Monday, July 31, 2006

Oakbrook Center


Oak Brook, Illinois - circa 1963

Colorful and oh-so-inviting view of the well-manicured grounds at Oakbrook Center mall. Back of this postcard reads:
"Looking across the beautifully landscaped Mall in one of the largest planned shopping centers in the nation. 5,000 chrysanthemums are planted here yearly."
History: 1962 - present
Architect: Richard Marsh Bennett
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2



Northridge Mall



Milwaukee, Wisconsin - circa 1974

Here are two great interior shots of the now-defunct Northridge Mall, in Milwaukee. These were taken not very long after the mall's opening in '73. (photos courtesy & © the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries)

Like many dead malls, this one's history was a colorful, and ultimately, sad one. For a number of years a thriving, happy place to be, only to wind up dying an ugly, steady death, beginning in the early '90s. It was razed to make way for a standard strip mall site called, Granville Station.

Mall history: 1973 - 2002 (dead)
Current aerial view (outdated, still showing the mall)
Resource articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Previous entries: none



Mall del Norte


Laredo, Texas - circa late '70s

Another kind of gloomy looking interior photo of Mall del Norte (like the last one I posted of it). Though I'm not complaining, because I like them dark and gloomy, as I've mentioned before. I'm not sure why, I just do. The darker and gloomier, the betterer ! :)

History: 1977 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1



Saturday, July 29, 2006

Winter Park Mall


Winter Park, Florida - circa 1959

Not too shabby, eh? Winter Park Mall (now Winter Park Village) really had a nice center court. This scene is just an amazing sight to my eyes. The views at the aerial link below are quite spectacular, too!

Mall history: 1950's - late '90s (redeveloped)
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4



Retro Video - The Front Line (1965)


The Front Line (1965)

I'm sorry, but I just love the heck out of these goofy old public domain industrial films! Can't resist posting them here (and I think they're related enough, in the general scheme and mood of things). You'll have to bear with me if you don't share my enthusiasm, cuz I think they rock. :) And this one is almost a pop art masterpiece of exploding colors, music, hair-do's, and groceries, in my opinion!

This film is a 1965 instructional short from the Super Market Institute, that delves into the fine art of cashiering, and all that it entails (which is a lot, it turns out). There's some really nice vintage grocery store footage in it, including all those gaudy, old-timey cash registers and food labels and what not.

I know this whole super market deal pretty well myself, as a matter of fact, having worked in a huge Farmer Jack grocery store here in Michigan for quite a while many years ago. Those people earn their money, let me tell you! (The good ones anyway, who actually care and work hard at it, which not everyone does.) It aint no jazz garden, that's for sure.

Our checkers today:



Note: Video is Flash format. If you don't see it, you must temporarily disable your ad-blocking programs.



Exton Square Mall


Exton, Pennsylvania - circa 1970s

Beautiful fountain and interior of Exton Square Mall. Looks like a pretty tall plume of water there! Impressive scale for an indoor fountain. Actually, this fountain court, looks very similar to the one that was in Cinderella City Mall. Almost an identical setup, even down to the apparent water spray height (40-foot plume Cinderella City had--not sure this one is quite that tall).

Mall history: 1973 - current
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1



Friday, July 28, 2006

Mayfield Mall


Mountain View, California - circa 1966

This groovy photo speaks for itself! The quintessential looking swinging sixties mall, complete with funky flower pattern hangings, and wall-to-wall carpeting (which this mall had). I only wish this shot was in color! (image courtesy of the Mountain View Preservation Alliance)

According to the MVPA:
"The Mall was shut down in 1984 after owners felt it could not compete with newer or expanding malls like Vallco and San Antonio Center. The building was converted into an HP office building. HP is vacating the building in the near future, and the future development of the property has yet to be determined."
Obviously there's no official website for Mayfield Mall (Northern California's first fully enclosed, climate-controlled mall) since it's long gone, but a quick search found some good background info on this cool page, among a few others, if you're interested.

History: 1960s - 1984 (dead)
Previous entries: none



Dixie Square "The Dead Mall" Promo


Harvey, Illinois

Haunting (and rather spooky) promotional video with lots of footage of the long-abandoned (and quite decrepit and scary looking) Dixie Square Mall. I'm really looking forward to this upcoming documentary from Paw Filmworks. Below is the information they included with the video:
"Promotional video put together by the Paw Filmworks "Dixie Square" documentary crew back in November 2005. Some never-before-seen footage of 'The Deadest Mall In America' set to the music of Parliament Funkadelic's haunting 'Maggot Brain' instrumental."
Mall history: 1966 - 1978
Architect: Hornbach & Steenwyk
Fan website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3

Note: Video is Flash format. If you don't see it, you must temporarily disable your ad-blocking programs.



