Tour of the dead Laurel Center Mall, Laurel, MD
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- This mall opened in 1979 with original anchors Montgomery Ward and JCPenney. Hecht's was added to the mall in 1981. The mall was successful throught the 80s and 90s but started to decline in the 2000s. One of the contributing factors was probably the newly renovated and expanded Columbia Mall in 1999 which addded both a Lord and Taylor and a Nordstrom to it's roster of stores plus a new lifestyle center that included several new restaurants and a cineplex.
Man...I used to skip school or leave school early and go to this mall back when I went to Laurel High School in the mid 90's. Memories.
Geornell Smith bro that’s crazy mid 90’s I go to laurel rn 2019 !!
Lol I go to laurel right now
I live right down the street from laurel high school, do you know ashford court ?
@@williamcastillo2275 haha. Yeah class of 1995 Laurel High. At one Dr Jones who was or still is the principle was my gym teacher back then.
@Jack Shackelton class of 95 here.
Thank you for uploading this. I know I'm a random person nobody in the comments has ever met, but it heals me to be able to see this mall again. I used to go here alot with my grandmother as a kid, she passed away earlier this year. We didn't have a good relationship most of my adult/teen years, but my fondest memories with her were at this mall when I was little. Used to go here with my mom and grandmother every year for Santa pictures, and it made me cry to see the food court because I remember so vividly sitting in front of the plants having pizza with my family. I guess in a way this video has served as a reminder that my happy memories weren't a dream. I appreciate the experience.
I miss eating at Roy Rogers in the mall, playing video games in the arcade, and looking at records in the record store. I was there when they had the grand opening. TONS of people there.
Pinball😅
This is the first "dead mall" I ever experienced in person. Glad some video of this legendary relic exists. Thanks.
You're welcome. I am a fan of your videos especially the ones dealing with the malls in the Baltimore and DC area. I did this video 9 years ago.
I grew up in that mall in the late 80s and 90s had great times with family and friends there alot of good memories
Thanks for sharing. I spent so much of my youth in the 80s hanging out in that mall when it was bustling. I still have weird dreams walking around that place, especially the eatery. It’s really eerie and surreal, seeing it so empty, just like in my dreams.
I have those weird dreams, too
I know I'm late to the comments party, but.... I moved to Bowie, MD in 1980 and then moved to Georgia in 2001. I remember going to this mall for pretty much my entire young life. The Games Workshop, the food court. I could not have been more than 5 years old going up those stairs to the food court with my mom and how much of an impression they made on me. That Payless was where I bought my first pair of shoes on my own. Between Laurel and Landover Mall (I went to both Kenmore Elementary and Middle Schools.) that was my childhood right there.
I grew up in Laurel, and my Dad used to work in the post office in this mall. My family spent a lot of time there. This makes me really sad.
Who remembers the drive-in theater across the street.......1980-1984.....?
🙋🏾♀️
I remember when it first opened. Walking through the department store and then seeing the inside of the mall for the first time from the perspective of leaving the department store was unforgettable for a little boy. I had so many memories of "Time Out" the arcade. I remember when "Berserk" and "Missile Command" first appeared.
I remember when they built the Montgomery wards we used to go to the old laurel shopping center back in the 60s and 70 s
Wow, I remember going to this mall when I was a kid. I definitely remember the eatery there; Orange Julius, Boardwalk Fries, Kabobs, etc. Great video. Brings back some memories.
Lived in Laurel from 1987 to 2006. Laurel Mall was always the spot to be. After about 2004 it basically became a giant discount store with shoe stores scattered here and there. When I would come back to visit after moving away, the mall had a weird vibe.
Wow!! I hadn't been to laurel mall in like 10 yrs. I remember in the late 80's me and my best friend would drive the endless circle, from lower parking lot to the strip mall beside it then come back go drive to upper level of laurel mall then start all over again!! There would cars every where doing the same thing! Had so much fun! Have so many great memories!! Especially since my best friend that I did it with died 8 yrs ago :( so the mall is all gone? Demolished? I was born and raised in Bowie, laurel mall was the go to mall in the mid to late 80's. It was always filled!!! Remember the food court was crowded with lots of people.. RIP Laurel Mall, thanks for all the great times and memories :)
Now it's a town center. It's very nice
I remember this mall when I was a teenager. Good ole days😭 Laurel high school 2005
lhs 2018 here. i only remember it from when i was a kid
Laurel high 1989. We used to go to lunch walking from the high, and get Orange Julius at the food court........
