I grew up going to this mall, I use to get all my video games there...Babbages and GameStop were in there.. I ate in the picnic, and played arcade games all day...there use to be a Best Buy across the street, also a media play and circuit city...that was good times! The GLC opened in 98 and killed this mall.
Hey Ace, I'm Ellie and I have a thing or two to say about this mall. I grew up at this mall. When I was little, my parents drove a new route on the road due to me saying "MAAAAACYS!!!" and then starting to cry. Summit Place Mall is getting torn down as we speak, about 80% of the mall is left. It's going to be Summit's 57th Birthday in a week from today, please go to Pontiac again, it is so sad that it's going to be torn down. Anyways, love your videos! -Ellie T
"The Mall" is now mostly demolished. It's a shame because it was th he first enclosed mall in Michigan. Its also a shame it was ever remodeled because it was a real period piece. I believe the theme was the four seasons, it had the burnished metal tree sculptures that were popular in that era. I remember in the center, in front of Kresge's, the huge revolving sun hanging over the pine tree fountains,the terrazzo floors, the aqua tile walls around the metal tree sculptures. What a shame we don't try to preserve these landmarks in this country.
Everyone in our realm of retail enthusiasm is very familiar with the interior of Rolling Acres, but no one until now brought the truth of what Summit Place looks like inside since closing in 2009.
But the thing with RAM was that it was pretty wide open, just about anybody could get inside With SPM it was locked up fairly tight and police were constantly patrolling the area
It does not matter how far you stray or how long has passed, if you're from the area than that damn jingle will be stuck in your head until the day you die, and even then there's no promise we won't hear it in the afterlife. I'm convinced that my last words will be the Summit Place Kia jingle.
I can't express how much I appreciate you making this video. I've been watching these dead mall videos for a while, and this mall is what inspired myself to search for these initially. When I was much younger, I remember being at one of the last stores to close (Macy's?) and looking out the window to see an empty, barren mall; I didn't think much of it at the time, but I was still baffled at how the beaten-down mall used to contain so much life. Seeing this video is the pinnacle of this series to me, as it shows me what sparked my interest in these and what the mall has become over the years. Also, I don't know if you saw, but there is a news segment somewhere on UA-cam from the past month or so talking about how two men, who were presumably scrapping, triggered the sensors but got away before the police showed up. I'd say you got pretty lucky!
xblakethompson yeah ... I can still remember when I lived in Ortonville, and I can remember spending about every day down here. It was a real downer when I foundout that the mall was torn down
The mall is rubble now. They demolished it this summer and are still cleaning up the area before the build an office complex. Glad you took this video when you did.
Great Video! I grew up in Waterford and still live very close to Summit Place. I remember the Mall before they added on to it and then connected the Mall to Sears which was a stand alone building at that time. The beginning of the video was the newest part , including the "Picnic" area, where I worked at Taco Bell as a kid. Great Memories of that place. I remember a majority of the stores that used to be there as I watched your video. Great Job!!! and I am impressed as how respectful you are while exploring buildings such as this. Thanks again
I've lived in Waterford more or less my entire life, and there were two points where Scummit Place was a big part of my life. First was being a young child, maybe three or four years old, being dragged along by my mom as she did whatever shopping a 23-24 year old woman would need to do. I can still hear the muzak, see the stores, I can still hear the bleeps coming from Aladdin's Palace arcade, and smell the buffet coming from the Picnic Court. The second point was as a teenager. By this point, I think the mall was less than a year from closing. My dad lived there and, by sheer luck, I wound up making some friends in that area (One of whom I still speak with today). Usually we'd hang out by the Picnic Court, either playing D&D or just enjoying each others company, always trying to avoid the asshole at Hot Stix (He was always such a dick!). I remember one time we busted one of our buddies having sex with his girlfriend in the bathroom, and we all gave him a hard time because we didn't want to get in trouble or even worse, lose our hangout spot. I'd often go off on my own, wandering the hallways that were abandoned by all but my friends and the occasional gang of old ladies, and I'd let the memories of being a little kid flood back to me. The neon of the Picnic sign, the drowned out muzak, the feeling of being a child in a big, wide world that I couldn't wait to explore. They started tearing it down a few months ago, I think Hudson's is all thats up, and even that'll be gone before too long. I always wanted to sneak in and take one last walk through the mall, but I never got to do that myself. Watching this video, I was able to get that one last walk through Scummit. I was able to imagine being a kid holding my moms hand, or being a teenager with the best friends in the world again. I thank you for that. Doubt you'd be willing to share, or even that you'll see this message, but I'd love to have the raw footage from this video so I can really get lost in a fit of nostalgia, but I'm thankful that I at least have this to revisit whenever I want to go back to ol' Scummit Place Mall. Again, thank you so much.
wow, emotions. this was my childhood, young adulthood, so many memories there. so many good memories. I grew up and raised my kids basically in this mall. They always had great holiday displays, great store selection, no fights, issues, i see at the malls near me now days. My kids would go and play at the little play areas it had, and wed have a lunch and hit toyr us near by after wards alot of times. In the parking lot for a long time it had a haunted house in the parking lot. It was the place to go for the longest time. Soon as they built up Hartland, white lake, waterford, and now parts of the suburbia that was fairly rural. Great lakes was a HUGE mall, but way too far out for those areas, they built up on their own and then most didn't have a reason to hang out there anymore.
This is wild. I went to this mall my entire life. So many memories wow. I haven’t been there in probably 25 yrs and yet I can still tell you that the 12:19 mark was the Hudson’s (later Marshall Field’s, later Macy’s) area not the Sears ;) Also I REMEMBER THAT GUMBALL MACHINE MAN!!! Crazy. Thanks for posting this.
I come back to visit this video every once in a while. All my first dates were at this mall. My husband and I fell in love over the air hockey table at the arcade. Hot Stix was THE best hangover pizza. That stairway in the first shot? My husband and I got busted making out there as teenagers. I still remember skipping school to try on homecoming dresses. The fries at the hog dog stand were amazing!
I'm not gonna lie, I love Dan bell and not to be taking mess or anything but he's been leaning toward the more other abandon places , that is still cool but I am exactly what you explained in the video! I am so fascinated in seeing these malls, and just seeing it and to think that there was once thousands of people walking through there and it was a very populated place and now it's dead, it just fascinates me so much! I also really love when you show vintage clips of the mall! It's so cool! And I love the commentary also! It's no annoying at all, if anything it makes the video more interesting cause your stating facts about the place and makes it more interesting! The quality personally dose not bother me at all so don't worry, everything looks fine right now! But thank you for sharing your fascination for dead malls and risking so much to all of us dead mall enthusiast! Great Job! 👌🏻👍🏻
Agreed man, love me some Dan Bell and don’t understand why he’s doing other projects. Anyway, oh well. This video is great and very descriptive. Thanks so much for the great video!
I live around 20 minutes from here. Would love to see this. Sad beauty. I love your motto on respect for these places. I share your feelings. About all abandoned places, not just malls. It's so sad to see what is happening to places..but at the same time its beautiful. It's hard to explain.