Thursday, July 27, 2006

Tacoma Mall


Tacoma, Washington - circa 1960s

The Bon Marché anchor at Tacoma Mall, looks very regal and classy here. I always liked the flags on top of these stores, too. Nice touch. Many thanks to Tyler Kaye, for this great photo! He added some helpful info, too:
"The Bon Marche opened in August 1964 before the rest of the mall was built. J.C. Penney and the main concourse opened in October 1965, and Nordstrom-Best opened in 1966. That was Phase One. Liberty House (later Frederick & Nelson and now Mervyn's) and a west wing was added in 1973. Sears and the northeast wing came in 1981. Nordstrom expanded in 1983.

A significant remodel came in 2000, which added a food court. More changes will come next February when Mervyn's goes out of business and their store will be demolished to make way for a new Nordstrom. The very dated current Nordstrom will be torn down for an outdoor lifestyle center--BOO!"
Boo, indeed. :(

(Ugh, Blogger's giving me all kinds of trouble (and errors) trying to post this! Hope it gets through OK.)

Mall history: 1964 - present
Architect: John Graham
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2



Coral Ridge Mall


Fort Lauderdale, Florida - circa 1970s

Need some data on the Coral Ridge Mall if anyone out there has any to share. Found very little online about it (at least around my usual haunts). I found no official website for it, nor do I know what year it was first opened--though I know it's still there and operating. Many thanks to Rob, for this great submission!

Please Note: Posting is currently a real struggle here this morning (and was yesterday too!), as Blogger is having some serious problems right now. I'll try to at least get something posted here in the next few minutes while I have time (if it'll let me), but basically, if you don't see much new here today, and if the site is hard to even get to load and you get weird errors, you know why. Hopefully they'll get it all worked out later today.

History: ? - present
Current website: none
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none



Water Fountains

No, these aren't all mall fountains (or even in America), but heck they're fountains, and those always remind me of the shopping mall vibe! And besides, what climate-controlled mall blog worth its salty pretzels wouldn't offer you some sweet fountains to gaze at and cool off in--especially when it's so flippin' hot outside, like lately in many portions of the US?!

So here are just a few of the many nice water fountain videos I found on YouTube of late. Let's kick off our shoes, relax for a few moments, and take a little fountain break! :) Btw, to avoid auditory annoyance, watch the volume, as some are louder than others.


Taipei 101 - Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC


Shopping Center - Nurnburg, Germany


Sunshine City Mall - Ikebukuro, Tokyo


Fountain music video


The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc - Barcelona, Spain

Note: Video is Flash format. If you don't see it, you must temporarily disable your ad-blocking programs.



Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Dadeland Mall


Miami, Florida - circa 1962

Here's another aerial photograph of Dadeland Mall, but this one from a few years earlier than the one I just posted a couple days ago. This is a shot of the mall around the time it first opened in '62 (notice the growth changes in the 1975 photo).


Miami, Florida - circa 1975

And how 'bout let's time travel back to the future (heh), to 1975, and go inside, shall we? Vintage yet decidedly modern looking interior photo (thanks to Alex, for both great image finds here!).

History: 1962 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1



Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Levittown Shopping Center


Levittown, Pennsylvania - circa 1950s

During a promotional event at the shopping center, Children ride through the parking lot on an "elephant train"! This is why malls and shopping centers rocked in the good old days.


Levittown, Pennsylvania - circa 1950s

The back court entrance of Sears is visible, as shoppers leisurely stroll past the shops at the Shop-a-Rama. (photos via)

History: 1953 - present (re-developed)
Developer: William Levitt
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1



Dadeland Mall


Miami, Florida - circa 1975

Fantastic sprawling aerial view for another mall I've never featured here. Welcome to Dadeland Mall! Funky interior shots of this one are coming soon.

History: 1962 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: none



Vintage toy commercials


Penneys TV spot - 1970s


Woolco & Woolworth X-mas TV spot - 1980s

Vintage store toy commerials! The Penneys video shows many great ones in their lineup, and the Woolco & Woolworth one is for a cool Tyco racetrack set! Had several of those babies over the years. An annual Christmas gift staple at my house growing up (needed a new one every year to replace the one we got last Christmas and promptly broke within a couple weeks).

No trip to our local malls was ever complete without a stop in Woolworth and Penneys!

Note: Video is Flash format. If you don't see it, you must temporarily disable your ad-blocking programs.



Tel-Twelve Mall


Southfield, Michigan - circa 1970s(?)

Tel-Twelve Mall was demolished in 2002 and re-developed into an ever-popular openair center, surrounded by a bevy of external bigbox stores. Bye bye shopping mall. (Not sure how old that aerial below is, btw.)

