Exploring the Abandoned Landmark Mall - Just Days Before Demolition

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In this episode, we're in Alexandria Virginia to explore the abandoned Landmark Mall. The mall closed in 2017 and is currently undergoing demolition.
Will's Instagram: / abandoned.ne
This episode features music from Stevia Sphere/glaciære:
steviasphere.bandcamp.com/
Tracklist:
Stevia Sphere - Elevator Relaxation Tape 4 - I can't breathe in this mess
glaciære - water slide - ししおどし
Stevia Sphere - Elevator Relaxation Tape 4 - Snail's pace
Stevia Sphere - Stevia Sphere's Interconnected Art Gallery - Machines Vs Water
Citified DX - Abandoned - Neon Snow
Paternoster Poetry - Abandoned - Elevator Zen Again
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Intro Music: artist.landr.com/music/672985...
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[@TheProperPeople]

All the music in this episode is by Stevia Sphere/glaciære, check them out here: steviasphere.bandcamp.com/

[@dreamerjs]

Yay! My favs bringing another awesome find! 🌸✌️💜

[@loditx7706]

An abandoned mall that wasn’t full of water and broken glass would make such a great haunted house or treasure hunt place, I’m sure more things, but can’t think of now. Homeless shelter couldn’t work there. They are very controlling place and no one would spend enough money to staff it and to protect victims from predators. Homeless shelters have both. Just not enough funds to make it useful, so build another over priced for profit hosp. Why not? Hey, could have had indoor amusement park, zip lining, rock walls,etc.

[@bustamove9877]

They did well hitting the feel of 80's songs. I kept hearing Drive by The Cars during the musical shots.

[@sjcwoor]

Looks like a lighter, brighter version on the mall in Stranger Things. Maybe not though. Maybe I'm just subconsciously hyped for S04 part 2 tomorrow.

[@archerwark7347]

I get a Dan Bell vibe from the music

[@TimFilmsCars]

These mall videos make me sadder than the others. I've never been a patient in an asylum, but I've been a kid in these places in their heyday. Awesome release once again, dudes.

[@Unused_Pineapple]

What was once such a lively place filled with chatter and laughter is now a cemetery for all the joy that used to echo through those same hallways… very unsettling.

[@MorpheusOne]

_'Tombs of Capitalism'_

[@samholdsworth420]

Get over it boomer. Malls sucked

[@MorpheusOne]

@Sam: Based on what do you say that?

[@TheScrltspdrslayer]

Same. I was born in the 80s but didn't go to a mall until I was a teenager in the 90s. They had this atmosphere that just isn't replicated anywhere else. So many different people milling about, laughing, hanging out. Malls were the choice for most people for their first jobs as that's where their friends came to hang out. And now they're just empty tombs to a bygone era. Cherish your memories

[@Carl_Aznable]

I spent the entire summer of 2018 working in that mall on the crew of WW84. It was amazing. The mall was recreated, circa 1984, complete with period stores, like Chess King and Radio Shack and a video arcade called Time Out. The stores were full of merchandise and usually had a fake back wall so they could make a smaller space look more full of merch. They filled it with hundreds of extras wearing '80s clothing and played period music on the PA. Walking through all of that, I felt like a time traveller! Months later, production raised hell because somebody drew a few dicks around the mall with a Sharpie. To see the whole building in ruins a few yrs later is kind of ironic

[@davidfeltheim2501]

That's really cool, which section was used for filming?

[@Carl_Aznable]

@@davidfeltheim2501 mostly the food court

[@TheCakesCup26]

That’s really cool that you got to work in that environment. Where you still working on filming when someone vandalized the mall?

[@bnnrose]

Did they film Better Call Saul here?

[@daboz8753]

You know, I'm going to go out on a limb here and just say...I really liked that movie. There, I said it. Having said that, the scene in the mall probably was my favorite, I didn't realize they used an actual mall to do it (I mean, with green screens these days who knows what's what.) But that's pretty nifty, kind of like what they did for 'Stranger Things'.

[@michaelb8245]

The hole in the roof of the Sears was done by the City of Alexandria Fire Dept. They were doing rescue training there in the early spring of 2022. I've lived here since 2003 and have never seen the Subway store. So it was walled-off since at least 2003 or before. A real time capsule!

[@michaelstrongbow2336]

They haven't used that wallpaper for a very long time.

[@redfox_84]

@@michaelstrongbow2336 I remember seeing it in the early 2000s. Sadly that was a long time ago now.

[@t436]

Same, I don't remember a Subway in there when I lived in Cascade of landmark.

[@bobjenkins9736]

@hd01 I opened a Subway in 95 and it was the dark green printed wallpaper. Actually it was vinyl material. Got rid of Subway in 2006 and got rid of that awful wallpaper and yellow board underneath it. I didn't have a choice with the franchise agreement tho when I ended the franchise all the equipment was mine as I purchased everything outright unlike most owners who lease their equipment. Subway failed the franchise owners by having a franchise owner being the inspector whom had the authority to take over their stores. Unlike most Subways he thought he wanted my store until he discovered I owned the building and rent was going to be expensive and I owned the equipment that he would have had to lease. His last visit was a restraining order as I converted it into a Piccadilly Circus Pizza and Subs and he was therefore trespassing. Sadly Subway changed it's color scheme to resemble ours not long after. I'm glad Subway is dying as the offer franchise owners no protection.

[@uhoh4218]

I was thinking the same thing. I used to live in the area around 2004 and solely went to that mall for the Chik-Fil-A, but I never saw a Subway. The only known stores in there were Sears and Lenscrafters, I believe.

[@hdrenginedevelopment7507]

Man, this was my childhood mall! Many good times remembered from that. Christmas time was always a high point especially back in the 90's when everything was fresh and vibrant. They had the biggest epic Christmas tree set up every year. The fountains were pretty cool, the neon in the food court was awesome, just sad to see it all fade into obscurity. I know times have moved on, but my problem with that is nothing has taken its place in society. It's like daily life has become that much more dry and isolated rather than it simply making way for something else new and fulfilling...

[@charlesanderson9256]

Agree. The management did a good job of maintaining it too. I always thought it was strange that it had the only Chic Fil A in the area for the longest time

[@Job.Well.Done_01]

Obscurity for sure. The isolation will only continue. Get used to it.

