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That mall looks awesome. I love that it's like a dark time warp from the 80s. I wouldn't change a thing, but that's just me. I like retro/vintage. I would hang out there all day and pretend that it was 1985.
i thought the same thing. i love the 80s and early 90s and i adore there music. speeking of music, who else thinks the musing in the begining of the video sounds creepy?
+The Movie Dealers I don't see why looking like a certain decade can't be a selling point for some places, I kind of don't like that we have a habit of uprooting everything every 10 years or so to be "modern". When different looks would give different places their own personality.
+Lucetube GPlusStillSux Agreed. I was born in 98' so for me the 90's has this weird nostalgia that I wish I could have been part of. Of course the 90's probably wasn't even all that special, but it's a bit of a mysterious time for me. I also dislike the uprooting every 10 years thing- I like modern design but seeing this 80's stuff is interesting and unique.
Fun facts about The Gallery- In the time when I worked there (around 2000-2010) at least two people committed suicide by jumping from one the upper floors. There used to be bathrooms on every floor, but all except for the ones on the basement level were closed and walled over because of the extent of the prostitution going on in them. (Some of that business has moved to Macy's down he street) The only bathrooms that they left open were down a hundred-foot long hallway, near the food court, where people were regularly assaulted and robbed. The Gallery was a primary hang out for all of the downtown heroin addicts- the ones in recovery would come straight from the methadone clinic across the street and hang out with their friends who are not in recovery in the food court. Six security guards might seem like a lot in an empty mall, but when the place was full of hundreds of screaming high school students, it was never enough, and usually those six guards would be nowhere to be found, and I was told to my face on several occasions that they can't really do anything anyway. The place was always full of homeless people- even when it was fully in business, and I expect the same to the true after the renovation.
Wow, I'm not surprised there was suicides here. My first thought when he looked down was "those barriers don't seem effective at all, it'd be so easy to jump if you wanted to."
Richard Kindler-Watts-Feldman omg you hit the nail on the head. I never felt safe in this mall. I was probably 14 when I started coming here on the train, and you always saw drug zombies wandering around. Plus I was scared to use the bathrooms (and I am not a neat freak, those bathrooms were absolutely disgusting.)
The renovation is now complete, transformed into a high-end shopping/entertainment center, cost estimated 200-220 million; opening will be 9/19/2019. Could you do a resurrection from the dead video--I would like to see it?
Im working in this mall right now on building city winery. The reno is pretty far from complete. So many stores have yet to be built and everyones stressing about the deadline. I have a feeling it will be open but with a lot of unfinished or vacant store fronts. Its interesting to see what it used to look like thougg
***** Had to be over ten years ago. I remember seeing it when I used to go down to Philly with my friends from college and we once walked around The Gallery. I graduated from college in '05 so that should give you a reference.
Marie B Eleven years then :D I do love walking around malls, but I've not been to one in years, just the ease of use and prices of the internet have just totally destroyed the need to go there in this day and age.
@@NightlyTheBot Are you kidding? That mall is busy every day except for Sundays until after 1: pm. I'm wondering how all the other malls in Minnesota are still thriving. Malls like Rosedale, Ridgedale, Southdale, and Eden Prairie have gone through renovations in the last two years. And those malls still get decent traffic of people.
Well, at least we now have a term for it. And I totally agree with you. I used to come here all the time when I was around 7 and I feel in love of it just because of the creepy atmosphere. It got me into loving abandoned stuff, of which there is plenty in Pennsylvania.
if anything they should renovate it to make it MORE 80s ... all the retro 80s stuff is cool now.. build an old arcade or something, that would be sweet
CHRIS Unfortunately. I actually want to start a band (me as the lead singer) a synthesizer, saxophone, drums and guitar. And recreate the 80s to early 90s vibe.
MJ Blue If you're looking for a good 80s synthpop revival artist, listen to Part Time. He has not one bad song and sound like you've been transported back in time. I recommend My Jamey, Its Elizabeth, The Cost of Living, No boys, and all his songs lol
The developers might do well to turn the 4th floor into a "professional" floor, so to speak, with doctors, dentists, accountant services, lawyers, specialists and the like. Many service oriented business would benefit by the train station in the mall since many of their clients use some form of mass transit to get to them. Build on a hotel/convention center for out-of-town clients and visitors to stay at and you may have a winner on your hands.
@C.s S. This! Exactly this! The infrastructure is already in place, just update the malls, instead of building strip mall after strip mall after strip - each of which eventually shares the same fate as the malls themselves!
no you guys are missing the point, nobody wants to go to a mall for a dr or dentist visit, no matter how respected they are, malls will always carry a stigma to them, people will think it's cheap or lame to get a check up at the same place where u can get a hot dog on a stick, it's seen as tacky, it's an image thing, nobody will come... it's a nice idea though, but no, won't work
My girlfriend and I accidentally stumbled upon this place when we had to find a bathroom. There were so many homeless people and it was so much darker than this video. One man tried to follow us into the ladies room when we said we had no spare change. He was drunk and belligerent! The smells were awful and altogether it was creepy. I didn't see any police officers or any type of security. I never ran across a city so fast to get back to my car in my life...
