Ohhh. This was one of my favorites. Even without the remasters , does anyone else find themselves watching through TDM series on their days off when the can't be bothered by the rest of humanity? It's comfy.
Dang man, they brought the whole posse down. Must have been expecting something more hardcore than just a dude with a camera. I like how it freeze-frames and the light bar filter comes on. It's like a Game Over screen.
Keep coming back to this video despite it creeping me out, heart rate was through roof on first viewing. Never thought I'd get addicted to your Dead Mall Series but as someone from UK it's fascinating to me.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if some random sales employee was in one of those stores by themselves surrounded by all the filth and he or she says “hello! Can I help you find anything today”? That’d be awesome!
This mall was so beautiful. I first visited it the second week it was in operation. At the time it was a marvel. I also last visited it about 2 months before it closed forever. There were no shops left open inside other than the large stores on the ends.
This is oddly enchanting. Like being transported to the past wondering the halls of yesteryear while still being tethered to modernity witnessing the damages the space has been inflicted with by time. Man. I love this series.
There’s something really beautiful about nature reclaiming this space. Especially hearing the sounds coming from such a cold and abandoned place. What an awesome video
This was the video that tuned me on to your work and made me a huge fan of yours and the genre. I grew to appreciate the aesthetic and the ambiance, along with the corresponding music. This sparked my nostalgia as it reminded how great life was back in the 80s and to appreciate what once was. Thank you Dan. Thank you very much.
You managed to capture a good chunk of the mall, so still a good job! The sad and lonely ambience of a dead mall really settles into your mind when you visit a place like that.
Can you imagine with all the trouble stirred up in that place that those police officers have responded to, how relieved they must have been when they walked in and found dan making a video lol
Yep. That's why they came in force. They probably expected to find either a drug deal going down, or a bunch of assholes with guns ready to start a fight.
It wasn't completely demolished, the "Sears" building is still there, you can see the old facade if you drive by. This has always been my favorite Dead Mall episode, great to see in 4k!
The video that got me into dead malls, love that you remastered this. I’ve done pretty much all the research that can be done on this place and I don’t know how Annaleigh confused it but Macys left before the mall shut down. The two remaining anchors were Sears which shuttered in 2011 and JCPenney which left in 2013.
Oh, wait this is the one where Dan gets busted by half a dozen police officers then immediately plugs his channel to said police. What a freaking power move! AND you can see one of the cops begins pulling up ThisIsDanBell into his phone.
Such an amazing video Dan! So glad you remastered this one. I love the dramatic contrast with the red fountain compared to the grey overtones of the dead mall. Thank you so much for remastering these amazing videos Dan!
While not the first video I saw from you, this is still a favorite. The news footage, the interview, the incredible music- it's beautiful. One of the most detailed expeditions of one of the most iconic dead malls of all time.
This is probably the best documentary that I've seen! It's nice to see some different footage... very detail oriented. You were lucky to get in early before the demo started which captured the raw vibe of the mall towards the bitter end. Once they started, they moved pretty fast and it was hard to get in un-noticed. An Akron cop caught me coming out of one of the shipping doors but he was cool and said stay out as it's pretty dangerous. He was right as it's kind of risky to go it alone ... but what an adrenaline rush, especially the theater. Thanks for posting!
Hopefully you stay strapped in these kinds of videos. You never know who might want to harm you inside these abandoned places. Its always good to have a piece.
I Love these videos exploring liminal space. Eerie and ominous, yet at the same time, oddly satisfying. The possibility of seeing something, anything, in a space that is supposed to be empty makes it suspenseful and exciting, even though nothing is there. Cool video.
It is really awesome getting to revisit this half a decade later. Still feels very eerie. Glad you got out of there safely. The music was soothing. Side note: As someone that used to work in an Amazon distribution center, I believe Akron could have chosen something else better. Anything but Amazon or warehousing as a whole would have been fine to give people jobs and boost the economy. That's just my opinion.
In 2019, following the property's demolition, it was rumored that Amazon planned to develop a distribution facility on the site of the former mall. On July 22, 2019, a statement was issued by the city of Akron that Amazon had officially acquired the land. Construction on the new distribution center began in September. Approximately 1,500 jobs were to become available when construction was completed. The center opened on November 1, 2020.
Sad to see how some malls fail so fast. Was funny how you said a bit of Christmas in June. Also the police music right when you got busted is funny. Thanks for the remastered version.
Watch the Rolling Acres film again? For sure, the quality looks really good. It was hard to top the original, but you can see the difference in quality here.
