Park Central: Dead Mall With A RoboCop! | Retail Archaeology

[@bsim5138]

The robot security guard was just being a stereotypical security guard - taking long breaks & hiding while on duty.

[@Ram-2112]

The creators made it as accurate as possible. They did a bang up job!

[@frankyu553]

Using Paul Blart as model, no doubt

[@Ram-2112]

@@frankyu553 i don't know man, Mr. Blart was all over those damn malls. Maybe they are close in "roundness" but thats all the similarities i see from this

[@Acinica]

It looked like a Weebles toy from the 70's.

[@Hamdad]

Weirder vibe than your run of the mill dead mall. This feels more like a parallel dimension where all population centers are built with mall-like architecture. "Mall World"

[@12Mantis]

PfffT, Mall World.....that sounds like something you'd say before kicking someone into a bottomless pit. :P

[@Bingewatchingmediacontent]

This gave me more depression than just seeing some out of date architecture empty. I hate seeing newer buildings already out to pasture

[@kenratboy]

Those chains are for rain gutters. The water flows over those vs splashing everywhere.

[@neocommenter]

Doesn't really rain that much in Phoenix.

[@SomeGuyButNotThatGuy]

@@neocommenter and when it does rain its usually sprinklers or a torrent. I doubt those chains deliver the aesthetic they are designed for...

[@12Mantis]

Really? I thought maybe those chains were at one point intended for hanging up signs.

[@DjMikeWatt]

@@12Mantis definitely rain gutters.

[@seoulalone2420]

The chains are actually downspouts, in place of gutters. It supposed to look pretty when it rains :)

[@joewilson3393]

I dont like the ones with cups along them to make it a mini fountain. It just gets water everywhere. But that style would probably be fine. Even then, I would have had that come down with a planter around it to make better use of the water that will still scatter from it.

[@ogjk]

Yes it needs more sojuice for sure.

[@csinc9]

Rain chain 👍

[@cjvarnadoe]

Yeah, IF it rains.

[@BrienMalone]

In places where it snows, gutter chains are used to break up ice dams. Ice forms around the chain. Shake and it breaks off.

[@thepapps5253]

Oh man, that intro made me realize how much I miss CGR.

[@AggiePhil]

"Kind of underwhelming and not really doing anything." ...just like real mall cops.

[@dadoctah]

Not so much Robocop as a cybernetic Paul Blart.

[@frankyu553]

@@dadoctah cyborg Paul Blart is what we need in our world

[@charlieretro]

Well it’s doing something it’s recording a dead parking lot lol

[@larrylaffer3246]

CGR-Undertow. Now that's a deep cut.

[@SeanStrife]

That was a throwback and a half.

[@josepharmstrong1531]

Still a shame that channel hasn't gotten a "Down the Rabbit Hole" treatment.

[@kittbluevenom2384]

@@josepharmstrong1531 that channel has to go see what happened to CGR. They were my childhood!

[@hashimr.5473]

That was a great memory intro to a long forgotten channel.

[@gordontaylor2815]

@@kittbluevenom2384 From what I've been able to read, it seems like Mark decided in 2014 or 2015 that he couldn't keep the series going according to the revenues KZbin would give him. Patreon support (and an attempt at moving to Amazon Prime) kept the series alive a few more years, but he threw in the towel in 2019. Now all he's doing is book publishing. :/

[@dianamarie5663]

I live nearby. In the 80's in Goldwater's there was a large portrait of Barry Goldwater hung over the escalator. A few indoor and outdoor restaurants like Miracle Mile Deli. I used to go about once a week. As stores started moving out it felt spooky.

[@PinkAgaricus]

At least it doesn't go roving into a water feature. Yea I've seen those clips of the robo-surveillance failing miserably to a hilarious result, like chasing wildlife or the aforementioned driving itself into a water feature.

[@RazielXSR]

Doing what cops do. Hiding waiting for someone to break the law.

[@alexthetiger7806]

That Robocop Paul Blart love child reminded me of the robots they have at some grocery stores now. Giant Food Stores have a roaming robot named "Marty" who is supposed to spot spills and report them, but mostly just gets in the customers' way and snitches on employees that aren't giving 110% at work.