I have so many great memories of this old mall. I first remember shopping there with my older sister for Christmas gifts in 1982. I was 6 years old. I remember how clean and fun the mall was. I also remember those old leather multi-zipper Michael Jackson jackets hanging up for sale in the windows. Those were hot in '82. Then I remember in my college days, walking there from Community College of Philadelphia with friends to get Chinese food and shop for CDs with the little money I had from a side job. One year when I had a cushy, well-paying office job I did all of my Christmas shopping for my family at Strawbridge's, even buying boxes of Godiva chocolates from their gourmet food court. This mall has spanned so many years of my life. I wish I still lived in Philly to see the upcoming renewal.
Strawbridge's food hall was awesome. But the thing I'll always miss most from that mall were the stuffed, cheesy croissants I used to buy from this tiny little croissant shop which I assume was a chain but I can't track down any info on it. I used to control myself and only bought them occasionally and I'm still kicking myself for that.
The mall aesthetics back in 1998,1999 and 2000 was beautiful in my opinion. i was very young but aside from the mugging and crime, the stores and the scenery was amazing. K Mart, suncoast video, strawbridges, etc. i wish there was footage at that time period
Yes! Bit late to the party here, but I was working in Philly in 1993, being a young guy from the UK I found this place amazing and used to go there most evenings after work as my hotel was a Holiday Inn at 4th and Arch (think it's gone now)! Last time I was in Philly in 2017 I noticed it was basically being rebuilt...great memories from my youth!
It seems that every dead or dying mall at least has a Bath and Body Works open. It is apparently hard to kill those. The mall in Middlesoborough, KY even has one.
In the 80's people would come in from the burbs to shop and eat at the Gallery because the train station was on the first floor, Will Smith even mentioned it the song parents just don't understand. It was very popular and on the weekends there would be thousands of people there. The Gallery has been basically dead since the mid 90's. What you see today is an absolute time capsule of the 80's. Those empty metal racks in the open areas used to have plants and it would give the mall a good look. You have to ask why would a mall of this size with it's own major train station that had trains from every suburb of Philly stopping there just fall by the way side. Well, one reason was crime and the other is the homeless using it as a shelter. Even today the Gallery is NOT a very safe place to shop. It's (like you said) just a cut through to the trains during the work week and on the weekends it's completely empty. The plans to revitalize the Gallery are noting new and have been floating around for a decade, it's just talk and noting actionable has been done. There have been talks to tearing it down (keeping the train station) are building a more modern shopping/upscale housing type of area. But Philly is it's own worst enemy of corruption so good luck on seeing anything anytime soon.
+Ted yellowstone I would also add that the prices the shops were charging for their wares plus the mix of stores were an issue; when I spent time in the Gallery in the late 80s while visiting family and the first thing that stood out to me was the prices...as in "Seriously? I can go a few blocks in any direction and beat it...or I can go to another mall instead." When King Of Prussia Mall expanded everyone west of the Schuykill had a reason to risk the traffic to get there. Strawbridge's effectively going tango uniform (following the demise of Lits and Gimbels) didn't help.
I remember visiting this Mall when I lived in the area, late 70s or so. I was leaning on a railing taking in the view and a security guard made it a point to go between me and the railing. As a suburbanite, I was offended and never went back. If other people visiting the mall were treated similarly, I can see why it's dying. Only mall where security has ever made it a point to bug me. Besides that, this mall was a weird mix of upscale and trashy. Marble, but oddly make-do. For example, to get from one end of the mall to the other you had to go thru one of the anchor stores. Weird. Odd entrances, too. Maybe it was built before ADA when stairs were "grand", not a "barrier". In any event, the place made me uncomfortable and offered nothing I could not get a whole lot easier without going into the city.
+This is Dan Bell. It makes sense like if people use it to pass through for 80%+ of the time, then the 4th floor would die off first, followed by the 3rd floor, and hopefully the dying can be held off before it kills the 2nd floor Can you find me a link to the opening song? That song's bass is amazing, I can't get enough
You failed to mention the many suicides that take place by people going to the third or fourth floor and jumping. I went to go pick up a game at Gamestop in 2012 on the third floor, and the mall was closed down because of one such instance. Happened more than I realized.
+Danny C. Oddly enough, there were two. One on the top floor and one on the lower floor. I always found it a tad bit odd having two in the same mall, but I "think" one was an EB, and the other was always a Gamestop and when they merged, the EB became a Gamestop.
+Dean Dixon The one on the lowest level was once a Software Etc (I bought some Final Fantasy games there in the early 2000s), & IIRC the other one was a Game Gallery.
Christian B over the course of time, I'm not sure without doing research into the matter. I know it had that reputation for years though, and it's one of those things like Urban Legend...until you experience.