Laurel high 2017 I remember it from middle school frfr but by that time it was dead
My mom would take me to the Sbarro here every Saturday for a slice of pizza. It used to be so crowded in the early 1990s; it's so sad to see what it's become.
Sadder still it no longer exists, damn I miss that place. Back in the late 80's to early 1990 i used to live in one of the townhomes across the street and my mother worked at the Montgomery Wards inside the mall.
It hit me when you mentioned Sbarro's. I'm writing this from India; but I used to live in Maryland (Greenbelt and Columbia) in 90's and we used to frequent the food court at the Laurel Mall and Sbarro's was my favorite (Pizza, garlic rolls, baked ziti and spinach calzone are what I remember). I vaguely remember a Taco Bell too.
I used to shop at the Montgomery Ward too. It's a nostalgic feeling when I watched this video now. Thanks to the kind soul who posted it.
Also to mention. On the first floor center atrium was a roundhouse set of stores. the floor and stores would circle very slow and you could enter the stores in different locations. The roundhouse was eventually removed along with the stores on top of the rotating floor.
Do you know anybody that has a picture or a video of that rotating section of the mall?
CaltecCenter Sorry to say ...No I don't ...
I remember. It took a long time for it to make a full circle
@@CaltecCenter there's a picture in the museum
Now I remember that too. My sister worked at a little jewelry store there. I used to put my foot on the the crack where it was slowly turning.
I was just thinking about this mall because I used to go there in the 90's when I was a kid and was kinda shocked to just find out that it was closed for good. Had to see what it looked like again to remember it.
For all you guys !! They took that mall down and they re build it now it's a outdoor mall it's very beautiful! There's ulta and and a lot of restaurants and stores😅😀
As much as it burns my ass to admit it, it was probably for the best. Their was no way that mall was ever coming back in the state that it was regardless of who was managing it.
Really it’s a matter of how the surrounding population treat it, it could be a fantastic mall as it was. But management had to update their stores and restaurants Look at Tysons Montgomery , keeping up with tastes of people now and not from 30 years. ago.. and of course the public at the moment can’t seem to handle a traditional mall without roasting to theft. So we’re left with town centers that are boring
Spent my teens in that Mall from 2000-06 when we moved to tx
So many good times
Does anyone else remember back in the 80's when the center court use to spin?
Absolutely my daughter is 21 ( when she was a baby) she got her ears pierced there in the jewelry store, the lady who used to work there works in Walmart now
I grew up in this mall....literally. I lived on 5th street growing up. I loved it. Good memories..
I would never think that place will go out of business.
Yeah the good ole days is right
Memories!
Even though I knew it was coming, I was saddened to read on the news websites yesterday that Laurel Mall had closed its doors for good on May 1st. I grew up in the Adelphi-Beltsville area, and the mall was a major part of my life. My family loved to shop here, and it was one of my friends' and my favorite place to hang out. So many memories of this place, and now they're all I have left of it.
RIP Laurel Mall
Having worked in the mall while in college and lived in Laurel from 1987-2006, I had some great memories as well. Laurel Mall was on a slow decline since 2001 but I not this empty. I feel this video is more of a representation of a mall in the process of transition and closing. In January 2012 it was announced the mall would officially close on May 1 2012. Which incidentally less than 45 days before the mall officially closed. The mall was demolished in August 2012. Phase one of The new Town Centre at Laurel located on the same property opened in March 2014. Thanks for the memories!
so sad...I remember going to this mall in the 90s when it was a bustling hive of activity.
I actually watched the Laurel Mall video above. It's quite sad that the
8-min video showed less than 5 customers in the mall the whole time. I
love how he said he's scared he might become a victim of violent crime
(w/ so few witnesses).
Laurel Mall had a bad reputation as a hub for gang activity and violent crimes as far back as the 90s (when I was growing up). Arundel Mills basically sounded Laurel Mall's death knell with a more open, well-lit layout and more popular stores. People would rather drive down the BW Parkway for 10-20 minutes than take the risk at Laurel Mall.
RIP Laurel Mall
Man I used to love this mall. Used to always go there to get some gear back in the mid 90s.
I remember in the late 80's this was busy when I was sationed at Ft. Meade.
i used to go to this mall in the 90s and i remember they had a boardwalk fries
Thanks for the video. I have very fond memories of this mall growing up in the mid to late 80s. Nothing like visually seeing the layout and remembering the past.
