Dead Malls

[Flint1979]

This may be the creepiest abandoned mall ever

I had to look for a minute to see where that mall was located. Here's another website about the mall: http://skycity2.blogspot.com/2017/12/parkwood-mallwilson-mall-wilson-nc.html

It's at the junction of ALT US 264 and NC 42 just north of ( west) of US 301.

Yep I found it. https://www.google.com/maps/@35.7248819,-77.9373745,314m/data=!3m1!1e3 it looks like the Rose's Discount Store is still open too.

I grew up in Fremont (a few miles south of Wilson) and we would often go to that mall during the 90's/2000's. That mall went to shit after Hull bought it. To say that they mismanaged it would be a huge understatement. They did everything they could to run it into the ground. They jacked up the rent, and when the tenants tried to get in touch with Hull over maintenance issues, Hull basically told them to fuck off and not bother them. Not one tenant in that mall had anything good to say about them (especially the owner of Carolina Outfitters, he was very vocal). Hull also drove away teenagers due to new rules they made. Needless to say, a lot of the mall tenants flocked to Heritage Crossing after it opened (those moves were also "assisted" by the Wilson City Council, who wanted more businesses near I-95).

After the mall closed in 2013, Hull bragged about how they were gonna tear down the mall and redevelop the property. That sounded good, until they asked the city council for an apparently hefty tax break. The city council refused, so Hull retaliated by letting the mall just sit there and rot. Hull also owns the mall here in Danville, VA and they're treating the tenants the same way they did in Wilson. They also started talking about redeveloping it (sound familiar?), so I expect this mall will close within the next few years and ask Danville for the tax break that Wilson wouldn't give.

As far as Rose's goes, yes they're still open, but being attached to a rotting mall has been causing issues. Not long before the pandemic began, they had to shut down for a while because of a rat infestation. My most recent visit there was in December 2017.

It sucks what happened to that mall. I have a lot of good memories there as a kid. Oh, and the name change sucked as well. As far as I'm concerned, it's still Parkwood.

That is crazy. What is the reason that Rose's is still open at that location anyway? I think I would feel creepy inside that store knowing that the rest of the mall behind the wall that used to be the mall entrance is beyond creepy.

I'm not sure why they're still there, because when the mall closed in 2013, Hull initially said that all businesses that had an outside entrance could stay, but within the next 2 years, they suddenly started kicking them out too. The owners of Parkwood Barber Shop, which was near the main mall entrance, were pissed, because they had no idea they were gonna get the boot until they got their short notice. They ended up relocating to the corner of Forest Hills Road & Raleigh Road Parkway (US-264 Alternate) and reopened as Webb's Barber Shop. How Rose's survived that purge is beyond me.

I will say that when I was last stopped by Rose's in December 2017, the inside of the store honestly didn't look bad at all at the time. The entrance to the mall corridor was sealed off with glass instead of a solid wall, and they had large rolls of area rugs lined up vertically in front of it to try to keep the mall corridor hidden from view, but you could still see the mall corridor if you get real close to the rugs. I could see the mall corridor was trashed, but not quite as bad as it is now, which would probably explain the rat problem Rose's had fairly recently.

Heh...a guy was busted a few days ago for stealing copper wire from the old AC units on the roof.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/local-news/man-caught-on-mall-roof-plundering-ac-units/?pub=wilsontimes

You'd think they would have relocated by now. I was looking at Hull's wikipedia page and it mentions that they own the Macon Mall as well which is considered a dead mall on wikipedia but I'm not sure if that one has been mentioned here or not.

[LM117]

This may be the creepiest abandoned mall ever

I had to look for a minute to see where that mall was located. Here's another website about the mall: http://skycity2.blogspot.com/2017/12/parkwood-mallwilson-mall-wilson-nc.html

It's at the junction of ALT US 264 and NC 42 just north of ( west) of US 301.

Yep I found it. https://www.google.com/maps/@35.7248819,-77.9373745,314m/data=!3m1!1e3 it looks like the Rose's Discount Store is still open too.