Mall of Memphis would have been a good walk through. They knocked it down a few years back. Not sure if Raleigh Springs Mall is still around? If you want a twist on the series. Check out the Sears Crosstown building in Memphis midtown area. They did an amazing job of restoring & bringing it back.
Say, does anyone happen to know what music is played at the beginning/end of the video? It's really good stuff! Sounds like a Boards of Canada work from what I can gather
You can here the wind in the mall, you should wear a respirator when exploring. Keep your lungs healthy. Did the same thing you did and got a fungus in my lungs and it took 7 years to get rid of, safety first. 😁👍
In my head I could still hear the Ironside music that you obviously had to remove due to copyright strikes 🤦♂️😭 I’m glad I saw the original first cause that was priceless.
You can literally see black mold everywhere & you have no mask??? I’m always surprised that so many professional urbex explorers are so careless about the fact that the majority of abandoned places are filled with highly deadly airborne toxins- especially when walking around & stirring up all those spores.
The wind in here kept reminding me of the early chords of Loreena McKennitt's song Dante's Prayer. Which is super fitting. "Cast your eyes on the ocean, cast your soul to the sea. When the dark night seems endless, please remember me..."
Malls were a place to shop, yes mindless consumerism but they were also a place for people to congregate, socialize etc. I went to them during their prime in the early to mid 80's and they were a special place, hanging out, playing in arcades, the food courts, trying to meet girls typical stuff teenage stuff. It is sad to see them go like this one, society reduced to Amazon and online shopping locked in their homes never having to go anywhere. Society atomized to the point where we are isolated, lonely and watching videos (very well done like this one) of a place that no longers exists, a relic of a time not too long ago when the world seemed a little brighter
to me, nothing will replace the enjoyment of going to the toy store and actually stand next to an unopened toy within a few cm away. shopping online just doesn’t have that experience. it may be convenient, but it just doesn’t have that ‘’THING’’. It’s sad that the west introduced the MALL concept to the world and now theirs are dying fast. whenever I go to green acres mall, it’s such a sad site.
I agree.. it’s gotten to the point where you almost have to shop online because most stores are closed and what’s left open have less selection and higher prices. It’s not looking good for the American economy. For all the jobs that one mall provides to the community .. the tax dollars lost for the city. Amazon is a million times worse than Walmart ever was in killing Main Street America.
It wouldn't surprise me if that place had a colony of bats as well. I love bats, almost as much as frogs. Anything that eats mosquitoes is a friend of mine, really.
Everytime I see Rolling Acres, I wonder if Lebron ever shopped at the foot locker. I like how they never renovated it and has the old sports photos on the wall.
Glad to see the space put to good use with the Amazon Fulfillment Center. *My* Dead Mall (Landmark, Alexandria....sound familiar, #ThisIsDanBell?) is the future site of the expanded Alexandria Hospital, as well as the obligatory residential / retail space that no average resident will be able to afford...
I hope this place is either demolished or has fallen in on itself by now. There's no bigger blight to a community than a place like that. It only draws undesirables looking to cause trouble.
I know zoning laws are a thing but damn, places like this would make an excellent homeless shelter. Food, basic necessities like water and shelter. Hell, train em' and have em' open the food court to show that people can really change their life around! Imagine a fully functional mini city for the homeless to rehabilitate themselves without the prying eye of people who just "don't want to see them anymore".
Why do people post this dumb shit on every video? Socialism doesn't work, kid. Malls of this size cost millions of dollars a month to operate which is why they are left abandoned by both the owners and state when they've become too costly to maintain. Most of the old construction like old hospitals built before '71 are riddled with cancer causing asbestos and it's not worth it in most cases to pay for abatement - cheaper just to build a whole new building. It's sad to see things go, but time marches on. Places like this have outlived their usefulness, like an old car, and should be demolished so new development can take place. What really needs to happen is any county approval for future projects like this needs to come with a rider that requires the owning interest to set aside funds for future demolition instead of these companies socializing their losses on taxpayers.
Ohhh. This was one of my favorites.
Even without the remasters , does anyone else find themselves watching through TDM series on their days off when the can't be bothered by the rest of humanity? It's comfy.
That's exactly what I was doing and then ran into the remasters!
It's been my favorite yt show for a long time. The remasters are so good.
Yep! I'm feeling sick and miserable and this is somehow just what I needed to relax.
I spent my childhood in this mall I watch this video often. My grandma work in the JCPenny’s for 20 years.
This was the one I was waiting for the remaster on the most I think. Love seeing it in proper detail
I can't wait until sometime in the future, I find a video of you walking through an abandoned Amazon distribution center at this same location.
