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malls were shit all along, people stoped thinking, kids off to the mall rack up credit cards, parents divorced at work all day jacking off, while thats goin on, the cleptomaniac eliteist usa gov. took all to the bank and cashed out your life
Joey Zuraski Management saw change coming and didnt know how to adapt. Sears could do ok by streamlining and changing its model to Sears.com, go back to wish catalog of 1900 except use the 21c wishbook, the net and concentrate on hardware, lawn, applliances, ditch clothing except for seasonal, uniform. It is possible.
I once owned a store in a dying mall, many, many years ago Bannister Mall here in Kansas City. I closed my store in 2000, and the mall itself closed for good in 2007. It was just awful the last 6 months I was there. Nothing more depressing than seeing a dead mall that you know used to be popular and filled with good stores.
BuccaneerBruce I think that's why I like Dead Malls so much. There's something eerie about seeing a place bustling with life so empty. It's weird seeing something that had so much significance to people just be forgotten like that. Sorry for your business too. At least you can say you opened up a business, not to many people can say that!
Eric Raymond Hi Eric, I also love all of the dead malls for all the reasons you do ! They're just so eerie and haunting ! And just so bizarre how they hold on through those death throes while the pulse just slips away slowly ! And Dan does such a good job !!! At filming and narration ! He puts out an excellent product !!! Wish you well: Lola. ; )
+BuccaneerBruce Westminster Mall in Westminster CA in southrrn California in Orange County looks half abandoned. It used to be a great mall full of stores.
+Eric Raymond Same here, Eric. Fascinating to see places meant for a lot of people when there's hardly anyone or no one at all there. Along with dead malls and abandoned houses I like ocean liners and when the jets started taking off (literally and figuratively!) in the late 50's people nearly stopped using liners so much and in the 60's huge ocean liners were sailing with hardly any passengers. I mentioned to Dan in another video that the Queen Elizabeth once sailed from New York with 98 passengers in First Class or maybe 98 in all classes with a crew of 1,200. The S.S. United States was abruptly laid up in 1969 and for a long time everything was left as-is. De-humidifying units kept the interior dry. One author was permitted to explore the ship---and what an explore that must have been!--and found a newspaper that hadn't turned yellow because of the good air quality. I just finished reading about the S.S. Leviathan from the 1920's and 30's and the book I read had many interior and exterior photos of the ship taken while she was laid up before scrapping. It was fascinating to see and read about a decaying dead liner that had only a few people aboard for security and fire prevention and minimal maintenance.
The distant echoes,The elevator music, the lack of people, it’s so melancholic. Iv always found large open empty buildings, so sad. Hauntingly depressing 😒😒
I remember how the mall shops and overall mall marketing would attempt to alter your thinking with poster, lights, music,and get you all pumped and ready for impulse shopping. It worked back in the day. Today malls are old news and old concepts. They still try this approach. Just cheesy!
I think a lot of it is how you conduct your self. And esp if they approach you, that's when it would really matter. If they can tell you're being polite, not intrusive on the PEOPLE but just filming the building, that would help go a long way. A big part of doing anything in life is how you carry yourself and your skills at communication.
I'm a tile contractor, I'll tell you. Just look at the thousands and thousands and thousands of sq. ft. of tile and granite. I worked on 3 malls in my 28 years of doing this work. They spend millions and millions on these malls I mean just so much money you can't even believe. It's so sad.
The mall filed for bankruptcy, the investors have already sold their share and left with their dividend. The sad part would be the thousands of low-skilled jobs lost, and the small shop owners who probably lost a fortune when their investments failed.
In the US filling the bankruptcy doesent mean you have no money, just protects you from having to repay all your debts. Likely they took out a lot of money before declaring it. The actual work force will have been screwed over though
Spaysee Staysee this was the mall I went to as a kid in the mid 90s with my mom for Christmas shopping, and it had better stores and a nicer food court. The Springfield mall was getting kind of run down and not as nice after Montgomery Wards closed. I moved back like 3 years ago, and found out that Landmark closed and it’s sad for me just as I have some early childhood memories. Springfield mall is now hella nice and the Landmark is just a parking lot for Amazon trucks.
Just a guess: “The Communitay” whined until bus stops were put in. Then marauding packs of “youths” and “teens” shoplifted every store out of profitability and robbed and assaulted shoppers until nobody with money to spend would dare go there.
@@TheRealCaptainFreedom That is not what happened. I don't ever remember any incidents at this mall and it is not the best area but not a ghetto, it is expensive to live in that area inside the beltway. I think online shopping combined with there being way too many malls in Northern Virginia is what killed this mall. It died a slow death through out the 2000's while other malls - mainly Tysons thrived. The last time I went there was a few years ago, only the big end cap stores (Macys) were holding on and the central part looked just like Dan's video.
@@BenSmith-eh5zp Yep. Landmark never fell victim to packs of anything. The economy around it wasn't award-winning (it's better now but still...) and the owners never updated it - hence, no reason to go there or to bring your business there. When new tenants did move in (Records & Rarities), they left quickly because they were terrible. It was totally stuck in another decade and the owners didn't care. That's ultimately what killed it.
Landover Mall about 30 minutes from Landmark that closed with Sears being the sole holdout. The reason is because Sears was the only one who owned their store. It held on for several years. Likewise for White Flint Mall that closed with Lord & Taylor in Rockville, Md.
*Update as of 1/20:* The mall is still sitting there unused. For a very short time, you could go into Sears and see the rest of the mall from its mall entrance. Another CZcamsr found a way into the mall from the fire exit he was able to access and filmed throughout the mall. He did so very respectfully and did absolutely no damage. Still, there's no way security wasn't aware he was in there the entire time. They likely realized he meant no harm and just let him look around. Security did approach him after he'd gotten back outside and told him to leave which he did. After that happened, Sears installed dry wall over the old mall entrances so you can't see into/access the mall anymore. Anyway, they are waiting for Sears to close. Like the rest of us, they imagined that would have happened by now as its completely awful and on one goes there. I can't for the life of me figure out how it continues to hang on. I bought a toaster from there a couple of years ago and it took me 30 minutes to find someone to check me out. I'm not kidding. 'Course, there was no money to be made so they were likely right to close the rest of the mall when they did. The old Macys is now a homeless shelter (great use, btw) and the parking lot/decks are in use by various car dealerships needing extra storage space for vehicles but the rest is just sitting there waiting for Sears to meet its inevitable end.
Nostal Jack Really appreciate the update. Please post again as new developments occur, if you don't mind. I live in Florida and have never been to this mall, but I find these videos and comments very interesting. Thanks!
@@maxwellgentry4034 I saw that it was on the chopping block. Glad it's finally gone. I'm only amazed by how long it lasted in its condition. We'll see if they bother to move forward with their town center motif given COVID-19.
*Update as of 7/17/22* - Demolition is well underway. I drove by there a few days ago and saw Sears standing but all that remains of the rest of the rest of it is a metal frame. I doubt that'll be standing too much longer. You can just barely get onto the property and that's because a bus route goes through a small part of it (where the Macy's was).
The 'Stage' you referred to in the food court used to have a piano and live pianist. It would have been roped off to keep people away from the piano, though the piano was locked. I fondly remember as a kid eating my bourbon chicken and watching/listening to the talented pianist.
It's going to be great to see this mall restored to its 80s glory in Wonder Woman next year. A big sequence was filmed in the mall which was dressed to look like 1984!
i live 30 minutes away from that mall i remeber back just 4 years ago it'd be so hard just to get around the place because there was soo many people there then i went in there about a few months ago and now its like a scene from an apocalypse movie
It kind of sucks that someone doesn't have the balls to come up with ideas to bring in more people to this mall, like having an Imax theatre or renovation plans or something.
Its floor plan really did not allow for a movie theater at all, which really hurt the mall too. They seemed to collapse when the first toy store left (there were 2). Then the second got competition from a discount toy place, but both collapsed and then they both left.
Crazy. I lived in Alexandria, VA for 15 years in the 80's and 90's. Came here all the time. Always crowded and clean. I really wonder where the hell people go nowadays.
One mall near me has those kinds of labyrinthine passages to one set of restrooms, every time I go to that one I nearly get lost and either almost wind up in the womens' restroom or the janitors' closet by accident. Suprisingly, that mall as a whole is really nice, so I don't think it's a trend limited to dead/sleazy malls.
I think they didn't want to sacrifice center mall property for places they don't get rent on. Today, some of the newer malls have rest rooms located in reasonable places like by the food court or where people are. No hallways or mystery doors.