I grew up in Fremont (a few miles south of Wilson) and we would often go to that mall during the 90's/2000's. That mall went to shit after Hull bought it. To say that they mismanaged it would be a huge understatement. They did everything they could to run it into the ground. They jacked up the rent, and when the tenants tried to get in touch with Hull over maintenance issues, Hull basically told them to fuck off and not bother them. Not one tenant in that mall had anything good to say about them (especially the owner of Carolina Outfitters, he was very vocal). Hull also drove away teenagers due to new rules they made. Needless to say, a lot of the mall tenants flocked to Heritage Crossing after it opened (those moves were also "assisted" by the Wilson City Council, who wanted more businesses near I-95).

After the mall closed in 2013, Hull bragged about how they were gonna tear down the mall and redevelop the property. That sounded good, until they asked the city council for an apparently hefty tax break. The city council refused, so Hull retaliated by letting the mall just sit there and rot. Hull also owns the mall here in Danville, VA and they're treating the tenants the same way they did in Wilson. They also started talking about redeveloping it (sound familiar?), so I expect this mall will close within the next few years and ask Danville for the tax break that Wilson wouldn't give.

As far as Rose's goes, yes they're still open, but being attached to a rotting mall has been causing issues. Not long before the pandemic began, they had to shut down for a while because of a rat infestation. My most recent visit there was in December 2017.

It sucks what happened to that mall. I have a lot of good memories there as a kid. Oh, and the name change sucked as well. As far as I'm concerned, it's still Parkwood.

That is crazy. What is the reason that Rose's is still open at that location anyway? I think I would feel creepy inside that store knowing that the rest of the mall behind the wall that used to be the mall entrance is beyond creepy.

I'm not sure why they're still there, because when the mall closed in 2013, Hull initially said that all businesses that had an outside entrance could stay, but within the next 2 years, they suddenly started kicking them out too. The owners of Parkwood Barber Shop, which was near the main mall entrance, were pissed, because they had no idea they were gonna get the boot until they got their short notice. They ended up relocating to the corner of Forest Hills Road & Raleigh Road Parkway (US-264 Alternate) and reopened as Webb's Barber Shop. How Rose's survived that purge is beyond me.

I will say that when I was last stopped by Rose's in December 2017, the inside of the store honestly didn't look bad at all at the time. The entrance to the mall corridor was sealed off with glass instead of a solid wall, and they had large rolls of area rugs lined up vertically in front of it to try to keep the mall corridor hidden from view, but you could still see the mall corridor if you get real close to the rugs. I could see the mall corridor was trashed, but not quite as bad as it is now, which would probably explain the rat problem Rose's had fairly recently.

Heh...a guy was busted a few days ago for stealing copper wire from the old AC units on the roof.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/local-news/man-caught-on-mall-roof-plundering-ac-units/?pub=wilsontimes

You'd think they would have relocated by now. I was looking at Hull's wikipedia page and it mentions that they own the Macon Mall as well which is considered a dead mall on wikipedia but I'm not sure if that one has been mentioned here or not.

Rose's will probably be gone within the next 2 years. If they relocate and don't leave Wilson altogether, they'll likely end up somewhere on Forest Hills Road or on US-264 Alternate near I-95 like the other 99% of new businesses that come to Wilson or relocate within the city.

Meanwhile, Rack Room Shoes is opening a "second" location here in Danville. I used quotations because Coleman Marketplace is literally within sight distance from the mall. We can pretty much guess what'll happen next...

https://godanriver.com/business/local/rack-room-shoes-adds-second-store-in-danville-with-new-coleman-marketplace-location/article_7ad68026-4d9e-11ed-8a10-4bc6bb3c6686.html#tracking-source=home-top-story

[roadman65]

I see Hull owns The Hudson Valley Mall in Ulster, NY as well.  Obviously not contained to the Southeast.

[Flint1979]

I was watching this video here and noticed at the 4:19 mark a box from Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan which is about 20 miles from where I live. Speaking of Bronner's the wife of the founder of Bronner's just passed away yesterday at the age of 95.

But here's the video where the box is at the 4:19 mark. Just pretty ironic since this is a mall in North Carolina and even though Bronner's is a famous place it's still cool to see something like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij5qOhn-M9s

[Henry]

Reading up on the history of Dixie Square Mall; I read that it didn't last that long (1966-78). About the only memory I have of it is the car chase scene from The Blues Brothers, which was filmed one year after the mall closed:

[Flint1979]

Dixie Square Mall was probably the creepiest mall that I've ever been close up to. Harvey is a very depressing place to begin with.

