Dead Malls

[Billy F 1988]

Southgate Mall in Missoula will soon end up a shell of its former glory the way they keep spiking rent amounts so high that those like Scheels, Herbergers, H&M, Red Robin, Orange Julius, and others, may as well give the big middle finger to their scum corporate lords and highball it out of town. No need for these chain stores and their franchisee management teams to get sucked dry of their keep. And, boom. Wouldn't 'ya know? MORE UNAFFORDABLE CONDOS! Yay! Ain't Missoula great? (yah I know ' you're gonna say no, and I don't doubt it one bit! )

[LM117]

The city of Wilson has finally taken ownership of the Wilson Mall. Demolition on the property is expected to begin by fall.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/wilsontimes/city-making-plans-to-tear-down-buildings-at-former-wilson-mall/?pub=wilsontimes

For those getting paywalled:

The city of Wilson now owns the former Wilson Mall, and officials are moving forward with plans to start tearing down buildings on the site.

The transaction for the 45-acre property closed on June 6, according to Rebecca Agner, the city's communications and marketing director. In October, Wilson City Council approved the $3 million purchase of the property from Hull Property Group.

Assistant City Manager Rodger Lentz said at Thursday's City Council meeting that the city doesn't own everything on the former mall site. The city owns 45-acres of the property.

The city now owns the mall building itself, the parking lots that back up to Parkwood on the backside where Sears used to be, Roses, the old Kroger building, a bank building and the building where The Alibi is located.

"We are now their landlord,"  Lentz said.

Hull will continue to own some of the outparcels, including AMC Classic Wilson 10 movie theater.

City officials are now working on a demolition plan for the former freestanding Kroger building and the bank building near Parkwood Boulevard and Ward Boulevard.

"Hopefully by fall you should see some activity there for demolishing those two buildings,"  Lentz said. "The Albi's lease runs out at the end of September, then we will proceed to demolish that building."  

He said the first thing people will see is the Kroger and the bank coming down. A "massive"  stormwater pipe goes through that portion of the property, he said. Lentz added it's where the city will be concentrating on constructing both the stormwater improvement and a park on approximately 20 acres.

Lentz said the city is working with Roses to find a new Wilson location before the store's lease runs out in the fall of 2025.

City officials have to determine how to safely tear down the mall, he said, while Roses is still operating. Roses is located in the space that first housed Belk Tyler when it opened at Parkwood Mall in February of 1979.

"We are going to be working on that solution after we finish with Kroger and the bank,"  Lentz said.

Hull purchased Parkwood Mall in 2005, did some upgrades and added the theater. But over the years, tenants, including Belk, followed a national trend and left the mall for other locations. City residents have watched as the Wilson Mall property has slowly decayed since it closed in 2013.

Now that the sale is complete, city crews have taken steps to secure the property, Lentz said.

Vandalism has been an issue since the mall closed.

"There will be weekly inspections to make sure it stays secure, and Wilson Energy has been out there to make sure all the lighting around the mall is going to be operational for all the property we own."

New boards have also been placed on windows and doors.

Agner said the city expects to find out this summer if it will receive grant funding for aspects of the park.

The Times previously reported that the city used money from the American Rescue Plan Act for the purchase, with the city allocating $2 million for commercial redevelopment from the nearly $16 million it received.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Not really a mall, but the Silver Lane Plaza Shopping Center in East Hartford, CT will soon be no more:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwimkM7Us8__AhUnFVkFHUcyDs4QFnoECCIQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.courant.com%2F2023%2F05%2F07%2Feast-hartford-facing-summer-of-demolition-as-redevelopment-progresses%2F&usg=AOvVaw1KS_FoboM4W5kOQZxZxMeU&opi=89978449

[roadman65]

GSV captured a Macys with zero cars in its lot. Whether the car came early in the day, might be. However I thought someone on here mentioned Flint, MI having a dying mall?
https://goo.gl/maps/RxUnoVuNy95npuQW9