[@Glibzer]

@@Job.Well.Done_01 you will own nothing and be happy.

[@princesskateforthewin]

You are so right! I feel the same way about Regency Square in the West End of Richmond, VA.. It hasn't been demolished but it has been repurposed into a mixed-use community. Half of the mall remains, but the rest was demolished and replaced with highrise apartment buildings. I miss Regency Square Mall. Willow Lawn is nice but Regency Square Mall was even nicer.

[@princesskateforthewin]

@@Job.Well.Done_01 I most definitely will NOT get used to it.

[@benjaminweir7382]

So sad to see this mall get demolished as my Grandfather Osby. L. Weir was the one who opened the Sears there. Glad to see someone filmed it on its last days.

[@bellbird3501]

Neat

[@SWAGCHODE]

"haha i laugh at the failures of others because ive never accomplished anything myself" pathetic

[@miguelaguilar5896]

@alkalez he is being funny bro. No disrespect intended. Overall though, as someone who lives in Los Angeles this is QUITE SAD TO SEE... WE GOT MULTIPLE MALLS and they are a "happy place" for most. Sad to see malls troughout the country that are being demolished... Thanks Jeff Bezos and company

[@pavelow235]

@@miguelaguilar5896 It's funny because Jeff Bezos moved Amazon headquarters to washington Dc, a few miles from this mall. Therefore he increased the value of the land greatly that the mall was on. Now it will become a cancer hospital, and 100s of new apartments (where before nobody lived there). And lots of new retail, in the new way with sunshine.

[@blacksunshine1089]

@@pavelow235yeah, and heat and humidity in the summer time along with cold the winter…

[@cgimovieman]

I don’t know how old you guys (filming) are, but I know you’re younger than me. Maybe grew up in the 2000’s and 2010’s I’m guessing? I’m 43, and grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. I wish you guys could have experienced malls like I did in those decades. They were so cool, and one of my absolute favorite places, maybe only outdone by theme parks. But malls were much more ubiquitous around the country, and you could actually get things done at them. For a kid like me who lived in a really tiny town of only 1,800 people, I had really no place in my town like a mall. But we did have one about an hour away, and went there a handful of times each year. It was like a window to the bigger world for me as so many things there went. Malls felt like places so big and cool that they would always be around. It makes me so so sad to see such a majority of malls in this state, dead, rotting, and abused by vandals. It’s really surreal for a kid of my generation. But at the same time, I can’t stop watching videos of these places, now abandoned. Even ruined, they remind me of so many amazing times in my life growing up.

[@theRPGmaster]

It makes me sad as well, I'm in my early 20s, and I feel nostalgia for places I never got to visit. Born 20 years too late. Modern architecture and design is plain and ugly, and everything is going digital, which can take the fun out of it.

[@TheProperPeople]

We were born in the 90s, we did get to experience some of that but only in very early memories. Our local mall was decked out in teal and pink neon. I remember there were fish tanks inside, the food court was always popping, and there were often live community events going on inside. I had the chance to revisit it recently and it was completely beige and depressing. Sometimes I feel like a lot of malls would have fared better by not modernizing at all and surviving off nostalgia factor...

[@cgimovieman]

@@theRPGmaster That’s nice to hear. I’ve struggled with a lot of depression in recent years for a variety of reasons, but one has been not having nearly the number of physical places to visit or hang out at like I used to. But sometimes I feel like more people today, especially from a younger generation than me, just don’t want that. So supply and demand and there isn’t as much built like that. I suppose it happens to every generation though. My grandparents grew up in the Detroit area in the 30’s and 40’s, and have told me stories of how cool it was to go downtown there and shop at the enormous Hudson’s store as kids. It was like Macy’s in NYC or Harrod’s in London back then. But that store is long gone now and Detroit, although it’s getting better, still has a lot of apocalyptic looking places.

[@cgimovieman]

@@TheProperPeople That’s good that you have some memories of the better times for malls. I’m not sure what the solution is honestly. I know the whole story so well, and it’s a combination of factors. I have seven traditional malls in my metro area, but if those only two are still thriving, and one is the ultra high-end mall, the other almost so, and both get a steady flow of tourists from other countries. I think some malls could survive from nostalgia factor if they had been left alone, but maybe only for a while. Not even everyone from my generation is incredibly sad to see malls go, and eventually the people like me who are interested in them won’t be around. I guess I just have a hard time with change. Or at least the amount of it that’s happened the most recent 10-15 years.

[@snuffypop]

@@TheProperPeople I think the problem with nostalgia is like... there's a ten-twenty year gap between new and nostalgic where it's just outdated :(

[@ThisisDanBell]

They filmed Wonder Woman 84 here. Looks like they painted over the 80’s paint job they did for the movie.

[@HorrorWorldx]

That’s dope

[@Kiwi_Katastrophe]

lol honestly, it looked like that before it closed down. if they did anything to it to make it old-timey, they sure didnt have to do much

[@kingquacken]

Dan Bell himself :O

[@basshead2003]

@@kingquacken The OG of Dead Malls/the Godfather of the Dead Mall Mafia (his “capos” could be Sal and Ace 😂).

[@kingquacken]

@@basshead2003 haha

[@Clare0724]

We actually had 4 malls in our area. One was demolished several years ago and is now mixed use and a city hall/ police department, another is close to shutting down, and the other two are still going strong. The bigger one of the two is my childhood mall, and it still feels like you're going back to the 80s and 90s in it. I hate that online shopping has had that big of an impact

[@kellyl7688]

Dan Bell shot this mall back in 2015. It’s amazing to see what it looked like 7 years ago compared with today. Great job as usual!

[@deek60819]

Here's Dan's video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3yQfqWLl5iYkNk

[@actblur]

thanks for confirming, I was so sure that Dan featured this mall before as it looked so familiar.

[@Flutterbyby]

No wonder it looks so familiar

[@buda3d2007]

I think that was one of the earlier Dead Mall videos, I remember he said he put that old department store music on to cover up the copyrighted music which then became a feature of his work, I like his commentary on the malls and their eventual decline.

[@kevinkool3]

Love Dan's dead mall series. He even used to work in one of them years ago.