I think they also do it when its originally an outdoor mall so all the mall owned spaces can be in one "central" space accessible from many entrance points, but once it is enclosed it seems kind of silly
This is a true DEAD mall. I watch a lot of these videos bc I work in retail and sometimes I'm like ehhh that could be better or fixed or revived. But no, this is truly dead.
I live right next to here they actually remodeled almost the entire thing, difference is night and day. Should reform back to this state in 10 years or so.
To Dan Bell and everyone puzzled of "WHY" . . A great deception has befallen all of us. Manufacturing fat cats knew well that men don't shop like women and no amount of slick advertising was going to convince men to spend as women do. If you manufacture washing machines for instance, if you were to split a wife from a husband, she will still have access to his money and shop as she wants to. Cosmo Magazine ran stories aimed a married women leading them to believe they were not happy and could do better. Ladies you know you were gullible. Malls were made and designed to attract women. Other then clothing most malls offer little to men. . . Fact#2. The 2008 housing crash caused far more damage then anyone realizes. The mall was a hospital to many ladies, when depressed you went to the mall where you bought a little happiness for the day. . But the treatment wore off fast didn't it. . .Ladies you have woken, and are now awake. . .
TheChronDiggidy they actually haven’t. They’re taking down Sears and used the mall to film Wonder Woman which is why they had a lot of people around but there’s no future plans (known anyways) for the mall
Just some background information: This area is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods in America. It is nothing like the typical decaying places that many of these videos are located. The current state of the mall is due to changed shopping patterns and competition from MANY other high end malls in the area. Some of these malls include: Tysons Corner (largest mall in the state and one of the largest in America), Tysons Corner Galleria (features very expensive name brands), Fair Oaks, Potomac Mills, Springfield Town Center, Pentagon City, etc. Many of these malls are very modern and almost all of them have had complete face lifts or have been completely renovated. The fact that this area can host so many shopping malls in a time where many are closing is baffling. Well actually not baffling considering 6 of the 10 most wealthiest jurisdictions are in this area. As for Landmark Mall, reconstruction has been slowed down by the mall's two anchors (Sears and Macys). They have agreed for the new plans to be more of an open type mall but must remain open during all of construction; therefore, slowing the process. More information can be found on the Washington Post.
+Nick Martin I went to Tysons Corner Galleria with my wife and her sister so they could buy new purses. It was near my birthday so my wife and her sister snuck off and bought me a nearly $1,000 belt. I made them return it. It's ridiculous to waste money on a belt, now matter how high brow the cow was that 'donated' the leather.
My mother's been shopping at Tysons since before I was born. Family moved out of McLean and only been there handful of times since. Never knew it's one of the biggest in the country.
Nick Martin Im glad you made this distinction because this video is pretty misleading. I grew up here and live here now and this is far from a struggling economy. Quite the contrary. This mall just got left behind. Very vibrant/wealthy neighborhood. The could easily build $750thousand to $million condos in it's place and make an incredible profit.
I want to thank you for this. I was very sad about not being able to go see it before it closed. I spent so many moments here with my grandmother growing up. I remember having my first passport pictures taken there. I lost a tooth a the Burger King there when my grandma would be sneaky and let me have junk food. We'd go to the dollar store or cvs and get snacks and little nik naks. Later she'd watch me play and we'd have our little adventures together. Thank you, this means the world to me.
Christ! That Cajun Gourmet has been there for around 20 years... and I think the same Asian lady has been handing out free bourbon chicken samples for about as long.
I live in walking distance from this mall, I remeber when it was filled with stores and was popular in my childhood. I miss that, this mall will always be a part of me
Was born in '91 in Alexandria Hospital. I've lived here my whole life and NEVER step foot in this mall. We've just had much better options to go as long as I can remember. Georgetown, Tysons, Pentagon City, even Springfield. Now I wish I had went to see it. Never thought i'd be gone.
Yeah I remember this mall and it had everything and music stores, book stores, video games to play and a great food court and I remember Sam Goody, Kemp Mill Records, Tower Records, Virgin Records, Waxie Maxies, and Books A Million, Barnes N Noble, Sears, JC Penny, they even had a chocolate store with all different chocolates, and candy! The only Mall that everyone goes to know is Tyson's Corner which is killing everything and Fair Oaks Mall is hanging by a thread, and Springfield Mall is gone! They even had a cool pizza place too! Everyone back in the days hung out at the mall because it was the biggest thing around! The internet killed everything! All the shopping malls are dying and I wouldn't doubt if Movie Theaters are next because you can download a movie before seeing in theaters. Best Buy is still open, I miss the good times when people had jobs, and income, money was coming in and the American Dream was alive and back in the 80s and 90s it was a great time to be a kid! I miss the good times and how life was so carefree and easy back then! I hate 2017 and things are going to get alot worse because of Technology and its taken over everything!
Springfield Mall has become Springfield Town Center. It's still technically a mall though. Then there's Potomac Mills, that's still around. But, it IS true that Internet shopping is having an adverse effect on malls.
Angel Simone Nah, movie theaters won’t die that fast. So many nerds flock there to see big movies still. It’s still a p big deal to see a movie “first” in theaters. My teenage buddies like to see movies there still.
Who remembers the 70's and 80's when malls where THE PLACE to hang out with your friends? Now it's hanging out at home texting each other...glad I was a teen back then not now.
Hey my friend, here in Brazil people still going to the mall a lot! Evening some malls you must to pay for parking your car, just like in an airport, in the seasons they are full of people.
The mall staff is "crazy" about people filming and taking pictures. Why? Are they trying to keep it a secret that there's no stores there, hoping no one will notice the empty parking lots? Some people are so stupid.
Finest Potato The first malls in America were built in the late '50s and the beginning of the video clearly states this one opened in 1965. I appreciate the attempt to troll though; goodbye.
That's my favourite dead mall so far. I love how they try to take care by putting walls up, caring about the plants, the 90s vibe, the light. It's clean and taken care of. So sad it had to close.
I love the early 90s look almost as much as the neon 80s look, but for different reasons. Muted tones and off-white, florescent lighting that's always either just a little too dark or a little too bright, naked metal with no paint or cold/dim pastels, return to more sharp and rectangular designs in contrast with the flowing curves or boxes you'd see more often in the 80s... It reminds me of like a very soft cyberpunk. Cold and impersonal, but without any real grit. Check out a dirty old thrift store at the edge of town, and you'll see what I mean.
Malls are basically dead in small to medium cities....with one exception. Malls located in high metropolitan areas, with a high turn over of people(TOURISTS) will do well. High traffic areas that get lots of tourists and travelers will do well. The others will soon be gone.
You're actually wrong. There are more " break dancers " than ever before. Especially around the world. Countries like, Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, France have countless. I was part of that generation of Bboys ( break boys ) from the late 90's up until around 2014 who went to malls to do my powermoves because of the slick floor. As a matter of fact, breaking is so advanced nowadays that everybody damn near practices the same moves, styles, that it gets boring after watching a few videos or going to live competitions. It's not dying out like these malls but it sure has reached a point where there isn't much more to discover in terms of what else can your body do to wow the crowds, people. Regards !
They can but why bother? The original design isn't conducive to those things. Maintaining a building this large is unimaginably expensive. It's better to simply demolish it and build something that's actually suited for what you want to replace it with.
Yeah, every tiny scrap of forested land in Fairfax County, VA is being bulldozed for more expensive crappily built townhouses for DC commuters, and this thing sits empty.
@ByeBitch 《: with what's happening today, I would have to disagree. I used to think Republicans were conservative; until John McCain, Jeff Flake, Bob Corker, Lisa Murkowski, etc , , , you get the picture.
@@RealNameNeverUsed Because it shows the stores that people use to come for that are now forever gone into the past, and any memory of them was wiped from the walls and history. And, while that may be a small thing it can get pretty existential once one thinks of all the happy memories one has in places that are either no longer the same or are gone entirely-- just like how we all will be eventually.
I feel like lots of older malls had crazy corridors leading to toilets. I low key miss them. Was fun as a kid. Although I guess nowadays there's less risk of getting lost and shifting into alternate dimension in search of a restroom
Lauren Boada can you imagine your office being at an old mall and make it thematic like that, Imagine google repurposing it and making all the food court items available for free, that would be the bomb, and also adding some adult playgrounds and napping pods, why hasn’t anybody thought of this!!??
Here in south Florida we have a old mall on Hollywood beach that they use as offices now the mall also has a old hotel on the top of it and I keep saying they need to do something for the homeless with it
You could convert them into offices or schools, but to make them into hospitals or apartments would require a huge amount of in-ground piping to be put in. You'd have to take out parts of the concrete floor all over the place. They don't even bother to take the foundations and floor slabs out when they tear the places down because of how much work it is.