I have been so moved by your videos Dan. I share the same passion for abandoned places as it gives me an indescribable feeling of sort of a sadness, and almost a reget that I didn't visit virtually any of these places when they were open. Consequently, I can't walk into a shopping mall without trying to imagine it abandoned, like...the feeling in reverse. Example: I recently visited Trumbull Mall, located in Trumbull, Connecticut. A mall that came pretty close to being a dead mall back in the day (I'll look into the details if I can find any), but now is extremely successful..very busy 100% of the time. Dan, keep your amazing and priceless work coming because your videos help preserve these places in memory, and and are as you said, the last hurrah for these places. Thank you for your work!!!
A Dave And Busters in a mall........no offense but it sounds like a bullshit of a lie just to bring people in...but it also does sound pretty nice┐(￣ヘ￣)┌
I know the video's a couple years old, but I can best describe 9D Cinema as a virtual roller coaster. There were seats that shook when there were a lot of turns in the screen, which needed 3D glasses to properly see. There were options for which "video" to see, some of them shooting out bubbles and other things. 9D cinema was also one of The Gallery's newer editions before closing down.
The place looks cold and outdated. No wonder it's dying. Reminds me of an outdoor mall in my area. I remember visions of tumbleweeds rolling passed the closed doors of shops that were no longer in business that outnumbered the active stores still there. This was years ago. Since then, they renovated and put shops that people would leave their homes to go to. Today, you'd be lucky to get a good parking space. There's still hope for these dying malls. The owners just need to think outside the box and think of creative ways to bring the shoppers back. Great video Dan!!!!
+JennyBMoon I think it all depends on location. This mall isn’t in a good location. They’re going to try to appeal to suburbanites but luring them downtown to shop is a hard thing to do when they already have malls in their communities. I’m just stunned at the renovation costs. 350 million. That’s a lot of money to gamble with. We’ll see how it goes. I’m bitter I didn’t get to see the trash compactor room from Mannequin. Lol.
Good point Dan. I'm too optimistic sometimes. Does not look like a promising business plan unless that included getting more people to move into the neighborhood. Maybe not a realistic plan either. I hear you on the trash compactor. I saw one eat an old sofa and was thoroughly fascinated.
Re-watching this I realise that this video and the 'neon dreams' one actually changed my life! I can't thank you enough for introducing me to Vaporwave, which has been my only non-medical anxiety coping mechanism (and sparked my current love of the 80s, though I still love Vaporwave more).
I know this is ancient in terms of dead mall videos, but I come back once in a while for the nostalgia. I’m a native philadelphian, and my mom and I stopped in a few times when I was a kid probably before we hopped on the el since jefferson station is right there. I remember eating at the food on one of the upper levels there once and being in awe of the views, plus the pretzel factory and cinnabon have been there as long as I remember. the new renovation does make it a better mall, but it just isn’t the same for me anymore. love your vids btw man! ❤
Burlington Coat Factory was originally a JC Penney, Kmart was originally a Gimbel's, and Century 21 is in a portion of the old Strawbridge & Clothier flagship store
I can remember visiting here way back in 1999 on my schools foreign exchange trip. I can remember buying a fatboy slim CD from sam goodys and a t-shirt from old navy 😅
Dan Bell is one of the best UA-camrs I've watched in years, focused, professional, and really knows what he is talking about. The Disconscious track used is this posting "Enter through the lobby" is one of the best tracks I've heard on his videos - perfect mall music. All the best from Yorkshire in the UK! :-)
I have fond memories from the late 70’s and early 80’s at The Gallery Mall! We would ride the train every Christmas to see the big Christmas displays at (I believe) Macy’s. I was a little kid back then but it sticks out in my head!
Great video, as always! The mall that was featured in Night of the Comet (in your intro) was Bullocks Wilshire - a beautiful art deco-style mall in LA. Ghostbusters was filmed on top of the building as well
from google - 9D Cinema involves a 3D move ride, moving seats, and special effects like water, snow, wind and more that will make you feel like you are IN the movie! sounds cool!
I lived in Center City from '88-'94. At the 10:00 mark, the red wall across from the Food Court area was a department store called Stern's. It closed in 1989. When they were having their 'going out of business sale,' I bought a nice set of cookware for about 75% off. I still use it to the day--and it remind me of this mall.
OMG! I'm so glad you did the Gallery! I worked there from 1995-1996 in Gallery I at G&G. This mall was THE place to go to back then. This place was super crowded on Saturday afternoons! There was a Merry Go Round in Gallery I, 3rd floor, Suncoast in Gallery I, 1st Floor, and lots of other 90's stores. Thanks so much for featuring this mall!!
I just walked through The Gallery today. The only stores that are really open are Burlington Coat Factory, a Bath & Body Works, a Five Below (think of Woolworths but targeted at Millenials), and a T-Mobile. There's a bakery that's still open and a convince store which are really getting their business from people who are coming off the subway or regional rail trains. It's heartbreaking because I remember taking the train into Philly and walking through that mall with friends when I was in college.
There is now a wall on the lower level (not far from Jefferson Station). My guess is that's where they are doing the construction since one now has to walk out onto Market Street and enter Century 21 that way.