I live 5 minutes away from here and still pass by this mall almost every day, even since it still had a kohls, Macy's, and Sears. i was a very young kid so i don’t remember much about the main building but i do remember being inside in the evening to go see a play that my friend was in. It was mostly vacant and dark and felt really surreal. It's really weird and sad to see it in the state it is now, especially with the fact that there used to be tons of cars in the parking lot every day. My dad told me for Christmas they would put up a huge display with a bunch of lights and it was a really big deal. Would have liked to see that.
yup yup ypu. I remember walking through Hudsons INSANE christmas display that you literally walked through like it was an amusement park ride or something. It was crazy back in the 1990's.
That was one of my favorite things when I used to frequent this mall! There was also a wall with a Dinosaur mural over by where Sears and the pet store used to be - I don't think Ace got around to that end in the video, though.
this was another great amazing dead mall video. So glad people like you and Dan Bell are shooting videos of these sad dying dead malls before they are gone forever.
As someone born and raised in Waterford, Michigan, I wasn't around for the mall's heyday (mid-90s born kid here); I do remember places like the Sears and the Circuit City still being around when I was a kid. I do remember going to a friend's birthday party at the kids' play area he mentions at 10:54, and I distinctly remember thinking how strange it was that there were hardly any shoppers around. I did, in a sense, watch it slowly die out, and I never understood why less and less people were shopping there. It's weird seeing videos on UA-cam about Summit Place; I didn't know that many people knew about its existence. I hope Great Lakes Crossing never ends up like Summit Place did.
Thank You!!! this is such a gift for those of us that grew up wit this mall! It’s demolition has been confirmed & is happening within these next several days. Again, thank you!!! 🌹
Having grown up at this mall, it's tough but equally amazing to see this footage. I truly appreciate it. The mall is being demolished as I type this (I'm not completely certain whether the demolition is complete; they started a couple of weeks ago). It's true, in my opinion, that the opening of Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills killed this mall. What's sad about that is the fact that I NEVER go to that mall. It's a terrible place that never lived up to the promises that the developers made when it was in development. There's hardly a single outlet store in the whole place. Side note: What the narrator thought to be the Sears entrance was actually the shuttered Macy's entrance. Before that, it was J.L. Hudson's. I don't know if it was something different before Hudson's.
Genius! "Oh, no, Ladies. That's not a tingle. That's the vibrate on you iPhone because the Debt Collectors are at your home taking all of the 65" TVs in your house because you're a year in arrears! Can you feel those credit cards melting in your handbag? You better call your Pastor to find out where the Food Bank is located, and ask if they sell Charcoal in March!"
Wow, thank you for making this video! It's hard to see Summit Place like this but oh, the memories it brought back! My parents both worked here in high school when it was just known as "The Mall." I grew up coming here regularly and could name the former locations of many stores as I watched. It probably sounds strange, but sometimes I have dreams where I'm walking this mall!
I'm 36 and grew up with my parents taking me to the malls. My husband and daughter enjoy going to the malls as well and we know exactly how you feel about watching them for. The videos are great, just keep yourself safe while filming them!👍
This video is beyond excellent and you have no idea how excited I am just to watch it! I must thank you! I have filmed a few short films outside Summit Place, but never inside. My friend told me years ago that we should make a zombie film there, we kept putting it off, then they closed. In fact, I only remember going inside the mall proper just one time, walked the whole concourse! I wish I would have gone inside more when I had the chance. While I did go into Sears quite a few times (it closed five years after the mall itself), I really wish I would have gone into the Macy's/Marshall Field's/Hudson's. Hudson's was a major department store in the Detroit area for many years, before MF took over then later Macy's. I would have loved to have just looked around the store, explore the basement and other floors. What's really strange is that some former Hudson's (now Macy's) in the Detroit area that are still open have closed off basements in them! The Macy's in Eastland Center in Harper Woods, MI closed off its basement as well as its 3rd floor...though the 4th floor is still open for offices/salon/bathroom, accessible only via the elevators. Up there you can see the now closed restaurant as well as down escalators encased in glass! The escalators to the Macy's basement at the Westland Center in Westland, MI were also blocked off...though you can still access the basement via the elevators. I went down there one time, though it was very dark and I didn't stay long. In your video, down by that Macy's wing was a small hallway, the sign in the video said, "South Mall", and around that corner was an entrance into Service Merchandise I believe (with the store's building itself once part of the bigger Hudson's building supposedly). The camera transitions as you start to walk down that way, but did you actually walk down there? It was dark in the video, but I would love to see down that way too, just to get the juxtaposition of where exactly the Service Merchandise entrance may have been. Other than that, I took some video inside the Northland Center in Southfield, MI just before it closed, and have some random pictures of Universal Mall in Warren, MI that I took before they tore most of it down. I appreciate this video, and will definitely be watching more of them.
I watch pretty much Dan and yourself on this subject matter. You each have a unique style and could easily cover the same malls and provide a your own unique quality product. Thank you for providing the background information for historical relevance.
Thank you so much for making this video! Summit Place was my favorite in high school when it was thriving in the late '90s. We would get all of our back-to-school clothes here, and drive from several cities away to go there and celebrate the last day of school. I believe the mold-infested area you covered near the end was Marshall Field's (a department store that took over from Hudson's and was then bought by Macy's several years later). That section of the mall also had The Limited and Express. On the other side of the mall was a huge mural, covering several walls with animal paintings. As stores began closing the mall still held events such as a coin collector's show in the main hallways. Seeing this video was like one last chance to re-experience the atmosphere and excitement of being that age again. Thank you! Please be careful so that you do not get sick from the mold, etc.!
I spent a huge part of my childhood in that mall! So weird to see actual seats I sat in. I was so sad when they recently demolished it! It was really beautiful in the 80’s & 90’s! 😢
Yeah, you and "dan bell" have the best "dead mall" videos on YT. I have a few pointers. Please invest in a gimbal or a smoothee for you mobile phone, and make sure you have some ambient sounds mixed into the videos. Also get a headlamp kit with floodlights when it is dark. It will be a nice addition to the torch light you have. Great videos, introductions with before pictures, before videos, great mall music, plus doing moderate narrations to is nice. It is all about how you mix it all together to create the final product. I am so pleased someone is doing this, for all us who remember what things used to be like, back in the day. The malls that you can not get into, you could try and ask for permission to film inside, worth a try, before it is demolished and gone. Thanks for the great videos, dynamite video !
This is really cool. I grew up in Pontiac and Waterford. Just like you said when we were kids we would get dropped off there or ride our bikes there and spend all day just hanging out. Lots of good memories in summit place. Thanks for the walkthrough
Really enjoyed this. As you passed each store, I could remember the name of almost every one of them. Just a few years older than you and I can remember that place when it was booming in the early 80's, up to the renovation in '88 (I believe that was the year) Worked in several stores there, in college in the mid nineties. Have always wondered what it looked like now. Sad to see what happened to it. Great memories there.
The Mall was a big part of my life. We lived close to one and that's where I spent my time with my Mom. She loved shopping, I at the time didn't but it was fun to see all the different stores. Then growing older I would hang out with my friends there. Then I worked in a mall for 7 years. I've seen them change. Stores come and go. I really appreciate these vids. Like a time capsule to my younger days!