Mall history: 1967 - 2002 (re-developed)
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none



Monday, July 24, 2006

Levittown Shopping Center


Levittown, Pennsylvania - circa 1950s

Nice little view of an outside promenade court area at The Levittown Shopping Center (as it was originally named). Within a couple years of its 1953 opening, it would be officially renamed the "Levittown Shop-a-Rama", which never stuck with the public, however, who continued to refer to it by its original name. In 2002, the site was redeveloped and renamed yet again, reopening this time as the Levittown Town Center (allow myself to introduce...myself. Heh).


Same (sad) view as it looked in 2000 (photo via)

Some of the original stores here included Woolworths, Sears, Kresges, Pomeroys and Penneys, to name a few. I will definitely be doing more entries on not only the Levittown Shopping Center and Levittown itself, but also its famous visionary developer, William Levitt, which is a whole other story in its own right (lots of great links & photos to share on that stuff eventually!).

History: 1953 - present
Developer: William Levitt
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none



Friday, July 21, 2006

Seminole Mall


Seminole, Florida - circa 1970s

Talk about funky (and pukey)! Here's Seminole Mall, in all it's harvest gold/avacado green glory. They sure don't make interiors like this anymore. At least not on purpose. Not the best quality shot, but it's all I have at the moment and I wanted to post it. There's an interesting 2002 article on this mall and its struggles to stay afloat, right here, if anyone's interested.

Mall history: 1970 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none



Midtown Plaza mall "Clock of the Nations"


Midtown Plaza - 1963

You've seen this mall and its famous clock frequently here at this blog, in pictures, so now how would you like to see it in action, and from right around the time the mall first opened?

I took the original 1963 Jam Handy industrial film short, Rochester: A City of Quality, and edited out all but the Midtown Plaza shopping center footage, leaving only the rich, creamy, nougaty shopping mall center! Hope you dig the few minute's worth of film I ended up with. As a bonus, here's another shot of the "Clock of the Nations", which sits in "America's Town Square", in Midtown...

Rochester, New York - circa 1960s

Back of postcard reads: "The unique 'Clock of the Nations' is the focal point of Midtown Plaza mall. Visitors gather each hour and half-hour to watch animated dolls dance to music of twelve nations. Midtown Plaza, in the heart of downtown Rochester, NY, boasts more than 1,000,000 square feet of stores, shops, services."

Mall history: 1961 - present
Architect: Victor Gruen
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Note: Video is Flash format. If you don't see it, you must temporarily disable your ad-blocking programs.



Northgate Mall - The Bon Marche


Seattle, Washington - 1950s

One of the original Northgate Mall anchors, The Bon Marche department store, lit up and glowing brightly, beckoning to shoppers, in this wonderful vintage nighttime photo!

History: 1950 - present
Architect: John Graham Jr. (1908-1991)
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2



Thursday, July 20, 2006

Kennedy Mall


Dubuque, Iowa - late '60s or early '70s

This postcard literally doesn't say which mall this is! So I've done a little quick digging and I'm gonna deduce that it's most likely Kennedy Mall (the first climate controlled mall in Iowa). Please feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong, and I'll fix the post later. But assuming this is Kennedy Mall like I think it is, I'll point out that stores actually began collecting at the site of this future enclosed shopping mall in 1964, but it wasn't offically opened as a mall until 1970 (decent history can be read at the Wikipedia link below).

Personally, I think this is another of the absolute grooviest shots yet here! This is the kind of classic, vintage shopping mall photo I really love. The funky space-age design (look at that ceiling!), the colors, the fountain, the little kid playing in said fountain, the plethora of nerdy old dudes, etc. It's got it all!

Mall history: 1970 - present
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none



Retro Video - "In the Suburbs"


In the Suburbs (1957)

Great, cheesy old 1957 public domain promotional short from Redbook Magazine, In the Suburbs. For me, the study of Suburbia is directly related to (and parallels) my interest in vintage malls and shopping centers. Which is why I'm sharing this kitschy old documentary about the Suburbs, and the young families who live, work and shop there (circa the late '50s).

Video quality isn't that great (original is crystal-clear, of course), as this one is pretty long (almost 20 minutes), so Google really compressed it. But you'll get the drift. Anyway, if you've never seen this before (like at The Internet Archive, for instance), then grab a nice cup of coffee, sit back, relax and ride with the young adults!

Btw, there's some terrific shopping footage in this piece, a few minutes in. So if you're not interested in all the suburbia living stuff and want to skip right to the actual shopping and retail scenes, scroll to about the 8 minute mark and watch from there. But if you've never seen this before, I'd sincerely suggest you watch the whole thing. It's the kind of stuff that's right up our collective alley's here, I think! Might not be entirely focused on shopping malls, per se, but it's still great stuff--like the Shopping Can Be Fun video I shared a while back! :)

Note: Video is Flash format. If you don't see it, you must temporarily disable your ad-blocking programs.