Dang man, they brought the whole posse down. Must have been expecting something more hardcore than just a dude with a camera. I like how it freeze-frames and the light bar filter comes on. It's like a Game Over screen.
Keep coming back to this video despite it creeping me out, heart rate was through roof on first viewing. Never thought I'd get addicted to your Dead Mall Series but as someone from UK it's fascinating to me.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if some random sales employee was in one of those stores by themselves surrounded by all the filth and he or she says “hello! Can I help you find anything today”? That’d be awesome!
And it’d also be cool if Dan started trying on shoes and the clerk would grab the ones off that left over merchandise.
The employee would probably be a SCP.
Compared to what DSM became prior to it's demolition, I'm surprised we didn't see that.
Welcome to the ninth floor
Be like Twilight Zone and there store all shining and clean
This mall was so beautiful. I first visited it the second week it was in operation. At the time it was a marvel. I also last visited it about 2 months before it closed forever. There were no shops left open inside other than the large stores on the ends.
This is oddly enchanting. Like being transported to the past wondering the halls of yesteryear while still being tethered to modernity witnessing the damages the space has been inflicted with by time. Man. I love this series.
Born too late to explore pyramids and catacombs, born just in time to explore the 1980s
There’s something really beautiful about nature reclaiming this space. Especially hearing the sounds coming from such a cold and abandoned place. What an awesome video
This was the video that tuned me on to your work and made me a huge fan of yours and the genre. I grew to appreciate the aesthetic and the ambiance, along with the corresponding music. This sparked my nostalgia as it reminded how great life was back in the 80s and to appreciate what once was. Thank you Dan. Thank you very much.
You managed to capture a good chunk of the mall, so still a good job! The sad and lonely ambience of a dead mall really settles into your mind when you visit a place like that.
Can you imagine with all the trouble stirred up in that place that those police officers have responded to, how relieved they must have been when they walked in and found dan making a video lol
Yep. That's why they came in force. They probably expected to find either a drug deal going down, or a bunch of assholes with guns ready to start a fight.
It wasn't completely demolished, the "Sears" building is still there, you can see the old facade if you drive by. This has always been my favorite Dead Mall episode, great to see in 4k!
The video that got me into dead malls, love that you remastered this. I’ve done pretty much all the research that can be done on this place and I don’t know how Annaleigh confused it but Macys left before the mall shut down. The two remaining anchors were Sears which shuttered in 2011 and JCPenney which left in 2013.
Oh, wait this is the one where Dan gets busted by half a dozen police officers then immediately plugs his channel to said police. What a freaking power move! AND you can see one of the cops begins pulling up ThisIsDanBell into his phone.
I legit skipped a heartbeat when that cop appeared. It took me a second to realize “thank gos its a cop”
Such an amazing video Dan! So glad you remastered this one. I love the dramatic contrast with the red fountain compared to the grey overtones of the dead mall. Thank you so much for remastering these amazing videos Dan!
See
The 4K remaster on this is amazing Dan. I don’t know how you did it but you are a wizard!
I would be so scared walking in a rotten abandoned building like that my anxiety would skyrocket
While not the first video I saw from you, this is still a favorite. The news footage, the interview, the incredible music- it's beautiful. One of the most detailed expeditions of one of the most iconic dead malls of all time.
Damn they really brought out the entire force + their dogs 💀
From the graffiti and bullet holes, I imagine they've had problems with the mall before. Possibly gangs.
This is probably the best documentary that I've seen! It's nice to see some different footage... very detail oriented. You were lucky to get in early before the demo started which captured the raw vibe of the mall towards the bitter end. Once they started, they moved pretty fast and it was hard to get in un-noticed. An Akron cop caught me coming out of one of the shipping doors but he was cool and said stay out as it's pretty dangerous. He was right as it's kind of risky to go it alone ... but what an adrenaline rush, especially the theater. Thanks for posting!
I was so excited when I saw this one was posted. I love the high quality, been a fan of Dead Mall Series for years!
Your channel realy helped me during a hard time 👍
Hopefully you stay strapped in these kinds of videos. You never know who might want to harm you inside these abandoned places. Its always good to have a piece.
I was just thinking the same thing.
I was also thinking, hard hat, heavy boots, and some kind of breathing protection.
The breathing protection is definitely a good idea. A lot of these abandoned places must contain asbestos.
FFW 2022 .... An Amazon warehouse now occupies this site .