[@DJ_Macphisto]

They also have Marty at Stop & Shop which is owned by the same company. They cost the company $20,000 a piece.

[@nohalo7]

I'd buy that for a dollar! There used to be a huge fountain there. I remember I totally did a superman dive straight into it as a kid. And I got the shit beat out of me because of it. 🦸‍♂️🦸‍♂️🦸‍♂️

[@dinaharnold1696]

I used to work at Diamonds in the 80s. It was sold to Dillards 1984 or 1985.

[@ericwincentsen587]

My mom worked there back in the early '70s. I'm old enough to remember when everything he mentioned was still in there, although most of it was gone by the 1980s.

[@emilyb5765]

A robot security guard? Clearly they didn't watch Chopping Mall before installing him lol

[@Redevil667]

Might be worth a visit after the next thunderstorm ⛈️

[@GMJ7]

My hometown has a park named Xeriscape Park that's characterized by a complete lack of grass and all sorts of prickly, kid-unfriendly foliage. As a youngster, I thought it was an exotic, fanciful, unique name... until my engineer father explained to me that "xeriscape" was just an everyday word in landscaping and city planning that meant something along the lines of "dry scene." I was grateful for the knowledge, but it sure sucked all the romance out of the place name. 😅 EDIT: BTW, I picked up on the subtle switch to the RoboCop theme remix in the background when you finally found the elusive "security guard." Ha! Well played, sir.

[@raymondmartin6737]

I don't remember this mall when I lived in Phoenix in 1976. But, I remember the Goldwaters department stores in town. They replaced a mall cop with a Robo Cop. Senator Goldwater, had a residence, that I saw from the street, and his amateur radio antennas could be seen, and I saw him speak at the 1964 ARRL Convention in NYC, when he was running for President, and I was 20 years old then. Ray.

[@DZ-nb2vp]

I remember having a shake at a little cute place called -The Purple Cow. This was back in the early nineties.

[@IVR02]

That CGR homage in the opening was fantastic. Definitely caught me off guard with that one!

[@aaronk534]

The chains are gutter chains. They act like downspouts but the water clings to the chain. Love em. Rarely seen

[@orlanzo2621]

Love the Classic Game Room opening, lol. Man i miss that channel, sigh.

[@bchristian85]

All the dead malls across the valley are just depressing. I really wish they could figure out some way to revitalize them.

[@lutherheggs451]

Really none of the blame goes to Amazon....Its not Amazon's fault that alot of the bigger named chain stores are/were incapable of actually setting up some sort of decent online webstore....They've not figured out that its not 1998 and the internet is far more robust than it used to be...I remember when Spencer's used to sell kinda novelty junk and now its practically a porn shop with a few emo band t-shirts...... The malls that are left really kinda come off more like roadside attractions or museums at this point more than anything else because the actual main brand stores are all going out of business to to incompetence more than anything except for maybe like Macy's and poor people can't afford to shop at Macy's

[@pinball541]

I was a regular at Fiesta Mall, that was my go to mall of choice. I was there on its last day open, strange to think the Fiesta ended over 3 years ago.

[@LoveKeepsGiving]

And when you say the valley, may I ask, to which valley are you referring?

[@Zizumia]

That robot mall cop reminds me of a mall robot I saw in an Indian mall. It wasn't a "glorified roving surveillance camera" though, it would rove around and when it would see someone, it would go up to them. It had a little tablet on it and on there it would tell you where things in the mall were and you could apply for coupons and stuff. It was basically a roving directory haha

[@MyraElvira]

I can't believe management really wanted to sell that sculpture for scrap. What a disgrace! So glad that businessman bought it, saved it, and then gave it back to the property.

[@darktetsuya]

LMAO at the CGR intro, man I miss that show! and 'dalek meets a personal massager' sounds accurate for that robot security guard. :P

[@NoahSties]

Man I miss classic game room, loved the intro

[@charlieretro]

I do wonder what really happens to the channel

[@heynikki.]

Wow! I’m born and raised Az and haven’t ever heard of this mall! Good find RA!