Too bad they shut the fountains down and downgraded them into planters. I'm a huge fan of mall fountains and it's pretty much one of the only draws for me to go to a mall.
+This is Dan Bell. I know it isn't a dead mall but i'd love to see you do a video on the Monroeville Mall. I like your videos and your commentary. I think it would be a great video if you did it :D
+This is Dan Bell. The Lebanon valley mall in Lebanon county PA is not doing so good in the past few months. I go there a lot and there are still some stores open but there will be more closing soon.
+Christian Blade There's a fairly large fountain area at the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs, it used to have 3 waterfall like areas with decent sized fountains in each of the 3 pools of water, a couple years ago they stopped using it like that and just fill the top and bottom one and placed some cheap pond fountains in them, nothing like it used to be.
This was one of my favorite malls to go back in the 90's. Sad to see it now closed but I guess Pentagon City right up the street was a more prefered mall, but I always thought this place was much cooler due to the 90's style vibe it had. RIP Landmark.
they could adapt old malls into senior housing....and then have stores and Dr offices that could be right there for residents.....that would certainly fill a need with our aging population....
Blue Bird I know this is late by 2 years but they made something like that close to where Macy’s was I don’t really remember what it is but they have something there to help a community of people, I just don’t remember who. On a side note I have birds too : )
Idk why closing stores make me sad, I just feel like they all have backgrounds and story’s. I mean someone could of fallen in love, fallen out of love, had the worst day and the best day of there life. I mean I know it’s only for shopping but there must be so many backgrounds with it.
Yes, indeed! I worked at the Sears briefly in 1979 and met my (future) husband there; it was a Sears "match", you could say, lol. I moved out of state the next year and was floored when I went back for a visit and it was enclosed - in my mind, it's still the outdoor mall my mom and I shopped at while I was growing up. Not as big, but the outdoor version had a certain charm... and a lot of memories attached to it. There was talk at one time of Amazon eyeing the property for a distribution center; last I heard, it's being demolished and a mixed use facility with a hospital is going onto the site.
It's really sad that I have to grow up seeing malls die, in all honesty. I think malls are better than online shopping, more sales, more to see, and you don't have to be so specific. If you online shop, you have to be know exactly what thing and what brand you're looking for. In malls, you just go to what's there and see what you like.
The internet has a far wider selection than any physical store, and online stores allow browsing by keyword or category. I plan to enter cryostasis upon my clinical death, in case future medicine is ever able to revive me.
Logan L I live in a small city in Canada we have a about 5 malls in our city most are doing pretty good but one has always struggled and there is talk of tearing it down
No, you should be happy malls are dying. They've helped instigate decades of suburban sprawl. The malls that are dying were poorly planned and usually refused to evolve. We have a mall near Minneapolis called Southdale (the first major shopping mall ever) that is selling off parcels of their big parking lots to multi-family housing. These new residents are helping urbanize formally suburban areas.
Grant Simons you should word the start of the paragraph better, yes, many suburban malls weren't made well, and they should die. There are too many, but not all malls deserve to die, for example, MacGarthur center is a mall in he heart of downtown Norfolk, Va, the mall is absolutely amazing and helped to revive Granby St, a st that had been inactive for a long time. And the mall is a very very well made one, it certainly doesn't deserve to die. As are many of the others in the areas surrounding it. Suburban malls should loose abundance, but ones that are in the heart of urban and popular areas should not die.
In the 70’s and 80’s I loved hanging out in the malls with friends. The parking lots were so full you couldn’t even get a parking space. The lines to pay for things took awhile too. Everyone you knew at school was hanging around. It was really fun. A lost time we will never see again. That being said... I admit I’m happy to be about to shop online and find the best price.
Seeing this mall really makes me appreciate all the hard work my local mall is putting into redoing the lighting and flooring and paint every decade or so. I remember when it looked like this one but even today it is filled with people and just as busy as ever.
I worked inside the abandoned Landmark Mall for three months on Wonder Woman 2. We turned it back to 1984, with all the right stores, video arcade etc.I know every corner of it now, got stuck in the freight elevators a few times too. The land the mall sits on is worth about a billion dollars. some of it will be torn down & rebuilt as something, but not stores.
What kind of work did you do and what was your interactions like with the cast and crew? It's been completely leveled now. I heard it's going to become a hospital.
My family used to go to this mall all the time when I was a kid. My mom and sister still get their hair done here. Tyson's, Cystal City and Potomac Mills malls have thrived though, so malls in VA are definitely just as popular if not more than in the 80's and 90's.
i'm from europe, it amazes me how similar the malls are here, i've seen a couple of these videos, this mall looks exactly the same as a mall near me, the flowers hanging over, fountains, the exact same floor, laylout, it seems a very 80s thing.
I grew up near here. My parents used to take me here to fix my eyeglasses all the time. I haven't been in it since at least 2005. Seeing it now is like watching your much beloved childhood dog who used to run around and chase you now struggling to take breaths and hold their head up. It's just so devastatingly sad
I grew up in Annandale, which was super close and I played SNES and Sega for the first time in the early 90s. Good memories, so sad what happened to Landmark mall.
@White Boy ...well tornadoes aren't the only natural disasters. Though it was gross, the Super Dome in New Orleans served its purpose for a lot of people.
Same here! I grew up going to that mall with mom and dad, I had an lot of fun playing that bug stepping game on the center court floor and playing with the other kids at the play space. As an Alexandria resident, I’m sad that I didn’t get to have one last visit before it was demolished.
The US built way too much reatil space over the last 25 years. The depression of 2007 coupled with the rise of Amazon has brought along some much needed correction. What towns and cities choose to do with all this dead space will be interesting to see.
When I was growing up in the 80s, we called this mall "Landshark." The fact that this mall failed really says something, because it occupies some of the most optimal real estate in northern Virginia, being located near the interchange of the capital Beltway and I-395. Up until the mall closed, the massive parking garage was being used to store new car inventory from area dealerships. Great video, Dan!
It is rather convoluted but Roebuck was, for all intents and purpose was bought out in 1995! It was a great co, and fell asleep by 1960. That's when the upstart from Bentonville had the bright idea; and implemented it. The great company grew fat and lazy. Lean, Mean Sam showed how it was done.
I live not far from there. It's very depressing. I remember when I was a teen that Military Circle Mall and JANAF was THE place to hang out on the weekends. You had the Mall, Circle 4 and Circle 6 theaters (and the one across VB blvd at JANAF), Milton's Pizza, Putt-Putt and Flipper McCoy's. Always something going on and you could meet up with friends and have a fun day for $20. All dead and gone now, even the Chinese buffet is gone. I don't even know what kids do nowadays except live in their phones.
I can see this mall from my window. They had a sign out front saying they were redeveloping - which led to a dead website. The signs gone now. It was used as a backdrop for Wonder Woman 1984, and a lot of local car dealerships use its garages for storage. Somehow, only the sears is still open.
my mom used to have her tailor shop on the first floor and my brother and i would go to work with her all the time. i have so many memories/adventures w this place 🥺
I used to love going to this mall bacause of their amazing arcade on the top floor in the late 90's. Also I remember it always used to be packed with people on weekends.
I remember coming here a lot, it's closed for now but it will be renovated! According to their site, "the new Landmark will feature new residences, plazas and green spaces for community events, shops and restaurants, a 10-screen movie theater and more." I'm hoping this does happen, it would be a shame to see this mall gone.
One of the local malls in my area (called Highland Mall) was converted into a community college. That mall had been dying for years and now it actually looks really cool inside and serves a totally different purpose. It's a shame that more towns don't try to do this with their dying malls. Maybe cities just don't have the funds to do something like that but it's a shame these huge buildings go to waste. Places should at least try to convert them into something new that benefits a community.
My elementary school cafeteria used to serve 'American Pizza' - it was this thick toast type of bread, with a chunky tomato sauce, burnt cheese, and ground beef on top. It was disgusting.
I used to go to Landmark all the time as a kid. The mall might be closed now, but in the early weeks of April there is always a little carnival hosted in the parking lot. The mall lives on despite everything.
This mall is on prime land in Alexandria right off 395. I'm sure it'll be redeveloped into a faux-urban lifestyle center with condos. It simply could not compete with Fashion Centre at Pentagon City right up the road to the north and the massive Tysons Corner Center to the west, the recently remodeled Springfield Town Center (which was pretty tired before the renovations) to the south kept this mall from really prospering.
This series is surreal to me partly because the 2 malls in my area are both still pretty busy, wouldn't have guessed there was a national collapse if it wasn't for this channel.