I'm almost 25 years old but I remember malls fondly in my younger years. I remember taking a sock full of quarters with me maybe once a week to play at the arcades and using what was left to pay for may be a small Orange Julius in the food court. I remember when two of my childhood local malls started dying in Colorado. I naively thought that the buildings would always be there as a child but they have been torn down and redeveloped. Thank you for your work Ace, I've recently become fascinated with Dead Malls. It just baffles me how places once teeming with activity could be so desolate now. Obviously there are certain factors that lead to their demise but still these are multi-million dollar investments that are just failing at high rates in recent years. Interesting to ponder. So much dang nostalgia.
I grew up going to Summit Place Regularly from 1976 to 1989 and got a job at the Radio Shack there just after my second summer out of High School. I moved to Mid-Michigan in 1990 and rarely went back as newer malls closer to the highway and/or in more convenient locations were built in the Metro Detroit Area. Great to see the interior wasn't as badly vandalized as the exterior. Thank you for preserving an important piece of my youth and history. I certainly appreciate what you do!
Thank you for this. I remember always rushing directly to Babbages to checkout the latest PC games as a kid. Hanging out in the arcade, using that giant gumball machine, visiting Santa.... I haven't seen the inside of that mall in over 25 years, but this video brought back all those memories like it was yesterday.
It's shocking to see these either dying or completely dead malls. I didn't know these were a thing, and was completely oblivious to them dying in places across the country. Where I live, there's a mall called the Galleria at Sunset (Henderson, NV), and this mall is in fantastic shape. They only a few years ago opened up a bunch of new restaurants, and whenever a store closes, almost instantly a new one fills it in. Thankfully that one clearly isn't dying, but it's so sad to see what's happening to these malls that are dying/dead. Great work covering them man.
Hi Anthony! First time watcher. I'm fascinated with dead/dying mall culture and the aftermath of their closing. Your commentary is great, and it is nice to listen to someone do this totally off the cuff. If you ever make it down to the Philadelphia area, the Gallery at Market East is one of the scarier dead malls there is. It is supposed to undergo a renovation (not sure if it has started yet), but it looks like it has needed some rehabbing since the 1990s. I walked around there alone eleven years ago, and was completely fascinated by what time and neglect can do to a mall. Mind you, this is an active operating mall and it is in such a state. Excellent work! I'm subscribing so I can see more of your adventures! :-)
I have been waiting to see the inside of this one for awhile.Notice no graffiti or tagging,and didn't appear to be a lot of blatant vandalism like Rolling Acres.But the natural decay is definatly taking its toll.Thank you so much for this one!!!Regency Mall in Jacksonville is Florida is another one quickly racing to join the dead mall series....Thanks again!!
Thank you so much for documenting this. As I am from the same generation you are from and still saddens me this closed. I would shop hear any day over GLC if it had stayed open.
Great video Ace! I was so looking forward to this video and it didn't disappoint. You're right about the proximity of malls being way too close. Depending on which direction you're coming from, massive Great Lakes Crossing killed this mall. The second it opened, that was a wrap for Summit Place though I tried getting out there in the 90's only to be told by my sister the mall sucked. Sounds like now they're getting geared up to tear it down now :( Also random, this isn't too far from the old abandoned Pontiac Silverdome and that...is certainly a sight to be seen. Keep up the great work!
Thank you ... i was thinking of my first pair of sneakers I got to pick out from there at Kinny’’s shoe store in the early 80’s and shopped there until 1992 Whew so many memories...
Despite all the mold and decay, this was quite a nice looking mall! Loved the style of the food court, especially. Very 80's/early 90's looking. Also loved the old school style of a lot of the store fronts. Another great video all around, and I'm loving the intros, too! Btw, the mall is still pretty much where I go whenever I'm having a bad day and wanting to escape reality. Long live the mall! :)
Im 46 and I really feel my generation were THE mall generation. The 80s kids and mall life were IT for us. Literally marked our coming of age like the first time our parents dropped us off together without them so we could just walk around. Then the first time WE drove ourselves to the mall. Ritual of new school clothes shopping and, of course, every trend known to human kind we got back then. Toys and then as teens every year was a new gadget or fashion we had to have from swatches to new styles and high tops. It was never ending. We were a massive generation of consumers and it was a time of creativity for industry. We also got the first of the new electronics, Atari and that evolution, we got the first cordless phones and cable, MTV. Music (I never left the mall without at least a new tape). We had it first. So malls were our hang out, we felt grown up and free, we got to meet up with friends outside of school. We got all dressed up to spend the entire day and ate and ate all day. It really was the best. I’m not thrilled with the current times, I must admit. But if it means getting to be an 80s kid and all the awesome stuff we had, all the cool times? Let’s just say I wouldn’t change it for the world. That was my hang out and I was very into fashion so it was a fabulous time to come of age. Thanks for sharing these. Sometimes I get excited and sometimes I cry because I miss the way things were and it hurts to see the wreckage in some of these places. I regret it has to be this way. I don’t get why people are so careless and destructive. Thanks for capturing it all.
I always wondered what the inside of this mall looked like. Thanks for posting a walkthrough video of it! Glad it wasn't heavily vandalized, unlike say Rolling Acres Mall or some of the other sealed up malls out there(i.e. what Lincoln Mall in Matteson, IL has fallen into, no thanks to Seth Lawless visiting both places).
This is my first time viewing your channel. Thank you for posting this video! 💚 Pontiac /Summit Place Mall, Universal Mall... waiting for Oakland Mall to (sadly) close. So many great memories at these places. 😕
I enjoy watching your abandoned/dead mall videos and the ethics and reverence you show towards these places. Hopefully, you can keep documenting and recounting their history I am sure that trespassing laws are a major concern for you as you enter these facilities. Even more confusing is the laws change from state to state, so be careful. It is almost impossible to comprehend just how busy these malls were at one time. Now we see them abandoned and all but forgotten. Stay safe and have fun!
This was my mall in the 1990s and the early '00s as a kid who lived in semi-rural Highland Twp back then. For a few years I worked retail across the street at the Toys R Us and a comic shop. Spent many hours in that place eating junk food at the food court, playing arcade games, buying anime VHS tapes at Suncoast and just generally hanging out. It feels strange to think back on now at 44 years old but back then malls were destinations for kids that couldn't go to bars or clubs.
Wow... I'm from this area and I've never seen the inside of this mall. It was a derelict for as long as I can remember. Now that they're demolishing it, I never will. Thanks for the footage, this is so cool to see!
I worked in the store next to DEB, Bath and Body Works, for years. The children's play area was a huge play structure. The bricked up end was Marshall Fields and then became Macy's. Thanks for sharing. It was sad to see my old job in shambles like that.
I remembering going to this mall all the time as a child.. so sad and creepy seeing it in this position! Still drive by it all the time, surprised it’s yet to be demolished. Great video Anthony!! I’ve been so curious to see what the interior looks like
I can tell that mall was from the 60s by the design elements like the tile the planters and some of the store fronts I luv the ceiling detail great video
That gum ball machine used to be at the main entrance in the picnic area. They used to have an arcade off to the right side in that corner area when you first walked into the picnic area. Loved this mall. ☹️
I remember working on the big expansion back in the late 80's. Gillis Electric had the entire commons area but we did do a little work in the stores also. My cousin's husband laid all that tile. When we walked out it was brand new. Now its gone!
man. a lot of memories there. especially near what use to be the music store and in front of that they would set up cinnamon roasted almonds during Christmas and the whole area would smell amazing.