[Flint1979]

GSV captured a Macys with zero cars in its lot. Whether the car came early in the day, might be. However I thought someone on here mentioned Flint, MI having a dying mall?
https://goo.gl/maps/RxUnoVuNy95npuQW9

It was probably me since I'm the one in here that talks about Saginaw and Flint the most. That's Genesee Valley Mall in the GSV, if you go into the mall parking lot on GSV the view there is only two months prior to the one on Miller Road that you were looking at. The Flint area actually has two malls, the other is Courtland Center and that mall is more dead than Genesee Valley. I went in there and walked one day and counted more vacant storefronts than anything.

Here's the GSV from two months prior I was talking about, https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9776026,-83.7695363,3a,24.8y,15.98h,92.27t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sq2550dCi7qHL9YIxQJS6GA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dq2550dCi7qHL9YIxQJS6GA%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D303.46313%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[roadman65]

Still that image two months prior didn't have what stores once had in auto attendance. Considering malls were the place to shop in cold weather, you figure the malls would last longer in Michigan than say Texas or Florida.

[Flint1979]

Still that image two months prior didn't have what stores once had in auto attendance. Considering malls were the place to shop in cold weather, you figure the malls would last longer in Michigan than say Texas or Florida.

Malls are dead all over the place these malls in Michigan are dying a slow death but are indeed dying. Sears no longer has a presence in Michigan either, the Sears at Genesee Valley was one of the last Sears to close in Michigan it closed about 5 years ago, there are only two anchor stores left in this mall Macy's (formerly Hudson's) and JCPenney. There was a Burlington Coat Factory but that space is vacant too, it used to be a Mervyn's.

[hotdogPi]

Malls seem to be doing well in my area. Even the ones with taxes; the Burlington Mall just expanded, and the Northshore Mall is doing well as far as I know.

[MATraveler128]

Malls seem to be doing well in my area. Even the ones with taxes; the Burlington Mall just expanded, and the Northshore Mall is doing well as far as I know.

Even places like Liberty Tree are starting to make a comeback. They've since opened a gym and most recently an Aldi. Meanwhile you have places like Square One Mall which are dying a slow death.

[LM117]

The city of Wilson has finally taken ownership of the Wilson Mall. Demolition on the property is expected to begin by fall.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/wilsontimes/city-making-plans-to-tear-down-buildings-at-former-wilson-mall/?pub=wilsontimes

The demolition could take up to a year or more.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/wilsontimes/mall-demolition-process-could-take-a-year/?pub=wilsontimes

Assistant City Manager Rodger Lentz told City Council on Thursday that it could be a year or longer before the city-owned Wilson Mall is torn down.

Lentz announced at the monthly work session that a contract will soon be awarded for asbestos removal from the roof of the former Wilson Mall.

Director of Public Works Bill Bass said demolition comes in two phases, meaning the mall may not actually be torn down for another year or so. He said the planning phase, including an environmental assessment, could take 10 months to complete. From there, the city will be able to tear down the property.

The mall's purchase was made possible through a federal grant with the American Rescue Plan Act. Federal grant projects, like Wilson's train station and the Reid Street Community Center, require environmental assessments and must be approved before projects can move forward.

"It doesn't just mean you're looking to see if there's an endangered critter out there," Lentz said. "It's a very thorough environmental report."

Lentz said environmental assessments are lengthy and take a number of factors into consideration, such as disturbing historic significance.

"I was ready to start the Reid Street Project six months ago," Lentz said. "You can't spend money or do any work until you get this clearance, and if an agency says, 'Wait a minute, I have more questions.' It could take even longer."

City Manager Grant Goings said the problem of timeliness isn't unique to Wilson.

"Cities all over America are dealing with this," Goings said. "We're just in the same boat as everybody else. In addition to bureaucratic delays, most cities in America got this grant money at the exact same time. I couldn't tell you how long it's going to take to pass these dollar through. It's just going to take however long it's going to take."