Palm Beach Mall




West Palm Beach, Florida - 1971 (all)

Yep, it's more super-swanktastic photos of Palm Beach Mall back in the '70s! These black & white shots take us outside the mall itself and into the parking lot, for a cool look at the entrance, some of the stores, a few palm trees, and plenty of vintage-era cars. And look, not a cloud in the sky! Can it get much better? I submit that it cannot! (Many thanks again to, Alex, for spotting these babies and e-mailing them to me!)

History: 1967 - present
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Info from Wikipedia
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4



Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Lloyd Center


Portland, Oregon - circa early '60s

Super stylish looking Merle Norman cosmetics & gifts store, inside Lloyd Center mall. Nice storefront design. And just look at all the wonderful little gifts it's chock full of! Bet there's some mighty cool stuff in there.

Mall history: 1960 - present
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3, 4



Pompano Fashion Square Mall


Pompano Beach, Florida - 1973

The Pompano Fashion Square Mall (as it was originally named), was initially an enclosed shopping center, that was redeveloped in recent years, into an open-air mall layout. It was also renamed, and is now known as the, wait for it... Pompano Citi Centre. How thrilling. Boy, they're really working hard these days to get the "mall" out of the shopping malls, aren't they? Unbelievable.

Anyway, in this nice shot above, we can see the Penneys anchor at this entrance (many thanks to MOA reader, Alex, for finding this fantastic shot for the archive!).

Keep in mind that this is the mall that sported that really cool, huge fish sculpture that I featured in the other Pompano Square entry. Of course, this was back many years ago, when the place still had a soul.

For me, this mall would have been worth a trip just to see that weird looking fish in person! Be sure and read the comments in the other entry, too, for some great memories of this mall--and its huge fish.

History: 1970 - present
Developer: Leonard L. Farber
Current website: here
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1



Friday, July 14, 2006

Northway Mall



Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - circa 1970s

Here's a couple of wonderful vintage photos to start the weekend off right! First one is, of course, a groovy Woolworth's store--you can see the checkout counter and everything! Incredible view. The second is a Marianne ladies clothing store.

Currently known officially as the Shoppes at Northway, but still more widely referred to as Northway Mall (the newer "Shoppes" moniker is a post-renovation rename), this was purpotedly the first enclosed shopping mall in Pennsylvania. (photos courtesy The Shoppes at Northway)

Mall history: 1962 - present
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: none



Woolworth & Woolco Stereo Spectacular!


1978

Here's a cool old TV commercial from 1978, for the Woolworth & Woolco Stereo Spectacular Sale! I'm sure many of us ran straight to the mall after seeing a spot like this, to stock up on our records and 8-track tapes! :)

Man, I remember quite fondly these kinds of commercials, which pretty much ran around the clock in those days on TV. Alas, good times, good times...

Note: Video is Flash format. If you don't see it, you must temporarily disable your ad-blocking programs.



Midtown Plaza


Rochester, New York - circa 1968

Fresh in the mail yesterday was this great postcard! Another very moody shot, just dripping with cool retro ambience.

In this one we see Midtown Plaza mall bathed in a warm, romanitc glow. And yes, this is the actual lighting and coloring of the original photo. I did a little color-correction and balancing on it to ensure the finished scanned image would match the original as closely as possible. And it does. Obviously, this warm orangish tinting was done intentionally for atmospheric effect, and was not quite the normal lighting in Midtown Plaza, even at night (in fact, you can see it's actually daytime in this photo, I believe, if you look in the upper-left cieling windows).

I thought the kids gazing into the fountain was a nice little moment in time, too, so I scanned a blowup of it (at right) for a closer look. It was worth it.

I remember doing the same thing in our local malls with my brothers and sister growing up. Getting hypnotized by the whole thing: the relaxing sounds of the gurggling fountains, the shimmering ripples on the surface, the glistening coins blinking up at you from the fountain's tiled bottom, all mixed with the murmuring din of busy shoppers and lulling muzak echoing throughout the mall in the background. Gazing into those fountains of youth was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. Maybe I should do it more often now? Haven't in a long time.

Oh, and want an eyeful of architecture? Of course you do. Be sure and click on the "Bird's eye" view on the aerial link below. "Midtown" Plaza is right--this mall is wedged right in the middle of it all!

Mall history: 1961 - present
Architect: Victor Gruen
Current website: here
Info from Wikipedia
Current aerial view
Previous entries: 1, 2, 3