[@DeeTofa]

This video was a complete nostalgia trip. I still remember walking through this mall with my parents as a child in the early 2000s. Those were simpler times.

[@dannydarko9679]

Same here.I grew up in Fairfax and went here a few times.

[@benbroetzmann5103]

Same. Lived a short ways away from this mall - always went for the food court lol

[@johnv50]

Same, I came here as a kid all the time. Before it died I’d come for the chickfila lol

[@DeeTofa]

@@johnv50 Yeesss. The Chickfila is where my parents took me all the time. The whole vibe at the top floor food court was amazing.

[@schindlerbrady]

There’s a weird obsession I feel about these types of videos. They make me sadder then all get out but I can’t look away - I can’t stop clicking on different locations and basically feeling nostalgia I don’t own the vibe of. It’s weird . Never been to these places and I miss them and can feel the good memories and bad memories

[@xXRedTheDragonXx]

This mall video in particular made me really sad. This mall was home to a lot of businesses, hundreds of employees, served millions of customers but now that's all gone. It's so awful seeing them try to cover up the fact that they're failing. People spent their lives working here, owning businesses here, only to watch the business slowly fade over time as customer numbers began to dip. Seeing that security office in particular, people worked there for years and years with all of those files. The shops that looked like they recently closed. That thought of the business owners struggling to hang on to the last bit of their business while they watch the walls essentially fall around them. That just makes me sad.

[@FEEAR1000]

Man I miss the days of packed malls, music vibing and hot topic and other cool stores.. Good times and a shame they'll be gone thanks to Amazon.

[@GetDougDimmadomed]

I was really hoping online shopping would die off. Malls are fun, even with my hating walking. Just taking in the sights and exploring, even if you've gone there for years.

[@dougrogan379]

Visit Australia we still have them everywhere

[@mrconroy4672]

Amazon keeps mismanaging and keeps treating workers horribly. I am livid that we are stuck with a mid online service that can’t deliver right.

[@aj897]

Amazon isn't the reason, most of these clothing brands realized it's way cheaper to have a handful of shipping centers, than to have dozens or hundreds of stores to operate, sadly the internet created jobs and also killed many

[@__________o____________]

springfield mall near landmark mall is thriving like crazy. Landmark was just really old and outdated

[@BlazingsNL]

I'm not even from the US, but seeing these kind of mall videos makes me with I could experience them in the 80s/90s glory. Makes me kinda sad seeing all the nice retro tiling, knowing it's being demolished.

[@johannasperski9838]

They were amazing. During the busy times you could feel the electricity in the air.

[@StormyBoi]

I think these guys are doing incredible work capturing historic buildings before they eventually fully deteriorate or get demolished.. really wish there was an "explore at your own risk" law legalizing this type of exploration, or at least allowing people to apply for Urbex Licenses..

[@randomchannel9331]

Hard to do because I don't think the whoever the property owners are would appreciate it lol

[@OrangeCounty92]

One thing I like about the Proper People is that they never sold out. They stayed true their original roots with their content. Unlike other KZbinrs they hop on trends and their content and views suffers.

[@Arista177]

Growing up in the 80s malls were such a fun place to hang out with friends.

[@notyouraverageyoutuber3172]

I find dead malls so cool, there’s a mall with only about 6-10 stores in the entire mall, it’s called lakeshore mall and it still has the old Sears and JCPenney sign. There was a K-Mart there but the sign got removed a few months after it died off. It didn’t get remodeled so it still has a design from the 80’s

[@LexieLPoyser]

White Mountain Mall, a few clicks from my house, is a ghost town most of the time. The cinema keeps busy though.

[@notyouraverageyoutuber3172]

@@LexieLPoyser yep,same over here.

[@yankees29]

Sunrise Mall in Massapequa is going going almost gone. The last Sears in NY closed recently there. I grew up hanging out there. It’s really weird seeing it empty.

[@kendallevans4079]

You can usually tell when a mall starts to fall off the map. The "A" list shops are replaced with the "C" list (just about anybody they can get to sign a lease). The movie theater stops showing new movies and comes up with some sort of "bargain matinee" package.

[@marymannion4445]

@@yankees29 I remember when sunrise mall opened. What. Place to shop

[@districtline]

Thanks so much for memorializing this! The first section you were in used to be a row of restaurants. The first one you entered was Burger King. The first anchor you were in was Woodward & Lothrop, then Lord & Taylor moved in after Woodies failed. The Macy's did inhabit both floors. Thank you again!

[@apatheticempathy]

Priceless info that will be forgotten to a better time. History thanks you ! Thank you.

[@Cah1r096]

You said about a paintball war, and your correct. They occasionally hosted airsoft or paintball matches here, before it was absolutely blocked off

[@NAME.EXPUNGED]

It's a strange feeling to finally be one of the "hey I remember that place" people in the comments. Makes me wish I had the nerve to go poke around before it got ripped apart, but it's now just a sad heap of wreckage I pass on the way to work.

[@markratony7630]

The Northridge mall in California made me feel that way. I was there many times and I remember the last time I was there I bought my mom and dad a CD player for Christmas. That was the last time I went to that mall as I moved to Payson Arizona shortly after Christmas. I remember my dear dad playing this CD I bought him on that same player. He must have played it a thousand times. It was by a group called Yaki Da and the song was called (I saw you Dancing). He was a European that came to America during the 1957 invasion of Hungary. He wanted to go back to his native country before he was too old. This was in the early 90's when the wall came down. He died a few months later at the age of 58 to severe kidney infection and pancreatic infection due to Diabetes. I miss him so much and remembering his appreciation that I bought them the first CD player they ever had. That made him so happy. When they closed the mall and not sure if it was torn down but it was another chapter in my life that was just unbearable. That stupid mall meant so much to me. It was like taken away from me and another part of my dad disappeared. Oh my GOD. I have tears in my eyes from this.

[@26feironworks79]

@@markratony7630 I grew up in Burbank my friend I've been to that mall quite a few times but not a lot I live in Phoenix now so I feel you

[@Dino-god69]

@@26feironworks79 i moved out to Indiana, it had been awhile since i read anything and then I read that and Im shook lol

[@teeceedeecee]

@[REDACTED] I was thinking the same thing. Landmark was a weekly stop for me in the early 2000s ... Less so as it started to decay...