[GCrites]

It looked creepy in the movie. I don't know if it was the movie lighting, any redecorating the movie crew did or if it was just like that but man does it look weird for a mall.

[ErmineNotyours]

Reading up on the history of Dixie Square Mall; I read that it didn't last that long (1966-78). About the only memory I have of it is the car chase scene from The Blues Brothers, which was filmed one year after the mall closed:

More info about Dixie Square Mall and the Blues Brothers filming:

[thenetwork]

Reading up on the history of Dixie Square Mall; I read that it didn't last that long (1966-78). About the only memory I have of it is the car chase scene from The Blues Brothers, which was filmed one year after the mall closed:

More info about Dixie Square Mall and the Blues Brothers filming:

Doesn't Dixie Square Mall still have the distinctiosn of the longest standing abandoned mall ever?   Not to mention a mall that sat longer as an abandoned facility than an open facility?

[Flint1979]

Reading up on the history of Dixie Square Mall; I read that it didn't last that long (1966-78). About the only memory I have of it is the car chase scene from The Blues Brothers, which was filmed one year after the mall closed:

More info about Dixie Square Mall and the Blues Brothers filming:

Doesn't Dixie Square Mall still have the distinctiosn of the longest standing abandoned mall ever?   Not to mention a mall that sat longer as an abandoned facility than an open facility?

It might. I know it was abandoned for at least three times the amount of time it was open.

[LM117]

This may be the creepiest abandoned mall ever

I had to look for a minute to see where that mall was located. Here's another website about the mall: http://skycity2.blogspot.com/2017/12/parkwood-mallwilson-mall-wilson-nc.html

It's at the junction of ALT US 264 and NC 42 just north of ( west) of US 301.

Yep I found it. https://www.google.com/maps/@35.7248819,-77.9373745,314m/data=!3m1!1e3 it looks like the Rose's Discount Store is still open too.

I grew up in Fremont (a few miles south of Wilson) and we would often go to that mall during the 90's/2000's. That mall went to shit after Hull bought it. To say that they mismanaged it would be a huge understatement. They did everything they could to run it into the ground. They jacked up the rent, and when the tenants tried to get in touch with Hull over maintenance issues, Hull basically told them to fuck off and not bother them. Not one tenant in that mall had anything good to say about them (especially the owner of Carolina Outfitters, he was very vocal). Hull also drove away teenagers due to new rules they made. Needless to say, a lot of the mall tenants flocked to Heritage Crossing after it opened (those moves were also "assisted" by the Wilson City Council, who wanted more businesses near I-95).

After the mall closed in 2013, Hull bragged about how they were gonna tear down the mall and redevelop the property. That sounded good, until they asked the city council for an apparently hefty tax break. The city council refused, so Hull retaliated by letting the mall just sit there and rot. Hull also owns the mall here in Danville, VA and they're treating the tenants the same way they did in Wilson. They also started talking about redeveloping it (sound familiar?), so I expect this mall will close within the next few years and ask Danville for the tax break that Wilson wouldn't give.

As far as Rose's goes, yes they're still open, but being attached to a rotting mall has been causing issues. Not long before the pandemic began, they had to shut down for a while because of a rat infestation. My most recent visit there was in December 2017.

It sucks what happened to that mall. I have a lot of good memories there as a kid. Oh, and the name change sucked as well. As far as I'm concerned, it's still Parkwood.

That is crazy. What is the reason that Rose's is still open at that location anyway? I think I would feel creepy inside that store knowing that the rest of the mall behind the wall that used to be the mall entrance is beyond creepy.

I'm not sure why they're still there, because when the mall closed in 2013, Hull initially said that all businesses that had an outside entrance could stay, but within the next 2 years, they suddenly started kicking them out too. The owners of Parkwood Barber Shop, which was near the main mall entrance, were pissed, because they had no idea they were gonna get the boot until they got their short notice. They ended up relocating to the corner of Forest Hills Road & Raleigh Road Parkway (US-264 Alternate) and reopened as Webb's Barber Shop. How Rose's survived that purge is beyond me.