Love the vid dude! I think your extremely lucky to have explored Summit Place Mall, I live by this mall and I've always wanted to explore it and take pictures inside of it and see the food court, did you ever see if any of the neon lights in the food court actually worked?
Didn't see it mentioned, but like most malls from the 60s-80s, Summit Place/Pontiac mall had a full (albeit small) movie theater that was located in what would be part of the current parking lot of the food court picnic area. I have vague memories seeing movies there when I was little, but the theater likelybclosed when Showcase Cinemas opened up nearby on Telegraph Rd. But for some reason they left the movie theater building standing (way too long) and nobody ever took over the space before they demolished it. The closing of the small caused many casualties in the immediate surrounding area, Including Best Buy, Sam's Club, and numerous large outside stores that lost traffic. they almost put a single-A baseball park on this site right around the time the RealEstate market crashed.
I agree that it is sad to see things close. But there is no question that at least a small part of why malls are dying is that 'real' downtowns with shopping are making a major comeback. Just look at Cleveland as an example of where that is improving. Obviously Detroit is trying too. It's going to be a really cool thing when it comes to fruition. Just my two cents.
I do have a few memories of Summit Place Mall (From 1997-2000) but I also remember going there the year before it closed (2008). From what I can recall Kohls, Macy's, JC Penney, and Sears were still open plus a few small businesses were there including a Retro Video Game/Toy Store that had games like Super Mario 64 running in attract/title screen mode displayed near the front windows of the store (It was a very cool place and I regret not buying any games there), a Restaurant in the Food Court (It was called Hot Stix you can see in the video at 4:00) and a little Theater for Student Plays and Productions (Note this is what i can recall at this point if I had made a few mistakes or missed something please tell me by commenting below also I may add some other stuff later). Seeing the state of the Mall at the time was really depressing and I had hoped that maybe one day things could turn around for the mall but sadly it closed a year later (with the exception of the Department stores) . Anyway thank you for the video tour of the place, it brought back a lot of memories.
AxelPrime146 I grew up in Rochester Hills and last went into this mall in 2005 in search of retro video games. It had probably less than 15 open stores in 2005. I think I went to the JCP in 2007 but not inside the mall proper.
That retro video game store actually is still around. It is Toy Box Video Games and they moved over to a plaza by Dixie Hwy and Andersonville Rd in Clarkston/Waterford
I used to work in the area (for Oakland County) and so I'd take my lunch there every day (usually taco bell). I'd also walk the entire stretch of the mall after eating. I frequented the mall between 1989-1993. The roof collapsed in March 1992 and was repaired in short order (the roof collapse was in the south). I last went there to buy calendars after Christmas in one of the temporary stores in maybe 2003 or so? I'm glad you were able to document it, obviously they can't allow free access because some people may abuse the place or hurt themselves. Ultimately the death of the mall occurred when Great Lakes Crossing opened up. Great Lakes Crossing has freeway access, while the Summit Place Mall only had highway access, so it killed it in short order (also being close to Pontiac in decline didn't help I'm sure, Great Lakes Crossing is in the suburbs). Great Lakes Crossing had its own problems (despite being lauded as Michigan's #1 tourist destination [giggle]) and ended up turning into an outlet mall. (Outlet mall selling stuff that didn't sell at other malls or something like that) The last time I went the stores became more Mom & Pop with starry eyed entrepreneurs selling things like vintage video games and flea market stuff. A sad affair, but can't say I miss it very much.
gosh.. i miss this mall so much💔 it makes me so upset just looking out my front window and seeing how sad and run down this mall looks... i have so many memories in here because i went here everyday. i hope this gets turned into something amazing. waterford/pontiac needs it.
The real reason these malls are dying is because of change . See the last builder of horse buggies was probably one of the best , but their days were numbered when the automobile was invented . The mall was a great idea for both commerce and socializing , but then came the internet . And both commerce and social activities were done over an electronic device . I like the idea of a mall better , but the malls can not compete with shopping online . Now the other question is are we better off socially ? Meeting places like malls will never be replaced by a device . The experience of meeting someone face to face for the first time is always going to be the best experience . Thank you for your work , and I look forward to seeing more .
as an Australian it baffles me with the amount of dead malls in the US, i do agree with you Ace that the councils saw the malls as easy money so they allowed alot of them to be built and not caring about the consequences to the companies in the older malls and even the employees. Thanks for documenting them mate.
I grew up going to this mall, I use to get all my video games there...Babbages and GameStop were in there..
I ate in the picnic, and played arcade games all day...there use to be a Best Buy across the street, also a media play and circuit city...that was good times!
The GLC opened in 98 and killed this mall.
GamezOf War did you notice the gumball machine at 12:20 that used to be over by the info desk???
I'm 37 and loved the Picnic and the arcade. You're right, Great Lakes Crossing pulled the life support plug.
Brandon James O'Neil I just screamed “HOLY SH*T THE GUMBALL MACHINE” at that part haha. Instantly remembered it.
That gumball machine has been there for decades. I used to see it as a kid. Thing was huge.
I still have a token in my wallet from the Time Zone arcade that was in the corner of the food court.
Hey Ace,
I'm Ellie and I have a thing or two to say about this mall.
I grew up at this mall. When I was little, my parents drove a new route on the road due to me saying "MAAAAACYS!!!" and then starting to cry. Summit Place Mall is getting torn down as we speak, about 80% of the mall is left. It's going to be Summit's 57th Birthday in a week from today, please go to Pontiac again, it is so sad that it's going to be torn down. Anyways, love your videos!
-Ellie T
You and Dan are becoming the only game in town for the Dead Mall genre on UA-cam. Excellent video Ace! 😉🤘
Thank you very much! I love the intro on this one :)
BaldMaxx What about Retail Archeology?
chdreturns Retail Archeology as well. Sal and Urbex A Peek Inside too!
"The Mall" is now mostly demolished. It's a shame because it was th he first enclosed mall in Michigan. Its also a shame it was ever remodeled because it was a real period piece. I believe the theme was the four seasons, it had the burnished metal tree sculptures that were popular in that era. I remember in the center, in front of Kresge's, the huge revolving sun hanging over the pine tree fountains,the terrazzo floors, the aqua tile walls around the metal tree sculptures. What a shame we don't try to preserve these landmarks in this country.
Everyone in our realm of retail enthusiasm is very familiar with the interior of Rolling Acres, but no one until now brought the truth of what Summit Place looks like inside since closing in 2009.
But the thing with RAM was that it was pretty wide open, just about anybody could get inside
With SPM it was locked up fairly tight and police were constantly patrolling the area
You should be driving a Kia...from Summit Place Kia...
It does not matter how far you stray or how long has passed, if you're from the area than that damn jingle will be stuck in your head until the day you die, and even then there's no promise we won't hear it in the afterlife. I'm convinced that my last words will be the Summit Place Kia jingle.