I knew that Mall like the back of my hand Bruh 😂 Everyday after school walking straight down 11th street before going home and cutting through Market East Station and hitting the Cinnabun. Mannnnnnn the 90's
A personal thank you! This was my teen hang out between 1986-thru early 1990s. Lived in West Philly University City from 1985-1998. We left in 1998, after 2000 I got married and moved where my wife was from in North east PA. Our son, 16 this summer (2019) ventured to Philadelphia. When he described 10th and Market at a bus station, I said that should be my old teen hang out. The Gallery. Apparently its completely renovated. Shocked and saddened at this news. I was searched youtube like we all do and started searching abandoned buildings in Phila. I then found your video. You filmed just before the closing. OMG thank you! Again this was my teen hang out. A "few" things remain, especially the lay out, stairs, escalators. BUT its now gone. :(
9d cinema is like 3d only better you sit in seats that move there is also lots of special effects and it makes you feel that you are really there things jump out at you it looks very cool .
There were two separate commuter railroads joined at Market East (now Jefferson Station) around the time the Gallery opened. At a time when the abandonment of central cities by retail was nearly complete, Philadelphia was leading the country to a transit renaissance that is still under way. This mall seemed like an urbanist's dream come true. Not only could you catch any train from there, you could take take care of business in an almost futuristic setting. The impact of both the station and mall opening at the same time (Gallery 2 late '83, ME Station '84) was a huge morale boost for the city. Gallery 1 opened in 1977. I was there in 2015 also and especially loved the incandescent Hollywood lights ( 9:57 ). These have largely been obliterated or replaced with tiny CFL bulbs and LED bulbs. Only a place about to close would keep them going. Sometimes you see 'fake old' ones that are incandescent, but never in huge arrays like this!
Just wanted to share that I bought Disconscious’s album thanks to your use of it during the showing of my childhood mall (The Gallery at Market East [soon to be Fashion Outlets of Philadelphia]). Thank you very much! As a former Philadelphia native, I have several things to share: 1) YES, it’s a walkthrough. Other than visiting Game Gallery, Software Etc. (now Gamestop in the Gallery II wing), EB Games (used to be on the second floor in Gallery I) and Waldenbooks/Suncoast (now the 9C that you talked about), I just used to Gallery as a way to keep the rain off of me from 8th & Market, through City Hall and at the western edge of Penn Center (18th and John F. Kennedy Blvd.). You could even stay underground all the way to Broad St. (now called by the stupid name of Avenue of the Arts) and Spruce Street. You have access to PATCO, four Market-Frankford stations, the Broad-Ridge Spur, the Broad Street line and SEPTA Regional Rail (formerly Market East Station, now called Jefferson Station) from the adjoining concourses. The Gallery also closed rather early on weekends, and I was an adult before I found out why (NEVER be stuck in Center City at night!). 2) The easternmost anchor was Strawbridge & Clothiers, and housed their headquarters. I remember being interviewed there and I think it was six stories tall (the location of a MAJOR sex scandal) with three floors facing the mall. I don’t know when, but only the ground floor was accessible. I never shopped at the S&C, but I shopped at all of the stores surrounding it back in the 90s - Sam Goody, Suncoast, an African-American bookstore, an ice cream stand, the Waldenbooks, the Gallery sign, the Game Gallery around the corner down the hall leading to 8th Street Station, I can go on. The middle anchor kept changing since the mall was built (Gimble’s/Stern’s (maybe?)/Clover/I forget/to K-Mart [and NOT a good one]). The westernmost anchor (I think was JC Penney before it became Burlington Coat Factory, and I know that JC Penney pulled out sometime in the mid-to-late 90s. BCF had been there for a LONG time. 3) The reason that so many guards are there is because of flash mobs as well as the usual. Students have been known to cut class and congregate at the Gallery causing all kinds of problems not only there but at the shops and the former arcades on Chestnut Street (one block south of the mall). The biggest flash mob I saw was around 2004 when it appeared that about fifty youths came out of nowhere, caused a HUGE ruckus and then raced towards Chestnut Street. It may have made the news - I’ll check. Also, shoplifting, fighting, the homeless and the lack of proper lighting plus the smells coming out of the concourse attached to 11th Street Station didn’t help the ground floor of Gallery II. 4) The food court…meh (shrugs). McDonald’s had it’s own space just west of the food court, but the food court proper had Sbarro’s, Taco Bell, KFC, (maybe) a Chik-fil-A, a cheesesteak stand (of course) and a couple of others. One of the best spots was Tiffany’s Bakery, which sat outside the eastern edge of the food court, and across from that, between Modell’s and the old newsstand (that newsstand had been there FOREVER) was a diner (another hot sandwich/pizza spot) that opened in the early 2000s, what it replaced I don’t remember. NOT in the food court were the best places - a Chinese food sit-and-eat, Subway, and another bakery which sat across from Market East Station (I REFUSE to call it Jefferson Station). 5) I think (I’m not sure), but Kay-Bee used to be where the Old Navy is now… 6) the top floor had been dead since the 1990s! no one went up to the top floor unless it was to have some peace and quiet. There were entrances to the garage on that floor, but I’ve never witnessed people coming in and out. I went up there a couple of times during lunch breaks while working for Jefferson University, but every time I went up there, here come the security guards, my shirt and tie be damned. From then on I sat and ate around Walnut Street closer to work. I honestly can’t remember when The Gallery for Learning was last open. Anyway, just wanted to say thank you. I moved from the metro-Philadelphia area to Ohio in 2013 and your video reminded me of how craptastic the Gallery became after the early 2000s. But you should have seen it in the 1990s. Or maybe it’s my rose-tinted glasses and nostalgia those days talking. High school for me SUCKED but the Gallery gave me short repreives on the weekends.