I will say that when I was last stopped by Rose's in December 2017, the inside of the store honestly didn't look bad at all at the time. The entrance to the mall corridor was sealed off with glass instead of a solid wall, and they had large rolls of area rugs lined up vertically in front of it to try to keep the mall corridor hidden from view, but you could still see the mall corridor if you get real close to the rugs. I could see the mall corridor was trashed, but not quite as bad as it is now, which would probably explain the rat problem Rose's had fairly recently.

Heh...a guy was busted a few days ago for stealing copper wire from the old AC units on the roof.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/local-news/man-caught-on-mall-roof-plundering-ac-units/?pub=wilsontimes

You'd think they would have relocated by now. I was looking at Hull's wikipedia page and it mentions that they own the Macon Mall as well which is considered a dead mall on wikipedia but I'm not sure if that one has been mentioned here or not.

The Wilson City Council just unanimously voted to buy the mall for $3 million.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/local-news/city-council-votes-to-buy-wilson-mall-for-3-million/?pub=wilsontimes

[LM117]

The Wilson City Council just unanimously voted to buy the mall for $3 million.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/local-news/city-council-votes-to-buy-wilson-mall-for-3-million/?pub=wilsontimes

The city is seeking a FEMA grant to cover the cost of demolition.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/local-news/city-seeks-grant-for-wilson-mall-demolition-retention-pond/?pub=wilsontimes

For those that hit a paywall:

The city of Wilson hopes to secure Federal Emergency Management Agency money to help demolish the recently acquired Wilson Mall and build a regional water feature on the site.

The City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city to apply for FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant.

The council authorized the vacant mall's purchase for $3 million using American Rescue Plan Act grant money at its October meeting. Shortly afterward, the city confirmed plans to build a stormwater feature, such as a retention pond surrounded by a park, where the former Kroger supermarket currently stands.

However, nothing can be done on the site until the city officials take possession of the property, which will follow a 120-day due diligence period and 30-day real estate closing.

According to a staff report from the council's agenda, the money used to purchase the mall will count toward a match for the grant.

The grant application authorization and all other agenda items that didn't require a public hearing were approved in a single unanimous vote on the council's consent agenda.

[mgk920]

The city of Wilson hopes to secure Federal Emergency Management Agency money to help demolish the recently acquired Wilson Mall and build a regional water feature on the site.

The City Council on Thursday unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city to apply for FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Grant.

The council authorized the vacant mall's purchase for $3 million using American Rescue Plan Act grant money at its October meeting. Shortly afterward, the city confirmed plans to build a stormwater feature, such as a retention pond surrounded by a park, where the former Kroger supermarket currently stands.

However, nothing can be done on the site until the city officials take possession of the property, which will follow a 120-day due diligence period and 30-day real estate closing.

According to a staff report from the council's agenda, the money used to purchase the mall will count toward a match for the grant.

The grant application authorization and all other agenda items that didn't require a public hearing were approved in a single unanimous vote on the council's consent agenda.

I do guess that some failed late 20th century local development schemes can be declared to be eligible for federal government disaster relief.



Mike

[roadman65]

What amazes me is some malls still stand despite losing their anchors. Military Mall in Norfolk, VA is one. University Mall in Tampa, FL is another.  However University Mall does feature Burlington Brands which could be considered an anchor despite its small size.

Then in Hutchinson, KS you have a very dead mall who lists the nearby Home Depot as an anchor being desperate to be seen online as a regular mall with such a tenant.

[Stephane Dumas]

The Hamilton City Centre mall in Hamilton, Ontario will get the visit of the wrecking ball soon.
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9818323&postcount=1466
There's a interesting reply at the bottom of the page.
https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9818545&postcount=1470

[iowahighways]

Valley West Mall in West Des Moines was a thriving mall for years, but it went downhill after losing Younkers (as did virtually every mall in Iowa when Bon-Ton went under) in 2018 and it lost Von Maur (which had been there since 1976) to Jordan Creek Town Center last month. It also recently went through foreclosure.
https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/west-des-moines/2022/12/06/new-plan-for-development-in-valley-west-mall-area-moves-forward/69703265007/

Side note: Newer editions of the Rand McNally Road Atlas prematurely call it "Valley West Commons Mall" even though redevelopment hasn't even started.