[@Muertenoir]

The robot security guard reminds me of the 80s movie about robot mall security guards, Chopping Mall. It's a must watch.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Chopping Mall is a super fun 80s movie. "Thank you, have a nice day!" 🤖⚡️⚡️ Incidentally, look up an article titled "Security Robot Given The Gift Of Intelligence Chooses To Drown Itself" & have a good laugh.

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

@@NinjaRunningWild Thank you so much for this, it was indeed a good laugh. The poor thing lol.

[@pinball541]

Erik, I loved the Classic Game Room shootout. My favorite CGR reviews was for Tunnel Runner & Pitfall 2 for the Atari 2600.👍 This place is a Aesthetic Asset, but I prefer the previous look of the place before the trendy update. Hopefully this place will be around for a long time to come. Hello from Phoenix Arizona!🔥

[@weareorigin]

It's always interesting to see dead malls vs the full malls of Saigon Vietnam. Different views of humans.

[@iamalive.1255]

My Grandma lived there in the 1970s. She lived in apartments near 7th Avenue and Indian School. She loved the Miracle Mile Delicatessen that used to be there. St. Joseph's Hospital is near there. Maybe they bought some of the mall property. They were growing like crazy and needed more space.

[@EnterprisingLeadership]

Thank you, I forgot the name of the deli

[@maux7767]

Oh man, I miss Classic Game Room so hard lol

[@miabetz7463]

Phoenix native since mid70’s. Park Central and Christown were basically only malls to shop. I remember Diamonds and Goldwaters. They seemed magical and glamorous to me as a kid, especially at Christmas time. In the 80’s high schoolers used to “cruise Central Ave.” in front of this mall.

[@3xfaster]

Arizona loves golf, in spite of the landscaping needs being highly impractical and water wasteful. GREEN GRASS IN A DESERT Brilliant

[@tappergal]

I haven’t been back into Park Central in a LONG time. The architecture is great here. When you drive by the mall, it doesn’t look nearly as nice as it does in the back.

[@martinbaxter2616]

No... if you get on that bike and pedal hard enough, it propels you into a parallel universe where malls have never gone out of fashion.

[@JohnKelly2]

CGR was the best! I especially liked Sega Fanboy Mark, even though he's partly responsible for the ridiculous price of MUSHA

[@Metalthrashingnate]

HA! The Classic Game Room intro made my day! 🤣🤣🤣

[@bouldercryptosissydragon8807]

That robot cop looked more like it was wondering where it made, wrong life decisions.

[@Ram-2112]

Wish I had a lot of money, this is some beautiful space just waiting to be used creatively that can be profitable and good for the community

[@XMD007]

Good Reference To Classic Game Room Intro. also Rip That KZbin Series.

[@frankyu553]

I lol'd when you tempered expectations about needing more retail spaces. Ironic how this mall died because of indoor malls and now outdoor "lifestyle centres" are the rage again. Also love they kept the old anchor names like "Goldwater"?

[@arrowhead5217]

4:55 The "chains into a rock pit" is a type of drainage, similar to a gutter, the water flows down the chains into the rocks when it rains.

[@AmbientWalking]

Everything in this video is perfect. Really enjoyed myself today. : )

[@ryeinc]

What an interesting structure, I’ve never really seen something like that! Also, I totally caught on to the CGR intro, that brought back some memories. Well done.

[@georgemartin1436]

Such an odd construction, but I like it. Looks like it would be a nice place to work actually...

[@JeanRodo]

Oh god that intro was amazing I remember watching so many Classic Game room videos!!!