[@heatherlazo2342]

Same! My first apartment was across right around the corner from here and that was 8-9 years ago. I went back once in 2016 when they were starting to plan the demo and probably 90% of the stores were closed

[@michael_nevess]

I swear to god! Every time I was walking near this mall, I kept thinking: A Proper People's video of this mall is more than needed!!!! My dream came true!!! 😭😭😭

[@gdanig666]

My first job was at the Kay Bee Toys in this mall. The first store you went in that you said was a cafeteria was a Burger King back in the day. The training facility use to be a Woodward & Lothrop and then It was a Lord & Taylor and then a JC Penny. The Macy’s use to be a Hecht’s.

[@Cheshiechick]

I was born in Alexandria and grew up near this mall in the 70's and 80's when it was an open-air mall, and it was quite nice. My family got a lot of shopping done in the anchor stores and we had a friend who worked at the Hallmark store then, and there was an "underground" mall where you could get frozen custard. The most important place for most people was an S&W cafeteria where generations of people young and old would meet. My grandparents would see people they had not spoken to in years, and I remember eating there as a baby on into my teens. A lot of unhappy people protested the loss of that place and the then future enclosed mall when the property changed hands in the early 90's. Really a shame they enclosed it at all. I think the historic open- air mall would have been better off kept as it was.

[@camijis]

Same. Part of the problem was the parking entrance and exit were poorly designed. It probably would have done better if that had been taken care of early on. I also remember the days before the mall was closed in. I guess it's time for me to get over my nostalgia. After decades of talking about it, it's finally been demolished.

[@timl7407]

@@camijis grew up in the 70s and 80s also in Alexandria. i worked here at the Garden Spot restaurant with my two other brothers. Had some great times here.

[@timupton8215]

My family would go there in the 70's also. I remember running up and down the concrete planters in the open air mall all also, as a 9-11 year old. We move out of northern VA before they enclosed it.

[@TheCoolDave]

It's sad but, in 20 years, Malls like this will be in books, not in real life. The days are over. I even went down to my local mall like a month ago. There was a lot of stores but, not every sport was filled and you can see the decline over the last 4-5 years. When I was in my teens (80's), it was the place to be, everyone hung out at the mall, those days will be gone for ever....

[@Iron_Stigmata]

This is so strange to me, because in the UK big cities I definitely still see "malls". Maybe they're smaller than the US ones, but they're there. Like the Trafford Centre, for example. It's wild to me that they're dropping like flies in the US.

[@ojsimpson9516]

@@Iron_Stigmata big city malls are still going heavy in the US; American dream mall for example, Though the mall is in financial trouble.

[@Fleetwing1627]

So far, the Pentagon City Mall nearby to this one is doing well. So are the malls out at Tysons Corner. Places like the DC area have the money to keep at least some malls going, but mall culture will never be what it once was.

[@larrystewart1503]

i Think the 80 SUCKED ! everthig about the 80 Was Bad a fan of Garbage Pail kids stickers !

[@thentantt]

Depends on the town. I live in Minnesota I don’t think the mall of America is going anywhere

[@559viking]

Old malls from the past are quite cool, its a look into the past of how gathering for shopping was such a big thing, we still have that but not as much and the nostalgia of the experience has dwindled, being a mall rat was quite fun as a teenager.

[@homeplanet365]

It the height of the mall era you had a lot more clearance racks that brought in the younger crowds. Most mark down items started going to discount department stores in the 1990s and that made malls far too exclusive to support the number of malls that had been built.

[@alphamajor0195]

Seeing these abandoned malls makes me kinda sad , I’m a GenX, and I literally spent my teen years at the Mall on the weekends in the arcade playing video games or just walking around with my friends on a Friday/Saturday night.

[@DarthTalon66]

It makes me sad knowing my only memories with malls was when I visited my dad in Oklahoma as a little kid. It’s been years and I think I’ve been to one since.

[@Claribel1989]

I remember going to this mall as a kid. It brings back so many memories. I can’t believe how much has changed. It makes me sad to see it go down. 🥺

[@flybynight9685]

The vibes I get from your mall videos are unmatched. I return to them over and over again when I just need to relax and sort of unplug from everyday life. Thank you so much guys❤

[@hiddeninsweden]

We (Sweden) adopted the mall concept back in the early 60’s, many malls are now fighting to survive, the latest idea is to let IKEA in to more central located malls where the customers actually lives.

[@wbblueye1387]

Malls Dying because the often atleast minimum 20-30% more expensive then online they dont go with time. They still stuck in the 60s so they will die out.

[@zarach11]

They've started doing that in the UK with the former Kings Mall shopping centre (now Livat) in Hammersmith, London

[@homeplanet365]

The big box stores, where you could use a cart to carry all types of items all the way to your car, killed the Malls as much as on-line shopping did. As big boxes move into malls, it is still an issue and makes two worlds that do not blend well.

[@anlicsceadu]

@@homeplanet365 I don't know, I think if done right these big box stores can revitalize a mall. I live in Japan currently, and malls are thriving here. At the one closest to me they have have a big box/grocery store as an anchor...in fact the whole mall is named after it. Then they have three stories of all your normal mall type stores (including an H&M), higher end shops, a camping/sports store (another anchor), movie theater, and a huge pay to play children's area (which is amazing during the rainy season). Their food court is also packed with a bakery, McDonalds, and of course Japanese food. It can be done...I just think American retailers are scared to try. Also with the current economic times, I think it would be a bad time for a new venture anyways. But who knows, maybe someday?

[@homeplanet365]

@@anlicsceadu Thanks for the info. I will make the assumption that the area in Japan you are talking about is not as car dependent as a majority of the USA. Without a car as transport the big box and mall stores are on the same footing. The big box might even be more accessible within a mall, in a less car abusing area, than the majority of them in the USA that are stand alone or in groups with other larger stores with their own entrances and a large shared parking area.

[@Pete_Finch]

The abandoned/about to be demolished mall videos legitimately hurt inside. I'm not an old guy by any means, but working retail in malls was where I met a ton of my best friends to this day, dated girls I had amazing times with and had so many good memories. Now they're just sitting there empty, waiting to die.