Lentz said the city is able to demolish the mall without touching or harming Roses, which still operates in the former Belk building.

"Roses is a completely standalone building, so there might be some blocking up that we have to do on the entrance that would've gone into the mall, but we can go ahead with demolition up to the Roses." Lentz said.

Lentz also addressed the pavement resurfacing in front of AMC theater. Lentz said the resurfacing was not the city's doing. The Augusta, Georgia-based Hull Property Group still owns the mall's outparcels, including AMC Classic 10's facility. The paving was a curious choice to Lentz, who wondered why the property owners would pave the parking lot before demolition on the mall's outparcels was complete.

"It's their money," Lentz said. "I suppose they can do what they want to with it."

I was in Wilson last month and stopped by the mall. The old Kroger building was already being torn down and should be long gone by now. I dropped in Roses and asked one of the employees how much longer Roses is gonna remain there. The guy told me they would be there until 2025.

[Flint1979]

The city of Wilson has finally taken ownership of the Wilson Mall. Demolition on the property is expected to begin by fall.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/wilsontimes/city-making-plans-to-tear-down-buildings-at-former-wilson-mall/?pub=wilsontimes

The demolition could take up to a year or more.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/wilsontimes/mall-demolition-process-could-take-a-year/?pub=wilsontimes

Assistant City Manager Rodger Lentz told City Council on Thursday that it could be a year or longer before the city-owned Wilson Mall is torn down.

Lentz announced at the monthly work session that a contract will soon be awarded for asbestos removal from the roof of the former Wilson Mall.

Director of Public Works Bill Bass said demolition comes in two phases, meaning the mall may not actually be torn down for another year or so. He said the planning phase, including an environmental assessment, could take 10 months to complete. From there, the city will be able to tear down the property.

The mall's purchase was made possible through a federal grant with the American Rescue Plan Act. Federal grant projects, like Wilson's train station and the Reid Street Community Center, require environmental assessments and must be approved before projects can move forward.

"It doesn't just mean you're looking to see if there's an endangered critter out there," Lentz said. "It's a very thorough environmental report."

Lentz said environmental assessments are lengthy and take a number of factors into consideration, such as disturbing historic significance.

"I was ready to start the Reid Street Project six months ago," Lentz said. "You can't spend money or do any work until you get this clearance, and if an agency says, 'Wait a minute, I have more questions.' It could take even longer."

City Manager Grant Goings said the problem of timeliness isn't unique to Wilson.

"Cities all over America are dealing with this," Goings said. "We're just in the same boat as everybody else. In addition to bureaucratic delays, most cities in America got this grant money at the exact same time. I couldn't tell you how long it's going to take to pass these dollar through. It's just going to take however long it's going to take."

Lentz said the city is able to demolish the mall without touching or harming Roses, which still operates in the former Belk building.

"Roses is a completely standalone building, so there might be some blocking up that we have to do on the entrance that would've gone into the mall, but we can go ahead with demolition up to the Roses." Lentz said.

Lentz also addressed the pavement resurfacing in front of AMC theater. Lentz said the resurfacing was not the city's doing. The Augusta, Georgia-based Hull Property Group still owns the mall's outparcels, including AMC Classic 10's facility. The paving was a curious choice to Lentz, who wondered why the property owners would pave the parking lot before demolition on the mall's outparcels was complete.

"It's their money," Lentz said. "I suppose they can do what they want to with it."

I was in Wilson last month and stopped by the mall. The old Kroger building was already being torn down and should be long gone by now. I dropped in Roses and asked one of the employees how much longer Roses is gonna remain there. The guy told me they would be there until 2025.

That Kroger store didn't last too long there like only about 4-5 years wasn't it?

[roadman65]

What gets me is the Mall in Hutchinson in Hutchinson, KS has only one or two stores inside it with over a hundred non vacated stores.