[@sunspot42]

My aunt lived near the Capital during the ‘60s and early ‘70s and her doctors’ and dentists’ offices were there, so we visited Park Central often. I loved shopping there when the weather wasn’t too hot. The Penny’s was ENORMOUS and had a huge basement with a large toy department, which I enjoyed as a little kid. Miss that. The Diamonds was one of their larger stores and had an giant Gazebo restaurant on the top floor that took up most of the south side and had an enormous wall of windows overlooking the parking lot (classy department stores used to have restaurants). I loved shopping at that Diamonds and eating at the Gazebo. When I was a little kid Wallace and Ladmo held an event there with Raggedy Ann & Andy. Ann did a backflip and her wig fell off and landed in my orange juice. 🤣 The Goldwaters was huge too and had a basement. We bought a toaster there once. There was also a Hanny’s, there was an electronics store in the middle of the mall where I saw a Laserdisc player for the first time, there was a B Daltons book store across from it if memory serves and a Guggy’s restaurant next to it - we ate there when we visited sometimes. Down at the entrance where you came in there was a Walgeeens, the Miracle Mile Deli where I loved to get a pastrami sandwich, and The Green Woodpecker, a little plant store and florist where I got several houseplants as a kid. Down by Penny’s to the southwest of it there was another bar restaurant that we ate at quite a bit in the ‘80s. Due west of it where that gallery is now there was a Hi Health vitamin shop - I used to get chewable vitamin C there and also those fruit gel snacks. In the ‘70s and early 80’s the mall had broad overhangs and they’d strung dark sun netting over most of the open space up high between the buildings, which kept the interior much cooler. They removed all of that for a remodel in the early ‘80s and added fountains and running water features along the middle of the mall, with some integrated seating and lots of plants. Looked better but made the place a lot hotter in the summer and cost a fortune to maintain, I’m sure. The mall began a noticeable decline after that. I recall them installing misters to try to help a bit. Didn’t really work. Last time I was there in the early 2000’s it looked like they were trying to convert it to office space for call centers and insurance companies, but those seem to have departed now as well. I’m surprised the land hasn’t been redeveloped into housing or something. They should build mid rise housing out in the parking lot with subterranean parking, then redevelop the mall as retail and restaurant space again. The local residents could then support the full mall’s worth of shops and restaurants. Put in a Whole Foods, a Target and a BestBuy.

[@KindCreature1]

I remember the Sun Worshiper that was in front of Walgreens. To the left of the statue was a restaurant named the 'Smugglers Inn' where I worked for a short time in 1970. Across from Walgreens was Goldwaters. Other shops that come to mind is the Miracle Mile Delicatessen, Mr. Phoenix Barber shop, Bill's Records and tapes, Sees Candy, B. Dalton book store, Kelly's Hobbies, El Rancho super market, Guggies Coffee shop, Goot Shoes, and a Cutlery Shop. If the Robo cop had an antenna on top of his head, it would be the perfect place to hold his donuts! Between the buildings in the mall, was some kind of shade screen stretched horizontally, high above, about 12 feet, to keep the bright sun out. What a wonderful memory that mall was. Mike

[@underthepale]

A Lord Carnage ref? I thought I was on the wrong channel, for a moment... Edit:I also laughed out when you started playing the rendition of Robocop from the video game.

[@AriKona]

My memories of Park Central extend from 1971 to just two weeks ago. I was completely surprised to see "Dead Mall" come up because I had just met with my insurance agent only two weeks ago at the First Watch. That was a weekday so the parking lot was anything except empty. There are several businesses in the area and the employees will gather at Park Central for lunch or after work get-togethers. Memories: I remember a restaurant from way back called "Guggy's" [ www.pinterest.com/pin/238339005268516703/ ]. It had several locations throughout the valley, but this was my favorite. I also remember the Miracle Mile cafe that was mid-90's. We would meet at Park Central to start the annual Freedom Motorcycle Ride (to protest mandatory helmet laws). And, of course, I remember waiting while my grandmother would shop at some of the stores that had names you would normally only find in New York City. There have been others along the way, but Park Central is one of the first shopping malls I visited when I came to Phoenix for the first time. Oh, yes, there was a men's store there called "Hanny's". (Where do you see real men's stores these days?) By the way, when I met my agent two weeks ago, we were almost accosted by that "robot". She thought it was some sort of delivery device, but it just made its way along the sidewalk around the building and disappeared.