🎵SUMMIT PLACE KIA!!!🎵
LO freaking L
I can't express how much I appreciate you making this video. I've been watching these dead mall videos for a while, and this mall is what inspired myself to search for these initially. When I was much younger, I remember being at one of the last stores to close (Macy's?) and looking out the window to see an empty, barren mall; I didn't think much of it at the time, but I was still baffled at how the beaten-down mall used to contain so much life. Seeing this video is the pinnacle of this series to me, as it shows me what sparked my interest in these and what the mall has become over the years.
Also, I don't know if you saw, but there is a news segment somewhere on UA-cam from the past month or so talking about how two men, who were presumably scrapping, triggered the sensors but got away before the police showed up. I'd say you got pretty lucky!
xblakethompson yeah ... I can still remember when I lived in Ortonville, and I can remember spending about every day down here. It was a real downer when I foundout that the mall was torn down
The mall is rubble now. They demolished it this summer and are still cleaning up the area before the build an office complex. Glad you took this video when you did.
Great Video! I grew up in Waterford and still live very close to Summit Place. I remember the Mall before they added on to it and then connected the Mall to Sears which was a stand alone building at that time. The beginning of the video was the newest part , including the "Picnic" area, where I worked at Taco Bell as a kid. Great Memories of that place. I remember a majority of the stores that used to be there as I watched your video. Great Job!!! and I am impressed as how respectful you are while exploring buildings such as this. Thanks again
I've lived in Waterford more or less my entire life, and there were two points where Scummit Place was a big part of my life. First was being a young child, maybe three or four years old, being dragged along by my mom as she did whatever shopping a 23-24 year old woman would need to do. I can still hear the muzak, see the stores, I can still hear the bleeps coming from Aladdin's Palace arcade, and smell the buffet coming from the Picnic Court.
The second point was as a teenager. By this point, I think the mall was less than a year from closing. My dad lived there and, by sheer luck, I wound up making some friends in that area (One of whom I still speak with today). Usually we'd hang out by the Picnic Court, either playing D&D or just enjoying each others company, always trying to avoid the asshole at Hot Stix (He was always such a dick!). I remember one time we busted one of our buddies having sex with his girlfriend in the bathroom, and we all gave him a hard time because we didn't want to get in trouble or even worse, lose our hangout spot. I'd often go off on my own, wandering the hallways that were abandoned by all but my friends and the occasional gang of old ladies, and I'd let the memories of being a little kid flood back to me. The neon of the Picnic sign, the drowned out muzak, the feeling of being a child in a big, wide world that I couldn't wait to explore.
They started tearing it down a few months ago, I think Hudson's is all thats up, and even that'll be gone before too long. I always wanted to sneak in and take one last walk through the mall, but I never got to do that myself. Watching this video, I was able to get that one last walk through Scummit. I was able to imagine being a kid holding my moms hand, or being a teenager with the best friends in the world again. I thank you for that.
Doubt you'd be willing to share, or even that you'll see this message, but I'd love to have the raw footage from this video so I can really get lost in a fit of nostalgia, but I'm thankful that I at least have this to revisit whenever I want to go back to ol' Scummit Place Mall. Again, thank you so much.
I hung out in the arcade every day when I was 16, back in the early 90s. SO fun
wow, emotions. this was my childhood, young adulthood, so many memories there. so many good memories. I grew up and raised my kids basically in this mall. They always had great holiday displays, great store selection, no fights, issues, i see at the malls near me now days. My kids would go and play at the little play areas it had, and wed have a lunch and hit toyr us near by after wards alot of times. In the parking lot for a long time it had a haunted house in the parking lot. It was the place to go for the longest time. Soon as they built up Hartland, white lake, waterford, and now parts of the suburbia that was fairly rural. Great lakes was a HUGE mall, but way too far out for those areas, they built up on their own and then most didn't have a reason to hang out there anymore.
Gosh, I have so many fond childhood memories associated with this mall. It breaks my heart to see it abandoned and left to rot like this.
This is wild. I went to this mall my entire life. So many memories wow. I haven’t been there in probably 25 yrs and yet I can still tell you that the 12:19 mark was the Hudson’s (later Marshall Field’s, later Macy’s) area not the Sears ;) Also I REMEMBER THAT GUMBALL MACHINE MAN!!! Crazy. Thanks for posting this.
I come back to visit this video every once in a while. All my first dates were at this mall. My husband and I fell in love over the air hockey table at the arcade. Hot Stix was THE best hangover pizza. That stairway in the first shot? My husband and I got busted making out there as teenagers. I still remember skipping school to try on homecoming dresses. The fries at the hog dog stand were amazing!
Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills killed this mall!
And the developers of this mall killed downtown Pontiac.
T Jones
There was also a strip mall by Perry and Glenwood that is still standing but rundown.
no the white people moving north killed Pontiac.
Kenshin Himura
The closing of GM factories didn't help.
Well let’s be honest Great Lakes CROSSING is much better than this piece of crap.
I'm not gonna lie, I love Dan bell and not to be taking mess or anything but he's been leaning toward the more other abandon places , that is still cool but I am exactly what you explained in the video! I am so fascinated in seeing these malls, and just seeing it and to think that there was once thousands of people walking through there and it was a very populated place and now it's dead, it just fascinates me so much! I also really love when you show vintage clips of the mall! It's so cool! And I love the commentary also! It's no annoying at all, if anything it makes the video more interesting cause your stating facts about the place and makes it more interesting! The quality personally dose not bother me at all so don't worry, everything looks fine right now! But thank you for sharing your fascination for dead malls and risking so much to all of us dead mall enthusiast!
Great Job! 👌🏻👍🏻
I agree, love these vid man marathoning so hard 😎👍
Agreed man, love me some Dan Bell and don’t understand why he’s doing other projects. Anyway, oh well. This video is great and very descriptive. Thanks so much for the great video!
I live around 20 minutes from here. Would love to see this. Sad beauty. I love your motto on respect for these places. I share your feelings. About all abandoned places, not just malls. It's so sad to see what is happening to places..but at the same time its beautiful. It's hard to explain.
I live 5 minutes away from here and still pass by this mall almost every day, even since it still had a kohls, Macy's, and Sears. i was a very young kid so i don’t remember much about the main building but i do remember being inside in the evening to go see a play that my friend was in. It was mostly vacant and dark and felt really surreal. It's really weird and sad to see it in the state it is now, especially with the fact that there used to be tons of cars in the parking lot every day. My dad told me for Christmas they would put up a huge display with a bunch of lights and it was a really big deal. Would have liked to see that.
yup yup ypu. I remember walking through Hudsons INSANE christmas display that you literally walked through like it was an amusement park ride or something. It was crazy back in the 1990's.
The gumball machine at 12:40 was the best thing ever as a kid!
That was one of my favorite things when I used to frequent this mall! There was also a wall with a Dinosaur mural over by where Sears and the pet store used to be - I don't think Ace got around to that end in the video, though.
this was another great amazing dead mall video. So glad people like you and Dan Bell are shooting videos of these sad dying dead malls before they are gone forever.