However to save the mall, popular stores like Dollar Tree and Home Depot were allowed to open on mall property, but no inside access to them from the mall. The former is in the mall building but access only from outside with the latter being built across the parking lot from the building, but still on mall property.

That maybe why the mall remains open despite being only 2 percent full inside. As the big guys keep money flowing to climate control the empty mall.

[Flint1979]

Still that image two months prior didn't have what stores once had in auto attendance. Considering malls were the place to shop in cold weather, you figure the malls would last longer in Michigan than say Texas or Florida.

Next time I'm in Flint which is pretty often I'll stop by to take a picture from that spot to see if more cars are there or not.

[LM117]

The city of Wilson has finally taken ownership of the Wilson Mall. Demolition on the property is expected to begin by fall.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/wilsontimes/city-making-plans-to-tear-down-buildings-at-former-wilson-mall/?pub=wilsontimes

The demolition could take up to a year or more.

https://restorationnewsmedia.com/articles/wilsontimes/mall-demolition-process-could-take-a-year/?pub=wilsontimes

Assistant City Manager Rodger Lentz told City Council on Thursday that it could be a year or longer before the city-owned Wilson Mall is torn down.

Lentz announced at the monthly work session that a contract will soon be awarded for asbestos removal from the roof of the former Wilson Mall.

Director of Public Works Bill Bass said demolition comes in two phases, meaning the mall may not actually be torn down for another year or so. He said the planning phase, including an environmental assessment, could take 10 months to complete. From there, the city will be able to tear down the property.

The mall's purchase was made possible through a federal grant with the American Rescue Plan Act. Federal grant projects, like Wilson's train station and the Reid Street Community Center, require environmental assessments and must be approved before projects can move forward.

"It doesn't just mean you're looking to see if there's an endangered critter out there," Lentz said. "It's a very thorough environmental report."

Lentz said environmental assessments are lengthy and take a number of factors into consideration, such as disturbing historic significance.

"I was ready to start the Reid Street Project six months ago," Lentz said. "You can't spend money or do any work until you get this clearance, and if an agency says, 'Wait a minute, I have more questions.' It could take even longer."

City Manager Grant Goings said the problem of timeliness isn't unique to Wilson.

"Cities all over America are dealing with this," Goings said. "We're just in the same boat as everybody else. In addition to bureaucratic delays, most cities in America got this grant money at the exact same time. I couldn't tell you how long it's going to take to pass these dollar through. It's just going to take however long it's going to take."

Lentz said the city is able to demolish the mall without touching or harming Roses, which still operates in the former Belk building.

"Roses is a completely standalone building, so there might be some blocking up that we have to do on the entrance that would've gone into the mall, but we can go ahead with demolition up to the Roses." Lentz said.

Lentz also addressed the pavement resurfacing in front of AMC theater. Lentz said the resurfacing was not the city's doing. The Augusta, Georgia-based Hull Property Group still owns the mall's outparcels, including AMC Classic 10's facility. The paving was a curious choice to Lentz, who wondered why the property owners would pave the parking lot before demolition on the mall's outparcels was complete.

"It's their money," Lentz said. "I suppose they can do what they want to with it."

I was in Wilson last month and stopped by the mall. The old Kroger building was already being torn down and should be long gone by now. I dropped in Roses and asked one of the employees how much longer Roses is gonna remain there. The guy told me they would be there until 2025.

That Kroger store didn't last too long there like only about 4-5 years wasn't it?

3 years. It opened in 2001 and closed in 2004. I was living in Fremont (a few miles south of Wilson) when it was open. There used to be a Kroger gas station beside it, which was torn down sometime between 2012 and 2015, a few years after I left NC. You can see it from Ward Blvd in the June 2012 Google Streetview image.