Nice little tour. Yes...very Nineties. Food Court is just how I remembered it from around 1994. 😆 Those odd little gazebos in the food court were for people who wanted to feel special -a couple tables and added loft made for a charming night out at Sbarro’s. If a place is titled “Italian Pizza” it’s being run by Thais or Iranians.
Gosh do I miss this mall. I remember my aunt bringing me along for her hair appointments, one of my older cousins working at the arcade when he was a teenager, and just coming here with family. In the mid-nineties, this place was definitely awesome. Now I just feel all nostalgic and sad. 😔 Before the final closing, or maybe even after it closed, it was used for Wonder Woman 2 filming - which was in Junish this year. I mean, given that the film is set in the 80s, this mall really fit the bill for the space.
2019 note: Amazon is renting and buying up dis-used strip malls and converting them to warehouses that can deliver most customer orders same/next day. Expect them to open Amazon retail outlets. Meanwhile, lots of other low-end jobs, been that way for a few years.
Dan, this entire mall closed last January? Just another one of many. Times have changed so much. Yes, shopping malls were mainly a social scene as well as a shopping gala. Just like in the film "Mallrats". And knowing from my own experience, walking around a huge mall with few people feels creepy. It's a 21st century ghost town, and most people won't even work there, let alone shop there. Thank YOU Amazon, and many other websites.
LameStudioInc, I think online websited aren't the reasons malls like these are closing, its because they haven't updated their look, it feels depressing to walk in practically a vacant 80's time capsule, malls update their look, sales will go up
You're my hero... Absolutely no one knows what mallrats even is... One of my top 3 favorite movies.. I swear it was made at the Dort mall .... Lol. "Dirt mall" in flint Michigan
I live close to this mall and I remember coming as a kid with my mom and it was always crowded :(. 2015 was the last time I entered this mall and it was almost empty. So sad because every time I pass by it I always think about when I was a kid
Attention! Completely remastered episodes of the Dead Mall Series are now being archived in 4K at czcams.com/channels/fCM_TfrSDMkkMpKuLNWuXA.html. The remasters have gone through an extensive AI Enhancement process as well as proper sound mixing and colorization. This Dead Mall Series Remastered project has been made possible through viewer support on Patreon. Go over now and watch in glorious 4K. ENJOY!
Rockvale outlets in Lancaster pa is worth a look.
Apparently demolition started on Landmark recently.
When you work in a mall and see Dan Bell filming. Must be like seeing the grim reaper.
😭
Don't fear the reaper - blue oyster cult
This is the song I thought of when you said that
LOL!!!
Orange Julius took my livelihood, Dan Bell took my soul.
Is it my time Dan Bell? "Yes my child"
it makes me sad to think how many jobs and dreams died in this mall
yeah
You are right, and not only in U. S. A. In every country that have malls.
Baikonur 920 canada alberta where i live malls are packed with people
This is completely off topic but that cat in your pic is adorable
Yup thats my dream to work at a retail store my entire life
These malls can be used for living spaces for the elderly. Enough spaces for bingo, a movie theater, medical clinic and a dance club.
Thats actually a goodie idea^^
I like that idea a lot
Or homeless people
Or a beautiful animal rescue
Good idea
I notice that for many of these dead malls, the final straw was the 2008 financial crisis.
Many banks were running on credit or over leveraged. In 2008 lending slowed down forcing many malls to go chapter 11.
malls were shit all along, people stoped thinking, kids off to the mall rack up credit cards, parents divorced at work all day jacking off, while thats goin on, the cleptomaniac eliteist usa gov. took all to the bank and cashed out your life
Joey Zuraski Management saw change coming and didnt know how to adapt. Sears could do ok by streamlining and changing its model to Sears.com, go back to wish catalog of 1900 except use the 21c wishbook, the net and concentrate on hardware, lawn, applliances, ditch clothing except for seasonal, uniform. It is possible.
its also because people shop online now. people dont like going to malls anymore
+Jeffrey Allender, you're soooo shortsighted
I once owned a store in a dying mall, many, many years ago Bannister Mall here in Kansas City. I closed my store in 2000, and the mall itself closed for good in 2007. It was just awful the last 6 months I was there. Nothing more depressing than seeing a dead mall that you know used to be popular and filled with good stores.
BuccaneerBruce I think that's why I like Dead Malls so much. There's something eerie about seeing a place bustling with life so empty. It's weird seeing something that had so much significance to people just be forgotten like that. Sorry for your business too. At least you can say you opened up a business, not to many people can say that!
Eric Raymond
Hi Eric,
I also love all of the dead malls for all the reasons you do !
They're just so eerie and haunting !
And just so bizarre how they hold on through those death throes while the pulse just slips away slowly !
And Dan does such a good job !!! At filming and narration ! He puts out an excellent product !!!
Wish you well: Lola. ; )
+BuccaneerBruce Westminster Mall in Westminster CA in southrrn California in Orange County looks half abandoned. It used to be a great mall full of stores.
What store did you own? I remember Bannister Mall such a shame!
+Eric Raymond Same here, Eric. Fascinating to see places meant for a lot of people when there's hardly anyone or no one at all there. Along with dead malls and abandoned houses I like ocean liners and when the jets started taking off (literally and figuratively!) in the late 50's people nearly stopped using liners so much and in the 60's huge ocean liners were sailing with hardly any passengers. I mentioned to Dan in another video that the Queen Elizabeth once sailed from New York with 98 passengers in First Class or maybe 98 in all classes with a crew of 1,200. The S.S. United States was abruptly laid up in 1969 and for a long time everything was left as-is. De-humidifying units kept the interior dry. One author was permitted to explore the ship---and what an explore that must have been!--and found a newspaper that hadn't turned yellow because of the good air quality. I just finished reading about the S.S. Leviathan from the 1920's and 30's and the book I read had many interior and exterior photos of the ship taken while she was laid up before scrapping. It was fascinating to see and read about a decaying dead liner that had only a few people aboard for security and fire prevention and minimal maintenance.
The distant echoes,The elevator music, the lack of people, it’s so melancholic. Iv always found large open empty buildings, so sad. Hauntingly depressing 😒😒
I remember how the mall shops and overall mall marketing would attempt to alter your thinking with poster, lights, music,and get you all pumped and ready for impulse shopping. It worked back in the day. Today malls are old news and old concepts. They still try this approach. Just cheesy!
Yet strangely beautiful. I think so, anyway!
Could be the mall ghosts
"They're real crazy about pictures and video"
Films the security station
I took photos of malls in Eastern Canada and I never got approached by a security guard to stop taking photos.
I think a lot of it is how you conduct your self. And esp if they approach you, that's when it would really matter. If they can tell you're being polite, not intrusive on the PEOPLE but just filming the building, that would help go a long way. A big part of doing anything in life is how you carry yourself and your skills at communication.
#ThugLife
I'm a tile contractor, I'll tell you. Just look at the thousands and thousands and thousands of sq. ft. of tile and granite. I worked on 3 malls in my 28 years of doing this work. They spend millions and millions on these malls I mean just so much money you can't even believe. It's so sad.
But Im sure they made that money back during the years
They filed for bankruptcy. In the end, they lost all that money and are likely in debt.
The mall filed for bankruptcy, the investors have already sold their share and left with their dividend. The sad part would be the thousands of low-skilled jobs lost, and the small shop owners who probably lost a fortune when their investments failed.
Too much upkeep on these big malls, can you imagine having to replace a roof on these big malls?
In the US filling the bankruptcy doesent mean you have no money, just protects you from having to repay all your debts.
Likely they took out a lot of money before declaring it. The actual work force will have been screwed over though
OMG. I know I'm late to the party, but I lived in VA mid/late 90s and this mall was THE PLACE to go. High class, always crowded. I am flabbergasted.
Spaysee Staysee this was the mall I went to as a kid in the mid 90s with my mom for Christmas shopping, and it had better stores and a nicer food court. The Springfield mall was getting kind of run down and not as nice after Montgomery Wards closed.
I moved back like 3 years ago, and found out that Landmark closed and it’s sad for me just as I have some early childhood memories. Springfield mall is now hella nice and the Landmark is just a parking lot for Amazon trucks.
I live here still it's going thru upgrades
Just a guess: “The Communitay” whined until bus stops were put in. Then marauding packs of “youths” and “teens” shoplifted every store out of profitability and robbed and assaulted shoppers until nobody with money to spend would dare go there.
@@TheRealCaptainFreedom That is not what happened. I don't ever remember any incidents at this mall and it is not the best area but not a ghetto, it is expensive to live in that area inside the beltway. I think online shopping combined with there being way too many malls in Northern Virginia is what killed this mall. It died a slow death through out the 2000's while other malls - mainly Tysons thrived. The last time I went there was a few years ago, only the big end cap stores (Macys) were holding on and the central part looked just like Dan's video.
