Online shopping is a booming business. While it’s convenient for customers to pick and choose what they want from the comfort of their own homes, it’s resulting in retail locations shutting down across America and the rest of the world. Stores are cutting down on the number of locations they have, and entire malls are closing their doors. Thus, abandoned malls around the world have become a growing problem.
The malls are left in limbo — no business or any maintenance is done with their walls, resulting in some quite creepy photos. We’ve compiled a list of the craziest photos of abandoned malls, click through to check them out.
Rolling Acres Mall – Akron, Ohio
The Rolling Acres Mall originally opened in 1975 but closed in 2008 after 33 years of business. As more and more stores pulled out of the mall, the loss of sales forced it to shut down when electricity bills couldn’t be paid.
Check out how the abandoned mall fares in the winter months in the next slide.
Due to its failing structure, the abandoned mall becomes a winter wonderland with fresh snow.
The building went through a series of failed purchases from different buyers and was eventually demolished. As of 2019, all of its stores were demolished aside from the former Sears building, The mall’s site was purchased by Amazon in July of 2019 with the hopes of creating a new distribution center.
Jamestown Mall – Florissant, Missouri
Originally opened in 1973, this mall officially closed its doors in 2014. After losing all of its anchor stores, the failing business opted to shut down.
Hawthorne Plaza Mall – Hawthorne, California
Hawthorne Plaza Mall closed in March 1999. In 2016, the Hawthorne City Hall commission announced their plans to demolish the Hawthorne Plaza to create something like the outside Farmers Market in Los Angeles, California.
Despite it being shut down, you may have already seen this mall without knowing it…
You may have seen glimpses of this mall in your favorite movies, music videos and TV shows, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Teen Wolf, Agents of Shield, Rush Hour, and most recently, BTS’ “Black Swan.” As seen in the picture above, the mall served as the perfect filming location for many shows like Teen Wolf.
Randall Park Mall – North Randall, Ohio
Another abandoned mall turned Amazon distribution center, this mall closed its doors in 2009.
Randall Park Mall – North Randall, Ohio
Randall Park Mall had several movie theaters over the years. In 1976, they had a three-screen cinema, which later became a second-run theater in 1991. It was later used as a storage space for nearby stores after it was closed down.
Cloverleaf Mall – Chesterfield, Virginia
When it originally opened in 1972, the mall was a hub for families to have a family day out. When teens donning baggy jeans and chains started calling the mall their home, families of moms and young ones started steering clear of the mall, making the business start to die.
Metro North Hall – Kansas City North, Missouri
The mall officially closed in 2014. It is now set to be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use space, with plans for hotels, offices, retail, and housing.
North Town Square Mall – Toledo, Ohio
After nearly 30 years of business, the mall closed its door in 2005 and was later demolished in 2012.
Lincoln Mall – Matteson, Illinois
The mall began to see a decline in 2012 as talks of redevelopment began to rise. Town representatives tried to sue the mall owners and demanded for its closure because of safety and building code violations. By 2015, its closure was ordered and in 2019, it was demolished.
Woodville Mall – Northwood, Ohio
The mall’s decline began in 2000 and problems with its building structure caused a county judge to order its closure in 2012.
Owing Mills Mall – Owing Mills, Maryland
The mall was once home to 155 stores and eateries before it closed in 2016. Once a booming business, growing competition, and a murder contributed to its decline. The mall is now demolished and its site is the home to a new lifestyle center called Mill Station.
Crestwood Court – Crestwood, Missouri
After more than 55 years in business, Crestwood Court closed its doors to the public. Like many other abandoned malls, redevelopment plans were made but eventually fell through. The mall has been demolished with no further development happening on its site.
Frederick Towne Mall – Frederick, Maryland
The mall saw a decline in business as the surrounding area became crime-ridden. The bad publicity hit the mall itself as it became the host of frequent fights and crime, causing stores to leave the mall and customers to stop coming. After shutting down in 2013, it was announced in 2019 that the mall would be renamed District 40 and become an entertainment center.
Dixie Square Mall – Harvey, Illinois
The mall was quite short-lived as it only remained in business for 12 years. It was famous among those that explore abandoned places for its years of deterioration on display, and it wasn’t demolished until 2012.
The closed mall was used for the filming of the movie The Blues Brothers and a temporary school location.
After being demolished in 2012, it is now brownfield land, which is previously developed land that is no longer in use because it is potentially contaminated.
Euclid Square Mall – Euclid, Ohio
After the nearby Richmond Town Square opened up and this mall lost out on one of its anchor stores, it saw a steady decline in vendors. Stores began to shut down, the second level was closed off, and eventually, safety concerns and leaks caused the building’s inevitable shutdown. It’s not hard to guess what is now being built on the mall’s former site — an Amazon fulfillment center.
Turfland Mall – Lexington, Kentucky
The mall opened up in 1967, marking it the first enclosed mall in Lexington. Portions of the site now host a health clinic and eateries.
Wayne Hills Mall – Wayne, New Jersey
Wayne Mills, opened in 1974, is better known as a “ghost mall.”
We wouldn’t want to be stuck here at night either!
Zhoekvara Mall – Georgia
This abandoned mall in the country of Georgia is nearly untouched and left to nature, but what about its interior?
Zhoekvara Mall – Georgia
Its interior is full of hazards, from decaying walls to a rusted staircase.
Georgia
This abandoned mall is now used as a temporary parking lot for passing cars.
Some abandoned malls, while lacking human foot traffic, are still full of life. See how in the next slide!
Bangkok, Thailand
This abandoned mall now hosts thousands of fish in its flooded floor. After closing in 1997, a fire destroyed the mall’s roof, leaving the mall exposed during the rainy season. To avoid the area filling with mosquitos, locals set out to breed freshwater Catfish and Koi fish to ward off any pesky insects.
Bangkok, Thailand
Thousands of fish thrive in the abandoned mall, making it one of the largest urban aquariums.