[@SerperiorWeeb]

This whole video was like a trip down memory lane. I spent hundreds of hours in this mall at it's height. I always saw the changing stores, the new restaurants, had countless good times here, I grew up at this mall. Seeing it's end, especially days before it's destruction, now that the building is nothing but rubble makes me teary eyed.

[@KacyJanna]

Seeing these dated malls makes me so sad that I wasn’t an adult in these times that they were active. I’ve always loved going to malls as a kid and unfortunately in my state, we only have one major indoor mall but it’s pretty modern now. I would love to go to a vintage mall that is still active one day.

[@TheRogueUrbex]

Glad you filmed and documented this place before the bulldozers roll in... so many empty and abandoned malls nowadays, the end of an era I guess 😔

[@jwalster9412]

damn, for a channel covering abandoned places, the production quality is insane.

[@agrimi01]

I am impressed that you caught them before they began demolishion. The inserted music was very good and added a quality notch to the film. You guys keep raising and surpassing your bar. I can't wait to see the next one.

[@Bierkameel]

That looks like a really well build mall. No leakages or mold.

[@deek60819]

sears has entered the chat

[@SergeantExtreme]

@@deek60819 To be fair, Sears was notorious for being run down even when they were still operating: kzbin.info/www/bejne/naSqoZubpZyMfrM

[@MarcABrown-tt1fp]

@@deek60819 Looks like it was purposely ripped out there by the fire department for rescue training. I suppose that is a good Idea.

[@kath121]

This is so crazy! I spent my formative years in Springfield right near Alexandria. We used to go to Ticketmaster at Hecht's at this mall to buy our concert tickets...it was still an outdoor mall then. What a blast from the past!

[@miapia03]

I remember going to Hechts to buy tickets!

[@charlesboyer5712]

" Time-Out"

[@kath121]

@@charlesboyer5712 and Time Out 2! 🤣

[@jillthinksimabreakfasttaco4904]

I was born in 1983 in Alexandria, and remember the outdoor "old" Landmark mall that was there before the "newer" mall opened in 1990. Landmark Mall was a fun, safe and vibrant place with a lot of stores and people everywhere. It started going downhill around the 2000s. Same with Springfield Mall nearby. Sad to see this mall disappear. This mall was iconic for the 90s as you can tell.

[@DocksidePizza]

At least Springfield Mall was able to recover after its 2 year renovation. Nothing was ever really done for Landmark, though

[@kingquacken]

As someone that grew up going to this mall every Saturday and living just 2 miles away from it, It's sad to see it get torn down. Had alot of memories at that mall with my friends and family as I grew up. Forever RIP Landmark Mall. At least you were better then the Ballston Mall and Pentagon City Mall (in my opinion at least) Fun fact, Amazon which has a distribution center in Springfield used Landmark Malls parking garage to store a good amount of its delivery trucks. The reason why that mall was killed off in the first place. Thanks Bezos -_-

[@MickeyMishra]

It was more than amazon.

[@kingquacken]

@@MickeyMishra I'm fully aware but they are one of the reasons why I moved away from the NOVA area

[@dvferyance]

Anyone does have the option not to buy from Amazon. In fact I haven't in many years.

[@kingquacken]

@@dvferyance same here. Brick and mortar for me

[@dvferyance]

@@kingquacken If I ever do buy anything online it still aint from Amazon. What is the big deal with them? It's not like their prices are that great. For the most part they aren't even the cheapest online.

[@AstroNerdBoy]

I'm surprised it didn't become a proper, indoor mall until 1990. That aside, there was always something magical about wandering a mall. And as I think I've said in some of your other mall videos, if a mall had an arcade, it was nigh on perfection.

[@kath121]

I was fascinated when the enclosed it. The original design was pretty much like an indoor mall with no roof over the common areas and halls.

[@dmacarthur5356]

Whats funny is that is kinda going back to the original uncovered shopping center plan. Hopefully they do it better than Mosaic in Falls Church. The built Mosaic as a pedestrian/vehicle shared space concept and its a nightmare to get in and out of on the weekends.

[@Ratxgirl503]

Im in Oregon and we have the Lloyd Center mall here with a parallel story,- og an outdoor concept, later enclosed and look very similar to this mall (although most malls are designed the same) I think it would be awesome for the Proper People to do a piece about Lloyed Center! Our mall is still open but struggling especially since the pandemic and all the stuff happening in PDX. Its a big nostalgia place for me because i grew up going here during its hayday its so sad to see it as a ghosttown. Lloyd came very close to bankruptcy and closing until an investment company bought it at the last minute. If it were to really close i would like it to be turned into housing, a mall would make an amazing home community with shops on the bottom and apartments up top

[@MQZ17]

It's amazing how these places were so full of life, laughter, fun moments and now, dead

[@juliebarker6992]

Exactly what I was thinking 😞

[@benbroetzmann5103]

I remember going here several times for eye appointments back in the mid - late 2000s. It was always exciting because we would get Chic-fil-a afterwards!

[@jsouth4480]

Just imagine all the people shopping there for the holidays

[@AppStateWaifu]

It’s a shame it couldn’t be revived the way Springfield Mall was. I went to Landmark probably once or twice in my life. But if it’s gonna be abandoned, it may as well be put to rest.

[@ybunnygurl]

Do you really think Springfield is revived? There's so many empty stores there still I just don't know if I could really say it's revived yet. It definitely has lots of entertainment and eating options though.

[@AppStateWaifu]

@@ybunnygurl I mean it hasn’t been abandoned, and it tends to get packed because of the new restaurants plus Dave and Busters. I look at that as a revival. Prior to renovations it looked on the edge of abandonment. Tyson’s malls also have a couple of empty stores, but the fact it’s always got clientele coming in tells me it also does well.

[@kath121]

I definitely see Springfield Mall as revived. The late 90s to early 2000s, it was on life support. I enjoyed it in its heyday of late 70s to early 80s...loved living in Springfield Forest right next to it...so easy to walk over, rather than drive. 😉👍

[@ElectromasterTech]

Ah, finally talk about a mall I've been to! Springfield mall, as well as King of Prussia mall, were the ones I used to frequent with my parents

[@Tsquared2099]

This is a good point - I'm not sure what the difference was where they could revive the Springfield Mall and not the Landmark Mall - both are in heavily populated areas. Springfield is a little more affluent I suppose?