@@BenSmith-eh5zp Yep. Landmark never fell victim to packs of anything. The economy around it wasn't award-winning (it's better now but still...) and the owners never updated it - hence, no reason to go there or to bring your business there. When new tenants did move in (Records & Rarities), they left quickly because they were terrible. It was totally stuck in another decade and the owners didn't care. That's ultimately what killed it.
This place would make a cool and different type of college or high school. Fuck it right, just make it a school. The store could be classes
I was thinking that
We have those in my country. A mall turned into university.
Should be a homeless shelter
not high school because its easy to throw someone over those rails if they get mad. university or homeless shelter would be great
Dorian Barber ewwww hell no NO schools
Sears is ALWAYS the last surviving store in these old malls
Landover Mall about 30 minutes from Landmark that closed with Sears being the sole holdout. The reason is because Sears was the only one who owned their store. It held on for several years. Likewise for White Flint Mall that closed with Lord & Taylor in Rockville, Md.
Nah, it's usually a Bed Bath & Body Works, there are even rumors they still are open/operate in completely closed malls, LOL!
airplanegod LMAO right 😂
Nope, Sears is gone at our mall, all we have is Macy's and JC Penny's which are still thriving
@@yunilopez8211 You probably go to the same mall I do.
*Update as of 1/20:* The mall is still sitting there unused. For a very short time, you could go into Sears and see the rest of the mall from its mall entrance. Another CZcamsr found a way into the mall from the fire exit he was able to access and filmed throughout the mall. He did so very respectfully and did absolutely no damage. Still, there's no way security wasn't aware he was in there the entire time. They likely realized he meant no harm and just let him look around. Security did approach him after he'd gotten back outside and told him to leave which he did. After that happened, Sears installed dry wall over the old mall entrances so you can't see into/access the mall anymore.
Anyway, they are waiting for Sears to close. Like the rest of us, they imagined that would have happened by now as its completely awful and on one goes there. I can't for the life of me figure out how it continues to hang on. I bought a toaster from there a couple of years ago and it took me 30 minutes to find someone to check me out. I'm not kidding. 'Course, there was no money to be made so they were likely right to close the rest of the mall when they did. The old Macys is now a homeless shelter (great use, btw) and the parking lot/decks are in use by various car dealerships needing extra storage space for vehicles but the rest is just sitting there waiting for Sears to meet its inevitable end.
Nostal Jack Really appreciate the update. Please post again as new developments occur, if you don't mind. I live in Florida and have never been to this mall, but I find these videos and comments very interesting. Thanks!
Update: Sears has finally closed
@@maxwellgentry4034 I saw that it was on the chopping block. Glad it's finally gone. I'm only amazed by how long it lasted in its condition. We'll see if they bother to move forward with their town center motif given COVID-19.
Today is April 16, 2022. Demolition of Landmark Mall begins in May.
*Update as of 7/17/22* - Demolition is well underway. I drove by there a few days ago and saw Sears standing but all that remains of the rest of the rest of it is a metal frame. I doubt that'll be standing too much longer. You can just barely get onto the property and that's because a bus route goes through a small part of it (where the Macy's was).
I feel like it would be sweet to turn a mall into a community college lol
Go to Austin, Highland Mall become an Austin Community College campus.
You mean a brainwashing institution. 😎
@@richardertter4651 Sorry you didn't finish your degree u_u
otter waters college is a waste of time anyways
@@ahhh9k Sorry you didn't get one either lmao
The 'Stage' you referred to in the food court used to have a piano and live pianist. It would have been roped off to keep people away from the piano, though the piano was locked. I fondly remember as a kid eating my bourbon chicken and watching/listening to the talented pianist.
Stefan Neher Or it had a table and chairs so you could sit there and feel special
lmao are you sam neher’s dad?
The bourbon chicken..I remember those days. The Chinese place at the food court would ALWAYS ask if you wanted a sample. Lol
I used to eat the bourbon chicken as a kid too! Such good memories of this place.
This is the most wholesome comment I have ever read
It's going to be great to see this mall restored to its 80s glory in Wonder Woman next year. A big sequence was filmed in the mall which was dressed to look like 1984!
Ooo that makes me excited
I think it's a gorgeous mall, what a shame.
i live 30 minutes away from that mall i remeber back just 4 years ago it'd be so hard just to get around the place because there was soo many people there then i went in there about a few months ago and now its like a scene from an apocalypse movie
It kind of sucks that someone doesn't have the balls to come up with ideas to bring in more people to this mall, like having an Imax theatre or renovation plans or something.
Its floor plan really did not allow for a movie theater at all, which really hurt the mall too. They seemed to collapse when the first toy store left (there were 2). Then the second got competition from a discount toy place, but both collapsed and then they both left.
flickinggamer Actually, I think the first thing to go was the Burger King. That was the marker for me that things were going south.
flickinggamer o
In the immortal words of Mitch Hedberg, "I love escalators because they can never breakdown, they just become stairs."
Bryan Johnson how do you want your eggs ... incubated
Crazy. I lived in Alexandria, VA for 15 years in the 80's and 90's. Came here all the time. Always crowded and clean. I really wonder where the hell people go nowadays.
Silas Ben-Zoheth at home on Their phones online shopping
MCR PTV true
Springfield, Tyson’s, Potomac mills LMFAO
Tysons
Yea Tyson’s
anyone else binge watching this series?
Yes
thank god i'm not the only one
+RJ edmiston i may sounds lame but does "binge" means? Thanks!
it basicly means watching alot of it at once, or watching a whole series of a show.....
or getting drunk......
but never mind that
today, May 24th 2016
why do malls put rest rooms down those long corridors? those are like prime mugging and stabbing areas
One mall near me has those kinds of labyrinthine passages to one set of restrooms, every time I go to that one I nearly get lost and either almost wind up in the womens' restroom or the janitors' closet by accident. Suprisingly, that mall as a whole is really nice, so I don't think it's a trend limited to dead/sleazy malls.
sawceboss76 probably one reason it’s closing. At one time probably a good part of town. Just saying 🤔
They had a criminal helping the design team so he could rob mug and do not forget rape and kill people
I think they didn't want to sacrifice center mall property for places they don't get rent on. Today, some of the newer malls have rest rooms located in reasonable places like by the food court or where people are. No hallways or mystery doors.
I think they also do it when its originally an outdoor mall so all the mall owned spaces can be in one "central" space accessible from many entrance points, but once it is enclosed it seems kind of silly
This is a true DEAD mall. I watch a lot of these videos bc I work in retail and sometimes I'm like ehhh that could be better or fixed or revived. But no, this is truly dead.
I seen worst malls than this and I’m like nahh they can fix it. You haven’t seen anything
I live right next to here they actually remodeled almost the entire thing, difference is night and day. Should reform back to this state in 10 years or so.
Sears is still there not COMPLETELY dead
To Dan Bell and everyone puzzled of "WHY" . . A great deception has befallen all of us. Manufacturing fat cats knew well that men don't shop like women and no amount of slick advertising was going to convince men to spend as women do. If you manufacture washing machines for instance, if you were to split a wife from a husband, she will still have access to his money and shop as she wants to. Cosmo Magazine ran stories aimed a married women leading them to believe they were not happy and could do better. Ladies you know you were gullible.
Malls were made and designed to attract women. Other then clothing most malls offer little to men. . . Fact#2. The 2008 housing crash caused far more damage then anyone realizes.
The mall was a hospital to many ladies, when depressed you went to the mall where you bought a little happiness for the day. . But the treatment wore off fast didn't it. . .Ladies you have woken, and are now awake. . .
TheChronDiggidy they actually haven’t. They’re taking down Sears and used the mall to film Wonder Woman which is why they had a lot of people around but there’s no future plans (known anyways) for the mall
Just some background information: This area is home to some of the most affluent neighborhoods in America. It is nothing like the typical decaying places that many of these videos are located. The current state of the mall is due to changed shopping patterns and competition from MANY other high end malls in the area. Some of these malls include: Tysons Corner (largest mall in the state and one of the largest in America), Tysons Corner Galleria (features very expensive name brands), Fair Oaks, Potomac Mills, Springfield Town Center, Pentagon City, etc. Many of these malls are very modern and almost all of them have had complete face lifts or have been completely renovated. The fact that this area can host so many shopping malls in a time where many are closing is baffling. Well actually not baffling considering 6 of the 10 most wealthiest jurisdictions are in this area. As for Landmark Mall, reconstruction has been slowed down by the mall's two anchors (Sears and Macys). They have agreed for the new plans to be more of an open type mall but must remain open during all of construction; therefore, slowing the process. More information can be found on the Washington Post.