As someone born and raised in Waterford, Michigan, I wasn't around for the mall's heyday (mid-90s born kid here); I do remember places like the Sears and the Circuit City still being around when I was a kid. I do remember going to a friend's birthday party at the kids' play area he mentions at 10:54, and I distinctly remember thinking how strange it was that there were hardly any shoppers around. I did, in a sense, watch it slowly die out, and I never understood why less and less people were shopping there. It's weird seeing videos on UA-cam about Summit Place; I didn't know that many people knew about its existence.
I hope Great Lakes Crossing never ends up like Summit Place did.
Thank You!!! this is such a gift for those of us that grew up wit this mall! It’s demolition has been confirmed & is happening within these next several days. Again, thank you!!! 🌹
Having grown up at this mall, it's tough but equally amazing to see this footage. I truly appreciate it. The mall is being demolished as I type this (I'm not completely certain whether the demolition is complete; they started a couple of weeks ago). It's true, in my opinion, that the opening of Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills killed this mall. What's sad about that is the fact that I NEVER go to that mall. It's a terrible place that never lived up to the promises that the developers made when it was in development. There's hardly a single outlet store in the whole place.
Side note: What the narrator thought to be the Sears entrance was actually the shuttered Macy's entrance. Before that, it was J.L. Hudson's. I don't know if it was something different before Hudson's.
1:49 Was that another ? ... I think another store just - CLOSED !
Genius! "Oh, no, Ladies. That's not a tingle. That's the vibrate on you iPhone because the Debt Collectors are at your home taking all of the 65" TVs in your house because you're a year in arrears! Can you feel those credit cards melting in your handbag? You better call your Pastor to find out where the Food Bank is located, and ask if they sell Charcoal in March!"
Love that reference to the old SPM commercial
Too soon
Update 2019 summit place mall is being torn down for a industrial development
Loved that intro!!! Great video again. You and Dan Bell is where I go for my shot of Dead Mall.
Thank you very much!
Wow, thank you for making this video! It's hard to see Summit Place like this but oh, the memories it brought back! My parents both worked here in high school when it was just known as "The Mall." I grew up coming here regularly and could name the former locations of many stores as I watched. It probably sounds strange, but sometimes I have dreams where I'm walking this mall!
Great video Anthony! Thanks for videoing these malls!
I'm 36 and grew up with my parents taking me to the malls. My husband and daughter enjoy going to the malls as well and we know exactly how you feel about watching them for. The videos are great, just keep yourself safe while filming them!👍
This video is beyond excellent and you have no idea how excited I am just to watch it! I must thank you!
I have filmed a few short films outside Summit Place, but never inside. My friend told me years ago that we should make a zombie film there, we kept putting it off, then they closed. In fact, I only remember going inside the mall proper just one time, walked the whole concourse!
I wish I would have gone inside more when I had the chance. While I did go into Sears quite a few times (it closed five years after the mall itself), I really wish I would have gone into the Macy's/Marshall Field's/Hudson's. Hudson's was a major department store in the Detroit area for many years, before MF took over then later Macy's. I would have loved to have just looked around the store, explore the basement and other floors.
What's really strange is that some former Hudson's (now Macy's) in the Detroit area that are still open have closed off basements in them! The Macy's in Eastland Center in Harper Woods, MI closed off its basement as well as its 3rd floor...though the 4th floor is still open for offices/salon/bathroom, accessible only via the elevators. Up there you can see the now closed restaurant as well as down escalators encased in glass! The escalators to the Macy's basement at the Westland Center in Westland, MI were also blocked off...though you can still access the basement via the elevators. I went down there one time, though it was very dark and I didn't stay long.
In your video, down by that Macy's wing was a small hallway, the sign in the video said, "South Mall", and around that corner was an entrance into Service Merchandise I believe (with the store's building itself once part of the bigger Hudson's building supposedly). The camera transitions as you start to walk down that way, but did you actually walk down there? It was dark in the video, but I would love to see down that way too, just to get the juxtaposition of where exactly the Service Merchandise entrance may have been.
Other than that, I took some video inside the Northland Center in Southfield, MI just before it closed, and have some random pictures of Universal Mall in Warren, MI that I took before they tore most of it down. I appreciate this video, and will definitely be watching more of them.
I hung out at Summit Place Mall a LOT back in 1990-1991 when I was 16 years old. Such great times!
I watch pretty much Dan and yourself on this subject matter. You each have a unique style and could easily cover the same malls and provide a your own unique quality product. Thank you for providing the background information for historical relevance.
Thank you so much for making this video! Summit Place was my favorite in high school when it was thriving in the late '90s. We would get all of our back-to-school clothes here, and drive from several cities away to go there and celebrate the last day of school. I believe the mold-infested area you covered near the end was Marshall Field's (a department store that took over from Hudson's and was then bought by Macy's several years later). That section of the mall also had The Limited and Express. On the other side of the mall was a huge mural, covering several walls with animal paintings. As stores began closing the mall still held events such as a coin collector's show in the main hallways. Seeing this video was like one last chance to re-experience the atmosphere and excitement of being that age again. Thank you! Please be careful so that you do not get sick from the mold, etc.!
I spent a huge part of my childhood in that mall! So weird to see actual seats I sat in. I was so sad when they recently demolished it! It was really beautiful in the 80’s & 90’s! 😢
Yeah, you and "dan bell" have the best "dead mall" videos on YT. I have a few pointers. Please invest in a gimbal or a smoothee for you mobile phone, and make sure you have some ambient sounds mixed into the videos. Also get a headlamp kit with floodlights when it is dark. It will be a nice addition to the torch light you have.
Great videos, introductions with before pictures, before videos, great mall music, plus doing moderate narrations to is nice. It is all about how you mix it all together to create the final product.
I am so pleased someone is doing this, for all us who remember what things used to be like, back in the day. The malls that you can not get into, you could try and ask for permission to film inside, worth a try, before it is demolished and gone.
Thanks for the great videos, dynamite video !
This video is awesome! Whenever I’d visit my grandma in Michigan I’d always see this mall and wondered how it was like inside!
This mall was such a big part of my childhood. It was beautiful! 💔😭
This is really cool. I grew up in Pontiac and Waterford. Just like you said when we were kids we would get dropped off there or ride our bikes there and spend all day just hanging out. Lots of good memories in summit place. Thanks for the walkthrough
Really enjoyed this. As you passed each store, I could remember the name of almost every one of them. Just a few years older than you and I can remember that place when it was booming in the early 80's, up to the renovation in '88 (I believe that was the year) Worked in several stores there, in college in the mid nineties. Have always wondered what it looked like now. Sad to see what happened to it. Great memories there.
Thanks for getting this footage, this was really close to where I used live... spent a lot of time at the playground as a kid...
The Mall was a big part of my life. We lived close to one and that's where I spent my time with my Mom. She loved shopping, I at the time didn't but it was fun to see all the different stores. Then growing older I would hang out with my friends there. Then I worked in a mall for 7 years. I've seen them change. Stores come and go. I really appreciate these vids. Like a time capsule to my younger days!
I'm almost 25 years old but I remember malls fondly in my younger years. I remember taking a sock full of quarters with me maybe once a week to play at the arcades and using what was left to pay for may be a small Orange Julius in the food court.