[@pcojedi]

I would have loved to have gone to that mall in 1985

[@54Ripster]

I lived right below this mall around 1990 to 1993 while stationed at the pentagon. Liked Barneys coffee shop there, which was long gone before mall eveb closed.

[@limeyosu2000]

The nicest abandoned mall i have ever seen. It really seems like it closed a few months ago. Great video guys as usual.

[@morganincognito1988]

Awww...this is so sad to see the Landmark Mall victim of another dead mall soon to be totally demolished! That mall was so nice back in the day!

[@BitKing_Ross]

I walked those very floors as a kid through the 90s, mall was frequently packed. Sad to see it go but it is a new beginning. Yes the planters were all fountains. I "fell" in once. There was a Macy's and of course the Sears. Macy's was a Hecht's for a long time before it got bought out.

[@CMExploration]

Its sad to see the Malls decline. Amazing place and video none the less.

[@joelsheppard1736]

Man. As a 90’s kid these mall videos always hit different. Keep up the good work on filming them while you can!

[@connorbowen8867]

Love the Dan Bell-esque music choices!!!

[@michaelb8245]

You guys are AMAZING. I have lived next to this mall for 20 years and at the end of this place tried to figure out how I could get in for one last mall walk. Couldn't do it. Security was way too tight. I will say my favorite places in this dead mall from 2003 to closing were the Chic Fil A and Auntie Annie's. I bought my "business casual" clothes from lands-end in Sears. Sad to see it go but glad to see it go. A new hospital will be built here. Our current hospital is over 60 years old! This parcel is the only plot of land in Alexandria VA that is large enough to be developed into a hospital. The City of Alexandria made the right choice for the citizens who live here. The re-make in 1990 was only successful for about 10 years. When I moved here in 2003 this mall was dead. It did joker retail until it was closed in 2017.

[@ybunnygurl]

Most of the current Alexandria hospital was built in the 70's and been renovated over and added on to until it was decided that a new hospital is the only option. But the sad thing is about the new hospital if the hospital needs to grow it won't be able to.

[@markratony7630]

If that is the truth about Virginia converting parts of the mall to house the homeless, that was very commendable. I live in Phoenix Arizona where just spending 10 minutes outdoors in the middle of summer is enough to cause dehydration and heat exhaustion and possibly pass out anywhere and usually at the worst time. I have seen people drop at an intersection while walking across the street. We need the local government in Arizona to do the same thing as Virginia did for their homeless. Arizona has many, many warehouses and vacant stores where people could stay as a temporary resident until the end of summer. Instead we have people walking all over to find shelter and beg for donations. It's really sad and so unnecessary to not utilize areas that have remained vacant for years and are subjected to vandalism and copper miners because nobody is able to watch a vacant building. Having tenants that follow rules to maintain their living area and dump all trash in the areas they stay at is exactly what the land owners need. Vacant buildings deteriorate very fast. Especially when people are looking for shelter and ways to make money by stripping aluminum and copper out of vacant buildings.

[@spiritmatter1553]

I understand that a Dick’s Sporting Goods at Fair Oaks Mall in Virginia was used to initially house some Afghan refugees after Brandon pulled out. Don’t know how long that arrangement lasted though.

[@bobdrago6965]

Young folks and their fascination with the Zeitgeist of recent past eras is a blast to watch. Most comments wax nostalgic about back in the day. These particular urbex guys are respectful but also comically snarky. Great mix of atmospheric soundtrack and film editing. These two might be the best in the business. They add digital dignity to the ghosts of our past.

[@InfiniteElite]

Well said lol

[@issyhalecullen]

Takes me back when I was a kid and loved going to the mall. It’s sad to see what once was a beautiful mall go down like this. Another great one guys.

[@frankhellman6879]

The two levels with & without furnishings shows how designers used pathways & sight lines to make an area look much larger than it actually was.

[@jessicablount7092]

Amazing to see this place frozen in time. I got a kick outta the old Subway wallpaper. I remember staring at it when I'd be eating my sammy. The "jazz" cup was cool af! Haven't seen those in ages! The cinematography on this video was beautiful. Great job gentlemen!

[@saleemazimi6580]

Thanks for exploring Landmark Mall! As a child in the early 2000's, I used to go here every week. This brought me back so many memories.

[@maevemaiden]

I love these abandoned mall videos almost as much as I love your theater videos. Hecht's was one of my first jobs and one of the anchors at Columbia Mall which is just about 30-35 min from here. Woodward & Lothrop (Woodies) was also one of their original anchors. It was my Irish grandmothers favorite place to shop. Ahh brings back good memories as all these mall videos do. Thank you for the nostalgia:)

[@leeroyholloway4277]

Everything looks vintage when your 20 years old. Love your work.

[@emadshawish7315]

Wow this just unlocked some core memories of my childhood. Every Saturday in the late 90s had Pokemon vendor tables lined up on the bottom floor from Sears to the opposite end. We spent all day buying/trading/selling cards with each other. Crazy to think how much those cards are worth now! Then I got my first job at the KB Toys store in 2003 before the start of my senior year of HS. Fun while it lasted because they closed a few months later. Sad to see what happened because I had so many great memories here. Thanks for sharing!

[@0111DTheProphet]

Thank you so much for coming to Virginia and preserving a mall I grew up with. Thou, it was DEFINITELY the last choice mall. It's one of the few originals around here. Thank you Proper PPL. Glad to see you've blown up after years of being a subscriber. Yall deserve it

[@KathrynB621]

So sad to see, my Mom would take me here as a kid. Now I drive past it on the way to DC. Great video!

[@criticalhard]

Those tiles on the ground design omg this is how I remember malls when I was younger, it's sad to see how things nowadays are so simplistic, back then people cared about every little detail. It's a shame how many of these things won't get recycled, so much glass and steel:(

[@obsidiansea]

Yes, that bothers me so much! I wish they would pick it clean before demolishing it and try to repurpose or recycle everything they can.