You should definitely see it today! It’s now called the fashion district and there’s always people there. A common hangout for me and my friends after school!
I’ve been using this train station my entire life and never knew this mall had a third or fourth floor. For context the first floor is underground you come up one level from the regional rail to get to the first floor. The second floor is street level. Therefore those two floors get all the foot traffic. NPR recently did a story on this mall. You should check it out.
I took my teenage son here back in 2010, expecting it to look like what I remembered the last time I was there, which was the mid-80s, when I was a teen. I couldn't get over how dead it was. The further up we went, the more dead it was.
I always feel like I've stepped out of time and snuck into another one when I watch your videos. Like something I shouldn't be looking at, because it should've been dead a long time ago. It's a weird mix of nostalgia, depression, and curiosity that I don't quite have a word for.
Richer & more populous than ever, this is what happens when the Richest take all the money out of the pockets of the average citizen. Very strange to think how we're poorer now while being so much richer.
Holy cow. Talk about memory lane! I lived in center city for two years between ‘96-‘98 while attending University of the Arts. I used to frequent this mall! I moved to L.a. in ‘98 and have been there ever since. This video brought back so many memories! Even back in ‘96, it didn’t feel that lively either.
I miss the gallery, Ive been to the fasion district and its definitely heart breaking for me to see the changes. It'll never be the same. The stores were one of kind, the art, the people and just the atmosphere was different.
When I worked in a mall, one of the top bosses actually asked me, desperately, why malls were failing. He was so out of touch, bless his heart. I think a lot of these higher ups have poured so much into their malls over the decades that they can't accept the need to adapt and think a renovation will fix everything. Also, how are you still functioning in EVERY dead mall, Bath & Body Works and Radio Shack!?
So many memories! I remember going to the Gallery all the time when I was a kid. Sadly it started going down in the mid 90's (because of King of Prussia) and eventually became a place for teens to hang out, flash mob and cause chaos (hence all of the security guards) so it's been dying for a long time. I used to commute through here daily to work and it's like you said, people just walk through to get to the train (Sometimes stopping at the Starbucks which was near the Food Court; that one closed way before they were about to renovate). I live in DC now but last time I was in Philly about a month ago both Gallery places were blocked off so you can only get in to access the Regional Rail trains from the street level (same with the El and Broad St trains). And the only thing opened down there now is Tiffany's Bakery, which is one of the original places that was in the Gallery. Also they are building new condos and shops right across the street from the Gallery. It will be interesting to see what everything looks like when it's fully renovated and brought back to life.
So weird coming back to this video nearly 8 years later. This place is now known as The Fashion District and is busy all week. Great retail mix, food court with some local vendors mixed in with your usual food court tenants, an AMC, an arcade, and an interactive art gallery.
The Gallery is still a very popular place to shop and the prices are great. We go into the city just to shop there about once a month. And PS, that guy wasn't sleeping he was either overdosed and dead or just nodded. Kensington (heroin capital of the east- is not far at all. Maybe 10 min away?)
I remember when it was pretty active in the early 2000's. It's not a great mall, but it had a nice bookstore and some cool little stores here and there. That collage around 8:36 used to have Bill Cosby on it, but he was removed.
I remember going to this mall during a summer as a teenager with my uncle when he lived there one early 2000s. This mall use to be a busy and bustling place, I remember my uncle bought me a Lego set at the know closed Kmart. We also entered the mall via the subway station as well. Watching this video sure brought back some memories, can't believe the mall has fallen on such hard times.
I live in Philadelphia and have been to The Gallery hundreds of times over the years. It was once a great place to shop and eat, but has gone down hill dramatically over the years. Hopefully, the planned renovations will give the place a much needed update. For the movie lovers, several scenes from the Brian DePalma film Blow Out were shot in The Gallery 1 in 1981. Here's an article explaining what the developers have in mind for the renovation of the mall. articles.philly.com/2015-06-16/news/63452370_1_gallery-concourse-market-east-the-gallery
Can you really blame the mall management for not letting a random guy into the basement? lol Interesting to see a mall that's not quite dead yet, but certainly will be soon.