I remember when two of my childhood local malls started dying in Colorado. I naively thought that the buildings would always be there as a child but they have been torn down and redeveloped.
Thank you for your work Ace, I've recently become fascinated with Dead Malls. It just baffles me how places once teeming with activity could be so desolate now. Obviously there are certain factors that lead to their demise but still these are multi-million dollar investments that are just failing at high rates in recent years. Interesting to ponder.
So much dang nostalgia.
I grew up going to Summit Place Regularly from 1976 to 1989 and got a job at the Radio Shack there just after my second summer out of High School. I moved to Mid-Michigan in 1990 and rarely went back as newer malls closer to the highway and/or in more convenient locations were built in the Metro Detroit Area.
Great to see the interior wasn't as badly vandalized as the exterior.
Thank you for preserving an important piece of my youth and history.
I certainly appreciate what you do!
Thank you for doing this... brought back a lot of memories:)
Thank you for this. I remember always rushing directly to Babbages to checkout the latest PC games as a kid. Hanging out in the arcade, using that giant gumball machine, visiting Santa.... I haven't seen the inside of that mall in over 25 years, but this video brought back all those memories like it was yesterday.
I remembered walking in there as a child the arcade was my favorite place
Heather.Epley. I grew up with this mall too... remember the auto show?
alex seppala, the auto shows were great!
The arcade rules
omg that doll scared me! I thought it was a dead lady lol
I know I kind of gasped a little!
Melissa Ugly Plot twist, there was a dead lady inside the doll.
It's shocking to see these either dying or completely dead malls. I didn't know these were a thing, and was completely oblivious to them dying in places across the country. Where I live, there's a mall called the Galleria at Sunset (Henderson, NV), and this mall is in fantastic shape. They only a few years ago opened up a bunch of new restaurants, and whenever a store closes, almost instantly a new one fills it in. Thankfully that one clearly isn't dying, but it's so sad to see what's happening to these malls that are dying/dead. Great work covering them man.
A really nice new mall opened up in a much better area like 6 miles away.
This is so crazy to watch this. I grew up going to this mall... being dropped off here for the day. Ahhhh the memories. Thank you!!
Thanks Ace, Helps bring back Memories!!!!
Hi Anthony! First time watcher. I'm fascinated with dead/dying mall culture and the aftermath of their closing. Your commentary is great, and it is nice to listen to someone do this totally off the cuff. If you ever make it down to the Philadelphia area, the Gallery at Market East is one of the scarier dead malls there is. It is supposed to undergo a renovation (not sure if it has started yet), but it looks like it has needed some rehabbing since the 1990s. I walked around there alone eleven years ago, and was completely fascinated by what time and neglect can do to a mall. Mind you, this is an active operating mall and it is in such a state.
Excellent work! I'm subscribing so I can see more of your adventures! :-)
Allison Venezio / Allison's Written Words thanks allison! Welcome to my channel!
Crazy that this place is being torn down currently. Thanks for the video !!
I have been waiting to see the inside of this one for awhile.Notice no graffiti or tagging,and didn't appear to be a lot of blatant vandalism like Rolling Acres.But the natural decay is definatly taking its toll.Thank you so much for this one!!!Regency Mall in Jacksonville is Florida is another one quickly racing to join the dead mall series....Thanks again!!
Thank you!
PS-who else got creeped out by the damn doll on the bench??
Thank you so much for this video it brings back so many awsome memories for me
Great video! Been following your work for awhile. 😊
Really enjoy the unique title sequences you create for your videos!
Alex Rose thank you! I try to be unique and have fun, this one was based off the series stranger things :)
Thank you so much for documenting this. As I am from the same generation you are from and still saddens me this closed. I would shop hear any day over GLC if it had stayed open.
Great video Ace! I was so looking forward to this video and it didn't disappoint. You're right about the proximity of malls being way too close. Depending on which direction you're coming from, massive Great Lakes Crossing killed this mall. The second it opened, that was a wrap for Summit Place though I tried getting out there in the 90's only to be told by my sister the mall sucked. Sounds like now they're getting geared up to tear it down now :( Also random, this isn't too far from the old abandoned Pontiac Silverdome and that...is certainly a sight to be seen. Keep up the great work!
Thank you ... i was thinking of my first pair of sneakers I got to pick out from there at Kinny’’s shoe store in the early 80’s and shopped there until 1992 Whew so many memories...
Despite all the mold and decay, this was quite a nice looking mall! Loved the style of the food court, especially. Very 80's/early 90's looking. Also loved the old school style of a lot of the store fronts. Another great video all around, and I'm loving the intros, too! Btw, the mall is still pretty much where I go whenever I'm having a bad day and wanting to escape reality. Long live the mall! :)
To answer one issue you were unsure about, Casual Corner was a women's casual clothing store.
Im 46 and I really feel my generation were THE mall generation. The 80s kids and mall life were IT for us. Literally marked our coming of age like the first time our parents dropped us off together without them so we could just walk around. Then the first time WE drove ourselves to the mall. Ritual of new school clothes shopping and, of course, every trend known to human kind we got back then. Toys and then as teens every year was a new gadget or fashion we had to have from swatches to new styles and high tops. It was never ending. We were a massive generation of consumers and it was a time of creativity for industry. We also got the first of the new electronics, Atari and that evolution, we got the first cordless phones and cable, MTV. Music (I never left the mall without at least a new tape). We had it first. So malls were our hang out, we felt grown up and free, we got to meet up with friends outside of school. We got all dressed up to spend the entire day and ate and ate all day. It really was the best. I’m not thrilled with the current times, I must admit. But if it means getting to be an 80s kid and all the awesome stuff we had, all the cool times? Let’s just say I wouldn’t change it for the world. That was my hang out and I was very into fashion so it was a fabulous time to come of age. Thanks for sharing these. Sometimes I get excited and sometimes I cry because I miss the way things were and it hurts to see the wreckage in some of these places. I regret it has to be this way. I don’t get why people are so careless and destructive. Thanks for capturing it all.
Great Footage, I really liked your video
I always wondered what the inside of this mall looked like. Thanks for posting a walkthrough video of it! Glad it wasn't heavily vandalized, unlike say Rolling Acres Mall or some of the other sealed up malls out there(i.e. what Lincoln Mall in Matteson, IL has fallen into, no thanks to Seth Lawless visiting both places).
Very good I love learning more about abandoned places across the country. You have my sub
12:19 was actually the Hudson's/Marshall Field's/Macy's. Great video!
Was born in Pontiac, lived there until I was 12...seeing it brings back vivid memories
This is my first time viewing your channel. Thank you for posting this video! 💚 Pontiac /Summit Place Mall, Universal Mall... waiting for Oakland Mall to (sadly) close. So many great memories at these places. 😕
I enjoy watching your abandoned/dead mall videos and the ethics and reverence you show towards these places. Hopefully, you can keep documenting and recounting their history I am sure that trespassing laws are a major concern for you as you enter these facilities. Even more confusing is the laws change from state to state, so be careful. It is almost impossible to comprehend just how busy these malls were at one time. Now we see them abandoned and all but forgotten. Stay safe and have fun!
I'm loving that Stranger Things Intro! You're just too damn cool.