[@BobbyBaylor]

Landmark was another victim of too many malls being too close to each other and cannibalizing a shrinking number of shoppers. By the early 90s, there were 6 malls within 20-30 minutes of each other in Northern Virginia. When the MUCH more upscale Fashion Centre at Pentagon City opened a couple of exits up the interstate in 1988 with, I believe, the region's first Macy's and Nordstrom, Landmark was doomed, and even as a kid at the time, I wondered why they bothered enclosing it and trying to compete. While the mall was always kept new and clean looking, it never attracted higher-end stores, and anchors like Lord & Taylor and even Old Navy struggled to remain open for more than a couple of years. This video was really hard to watch b/c of all my memories growing up, but thanks for capturing this before it got demolished.

[@tedsgibson]

So sad that such a beautiful building finds it’s self with no use. All the hard work that went in to build it and maintaining it all for nothing in the end. We are so rushed to throw things away. Thank you for the video!

[@bryanirvine6169]

I used to live just down the hill a bit from that mall in London Park Towers. Back then there were still a lot of stores open. It's sad to see it empty and being torn down.

[@therealDiabolicpork]

I used to live at landmark apartments right off Holmes run. Used to walk up to the mall, go play some games at pocket change, then get some food. Met hulk hogan, in front of hec's. Hell I remember we went trick or treating in there one year, so many people. And if I was low on funds would go to sears and play the sega, playstation, and N64 demo games they had lol

[@MJARTBYDAY]

It just seems so sad as once this Mall was opened and many were excited to enter it and buy from the many selection of stores they had to offer. Now not many years after it was built its being demolished. Then in comes the Proper People days before demolition and shows us what it looks like now with amazing footage .. what a treat .. Cant wait for the next video guys x

[@kt9527]

I remember this place rather fondly... I used to come here regularly because it used to have one of the only glasses shops that had an eye doctor that performed professional eye exams on site. It was easier to get an appointment there than it was with the eye doctors who worked out of the now Virginia Hospital center. I've had chronic vision issues my whole life, and this mall was su h a huge part of my childhood as a result.

[@WestcoastAudiGuy]

I've been watching a lot of liminal space and backroom stuff... This fits in well

[@courtneyturner4029]

Yea same, that stuff got me hooked

[@mustangmaniac614]

I used to live right down the street from this mall. So cool to see it on your channel.

[@craggercragger8989]

As a 90s child who grew up without internet shopping to begin with, I find it so difficult to comprehend that so many malls/shopping centres are just not required anymore. The one in my home town of Stevenage is still open and seemingly busy enough to sustain itself, somewhat thankfully. However, I know I can't hold the moral high ground because once I've had the shopping experience of something being out of stock even though I've phoned ahead and attempted to reserve something, I've ended up by default just shopping online.

[@yourboyken7871]

I loved this mall as a kid. Multiple shops, restaurants, and great place to vibe was amazing. Now it will be a hospital but still have the memories stored with me forever!

[@graydtx]

Grew up with many trips to this mall and I really appreciated seeing this pop up tonight. You guys do a great job, and while dead mall videos always strike an unavoidably somber chord, it's nice that the tail end of an era can be documented. I long for the heyday of malls once again 💫 We don't need any more soulless and uninspired "condo/ground level retail/mixed use" developments, imo 😬 The food court was great all lit up with the neon~

[@themoviedealers]

Malls are soulless and mixed use residential/retail is more inspired actually.

[@graydtx]

@@themoviedealers *Alex Trebek voice* Oh no I'm sorry, thats incorrect.

[@franciscodanconia4324]

@@themoviedealers Come look at all the nearly identical mixed use residential/retail developments popping up in Dallas-Fort Worth and tell me that again. They all look pretty much identical. And the parking sucks, so the only people that will use the retail will be the residents of the apartments.

[@buckstarchaser2376]

That mall is the kind that you could live in. Very nice and comfy inside.

[@tlafinman]

Dude you just brought comfort to my childhood thank you 🙏 the top floor was soo cool with neon lights, food court, and arcade, malls will never be the same 🥲

[@RTA95]

Seeing your guy’s mall videos first off just like everything else you guys make is beautiful , but seeing these malls I can’t help but feel like I missed out on a golden ear-a, when people got together and would hang out , grab a meal maybe buy a few things here and there and really socialize. I’m 22 so when I was younger I did get to enjoy a bit of what it was like to be in a mall when malls were still a thing but since I was younger I didn’t really appreciate as much as I do now , thank you guys , plz keep finding more places to explore I love your videos

[@galenthrope]

Considering all that stuff was going into the landfill anyway, I wonder why they didn't just charge a small fee (and have an indemnity waiver) and let people come in and scavenge? I mean the stoves in the food courts, the glass shelving...even the giant bells could make a unique lawn ornament for somebody.

[@DanEBoyd]

Those old school Baker's Pride pizza ovens...

[@bookFreak8191]

@@DanEBoyd ikr 😔💔

[@ryano913]

I remember when this architecture and styles seemed ultra “modern” in the late 80s and 90s and is weird seeing it now outdated and in ruins

[@whoaitstu]

Oh mannnn. Rush of nostalgia watching this video. This mall was popping back when I grew up. Loved this video.

[@dannykhoun]

Shoe Repair was the old foot locker back in the late 90’s/2000’s. Back when Jordan’s released on Wednesdays. What a time.

[@CompTechMike]

Fond memories of this place. Always wished I could go back one last time. 😿 Thank you for the video!

[@Syntappi]

Imagine, this mall was back in the days someones big dream and pride to build and own. And now it’s demolished. But that’s how life goes.

[@Tsquared2099]

I used to live across the street from this mall about a decade ago when it was still active. Some of the restaurants in the food court were closed back then, but there were still a lot of stores open and still a lot of shoppers, especially in the department stores (Sears & Macy's). The anchor store in the middle of mall was already closed by then, though, and you could tell that it was only a matter of time for the rest, especially with everything going to online shopping. It's surreal to see it now where everything is closed knowing what it once looked like. The Sears is totally unrecognizable.

[@JustRideTheVibe]

Malls are fascinating to me, because growing up, I can remember my Grandfather talking about them in disdain (in the '90's), while reminiscing about all the local shops and storefronts in town that basically went out of business because of them. Compared to the intimate experience he grew up with, malls were impersonal, sterile, and bland. But now, looking back, I find myself oddly nostalgic about them, as kind of the last vestige of in-person shopping, and just find it funny how perspectives change over time and are decidedly generational.