Nick Martin Springfield town center used to be old and dated, but they finished renovating it in the last few years. now it looks really nice.
+Nick Martin I went to Tysons Corner Galleria with my wife and her sister so they could buy new purses. It was near my birthday so my wife and her sister snuck off and bought me a nearly $1,000 belt. I made them return it. It's ridiculous to waste money on a belt, now matter how high brow the cow was that 'donated' the leather.
My mother's been shopping at Tysons since before I was born. Family moved out of McLean and only been there handful of times since. Never knew it's one of the biggest in the country.
Nick Martin Im glad you made this distinction because this video is pretty misleading. I grew up here and live here now and this is far from a struggling economy. Quite the contrary. This mall just got left behind. Very vibrant/wealthy neighborhood. The could easily build $750thousand to $million condos in it's place and make an incredible profit.
I want to thank you for this. I was very sad about not being able to go see it before it closed. I spent so many moments here with my grandmother growing up. I remember having my first passport pictures taken there. I lost a tooth a the Burger King there when my grandma would be sneaky and let me have junk food. We'd go to the dollar store or cvs and get snacks and little nik naks. Later she'd watch me play and we'd have our little adventures together.
Thank you, this means the world to me.
My first ever job was in this mall. Crazy af to see this
I feel ya, brother. My first job was FYE in my mall. Gonna be crazy when the whole thing closes.
Hamada2u
What store did u work in?
This place screams vaporwave.
Christ! That Cajun Gourmet has been there for around 20 years... and I think the same Asian lady has been handing out free bourbon chicken samples for about as long.
It's the only restaurant left in there now that the Chick Fil A closed.
You are right! The Cajun Gourmet was there in the 1980s!!! I saw Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees in that mall!!!( Back when he wrote his book!!)
Lived in Alexandria 90-95. Shopped there all the time. So sad to see it like that. It was a fancy mall.
You know a mall is dead if there's no Hot Topic or Spencer's
For real!
Fucking emo
@@spatonu9150 lmao
Aww 😂😂😭😭
Ikr once those two leave, my mall is no longer a mall
I live in walking distance from this mall, I remeber when it was filled with stores and was popular in my childhood. I miss that, this mall will always be a part of me
Same here.
Was born in '91 in Alexandria Hospital. I've lived here my whole life and NEVER step foot in this mall. We've just had much better options to go as long as I can remember. Georgetown, Tysons, Pentagon City, even Springfield. Now I wish I had went to see it. Never thought i'd be gone.
Yeah I remember this mall and it had everything and music stores, book stores, video games to play and a great food court and I remember Sam Goody, Kemp Mill Records, Tower Records, Virgin Records, Waxie Maxies, and Books A Million, Barnes N Noble, Sears, JC Penny, they even had a chocolate store with all different chocolates,
and candy! The only Mall that everyone goes to know is Tyson's Corner which is killing everything and Fair Oaks Mall is hanging by a thread, and Springfield Mall is gone! They even had a cool pizza place too! Everyone back in the days hung out at the mall because it was the biggest thing around! The internet killed everything! All the shopping malls are dying and I wouldn't doubt if Movie Theaters are next because you can download a movie before seeing in theaters. Best Buy is still open, I miss the good times when people had jobs, and income, money was coming in and the American Dream was alive and back in the 80s and 90s it was a great time to be a kid! I miss the good times and how life was so carefree and easy back then! I hate 2017 and things are going to get alot worse because of Technology and its taken over everything!
Springfield Mall has become Springfield Town Center. It's still technically a mall though. Then there's Potomac Mills, that's still around. But, it IS true that Internet shopping is having an adverse effect on malls.
Angel Simone Nah, movie theaters won’t die that fast. So many nerds flock there to see big movies still. It’s still a p big deal to see a movie “first” in theaters. My teenage buddies like to see movies there still.
Who remembers the 70's and 80's when malls where THE PLACE to hang out with your friends?
Now it's hanging out at home texting each other...glad I was a teen back then not now.
tbh both practices are as bad as each other- consumerism.
Ok boomer
Ok boomer
Hey my friend, here in Brazil people still going to the mall a lot! Evening some malls you must to pay for parking your car, just like in an airport, in the seasons they are full of people.
ok boomer
The mall staff is "crazy" about people filming and taking pictures. Why? Are they trying to keep it a secret that there's no stores there, hoping no one will notice the empty parking lots? Some people are so stupid.
I like the '80s / '90s aesthetic though, that's what gives malls their original charm. Too bad the rest of society doesn't.
Finest Potato The first malls in America were built in the late '50s and the beginning of the video clearly states this one opened in 1965. I appreciate the attempt to troll though; goodbye.
Finest Potato And your a bloody moron
It was BUILT around that time but their latest renovation looks like it was around the early 90s so...
Right :(
I do also like the aestetic too, like very like Polaroid and very pastel, i love it lol
That's my favourite dead mall so far. I love how they try to take care by putting walls up, caring about the plants, the 90s vibe, the light. It's clean and taken care of. So sad it had to close.
This mall is amazing, I should ask if I can open a store for like 100 bucks and just call it, "Just don't give a fuck"
+Blahsheep Landmark had one of these in 1998.
***** Funny a guy calls me that at work.
***** Well no shit lol
Eddie Wu wut
name all the stores from Mallrats like the carpet flooring store was called Rug Munchers lol
I love the early 90s look almost as much as the neon 80s look, but for different reasons. Muted tones and off-white, florescent lighting that's always either just a little too dark or a little too bright, naked metal with no paint or cold/dim pastels, return to more sharp and rectangular designs in contrast with the flowing curves or boxes you'd see more often in the 80s... It reminds me of like a very soft cyberpunk. Cold and impersonal, but without any real grit. Check out a dirty old thrift store at the edge of town, and you'll see what I mean.
Mister Bones right there with you my brother I love your observation and I love these aesthetics
Malls are basically dead in small to medium cities....with one exception. Malls located in high metropolitan areas, with a high turn over of people(TOURISTS) will do well. High traffic areas that get lots of tourists and travelers will do well. The others will soon be gone.
Yeah malls near busy airports and hotels do well
Yes but not this mall. It was in a prime area near airports, DC, off metro connector lines.....
This mall is close to D.C.
So is Tyson’s Corner Center
I live in Vienna Va and Tyson Corner mall is thriving. Crowded everyday but most others are empty.
kinda mad that there is a chick-fil-a at an empty mall but not one at mine which is a full one
*THIS IS WHERE THEY FILMED WONDER WOMAN 1984😱😱 I JUST FOUND THAT OUT*
I just about to say that as I had noticed the thumbnail looked awfully familiar to the one in WW84 trailer!
my mom used to work there in the early 2000’s-
yeah i noticed that when i was watching the movie yesterday evening
Huh no way!! Wow interesting!
Yeah bruh i saw the movie and was like “OMG THATS LANDMARK”
Oddly enough those slick floors are ideal for 1980/90 break dancing. Now that no one would stop them there are no more break dancers.
You're actually wrong. There are more " break dancers " than ever before. Especially around the world. Countries like, Japan, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, France have countless. I was part of that generation of Bboys ( break boys ) from the late 90's up until around 2014 who went to malls to do my powermoves because of the slick floor. As a matter of fact, breaking is so advanced nowadays that everybody damn near practices the same moves, styles, that it gets boring after watching a few videos or going to live competitions.
It's not dying out like these malls but it sure has reached a point where there isn't much more to discover in terms of what else can your body do to wow the crowds, people.
Regards !
@Yogibearstie Crunk ain’t dead bihh!!
😅😂
Not to mention there was NO breaking dancing after the mid-80s
These malls can be refurbished into housing, community sevices, medical and buisness centers.
They can but why bother? The original design isn't conducive to those things. Maintaining a building this large is unimaginably expensive. It's better to simply demolish it and build something that's actually suited for what you want to replace it with.
Interestingly enough, a homeless shelter has relocated to part of the Macy's while their old property in Old Town is reconstructed.
Yeah, every tiny scrap of forested land in Fairfax County, VA is being bulldozed for more expensive crappily built townhouses for DC commuters, and this thing sits empty.
You could always demo the walls and just keep the floors pillars and main studs walls and rebuild
@ByeBitch 《: with what's happening today, I would have to disagree. I used to think Republicans were conservative; until John McCain, Jeff Flake, Bob Corker, Lisa Murkowski, etc , , , you get the picture.