This was my mall in the 1990s and the early '00s as a kid who lived in semi-rural Highland Twp back then. For a few years I worked retail across the street at the Toys R Us and a comic shop. Spent many hours in that place eating junk food at the food court, playing arcade games, buying anime VHS tapes at Suncoast and just generally hanging out. It feels strange to think back on now at 44 years old but back then malls were destinations for kids that couldn't go to bars or clubs.
Hey.. wonder if we know each other.. I’m from highland too. My place in the 90s also
I dunno; I graduated in 1995 and moved out of that area in 2005.
Another great video!!!
Thank you for making this, this mall was a huge part of my childhood!
I drive past it everyday and it makes me sad to see what it turned into 😢
Yikes! That pile of green mold looked like forest moss! So sad to see these places decline. They brought joy to so many!
I used to work at the pac sun there! We used to be able to skate around until they closed it for good..... Ah, nostalgia...
Thanks, nice video and perspective on a dying piece of our history.
Wow... I'm from this area and I've never seen the inside of this mall. It was a derelict for as long as I can remember. Now that they're demolishing it, I never will. Thanks for the footage, this is so cool to see!
I worked in the store next to DEB, Bath and Body Works, for years. The children's play area was a huge play structure. The bricked up end was Marshall Fields and then became Macy's. Thanks for sharing. It was sad to see my old job in shambles like that.
The architecture of that place just feels so great! It’s so sad to see it gone.
Sooo many great memories in this mall. I still remember the hudsons as a kid
Awesome video!
I remembering going to this mall all the time as a child.. so sad and creepy seeing it in this position! Still drive by it all the time, surprised it’s yet to be demolished.
Great video Anthony!! I’ve been so curious to see what the interior looks like
I can tell that mall was from the 60s by the design elements like the tile the planters and some of the store fronts I luv the ceiling detail great video
That gum ball machine used to be at the main entrance in the picnic area. They used to have an arcade off to the right side in that corner area when you first walked into the picnic area. Loved this mall. ☹️
I remember working on the big expansion back in the late 80's. Gillis Electric had the entire commons area but we did do a little work in the stores also. My cousin's husband laid all that tile. When we walked out it was brand new. Now its gone!
man. a lot of memories there. especially near what use to be the music store and in front of that they would set up cinnamon roasted almonds during Christmas and the whole area would smell amazing.
Keep up the great work! 👍 👍 👍
Love the vid dude! I think your extremely lucky to have explored Summit Place Mall, I live by this mall and I've always wanted to explore it and take pictures inside of it and see the food court, did you ever see if any of the neon lights in the food court actually worked?
Chilla Frilla we didnt, the power was off, and yes we feel extremely lucky to have gotten inside
Thx you for making this video ☺️
Skipped school in Pontiac rode smart bus there and hung out and was back in time when school got out lotta memory there thanks
thank you for makin videos fam
Didn't see it mentioned, but like most malls from the 60s-80s, Summit Place/Pontiac mall had a full (albeit small) movie theater that was located in what would be part of the current parking lot of the food court picnic area. I have vague memories seeing movies there when I was little, but the theater likelybclosed when Showcase Cinemas opened up nearby on Telegraph Rd. But for some reason they left the movie theater building standing (way too long) and nobody ever took over the space before they demolished it. The closing of the small caused many casualties in the immediate surrounding area, Including Best Buy, Sam's Club, and numerous large outside stores that lost traffic. they almost put a single-A baseball park on this site right around the time the RealEstate market crashed.
Patch things up with nick man & keep killing it!
Chelsea Wansley would love to
I agree that it is sad to see things close. But there is no question that at least a small part of why malls are dying is that 'real' downtowns with shopping are making a major comeback. Just look at Cleveland as an example of where that is improving. Obviously Detroit is trying too. It's going to be a really cool thing when it comes to fruition. Just my two cents.
My mom used to take me here when I was really young. I remember the mall just a bit prior to it’s death and it was so barren
I do have a few memories of Summit Place Mall (From 1997-2000) but I also remember going there the year before it closed (2008). From what I can recall Kohls, Macy's, JC Penney, and Sears were still open plus a few small businesses were there including a Retro Video Game/Toy Store that had games like Super Mario 64 running in attract/title screen mode displayed near the front windows of the store (It was a very cool place and I regret not buying any games there), a Restaurant in the Food Court (It was called Hot Stix you can see in the video at 4:00) and a little Theater for Student Plays and Productions (Note this is what i can recall at this point if I had made a few mistakes or missed something please tell me by commenting below also I may add some other stuff later).
Seeing the state of the Mall at the time was really depressing and I had hoped that maybe one day things could turn around for the mall but sadly it closed a year later (with the exception of the Department stores)
.
Anyway thank you for the video tour of the place, it brought back a lot of memories.
AxelPrime146 I think hot Stix was outside of the food court down by where Waldon books used to be
AxelPrime146 I grew up in Rochester Hills and last went into this mall in 2005 in search of retro video games. It had probably less than 15 open stores in 2005. I think I went to the JCP in 2007 but not inside the mall proper.
That retro video game store actually is still around. It is Toy Box Video Games and they moved over to a plaza by Dixie Hwy and Andersonville Rd in Clarkston/Waterford
I used to work in the area (for Oakland County) and so I'd take my lunch there every day (usually taco bell). I'd also walk the entire stretch of the mall after eating. I frequented the mall between 1989-1993. The roof collapsed in March 1992 and was repaired in short order (the roof collapse was in the south). I last went there to buy calendars after Christmas in one of the temporary stores in maybe 2003 or so? I'm glad you were able to document it, obviously they can't allow free access because some people may abuse the place or hurt themselves. Ultimately the death of the mall occurred when Great Lakes Crossing opened up. Great Lakes Crossing has freeway access, while the Summit Place Mall only had highway access, so it killed it in short order (also being close to Pontiac in decline didn't help I'm sure, Great Lakes Crossing is in the suburbs). Great Lakes Crossing had its own problems (despite being lauded as Michigan's #1 tourist destination [giggle]) and ended up turning into an outlet mall. (Outlet mall selling stuff that didn't sell at other malls or something like that) The last time I went the stores became more Mom & Pop with starry eyed entrepreneurs selling things like vintage video games and flea market stuff. A sad affair, but can't say I miss it very much.
gosh.. i miss this mall so much💔 it makes me so upset just looking out my front window and seeing how sad and run down this mall looks... i have so many memories in here because i went here everyday. i hope this gets turned into something amazing. waterford/pontiac needs it.
The real reason these malls are dying is because of change . See the last builder of horse buggies was probably one of the best , but their days were numbered when the automobile was invented . The mall was a great idea for both commerce and socializing , but then came the internet . And both commerce and social activities were done over an electronic device . I like the idea of a mall better , but the malls can not compete with shopping online . Now the other question is are we better off socially ? Meeting places like malls will never be replaced by a device . The experience of meeting someone face to face for the first time is always going to be the best experience . Thank you for your work , and I look forward to seeing more .
as an Australian it baffles me with the amount of dead malls in the US, i do agree with you Ace that the councils saw the malls as easy money so they allowed alot of them to be built and not caring about the consequences to the companies in the older malls and even the employees. Thanks for documenting them mate.