I find these series extremely disturbing and extremely creepy makes me think of the 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead 💀 Which took place in A empty shopping mall plus the series on the Bristol mall is 20 minutes from my house I practically grew up there shopping every weekend while I was in high school we had some awesome shops !!now the jewelry stores sucked but we had Spencers the county seat for jeans all types of clothing for men and women and a huge Belk!! So sad to see it go it was built in 1975 and I started going in around 1976 or 77 we had 4 AMC theaters that were awesome I remember June 1980 when the movie Friday the 13th came out there was a line of people all the way out the back door I was in sixth grade. Saw so many movies they're up until the theater went out of business which was so sad I loved the Bristol mall and I will never forget all the money I spent there
Dutchess lust Moon.....That mall in "Dawn of the dead" was the Monroeville mall outside Pittsburgh. When I lived down there, that mall was always full, but, kids would come there and fight. There was an incident were a mid aged couple were walking through a JC Penny or some dept. store, and I believe the husband got shot by a 16 yr old boy walking with a group of teenagers. Yeah, you read that right. When the boy was arrested and put in jail, they caught his family telling him to lie about it during a phone call. I'm from outside NYC and never heard of anything happening like that until I moved to Pittsburgh
I'm from Philly and I went to the gallery many times to eat and buy things and this video just brings a tear to the eye I must say I'm enjoying the dead malls series keep it going
I really enjoy this series. I love how you frame your pictures. I can tell your a great photographer and do a superb job at editing. Thank you. The angles and views are super.
This mall is actually really nice looking. Usually these other malls look tired and ready to go, but this one didn't. The inside looked like it was at least trying. I hope the renovation works.
I know this video is older, but I've been really into urbex videos lately. I think you have the best camerawork out of all the creators I've seen and you're not loud and obnoxious. I always come back to your vids. Thanks Dan!
The Gallery At Market East, (Gallery 2) was built along with the Market East (now Jefferson Station) SEPTA station, that was totally rebuilt to link SEPTA regional rail to more Philadelphia suburbs in 1984. Up until the early 2000s it was a hustling place. Lots of stores, lots of people spending money in them. Dunno what happend. It literally died overnight..
Dan Bell, I just wanted to let you know that you've made an impression on my family. I got into your channel when I was working a lonely night job. It really was entertaining and enlightening how so many malls have become dead malls recently. I got my wife hooked on your channel, and we started watching together. Being Millennials, we don't have cable and get all our entertainment from the Internet. So, quality UA-cam channels are always an exciting find. The videos in your channel are very tasteful in that you have very good atmospheric music and have just enough voiceover to keep us informed. Well done, and keep us the good work!
Attention! Completely remastered episodes of the Dead Mall Series are now being archived in 4K at ua-cam.com/channels/fCM_TfrSDMkkMpKuLNWuXA.html. The remasters have gone through an extensive AI Enhancement process as well as proper sound mixing and colorization. This Dead Mall Series Remastered project has been made possible through viewer support on Patreon. Go over now and watch in glorious 4K. ENJOY!
That mall looks awesome. I love that it's like a dark time warp from the 80s. I wouldn't change a thing, but that's just me. I like retro/vintage. I would hang out there all day and pretend that it was 1985.
i thought the same thing. i love the 80s and early 90s and i adore there music. speeking of music, who else thinks the musing in the begining of the video sounds creepy?
+TJ P I was there in 1985. You're not missing much. I was born in 1965 and I had the same misplaced nostalgia about the 1960's.
+The Movie Dealers I don't see why looking like a certain decade can't be a selling point for some places, I kind of don't like that we have a habit of uprooting everything every 10 years or so to be "modern". When different looks would give different places their own personality.
+Lucetube GPlusStillSux Agreed. I was born in 98' so for me the 90's has this weird nostalgia that I wish I could have been part of. Of course the 90's probably wasn't even all that special, but it's a bit of a mysterious time for me. I also dislike the uprooting every 10 years thing- I like modern design but seeing this 80's stuff is interesting and unique.
Can I join
Fun facts about The Gallery- In the time when I worked there (around 2000-2010) at least two people committed suicide by jumping from one the upper floors. There used to be bathrooms on every floor, but all except for the ones on the basement level were closed and walled over because of the extent of the prostitution going on in them. (Some of that business has moved to Macy's down he street) The only bathrooms that they left open were down a hundred-foot long hallway, near the food court, where people were regularly assaulted and robbed. The Gallery was a primary hang out for all of the downtown heroin addicts- the ones in recovery would come straight from the methadone clinic across the street and hang out with their friends who are not in recovery in the food court. Six security guards might seem like a lot in an empty mall, but when the place was full of hundreds of screaming high school students, it was never enough, and usually those six guards would be nowhere to be found, and I was told to my face on several occasions that they can't really do anything anyway. The place was always full of homeless people- even when it was fully in business, and I expect the same to the true after the renovation.
I had wondered if suicides occurred there...just entered my thoughts.
Wow, I'm not surprised there was suicides here. My first thought when he looked down was "those barriers don't seem effective at all, it'd be so easy to jump if you wanted to."
Richard Kindler-Watts-Feldman how is that fun facts
So what was the 9D cinema?
Richard Kindler-Watts-Feldman omg you hit the nail on the head. I never felt safe in this mall. I was probably 14 when I started coming here on the train, and you always saw drug zombies wandering around. Plus I was scared to use the bathrooms (and I am not a neat freak, those bathrooms were absolutely disgusting.)
