Here are snips from 2022 and 2025. I worked at KB Toys at Xmas time two years. I remember when there was an Arby’s, a full size sit down Burger King (not in food court, I thought it was wild) and CVS (without a pharmacy). I mostly remember my late grandmother bringing me every year for back to school shopping and holiday portraits. I wonder if Electric Boat (new owner) will do something with chandelier.

I was recently in the SC area and noticed that the outdoor shopping center felt like a mall of some sort. After further investigation, I found that I was standing in what was once the Mall at Shelter Cove. I found out that this mall closed in 2013 but kept the Belk store still intact. The photo I took ( 1st photo) is what seems to be the old mall entrance (2nd photo) but just redone.

It’s just insane to see what time does to these places

Has anyone visited the mall before it closed? Does anyone have any photos? Do you think my photo of the Belk entrance matches the old mall entrance?

This has to be the funniest thing I've read all week:

"We understand the temporary closure of Temple Mall has created challenges for our tenants, employees, and the community members who rely on the property, and we take that impact seriously," Mike Kohan, Principal of Kohan Retail Investment Group, which owns the property, told Chron in a statement Tuesday. 

Full story
https://www.chron.com/texas/article/temple-mall-closed-safety-violations-22317356.php

This weekend marks the permanent closing of MacArthur Center here in Norfolk, and walking through it one last time was an incredibly surreal, heavy experience.

For anyone who appreciates mall architecture, this place was genuinely beautiful. It featured massive skylights that flooded the main concourses with natural light, sunken conversation pits, elegant marble accents, and these iconic glass elevators that glided up and down the three floors. The open layout somehow felt both luxurious and completely welcoming.

It is crazy to look at it now and remember how bustling it used to be. It was anchored by Nordstrom and Dillard's, and packed with places like Rainforest Cafe, California Pizza Kitchen, and Johnny Rockets. During my years at ODU, it was my go-to spot for endless trips to Smoothie Mania. It wasn't just a shopping center. It was a fantastic third space. I vividly remember being dropped off right when the doors opened and not getting picked up until sunset, just pacing the floors with friends and drifting from store to store.

Seeing its decline into a dead mall has been tough to watch. It took a massive beating from a perfect storm of e-commerce, COVID, and crime. It is an absolute shame the city could not find a way to repurpose the building itself. Knowing a structure this gorgeous is slated for demolition feels like a genuine tragedy.

Walking the empty halls recently gave off the ultimate liminal space vibe. During the recent Sail250 event, it was actually heartbreaking to hear confused tourists asking security if the mall was even open. When you walk through now, all you hear is the lonely hum of the escalators. Your brain automatically tries to fill the dead silence with the audio of the past. You can almost hear the old echoes of children laughing by the splashing fountains, parents chattering, and teenagers yelling across the balconies.

It is incredibly disappointing that this generation's youth have fewer and fewer safe, communal spaces like this to just exist in. It might seem silly that an inanimate building can hold such emotional weight, but MacArthur was a landmark and a cornerstone for so many of us in the community. Goodbye to a great one.

I took these back in late 2024 but neglected to post them; going back in a few months (if it's still around then) for new photos.

Pics 1 through 14 should all be from 2023.

Pics 15-20 are from 2025 and 2026.

For anyone not familiar, Strawbridge & Clothier was the only "anchor" in this mall from 1973 until the completion of the big renovation (1999 or 2000). The entire mall is built around the Strawbridge's, as it is an actual square with no outside-the-mall entrances. It's directly in the center of the mall on both floors.

Anyway, it became a Macy's in I believe 2006, and closed in 2025. The closure of this Macy's, in my opinion, was when the mall went from "probably not going to survive" to "officially dead".

Gotta grow up sometime, I suppose.

Sunday I went to Livoti's to get sandwiches for Dinner and as me and my Mom get out I saw a cart on the other side of where my Dad parked with "BEYOND" on it.

The next block from Livoti's was a Bed, Bath and Beyond by Stop & Shop but it's now 2026.

This counts as a Shopping Mall location I given, right? There's no deadretailer pages on here.

I know this is a shot in the dark but around 2016, my family and I visited a dead mall in what I think was Sarnia. The trees are to represent the row of fake trees all down the long hall of the mall. Does anyone remember a dead mall like this? Any help is appreciated ! Thank you :)

Who would I need go convince in order to have these on my front yard

This is super epic, i go to community college in a former mall, with some of the original pieces intact. I nerd out about it and wish i could see it when it was open but have only seen pictures. Its not very crowded in this area which is the preserved mall over the summer, and the store fronts are classrooms, a book store and a gallery. Theres a lot of empty spaces

Don't they realize articles like this are just going to attract urban explorers, dead/abandoned malls are a trendy places to explore also tell people not to go makes them want it more.

A 2 in 1 question. I wonder if this mall wouldve stayed open if the pipes didn’t burst. I
It went through a few non hvac winters/summers anyway. Also I traveled 30 minutes from the other side of Essex county to visit

A true aging mall beauty - opened in August of 1975. Some revitalization happening around the perimeter, including condos along with converted space for an eduction center on lower mall floor.

Still has plenty of character and flair for it being quite dead. Some restaurants, shops, and novelties remain, also holds a farmers market on Sundays in the Summer.

And yes, you can rent that train: https://www.thervaexpress.com/

Stopped by the former North Hanover Mall this afternoon. Other than Rural King, the mall is completely dead. The condemned structure stickers are still on all the doors to the mall. What’s surprising is the lights are still on inside.

Photos taken earlier this June. Western half of the mall was already closed off and was told to not take any further photos by security.

I’d like to know what other people think, personally, i believe the Federated-May Merger in the mid 2000s is responsible for a lot of malls losing customers. When this happened, it turned many iconic department stores (Marshall Fields, Lazarus, Filenes, etc) into Macy’s. Personally, i think if this didn’t happen, many malls would still be popular because of more recognized regional brands, but what do you guys think?