I wonder if someone ever vlog at this mall or record before the Bankrupt in 2000s.
i remember going to the mall when i was a kid growing up in laurel. it was always full! when i came back as an adult in 2000 i was shocked to see how empty it was! and then the parking deck fell!
Wow that's so sad, I grew up in Laurel and my mom used to work in the hair salon in JCPenney's. This is crazy I can't believe they're tearing it down.
I live in Rhode Island and there are 2 malls in Warwick. Rhode Island Mall is a dead mall which finally closed April, 2011. They're are no plans to demolish it in the near future because there is a Kohl's, detached only by inches from the mall. Sears is still open but the gate is down from access to the rest of the mall. Very sad, considering Warwick Mall is still open. Only a matter of time before that shuts down as well.
It used to be a thriving mall as I recall visiting it in 1997 as an 11 year old.
I remember when they built this 🫤
remember going there afterschool. So much memories. Now it’s a town center
Reminds me of the Worcester Galleria, but even what that mall was vibrant, it was creepy, especially the garages, and the lowest level (known by many as "The Catacombs").
I Graduated from LAUREL HS in 81' ..... This was the HANG OUT ! ......
Bruh that’s crazy 81 ? I go to laurel rn in 2019!!!
lol i just graduated from lhs in 2018
Last time I was there was the summer of 1990 when my family moved to North Carolina, I believe the mall is gone now. I have so many great memories of the mall, and Laurel in general from the 1980's. My grandparents live behind the mall on fourth street (The Dona Apartments)
Remember when CZcams used to show the exact date something was posted? Good times.
Good Lord, in the 1980s it was crazy busy. Hell I worked in a couple of retail locations there - Sam Goody and a Spencer's and a Hallmark store. Loved it.
I forgot about Spencer's! Now a bunch of memories are opening. They had black light posters there long, long ago.
Dang I 4got about all those stores but I do remember them all 🤣
You had the best car, too
I used to live in the Beltsville apartments during the 90's. I used to walk to the mall every day. Make a left on RT1, left on Cherry Lane, go straight. Used to be a good place to shop.
That's so crazy! Thank you for sharing this video. I keep seeing signs for the Laurel Mall because it's on the bus route and parents talked about it, but it's nowhere to be found.. this really pieces everything together.
This is really sad. I grew up in Laurel. My mom used to work in that mall airbrushing t-shirts. We watched the 4th of July fireworks from the upper parking level every year. It has a lot of memories for me.
I miss living there laurel Maryland was my childhood home i miss everything about it
I remember going in 2011 (because I had recently moved to the area). It was already partially abandoned and had weird vibes. Only partially lit, with broken crystals in some of the stores, they also played eerie music. I was 10 years at the time, and recall feeling as afraid as the guy recording this. Gives me chills!
I grew up in this mall
Oh yeah mall sadly closed in 2012 this before the mall closed
I remember back in the day at Christmas you couldn't find a parking space and you had to move with the tide of people to keep from being trampled. I went to Burlington near Christmas 2011 and the mall was dead. I had several jobs in the mall. And many memories growing up in Laurel and shopping at the mall.
No. I believe it is still open. I think it is scheduled to close this summer followed by the demolition of the mall and the transformation of the site into a town center.
I didn't know crappy cameras existed in 2012?
ouch... real laurel OG’s feel that...
WOW. Unbelievable. I graduated from Laurel High in 1988, and (along with a beautiful woman I still know and am madly in love with) spent a lot of time in this mall back in the day. Oh, the memories!
How lucky you were to be in middle and high school while in the 80s.
i used to go hang out there back in the mid 90's. :(
I used to love this mall. D:
Oh man i use to love this mall
so sad it ended up the way it did
nd they had the best cookie place lol
The Great Cookie
very sad ... 2001 remember that mall, had many people buying their Christmas gifts. now closed. = (
'Arundemills is the new sensation'
im from beltsville, near laurel but now i live in pasadena,ca. even the macys here is closing.
As of May 1, 2012 the mall officially closed. The only parts of the mall still open are the post office and Burlington Coat Factory.
I was like 7 when they took it down... I remember visiting it twice, and there was a toy kiosk somewhere near the Macy's. Ahh!
I was here probably in 2003 or 2004, when the mall was doing a bit better. I don't remember it being this deserted, anyway. Wish I could have seen it right before it closed down, if it did indeed close.
