transpired here. You are not edgy, you are not cool. Stop ruining it for the rest of us.