Wow, I remember finding the original version of this on your channel way back. Enjoyed watching the remastered version, keep up the good work 👍
The ending with the sudden cop appearance a la Police Story, along with the music was hilarious
This place is now long long gone. It is now an Amazon distribution center.
When I visited Akron I was creeped out by the whole city. but wow Dan!
ROLLING ACRES is one of the most notorious Dead malls of all time ...
Jesus Dan, this place is horrifying ...
This would be such a cool setting for a horror movie!
I Love these videos exploring liminal space. Eerie and ominous, yet at the same time, oddly satisfying. The possibility of seeing something, anything, in a space that is supposed to be empty makes it suspenseful and exciting, even though nothing is there. Cool video.
Born and raised in Akron and I've never been to that mall. Also that erie music in the background is kinda cool
exploring an abandoned mall reminds me of exploring the rms titanic
A Classic Masterpiece of a beautiful Mall .
A epic Masterpiece video of a piece of History of Rolling Acers.
It is really awesome getting to revisit this half a decade later. Still feels very eerie. Glad you got out of there safely. The music was soothing.
Side note: As someone that used to work in an Amazon distribution center, I believe Akron could have chosen something else better. Anything but Amazon or warehousing as a whole would have been fine to give people jobs and boost the economy. That's just my opinion.
I agree! We’ve sold our souls to Amazon and made in China crap.
We live amongst our own ruins...
Damn got the whole force to stop this menace
In 2019, following the property's demolition, it was rumored that Amazon planned to develop a distribution facility on the site of the former mall. On July 22, 2019, a statement was issued by the city of Akron that Amazon had officially acquired the land. Construction on the new distribution center began in September. Approximately 1,500 jobs were to become available when construction was completed. The center opened on November 1, 2020.
Sad to see how some malls fail so fast. Was funny how you said a bit of Christmas in June. Also the police music right when you got busted is funny. Thanks for the remastered version.
Sad that this place was beginning to be reclaimed by nature and had it's own ecosystem. That fog meant it had it's own microclimate!
Watch the Rolling Acres film again? For sure, the quality looks really good. It was hard to top the original, but you can see the difference in quality here.
After rewatching from 7 yrs ago, I stand by what I said then: I hate damn pigs
By by Rolling Acre's and Hello Amazon. Yes the bus station is still there.
I feel like the police all jumped on an opportunity to check out the old abandoned mall 😆
Goodbye multiple anchor retailing, hello mono corp distribution.
These places are so comforting man, at least looking at them on video. I think I've played too much Silent Hill as a kid.
Good to know it was finally demolished
Mall of Memphis would have been a good walk through. They knocked it down a few years back. Not sure if Raleigh Springs Mall is still around? If you want a twist on the series. Check out the Sears Crosstown building in Memphis midtown area. They did an amazing job of restoring & bringing it back.
That was a surprising number of cops! Should have asked some questions
I lived less than 10 min from here, I grew up going to this mall. It's a giant Amazon warehouse now.
The video that turned me onto dead malls, RIP rolling acres ❤
Say, does anyone happen to know what music is played at the beginning/end of the video? It's really good stuff! Sounds like a Boards of Canada work from what I can gather
Am I the only one that would love to clean this place up and go roller skating.
This is so sad. You can tell that it was a really great mall back in the day.
These vids need the ghosts of dead shoppers.
You can here the wind in the mall, you should wear a respirator when exploring. Keep your lungs healthy. Did the same thing you did and got a fungus in my lungs and it took 7 years to get rid of, safety first. 😁👍
"There are frogs living in the elevator and it's filled with water..."
In my head I could still hear the Ironside music that you obviously had to remove due to copyright strikes 🤦♂️😭 I’m glad I saw the original first cause that was priceless.
holy shit the cops but wowwwww great video i have misssed my fav dan glad u are back be safe and dont let the cops find ya
this is legitimately awesome man thank you for this
Still sad what happened to this mall
You can literally see black mold everywhere & you have no mask??? I’m always surprised that so many professional urbex explorers are so careless about the fact that the majority of abandoned places are filled with highly deadly airborne toxins- especially when walking around & stirring up all those spores.
its fine
Alot of the times we don't realize what's contained there in until we're already inside some of these places
Yeah like asbestos! Which is usually the main reason these places are not demolished because the cost to remove the asbestos is so huge.
The wind in here kept reminding me of the early chords of Loreena McKennitt's song Dante's Prayer. Which is super fitting. "Cast your eyes on the ocean, cast your soul to the sea. When the dark night seems endless, please remember me..."