I love how you integrate pop culture movie clips and music into your mall episodes. Really great work.
Daves Archives All about that Vaporwave too lit.
a e s t h e t i c
The renovation is now complete, transformed into a high-end shopping/entertainment center, cost estimated 200-220 million; opening will be 9/19/2019. Could you do a resurrection from the dead video--I would like to see it?
That'd be gréât
Wow, really? That'd be awesome
I'll have to plan a trip...I am originally from Philly & last time i was down there I was so depressed.
Im working in this mall right now on building city winery. The reno is pretty far from complete. So many stores have yet to be built and everyones stressing about the deadline. I have a feeling it will be open but with a lot of unfinished or vacant store fronts. Its interesting to see what it used to look like thougg
I'd love to see that!
I wish there were people who recorded malls at the height of their popularity.
There are some. Just search UA-cam for 80s and 90s malls. Theres some great footage on here
tiffany videos?
There is a video of inside a mall in the 1980s and it is so nice to see the crowds
ua-cam.com/video/W54i8i_sSvM/v-deo.html Metro North mall in the 1980s and it's so fun
Lol in New Zealand malls are still in the height of popularity
6:27 The Gallery for Leaning. Fantastic, I wish more malls had areas where you could incline your body on objects for support. :)
+Larry Bundy Jr I also remember years ago there used to be a Lucille Roberts on that same floor. It was a health & fitness center for women.
Marie B
Ooh, how long ago was this?
***** Had to be over ten years ago. I remember seeing it when I used to go down to Philly with my friends from college and we once walked around The Gallery. I graduated from college in '05 so that should give you a reference.
Marie B Eleven years then :D
I do love walking around malls, but I've not been to one in years, just the ease of use and prices of the internet have just totally destroyed the need to go there in this day and age.
Larry Bundy Jr nah, its for an Asian girl named lea ning. She's apparently a Japanese artist
When a mall has stores like "5 Below" and "Family Dollar"-you know the end is near.
Had to look up some of the stores to figure out what they sold.
Dollar Island
Shit I guess the Mall of America is close its end.
@@NightlyTheBot Are you kidding? That mall is busy every day except for Sundays until after 1: pm. I'm wondering how all the other malls in Minnesota are still thriving. Malls like Rosedale, Ridgedale, Southdale, and Eden Prairie have gone through renovations in the last two years. And those malls still get decent traffic of people.
@@NightlyTheBot that is different there .. thats like a closed in CITY!
empty malls like this give me an eerie/nostalgic/melancholy feeling and I fucking love it
Hell yes.
i was trying to find the words to why I like these videos so much and you got em
There is a word for that feeling that I learned from another abandoned vid but damned if I can find the vid or remember the word.
What you’re looking for is “liminal space”. Liminality
Well, at least we now have a term for it. And I totally agree with you. I used to come here all the time when I was around 7 and I feel in love of it just because of the creepy atmosphere. It got me into loving abandoned stuff, of which there is plenty in Pennsylvania.
if anything they should renovate it to make it MORE 80s ... all the retro 80s stuff is cool now.. build an old arcade or something, that would be sweet
80's stuff has ALWAYS been good. It's just that people started to pay attention to it again.
True , even the cars but don't think the music will ever be same
CHRIS Unfortunately. I actually want to start a band (me as the lead singer) a synthesizer, saxophone, drums and guitar. And recreate the 80s to early 90s vibe.
True 😍
MJ Blue If you're looking for a good 80s synthpop revival artist, listen to Part Time. He has not one bad song and sound like you've been transported back in time. I recommend My Jamey, Its Elizabeth, The Cost of Living, No boys, and all his songs lol
The developers might do well to turn the 4th floor into a "professional" floor, so to speak, with doctors, dentists, accountant services, lawyers, specialists and the like. Many service oriented business would benefit by the train station in the mall since many of their clients use some form of mass transit to get to them. Build on a hotel/convention center for out-of-town clients and visitors to stay at and you may have a winner on your hands.
EXACTLY!
@C.s S. This! Exactly this! The infrastructure is already in place, just update the malls, instead of building strip mall after strip mall after strip - each of which eventually shares the same fate as the malls themselves!
no you guys are missing the point, nobody wants to go to a mall for a dr or dentist visit, no matter how respected they are, malls will always carry a stigma to them, people will think it's cheap or lame to get a check up at the same place where u can get a hot dog on a stick, it's seen as tacky, it's an image thing, nobody will come... it's a nice idea though, but no, won't work
theres a place in DE that built micro-apartments with cheap rents. might be useful for that sort of commuter crowd.
This is honestly done in the Toronto Eaton Centre. Huge mall with four shopping floors and four business floors.
My girlfriend and I accidentally stumbled upon this place when we had to find a bathroom. There were so many homeless people and it was so much darker than this video. One man tried to follow us into the ladies room when we said we had no spare change. He was drunk and belligerent! The smells were awful and altogether it was creepy. I didn't see any police officers or any type of security.
I never ran across a city so fast to get back to my car in my life...