*circles removed from plaster wall*
DEPRESSION INITIATES
Yeah I don't get why that one is depressing
@@RealNameNeverUsed Because it shows the stores that people use to come for that are now forever gone into the past, and any memory of them was wiped from the walls and history. And, while that may be a small thing it can get pretty existential once one thinks of all the happy memories one has in places that are either no longer the same or are gone entirely-- just like how we all will be eventually.
Lesbian
TyphlosionGirl thats really deep I appreciate reading that
I feel like lots of older malls had crazy corridors leading to toilets. I low key miss them. Was fun as a kid. Although I guess nowadays there's less risk of getting lost and shifting into alternate dimension in search of a restroom
It would be nice if malls could be used for offices or even converted into hospitals but they are just so huge
Lauren Boada can you imagine your office being at an old mall and make it thematic like that, Imagine google repurposing it and making all the food court items available for free, that would be the bomb, and also adding some adult playgrounds and napping pods, why hasn’t anybody thought of this!!??
@@oscarrimoreI like the idea of adult playgrounds.
Some of them manage it. I work in a mall that was turned into some very nice offices, after a larger mall was built nearby.
Here in south Florida we have a old mall on Hollywood beach that they use as offices now the mall also has a old hotel on the top of it and I keep saying they need to do something for the homeless with it
You could convert them into offices or schools, but to make them into hospitals or apartments would require a huge amount of in-ground piping to be put in.
You'd have to take out parts of the concrete floor all over the place. They don't even bother to take the foundations and floor slabs out when they tear the places down because of how much work it is.
Too bad they shut the fountains down and downgraded them into planters. I'm a huge fan of mall fountains and it's pretty much one of the only draws for me to go to a mall.
Check out my video on Schuylkill Mall. Five vintage fountains still in use.
+This is Dan Bell. I know it isn't a dead mall but i'd love to see you do a video on the Monroeville Mall. I like your videos and your commentary. I think it would be a great video if you did it :D
+This is Dan Bell. The Lebanon valley mall in Lebanon county PA is not doing so good in the past few months. I go there a lot and there are still some stores open but there will be more closing soon.
+Christian Blade at least they arent ya know wasting new materials and recycling
+Christian Blade There's a fairly large fountain area at the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs, it used to have 3 waterfall like areas with decent sized fountains in each of the 3 pools of water, a couple years ago they stopped using it like that and just fill the top and bottom one and placed some cheap pond fountains in them, nothing like it used to be.
This was one of my favorite malls to go back in the 90's. Sad to see it now closed but I guess Pentagon City right up the street was a more prefered mall, but I always thought this place was much cooler due to the 90's style vibe it had. RIP Landmark.
they could adapt old malls into senior housing....and then have stores and Dr offices that could be right there for residents.....that would certainly fill a need with our aging population....
Yep small affordable apartments for seniors would be awesome.
Blue Bird I know this is late by 2 years but they made something like that close to where Macy’s was I don’t really remember what it is but they have something there to help a community of people, I just don’t remember who. On a side note I have birds too : )
Blue Bird no mammm they should bring the mall back
I adore this series. It's like my new bedtime ritual.
Asmr
Same, this and ADR are my bedtime routine.
Idk why closing stores make me sad, I just feel like they all have backgrounds and story’s. I mean someone could of fallen in love, fallen out of love, had the worst day and the best day of there life. I mean I know it’s only for shopping but there must be so many backgrounds with it.
Yes, indeed! I worked at the Sears briefly in 1979 and met my (future) husband there; it was a Sears "match", you could say, lol. I moved out of state the next year and was floored when I went back for a visit and it was enclosed - in my mind, it's still the outdoor mall my mom and I shopped at while I was growing up. Not as big, but the outdoor version had a certain charm... and a lot of memories attached to it. There was talk at one time of Amazon eyeing the property for a distribution center; last I heard, it's being demolished and a mixed use facility with a hospital is going onto the site.
It's really sad that I have to grow up seeing malls die, in all honesty. I think malls are better than online shopping, more sales, more to see, and you don't have to be so specific. If you online shop, you have to be know exactly what thing and what brand you're looking for. In malls, you just go to what's there and see what you like.
Yeah it reminds you how short life is. Soon we will all be dead. What's the point to life anyways? This sucks! :(
The internet has a far wider selection than any physical store, and online stores allow browsing by keyword or category.
I plan to enter cryostasis upon my clinical death, in case future medicine is ever able to revive me.
Logan L I live in a small city in Canada we have a about 5 malls in our city most are doing pretty good but one has always struggled and there is talk of tearing it down
No, you should be happy malls are dying. They've helped instigate decades of suburban sprawl. The malls that are dying were poorly planned and usually refused to evolve. We have a mall near Minneapolis called Southdale (the first major shopping mall ever) that is selling off parcels of their big parking lots to multi-family housing. These new residents are helping urbanize formally suburban areas.
Grant Simons you should word the start of the paragraph better, yes, many suburban malls weren't made well, and they should die. There are too many, but not all malls deserve to die, for example, MacGarthur center is a mall in he heart of downtown Norfolk, Va, the mall is absolutely amazing and helped to revive Granby St, a st that had been inactive for a long time. And the mall is a very very well made one, it certainly doesn't deserve to die. As are many of the others in the areas surrounding it. Suburban malls should loose abundance, but ones that are in the heart of urban and popular areas should not die.
In the 70’s and 80’s I loved hanging out in the malls with friends. The parking lots were so full you couldn’t even get a parking space. The lines to pay for things took awhile too.
Everyone you knew at school was hanging around. It was really fun.
A lost time we will never see again.
That being said... I admit I’m happy to be about to shop online and find the best price.
Why was it shut down?
Could be an all enclosed school with stores serving as class rooms. UCM - University of Closed Mall.
Seeing this mall really makes me appreciate all the hard work my local mall is putting into redoing the lighting and flooring and paint every decade or so. I remember when it looked like this one but even today it is filled with people and just as busy as ever.
Covering up those empty stores gives such a claustrophobic feel
I worked inside the abandoned Landmark Mall for three months on Wonder Woman 2. We turned it back to 1984, with all the right stores, video arcade etc.I know every corner of it now, got stuck in the freight elevators a few times too. The land the mall sits on is worth about a billion dollars. some of it will be torn down & rebuilt as something, but not stores.
What kind of work did you do and what was your interactions like with the cast and crew?
It's been completely leveled now. I heard it's going to become a hospital.
My family used to go to this mall all the time when I was a kid. My mom and sister still get their hair done here. Tyson's, Cystal City and Potomac Mills malls have thrived though, so malls in VA are definitely just as popular if not more than in the 80's and 90's.
i'm from europe, it amazes me how similar the malls are here, i've seen a couple of these videos, this mall looks exactly the same as a mall near me, the flowers hanging over, fountains, the exact same floor, laylout, it seems a very 80s thing.
it looks like queensgate in uk
this looks like an ideal zombie hunting spot
Remembering 1992 it’s not that deep. i’m an adult that is fully aware of the differences between reality and fantasy. appreciate the lecture though !
@@ug1yrat47 old man yells at cloud
@@Remembering-rq6si because real life fucking sucks.
Found the boomer
Some of these malls have a Dunham sports that has guns, ammos, bows and blades so you can run there when the zomvies come
I grew up near here. My parents used to take me here to fix my eyeglasses all the time. I haven't been in it since at least 2005. Seeing it now is like watching your much beloved childhood dog who used to run around and chase you now struggling to take breaths and hold their head up. It's just so devastatingly sad
I grew up in Annandale, which was super close and I played SNES and Sega for the first time in the early 90s. Good memories, so sad what happened to Landmark mall.
Makes you wonder how much deferred maintenance goes on in these almost dead malls?
UPDATE: Macy's is now permanently closed, and Sears is the last store here, and is STILL OPEN.
How? Didn't they crash and burn like last year?
@@chrishusted9296 no
@It’s OK Oli We were talking about 2019, which it was still open until 2020.
Sears is closed or at least I assume because we drove past the mall today and the Sears logo was removed and only the marks of it is there
Yeah, they closed it some time recently.
Malls were cool in the 80's....Fast times at Ridgemont High.
I wish I had money to buy these malls and turn them to cheap apartments.
I started watching this series last year , I like it , but yeah they could fix these up for apartments .they should do this for all the dead malls
You'd have to put in thousands of windows. Just that alone would bankrupt you.
That is why you don't.
There probably wouldn't be enough people
There would be zoning issues with that no?
Wow it would had been such a beautiful fun place to go if the mall was still alive. Now it feels like a ghost mall. So sad.
I always thought that they keep these large empty malls open for community safety locations in case of a natural disaster.