[SectorZ]

The Solomon Pond Mall in Marlboro/Berlin, MA is starting to see a ton of vacancies in it. I wouldn't be surprised if this mall has only a decade or so left in it before it gets closed. It's in such an odd area, which didn't seem to hurt it too much, but in 2019 around this same time of year I noticed it seemed to be a little off compared to prior years. The food court has gone from all normal places to just Burger King and bootleg versions of what used to be there (like a pizza place where the Pizzeria Regina used to be).

Given the Greenfield Mall ten miles west died out about 5 years ago, you'd think it would be better for them, but it looks as if new big box development in nearby Hudson is putting a dent into it.

Makes me wonder if all the similar stuff going up in Salem NH next to the Rockingham Park Mall will lead to problems for them down the road. Given it's Simon's highest grossing mall per square foot the fall is very far away, and Burlington Mall has seemed to thrive with lots around it, so maybe its a different situation. Both just lost two anchors over the past few years, so who knows.

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/1HmaBPD85e2XrvAw7
Found one in Augusta, GA.

[mgk920]

over 20 years after closing, Northridge Mall (Milwaukee, WI) finally meets with the demo contractor.



https://waukradio.com/news/2024/03/20/the-teardown-of-northridge-mall-is-finally-happening
Mike

[Flint1979]

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in Detroit and stopped at a few malls.

First mall on Tuesday I stopped at Somerset Collection in Troy which is more of a luxary mall and one of the more profitable malls in the country. Both Somerset North and Somerset South are doing well.

On Wednesday, I stopped first at Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi which is also still doing well despite having two vacant anchors that wasn't the mall's fault, those being Lord & Taylor which is out of business completely I believe and Sears which no longer has a presence in the state.

The two malls above are in much better shape than the third mall I visited also on Wednesday. That mall being Westland Center in Westland. Westland appears to be in the same shape that Eastland was in 15 years ago but the crime rate in the area is much lower at Westland than it was at Eastland. The carpeting in the mall has duct tape in spots to cover up rips in the carpet and I really have no idea why there is carpeting in the areas that have it. This is one of only two of the directional malls left in the Detroit area with Southland being the other one. Northland and Eastland are both closed for good.

I also stopped into Fairlane Mall in Dearborn. It's doing somewhat better than Westland is and in better shape but it's not as busy as it used to be. I walked the mall about an hour before the mall closed and there were people in there but not that much.

[bing101]

City Beautiful does a segment on malls.

[Revive 755]

For Chicagoland:

• The Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee and Carpentersville closed earlier this month.
• The Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale will close this April.

[mgk920]

For Chicagoland:

• The Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee and Carpentersville closed earlier this month.
• The Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale will close this April.

Apparently, Northbrook Court in Northbrook, IL is also on its last legs.   

Mke

[triplemultiplex]

Trying to remember the last time I set foot in a mall...
Maybe like two years before The Plague?
Oh I think that Total Wine on the west side partially occupies the former Sears at the West Town Mall.  I've been in there, so is that still technically the mall? 

[SEWIGuy]

Trying to remember the last time I set foot in a mall...
Maybe like two years before The Plague?
Oh I think that Total Wine on the west side partially occupies the former Sears at the West Town Mall.  I've been in there, so is that still technically the mall? 

I was in one this past December post-Christmas. My wife had a gift card that she wanted to redeem in person. It was probably the first time in about two or three years I had been in any mall.

The decor of the mall was very late 80s, early 90s with teal and maroon shades. The store we went to was nice and reasonably busy. Some vacancies but not a lot.

[Rothman]

Trying to remember the last time I set foot in a mall...
Maybe like two years before The Plague?
Oh I think that Total Wine on the west side partially occupies the former Sears at the West Town Mall.  I've been in there, so is that still technically the mall? 

We saw Dune: Part Two at a local mall.

Can't say I never go, but probably only go a few times a year...unlike quite frequently when I was a kid (weekly at times?)

[Road Hog]

I'm told Stonebriar Mall in Frisco is still bustling, but it's been at least 12 years since I've been in it. The trend in retail has been toward strip commercial centers with smaller multitenant buildings.