Malls were a place to shop, yes mindless consumerism but they were also a place for people to congregate, socialize etc. I went to them during their prime in the early to mid 80's and they were a special place, hanging out, playing in arcades, the food courts, trying to meet girls typical stuff teenage stuff. It is sad to see them go like this one, society reduced to Amazon and online shopping locked in their homes never having to go anywhere. Society atomized to the point where we are isolated, lonely and watching videos (very well done like this one) of a place that no longers exists, a relic of a time not too long ago when the world seemed a little brighter
every dead mall should be levelled and public park should take its place... make it useful space for people to hang out
Please omit the cruncing glass sounds 🎉 I love everything you do! It's just a me problem! Eames chairs are phenomenal! I love you 💞
I hope Ashlee and Eddie are still going strong...
to me, nothing will replace the enjoyment of going to the toy store and actually stand next to an unopened toy within a few cm away. shopping online just doesn’t have that experience. it may be convenient, but it just doesn’t have that ‘’THING’’. It’s sad that the west introduced the MALL concept to the world and now theirs are dying fast. whenever I go to green acres mall, it’s such a sad site.
I agree.. it’s gotten to the point where you almost have to shop online because most stores are closed and what’s left open have less selection and higher prices. It’s not looking good for the American economy. For all the jobs that one mall provides to the community .. the tax dollars lost for the city. Amazon is a million times worse than Walmart ever was in killing Main Street America.
I wonder if any of these officers checked out your video
such a shame when these places are left to rot, a bigger shame when they are removed so we cant go and explore them and marvel at what was
It wouldn't surprise me if that place had a colony of bats as well. I love bats, almost as much as frogs. Anything that eats mosquitoes is a friend of mine, really.
Piggy’s are killjoys
How appropriate that Amazon took the mall's location.
This one is actually making my stomach hurt because I think you’re going to slip in this crap! 😬
Dan: there was fog in and around the food court
Me: where’s Scooby doo and the gang when you need them? 😆
Rolling Acres is becoming the new Dixie Square Mall! Looks like the kind of place you'd shoot a zombie movie in.
I looked back on the org vlog Dan did of this mall compare to this updated vlog.what a difference
The graffiti in the thumbnail got me. lol. Funny funny
Everytime I see Rolling Acres, I wonder if Lebron ever shopped at the foot locker. I like how they never renovated it and has the old sports photos on the wall.
Uhg it still makes me dizzy every time you walk up to an unguarded edge .
Glad to see the space put to good use with the Amazon Fulfillment Center. *My* Dead Mall (Landmark, Alexandria....sound familiar, #ThisIsDanBell?) is the future site of the expanded Alexandria Hospital, as well as the obligatory residential / retail space that no average resident will be able to afford...
Yes! That's another dead mall.
They sent all that in just for you??? Wow!
Malls is where the soul goes to die.
I used to get my hair braided here
I remember being in that mall many of times sad to see it gone they tore it down and now it's an Amazon distribution center
I hope this place is either demolished or has fallen in on itself by now. There's no bigger blight to a community than a place like that. It only draws undesirables looking to cause trouble.
But when did it shut down? Because the compagnie internationale part of Express hasn’t been used in well over a decade
it shut down in 2008 or 2009 I believe. It sat abadoned for quite a long time before it was torn down
Thanks Dan!
What was the music in the beginning?
I Imagine Charlton Heston walking thru with a machine gun as in Omega Man.
Police overkill.
Couldn't help but literally LOL when the copper robber got jolted into hell for eternity
Surprised he got away with that long.
I know zoning laws are a thing but damn, places like this would make an excellent homeless shelter. Food, basic necessities like water and shelter. Hell, train em' and have em' open the food court to show that people can really change their life around! Imagine a fully functional mini city for the homeless to rehabilitate themselves without the prying eye of people who just "don't want to see them anymore".
There's one in every crowd.....
Why do people post this dumb shit on every video? Socialism doesn't work, kid. Malls of this size cost millions of dollars a month to operate which is why they are left abandoned by both the owners and state when they've become too costly to maintain. Most of the old construction like old hospitals built before '71 are riddled with cancer causing asbestos and it's not worth it in most cases to pay for abatement - cheaper just to build a whole new building. It's sad to see things go, but time marches on. Places like this have outlived their usefulness, like an old car, and should be demolished so new development can take place. What really needs to happen is any county approval for future projects like this needs to come with a rider that requires the owning interest to set aside funds for future demolition instead of these companies socializing their losses on taxpayers.
Love how nature is starting to take over the mall with the overgrowth outside and the frogs and birds inside!
I wonder what the police were expecting bringing so many officers and dogs