[@marcadelman9626]

I remember the mall in the 80's. It was a great mall. It had a lot of chain stores. In the late 80's, they remolded the walkways and had lots of water islands in the middle. There was also a food court added across from the Dillards, which was once called Diamonds. There was a smaller food court down by the JC Penny's, too. The mall didn't make it, because when Phx stared expanding, people were moving farther out of the central city, plus it was an outdoor mall. It always had a hard time attracting people . Dillards had a shooting in the men's section in the 80's, and that didn't help attracting people to the mall. There was a JJ Newberry 5 and dime store just East of Dillards, too. They had the old soda fountain counters like they had at Wool Worths back then. There was a Walgreens in the front facing Central Ave. There was also a great deli that was always crowded right around the first putting range in your video called Miracle Miles. There use to be eight of them in town and now there is one left and it's in midtown Phx. It was truly a great mall and miss it. I believe Goldwater's was first to go and then JC Penny's. Dillards was the last to leave the mall. Thanks for making this video. Oh, by the way, there was also an old kodak booth on the other side of the JC Penny's.

[@mathewmclean9128]

For a minute there, I was getting worried that you wouldn't dunk your camera in the splash pad lol. It's not a proper fountain cam shot but it's good enough because there were no actual fountains out there.

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

For some reason it was one of my favorite fountain cams. Pretty relaxing.

[@mathewmclean9128]

I forgot this place was here. I will definitely be checking it out when it cools down in the valley. Thank you for another great video.

[@2004JETTA]

Congrats on 100k subs!! Love your videos! Sorry to hear this place isn't much of a mall anymore but glad its still openish. Keep up the great work!

[@philhenry5096]

I love the RoboCop Arcade Medley when they show the Security Bot

[@jvargas6034]

It Looks Funny How That RoboCop Was Hiding By The Wall Guarding An Empty Parking Lot

[@benbozovich9522]

I used to work at this mall, I mean, it was dead by the time I got there, but I worked when there was Cable One call center on the second floor of the front building. I like the renovations they did to this place. And I was glad they took out the clock tower.

[@jasonmichael1265]

The robot was taking its break. He deserves it!

[@kittikoko]

Love the vaporwave style on the new merch - getting myself a Virtua Mall Cop t-shirt on payday! 😊 (Thank you so much for adding multiple options for women. Most KZbinrs offer a standard boxy fit unisex tee and that's it!) 👎

[@BrienMalone]

Never heard Dalek pronounced day lick 😂 Is tardis pronounced tare-dis?

[@drk9011]

Worked at PC in the early 90s. Only Dillards (clearance store) remained, but most of the mall stores were still occupied. They played classical music, with water features throughout. Was one of my favorite malls in the valley.

[@wisehumanity]

Oh My God! I loved that intro! I miss CGR so much!

[@watershed44]

*LOVE LOVE LOVE THE FOUNTAINS!*

[@F1rsttimer]

That intro unlocked so many memories for me.

[@DuckOfRubber]

To me the putting greens and fire pit are much more millennial startup vibe than mall vibe, and consistent with the shift to office space. You’re never going to leave, but you can occasionally go out to the putting green or go talk to your coworkers around the fire pit at night. Who needs to go “home” and see your “family” when you have such great amenities at work?

[@Vic_Coco]

Always love your videos but I cannot wait for you to go to more states and explore new malls!

[@Chronicallymanette]

I remember that place when I was growing up we didn’t live to far from there so we often went shopping for shoes there at jcpennys or Payless shoes. The food court area still looks like it did when I was about 8. I hope they have revive it. I love the nostalgia

[@Habu12]

Never heard of this place. thanks! But I’ve also never heard a dalek being called a "day-lek" lol.

[@draculagorgona]

Artlink Phoenix’s headquarters is here. They have art shows here at night on occasion.

[@janis902]

I agree with you. I like the old planters better than the desert landscape.

[@dezm101]

ooh nice Robocop arcade music! Also great job on that intro haha - this looks like a really retro looking place, I like it

[@jamesc.4950]

Really LOVE these Mall tours both dead and alive!

[@bevolkisch4628]

I went there in probably 1993 and it was already well closed for many years as a mall, all it has had there since then is pretty much just those restaurants right at the front. I had my first job out of high school just down the street from there in a high rise building and I went there for lunch. So I am pretty sure this place was probably closed in the 70's or early 80's as a department store type mall.