[Bruce]

The Shoppes at Riverside near Aberdeen, Washington has a big hole in it.  Street View.

A little update: the entire indoor section of the mall closed in February 2021 due to some structural issues. Turns out the soil beneath (which is actually filled swampland) settled and left gaps.

[jakeroot]

The Shoppes at Riverside near Aberdeen, Washington has a big hole in it.  Street View.

A little update: the entire indoor section of the mall closed in February 2021 due to some structural issues. Turns out the soil beneath (which is actually filled swampland) settled and left gaps.

I went and checked out that mall back in July 2020, took quite a few pictures of the interior, but I cannot find the pictures that I took.

[LM117]

Latest on the Wilson Mall:

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/wilsontimes/wilson-christian-academy-students-tell-mayor-their-ideas-for-wilson-mall-property/?pub=wilsontimes

After the recognition, Roger Lentz, the city's planning and development services director, provided the council and students a brief update on the project. He said the city is still going through the process of purchasing the vacant mall.

"We don't quite own it yet,"  Lentz said. "We've got environmental studies we're doing."  

In October, the council authorized the $3 million property purchase using an American Rescue Plan Act grant. The city also hopes to secure Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to help demolish the property and build a regional water feature on a portion of the site. Plans will include a retention pond surrounded by a park where the former Kroger supermarket currently stands.

"We're going to have about 20 acres give or take that's left,"  Lentz said.

He said the city plans to find a private development partner like the city has done on many other projects that will be beneficial to the community but also could be supported by consumers. He said there would be a chance for public input on the site's use.

Lentz said the city hopes to have the mall purchased sometime this summer, and demolition would start soon after.

[roadman65]

Well the former empty Sears store in Lakeland Square Mall in Lakeland, FL will be torn down for 320 units of housing.
https://www.newsbreak.com/lakeland-fl/3057197766339-former-lakeland-sears-building-to-be-demolished-for-multifamily-housing

[mgk920]

The big downtown mall in San Francisco, CA is being returned to its lender.



Mike

[Flint1979]

I haven't been inside any malls lately. Fashion Square Mall near me has been dying for years. Sears closed in 2019 and that is the only empty anchor store. Macy's and JCPenney are still holding on but there isn't much in between. The food court only has a Mediterranean grill, a place called Yummy Japan and I believe one other place but the mall is pretty empty based on the last time I was there. The mall has about 100 or so spaces but probably only has about 20-30 of them filled.

[Thing 342]

It's been a brutal couple of years for malls in the Hampton Roads area:

Military Circle Mall in Norfolk finally got the axe earlier this year, with most of the remaining tenants moving to nearby JANAF.

Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake was foreclosed in October 2022 and has been bleeding tenants;

MacArthur Center, previously the tentpole mall for the area, is now in major distress and is likely going to be acquired by the city of Norfolk: https://www.wtkr.com/news/norfolk-preparing-to-buy-macarthur-center

This leaves Patrick Henry Mall and Lynnhaven Mall as the two healthiest malls in the region.

[Dough4872]

Lot of dying malls in the Philadelphia area. Just in Southeastern Pennsylvania we have Plymouth Meeting Mall, Montgomery Mall, Neshaminy Mall, and Exton Square Mall which have lots of vacant stores. Also had some malls that closed in recent years such as Granite Run Mall and redeveloped. I'm sure a lot of this has to do with the rise of online shopping but also the prominence of King of Prussia Mall, which is one of the largest and most successful malls in the country.

[roadman65]

It's been a brutal couple of years for malls in the Hampton Roads area:

Military Circle Mall in Norfolk finally got the axe earlier this year, with most of the remaining tenants moving to nearby JANAF.

Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake was foreclosed in October 2022 and has been bleeding tenants;

MacArthur Center, previously the tentpole mall for the area, is now in major distress and is likely going to be acquired by the city of Norfolk: https://www.wtkr.com/news/norfolk-preparing-to-buy-macarthur-center

This leaves Patrick Henry Mall and Lynnhaven Mall as the two healthiest malls in the region.

Military Mall has been dead since it lost its retail anchors.  Having a movie theater as its sole anchor shows it's prominently in the area.

If they flatten it for other development, they're giving it its proper burial.