Yes the mall did close down. It has in fact been demolished to make way for a new town center which will consist of retail and residential units.
My brother did all the woodwork on the ceiling center many years ago
memories.... i used to work there....!! damn they tore that mall down!!
That is a touching sentiment.
yea hasn't been the place to go since like 2002
reminds me of our Benton Harbor Mi mall just walking through my mall is emotional.
I want to know who was the owner of the mall around in 2000s because who ever the person was didn't do anything to save this mall
I worked a temp job setting up the Burlington Coat Factory there. It was some time in the winter of 2001 to 2002.
As a matter of fact they are tearing down the mall right now. The whole parking garage for this mall now is leveled. A new town center will replace this mall.
Everything changed in 2001 and its all going to get worse now! I can't believe its 2017 and Malls are dying along with everything else! They had so many stores and everyone had money to shop now there is nothing and I wouldn't be surprised if my mall is next and its got business but not for long! SAD & DEPRESSING!
I remember the mall vaguely but I kinda miss it. But the new Town Centre is very nice
Wow,, thanks for the memories ,,,I won a membership to the fitness club that was on the first floor opposite end of the food court. There was a middle eastern guy that had a food concession in the food court that had decent Gyros...I must say however their was a Turkish man and wife that had a food concession in Beltway mall (closer to the original theaters) His gyros were the bomb !
Revisiting the past helps keep the mind young and reconnects those neurons less used .
I remember that place. He also had a sign behind the counter hanging on the wall that told you how to pronounce Gyro as "yee-roh" or something to that effect. Still remember that to this day.
Thanks for the tour. It's too bad. It was a nice mall. Maybe you can go to White Flint mall and video it before it gets torn down.
I went by there today, can see through it now.
so sad....i was there in 1990-91 at ft. meade and the mall was an amazing place then....seriously, living now in PA, i have no idea WTF happened....
Good job on your video. Its a shame that mall closed down, it looks like it was pretty nice. Have they demolished it yet? I've never been there (heck, I've never been to Maryland) but I am facinated by malls and feel sad when I see a mall dead or dying.
The mall is gone, now it is an open shopping plaza. I remember the getto santa at christmas still loved the place. Never had to deal with the yuppy croud from columbia. The new plaza is nice
This mall is dead, and it was only alive back in 2005. The last time I remember a GROUP of people in there...was for meeting Santa! :\
I couldn't find an exact date of closing other than in 2014.
Seriously, Someone should make a film, gurilla style! Great shots for a chase scene!
its so sad that this mall is gone
the last time ive been in this mall is 2009 or 2010 well i guess im not going to see this mall again lol
this mall has always been creepy like the layout
I remember this mall
Not just Columbia Mall, but Arundel Mills also killed off whatever was left of Laurel Mall's business. Arundel Mills and Columbia were simply better in every way than Laurel Mall, without the notorious reputation.
The Burlington is still there so the malls still there in spirit
In my opinion stores like Wallmart, Target and even Wallgreens kills many of these malls along with cheap stip mall clothing stores. People can get what they want from those stores, especially Target and Wallmart so there's no neet of a big mall. Food, clothes, toys, etc can all be found at Wallmart. The only middle income malls that can survive is if a Wallmart or Target is an anchor store with a Upton's or something on the other side as another anchor.
No I think this mall just couldn't compete with Arundel Mills and the Columbia Mall.
Bullsfan2008DR
This malls was probably a regional mall only. Columbia and Annapolis Mall alone are OLD malls. I doubt it could compete with them so it didn't try. But basically you're right. With Columbia, Annapolis and then Arundel mall, even Laurel shoppers would rather travel 5-10 miles rather than get injured at this dying mall right down the street from them. Thanks for the reply!
Columbia mall is amazing
To be fair Laurel Mall had been declining since the mid-to-late 90's, it wasn't that they couldn't compete it was the fact that the management was incompetent.
Mad Man
Yep, Certainly that too was a big factor. Peace.
Demolished?!? ...what a waste of resources!!
Why are the pretty malls the victims and the bland malls continue to function?
i remember this mall :( now its a shopping center
Too beautiful to be demolished
I wanted to take pictures or the mall too. Like you I feared for my safety. Thanks for the video
I thanks for your complement on my video. I think I might go to White Flint and film it. Do you know when they are supposed to start demolition on it?
No. It has been demolished.
Hopefully this New Laurel Town Center survives
Man I used to live in laurel Maryland a long time ago this mall was always full..