[@BB-ij6ro]

Love the uploads of deadmall series and changes of AZ

[@Wotvr]

The Classic Game Room intro really got me.

[@Supramedical68]

I immediately knew soon as I heard the opener that you were paying homage to CGR. Gave me a good chuckle.

[@agenericaccount3935]

The chains and pits are an alternate to downspouts. Rain runs down them. This space is lovely btw. 10/10 would office in.

[@LazyPirate8]

Damn, gotta bring CGR reference

[@FtMacMechanic1]

Reminds me of the movie chopping mall with the killer security robots.

[@airaero5473]

1:43 on the wall it says "GOLDWATER". Are they referring to the department store that was there? A tribute maybe?

[@pinball541]

That's exactly what I thought!

[@jasonw8124]

Barry Goldwater was an important figure back in the day. It may represent him.

[@ShanGamer1981]

Dead or alive you’re coming with me!

[@pamelabrooks8241]

A blast from the past. I think we used to shop here in the 1970’s. I remember Goldwaters and Diamonds and a Guggy’s Coffee shop?

[@planescaped]

"Disguised anti-homeless benches" I never even considered that, but that's likely totally what that is!

[@Bingewatchingmediacontent]

“Hostile architecture”, it actually has a name. Cities install benches that people can’t sleep on or skateboard on. God forbid anyone actually want to spend time in your mall, even if it’s just to utilize the ugly benches

[@SoapinTrucker]

I delivered there a few times in the late 90's, I too was intrigued by it! There used to be an espresso shop near the middle, and the Gentleman that owned it also used one of the nearby empty stores to act as his warehouse and processing center for his hot cocoa business, I can't remember the name of the company, but they sell tons of eats and treats, and this guy was one of their dealers during the holidays. I'd deliver to him, then go into the espresso shop and get some HOT coffee, even in the summer (Can't live on Gatorade alone! :) LOL)

[@meerathegreyhound1044]

These videos are so fun, thank you!

[@AshKetchumfromPalletTown]

I was a major mall rat 🐀 and I live in the Az. Your videos always gets me in the nostalgic feels!

[@summersmith8863]

Do one on the Scottsdale Pavilions! On Indian bend/talking stick rd and the 101. We used to go there all the time growing up. We went to mervyns, toys r us, the Halloween store, guitar center, sweet tomatoes and I think there was a Marshall’s there

[@mb8987]

I used to work across the street from park central. That sign has changed a few times. I used to eat at the good egg there. I remember in the 90’s it was on its way out.

[@tylererb9538]

That chain is a Japanese style rain gutter system. The water looks cool as it travels down the chains and the rock pit is where the water drains to 👍🏽👍🏽

[@hollyarmstrong2293]

Your content is awesome! I always love your videos.

[@user-is7xs1mr9y]

I love the intro, I really like that you're trying new things. This place looks really nice, and the music you chose was perfect, I'll have to check the album, it's pretty awesome! And that robot security guard looks like the lovechild of a Dalek and EVE from WALL.E. lol.

[@jaxkinney3424]

I worked at Newberry’s in the late 80’s and My mom and aunts shopped at Switzers and Goot shoes and I used to go the nightclub there I think it was called club Central

[@chetpomeroy1399]

About 35 years ago, I used to work at St. Joseph's Hospital, which was right next door. Even back then, Park Central seemed rather outdated/dilapidated and somewhat unkempt.

[@OtterloopB]

Come back, Mark. We miss you.

[@thechristurner2568]

Classic Game Room tribute NICE!

[@horsefeatherkate]

How sad. I remember being pushed around that mall in a stroller in the very early '60's. Right in the heart of the city and dying?!?

[@sinistermoon]

Nice Classic Game Room parody!

[@MRW2276]

Warning this robot will self destruct in 10 seconds!

[@3229343]

Amazing intro! great tribute to CGR!

[@jakp8777]

Eden Prairie Center in Eden Prairie, MN is where Mall Rats was filed. I remember when the mall was dead then not long after filming the movie they remodeled it and it instantly sprung back to life.