Erika In Indy or a zombie apocalypse
Yeah, but if there is no revenue it hard to keep something that large safe and operational.
Erikk Friberg County grants.
@White Boy ...well tornadoes aren't the only natural disasters.
Though it was gross, the Super Dome in New Orleans served its purpose for a lot of people.
Went shopping here in 2002, when visiting a friend. I can't believe how empty it is. It was packed when we were there.
I grew up going to this mall and now it’s been closed down. Seeing this video brings back so much nostalgia and for some reason I’m sad
At least this was the mall was in wonder women.
So many childhood memories at Landmark Mall. So sad to see how much it has changed
same ):
Same here! I grew up going to that mall with mom and dad, I had an lot of fun playing that bug stepping game on the center court floor and playing with the other kids at the play space. As an Alexandria resident, I’m sad that I didn’t get to have one last visit before it was demolished.
I lived in Alexandria for 16 years...Sad to see how abandoned the mall is now.
Makes me sad how technology replaces jobs places like this 😵
The US built way too much reatil space over the last 25 years. The depression of 2007 coupled with the rise of Amazon has brought along some much needed correction. What towns and cities choose to do with all this dead space will be interesting to see.
What's the absolute worst they can do if they catch you taking pictures or video -- trespass you and tell you never to come back to this dead mall???
gmc9753 good point! 😹
Fine for trespassing I think?? Someone said this is privately owned hence that rule.
When I was growing up in the 80s, we called this mall "Landshark." The fact that this mall failed really says something, because it occupies some of the most optimal real estate in northern Virginia, being located near the interchange of the capital Beltway and I-395. Up until the mall closed, the massive parking garage was being used to store new car inventory from area dealerships. Great video, Dan!
Love that 90's feel!
Fun Fact: Some scenes from the upcoming movie Wonder Woman 2 was shot at this mall
the little stage in the food court was a stage for a grand piano..they used to have a guy playing all the time.
Jay Branson I wonder what that piano man does now
how old are you I'm 51 and rare hear anyone refer to Sears as "Sears & Roebuck."
I think Dan looks like he's in his 30s.
o+Jesus Zamora I am 76 and nearly always say Sears and Roebuck.
It is rather convoluted but Roebuck was, for all intents and purpose was bought out in 1995! It was a great co, and fell asleep by 1960. That's when the upstart from Bentonville had the bright idea; and implemented it. The great company grew fat and lazy. Lean, Mean Sam showed how it was done.
I still refer to the local Macy's as "Bon Marche."
Dorrecrion: Roebuck was bought out in 1895 not 1995' as my phat finger said!
Come to military circle mall in norfolk,VA. It's still open but is depressing and almost no one is ever there.
I live not far from there. It's very depressing. I remember when I was a teen that Military Circle Mall and JANAF was THE place to hang out on the weekends. You had the Mall, Circle 4 and Circle 6 theaters (and the one across VB blvd at JANAF), Milton's Pizza, Putt-Putt and Flipper McCoy's. Always something going on and you could meet up with friends and have a fun day for $20. All dead and gone now, even the Chinese buffet is gone. I don't even know what kids do nowadays except live in their phones.
They should turn these malls into schools.
+Paul Sop I like that idea, you could also have a retirement facility and dog training school, all feed from and can support the other.
Maybe even have a section for inmates.
You could also probably use this as a multi-purpose library.
+PubliusAfricanus They are in the process of turning the Oak Hallow Mall in North Carolina into university classrooms.
Imagine if Bernie Sanders reinvented these malls into tution free universities
I can see this mall from my window. They had a sign out front saying they were redeveloping - which led to a dead website. The signs gone now. It was used as a backdrop for Wonder Woman 1984, and a lot of local car dealerships use its garages for storage. Somehow, only the sears is still open.
my mom used to have her tailor shop on the first floor and my brother and i would go to work with her all the time. i have so many memories/adventures w this place 🥺
I used to love going to this mall bacause of their amazing arcade on the top floor in the late 90's. Also I remember it always used to be packed with people on weekends.
Pocket Change was the name of the arcade
I remember coming here a lot, it's closed for now but it will be renovated! According to their site, "the new Landmark will feature new residences, plazas and green spaces for community events, shops and restaurants, a 10-screen movie theater and more." I'm hoping this does happen, it would be a shame to see this mall gone.
Feels so eerie with it being empty and elevator music playing
One of the local malls in my area (called Highland Mall) was converted into a community college. That mall had been dying for years and now it actually looks really cool inside and serves a totally different purpose. It's a shame that more towns don't try to do this with their dying malls. Maybe cities just don't have the funds to do something like that but it's a shame these huge buildings go to waste. Places should at least try to convert them into something new that benefits a community.
mejasourus And Barton Creek mall is starting to go downhill now.
lostbetweenthenotes yeah like call center or eorobics.
My elementary school cafeteria used to serve 'American Pizza' - it was this thick toast type of bread, with a chunky tomato sauce, burnt cheese, and ground beef on top.
It was disgusting.
DementedDistraction what does this have to do with malls?
DementedDistraction seen a bunch of fairground places named "New York style pizza"
you mean Lunchables?
Was the tomato sauce old and stale and was the "cheese" imitation cheese?
I used to go to Landmark all the time as a kid. The mall might be closed now, but in the early weeks of April there is always a little carnival hosted in the parking lot. The mall lives on despite everything.
This mall is on prime land in Alexandria right off 395. I'm sure it'll be redeveloped into a faux-urban lifestyle center with condos. It simply could not compete with Fashion Centre at Pentagon City right up the road to the north and the massive Tysons Corner Center to the west, the recently remodeled Springfield Town Center (which was pretty tired before the renovations) to the south kept this mall from really prospering.
This series is surreal to me partly because the 2 malls in my area are both still pretty busy, wouldn't have guessed there was a national collapse if it wasn't for this channel.
I used to shop there when I first moved to Northern Virginia. It was used in the Wonder Woman movie that has yet to be released
Shame. It looks like it was once a nice mall
It was.
It was. I used to shop there often as a teenager. Before it was a shopping mall, it was a shopping center.
Tommy Siro it was pretty lit before it closed idek why they closed though
It was
Nice little tour. Yes...very Nineties. Food Court is just how I remembered it from around 1994. 😆 Those odd little gazebos in the food court were for people who wanted to feel special -a couple tables and added loft made for a charming night out at Sbarro’s. If a place is titled “Italian Pizza” it’s being run by Thais or Iranians.
Gosh do I miss this mall. I remember my aunt bringing me along for her hair appointments, one of my older cousins working at the arcade when he was a teenager, and just coming here with family. In the mid-nineties, this place was definitely awesome. Now I just feel all nostalgic and sad. 😔
Before the final closing, or maybe even after it closed, it was used for Wonder Woman 2 filming - which was in Junish this year. I mean, given that the film is set in the 80s, this mall really fit the bill for the space.
they should play africa by toto
Alexa play ram ranch
Your videos are amazing. This place is so beautiful. Gorgeous 90's architecture.
My apartment is overlooking this mall. How sad.
Don 😂😂
2019 note: Amazon is renting and buying up dis-used strip malls and converting them to warehouses that can deliver most customer orders same/next day. Expect them to open Amazon retail outlets. Meanwhile, lots of other low-end jobs, been that way for a few years.
I live a couple miles from this place, and remember going here as a kid. It's been a slowly declining bag of sadness for YEARS
Dan, this entire mall closed last January? Just another one of many. Times have changed so much. Yes, shopping malls were mainly a social scene as well as a shopping gala. Just like in the film "Mallrats". And knowing from my own experience, walking around a huge mall with few people feels creepy. It's a 21st century ghost town, and most people won't even work there, let alone shop there. Thank YOU Amazon, and many other websites.
Halpin2006 Do you not like malls? Cause sites like Amazon are the reason these malls are dead.
コックスR I C H A R D N I X O N I think it was sarcasm
LameStudioInc, I think online websited aren't the reasons malls like these are closing, its because they haven't updated their look, it feels depressing to walk in practically a vacant 80's time capsule, malls update their look, sales will go up
You're my hero... Absolutely no one knows what mallrats even is... One of my top 3 favorite movies.. I swear it was made at the Dort mall .... Lol. "Dirt mall" in flint Michigan
Thank you Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of North America as ruled by Barack Saddam Hussein Obama!!!!!!!
I live close to this mall and I remember coming as a kid with my mom and it was always crowded :(. 2015 was the last time I entered this mall and it was almost empty. So sad because every time I pass by it I always think about when I was a kid
“Sit there and feel special” 😂😂😂😂✌🏾