[@RJ-luci]

The eerie sound and sights of the water dripping was captured beautifully by your camera👍

[@ThomasGrillo]

Thanks for giving us a final look at this mammoth architectural wonder. So sad to see these malls disappearing. Also, thanks for filling us in on what's taking the mall's place.

[@Thebergskristall]

Sitting here in Sweden and just found you, guys and I can watch your videos for hours and hours! Awesome videos, keep up the good work 🙏❤️

[@Andrijko85]

I used to work at the Goodyear/Gemini auto service center there about 20 years ago. The mall, even on its busiest days, back then, was dead and already on decline. I remember the ghetto overpriced "fairs" they used to have in the parking lot. I used to cut through Macy's regularly to get to the food court for lunch. There was a major demographic shift in the whole Landmark/Lincolnia area and that entire area continually degraded. Shame to see. Cool that y'all came out to VA. Watching the rapid decline of Springfield Mall because of gangs and crime was crazy too. Fortunately, the developers of Tyson's Corner bought it up and redid the whole thing. Now its "Springfield Town Center". So many great memories of malls in the 90's. Great work guys!

[@spiritmatter1553]

I saw Princess Diana when she visited Springfield Mall (J. C. Penny) in the 1980s!

[@anlicsceadu]

I grew up going to American malls in the 90s and throughout their decline. Now I live in a suburb of Tokyo, and malls here are thriving. We have one three story one just down the road that is always packed on the weekends. It makes what American malls have come to even sadder to me. I didn't realize how much a missed them, until I had them again. I'm so happy my daughter gets to enjoy them for a little bit of her childhood too. Something about being able to browse so many different stores and try different foods, is just iconic. In Japan they have massive indoor children's play areas (you pay a small fee, and Japanese playgrounds are superior in general) and a grocery store attached as well, which is really nice and promotes even more traffic by having everything you need in one place!

[@bellakagamine]

I experienced the same thing when I moved to Australia from the US. Having a mall attached to a train station where you can come to get your groceries, or literally any other shopping done is really cool.

[@douglasengle2704]

I remember Landmark Mall from my childhood in the 1970s as being in a different realm from Vienna VA. Much of the area surrounding I395 known as Shirley Highway predating the interstates in Arlington County housed upper level US military personnel and their families who worked at the Pentagon or in DC. Interestingly Landmark Mall is just over five miles from the Pentagon. In WW2 when stating inaccurate bombing it was a common expression to state "it would be lucky to get within five miles of the target" indicating that five miles was considered to be the outside typical limit of error for bombing. The Pentagon was built at the beginning of WW2 requiring massive housing construction for all its personnel and their families with Shirley highway being the direct connection to the Pentagon. Shirlington, Landmark and Springfield were major crossroads on Shirley Highway. When I lived in the area I'd ride my bicycle down the W&OD to Shirlington where the old W&OD RR was blocked by I395. I wondered how the RR that was active till 1968 had gotten through the area and somebody told me that at that time Shirley Highway had an at-grade RR crossing and was not a true interstate! Landmark Mall was a mall before Shirley Highway became an Interstate and likely before the mid 1950s which is the start of the Interstate highway construction. This area underwent massive organized suburbanization starting around 1941 with a military flavor to it during WW2 and afterwards with people that would be how we view college educated people today with almost all working for a large similar employer. This is job security that can't really be imagined by most people of today. People likely moved out to locations with central air-conditioning and a lawn as-soon-as this new housing. became available starting around 1960.

[@dexterthewulf3637]

I can’t credit enough on how *good* the commentary from you guys is. Very calm and sometimes subtly comedic, perfect mix for an urbex channel.

[@everest2268]

It’s so sad to see malls in this state. I grew up in the early 2000s so malls were already on a decline but they were still decently populated when I was young and my friends and I loved going to them. Even with a lot less experience in them the drastic decline was depressing to watch as they were something I enjoyed and they were a simple way to bring people together in an area - it felt big and exciting as a small town kid. My mom who grew up in the 80s always talks fondly of them and how much everyone loved them back then - going to the mall was the hip hangout spot for all of the kids and teens. Thankful for shows like stranger things that sort of bring us back into that time period long past.

[@sparkplug1018]

What you are watching is the result of over development, and was inevitable. There are malls near my home that are to this day booming. No empty bays, always packed with people. The ones we see dying off are the ones that shouldn't have been built to begin with.

[@EnterpriseXI]

It's sad malls are slowly dying because of online shopping. But if you and others want to keep your mall around then support it

[@danh4486]

The problem is you can't really "Support a Mall". They only exist when the companies renting the space inside make money. Americans don't have the free time and disposable income to spend a day every week Shopping, Eating & Snacking.

[@drewcollins2899]

Videos like this are also a microcosm of mall fans lol. Most Americans are indifferent at the loss of malls or even see it as a good thing

[@endruv_2287]

Actually, malls aren't dying solely because of online shopping. We simply built too many malls. That combined with the rise of big box stores/strip malls in the 90s/00s, malls were going to die some anyways. Landmark Mall is not very far from the super popular Potomac Mills. Online shopping sped up the death of malls, but it is not the only cause.

[@personwitharat9039]

@@endruv_2287 this is the real answer 👆

[@Vinny52300]

The food court sun roof is literally on the ground right now.

[@TechnoNut96]

I have always found one of my favorite parts of your videos are the cinematic with the overlayed audio. Can always tell when a good cinematic is coming when the music starts 👍🏼

[@NormGagnon]

I lived at the corner of Van Dorn St. and Edsall Rd in the late 80s and this mall was walking distance. Hecht's department store was in this establishment for a while, but the neighborhood started to slightly decline at that time and folks started to move out of Landmark area. Last visit in this mall was 2004 at the Ruby Tuesday, the outside of restaurant wall decoration/molding were crumbling away as I recall.

[@erz3030]

You guys rock! I love your videos - this was one of my favorites of the dozens I've seen. As a late millennial, I love old malls - so much nostalgia

[@bookFreak8191]

As a fellow millennial I feel you