Whelp that's Phili for ya
Buy a firearm.. As unpopular as that is today... Some things never change. Maybe it's because I'm from the south.
Are you going to shoot everyone who smells? Good luck with that.
You want creepy, come see us in Atlantic City. I feel safer walking in Philly.
We don't all have the legal permission to conceal-carry a firearm. You can't carry in NJ.
ＡＥＳＴＨＥＴＩＣ
ethan t ok
A E S T H E T I C
V A P O R W A V E
D A N K
Cesar ウェーブ ｖｉｎｔａｇｅ ｍａｌｌｓ
I have so many great memories of this old mall. I first remember shopping there with my older sister for Christmas gifts in 1982. I was 6 years old. I remember how clean and fun the mall was. I also remember those old leather multi-zipper Michael Jackson jackets hanging up for sale in the windows. Those were hot in '82.
Then I remember in my college days, walking there from Community College of Philadelphia with friends to get Chinese food and shop for CDs with the little money I had from a side job.
One year when I had a cushy, well-paying office job I did all of my Christmas shopping for my family at Strawbridge's, even buying boxes of Godiva chocolates from their gourmet food court.
This mall has spanned so many years of my life. I wish I still lived in Philly to see the upcoming renewal.
Strawbridge's food hall was awesome. But the thing I'll always miss most from that mall were the stuffed, cheesy croissants I used to buy from this tiny little croissant shop which I assume was a chain but I can't track down any info on it. I used to control myself and only bought them occasionally and I'm still kicking myself for that.
The mall aesthetics back in 1998,1999 and 2000 was beautiful in my opinion. i was very young but aside from the mugging and crime, the stores and the scenery was amazing. K Mart, suncoast video, strawbridges, etc. i wish there was footage at that time period
Aha memories.
Yea I,used to,go during,the early,to mid2000s it,still,had a bunch,of,storea
Your NEW Best Friend Kind of ironic, considering you had to edit that comment of yours...
Yes! Bit late to the party here, but I was working in Philly in 1993, being a young guy from the UK I found this place amazing and used to go there most evenings after work as my hotel was a Holiday Inn at 4th and Arch (think it's gone now)! Last time I was in Philly in 2017 I noticed it was basically being rebuilt...great memories from my youth!
bookstores
I just realized that this is the mall Will Smith raps about in "Parents Just Don't Understand."
Stormkith haha loved that song! I got the tape for my birthday
Polite Doom That's DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Pri!
It seems that every dead or dying mall at least has a Bath and Body Works open. It is apparently hard to kill those. The mall in Middlesoborough, KY even has one.
I noticed this about Radio Shack too
Its selled Middlesboro, by the way. Been thee many times down in Bell county.
It's SPELLED. If you are going to correct someone's spelling, at least spell the word "spelled" correctly.
Unlike most dead malls, this Bath and Body Works has an updated facade.
Lol...that's pretty funny...hard to kill those...lol!
been binge watching this series the past couple days glad to know there's other people with my dead mall fetish out there
I love how he makes the background music seem like it's being played over a PA
Classic Dan 😆
Love how you used vaporwave... perfect music choice and fits the nostalgia and maybe a little bit of sadness..
In the 80's people would come in from the burbs to shop and eat at the Gallery because the train station was on the first floor, Will Smith even mentioned it the song parents just don't understand. It was very popular and on the weekends there would be thousands of people there. The Gallery has been basically dead since the mid 90's. What you see today is an absolute time capsule of the 80's. Those empty metal racks in the open areas used to have plants and it would give the mall a good look. You have to ask why would a mall of this size with it's own major train station that had trains from every suburb of Philly stopping there just fall by the way side. Well, one reason was crime and the other is the homeless using it as a shelter. Even today the Gallery is NOT a very safe place to shop. It's (like you said) just a cut through to the trains during the work week and on the weekends it's completely empty. The plans to revitalize the Gallery are noting new and have been floating around for a decade, it's just talk and noting actionable has been done. There have been talks to tearing it down (keeping the train station) are building a more modern shopping/upscale housing type of area. But Philly is it's own worst enemy of corruption so good luck on seeing anything anytime soon.
+Ted yellowstone I would also add that the prices the shops were charging for their wares plus the mix of stores were an issue; when I spent time in the Gallery in the late 80s while visiting family and the first thing that stood out to me was the prices...as in "Seriously? I can go a few blocks in any direction and beat it...or I can go to another mall instead." When King Of Prussia Mall expanded everyone west of the Schuykill had a reason to risk the traffic to get there.
Strawbridge's effectively going tango uniform (following the demise of Lits and Gimbels) didn't help.
I remember visiting this Mall when I lived in the area, late 70s or so. I was leaning on a railing taking in the view and a security guard made it a point to go between me and the railing. As a suburbanite, I was offended and never went back. If other people visiting the mall were treated similarly, I can see why it's dying. Only mall where security has ever made it a point to bug me. Besides that, this mall was a weird mix of upscale and trashy. Marble, but oddly make-do. For example, to get from one end of the mall to the other you had to go thru one of the anchor stores. Weird. Odd entrances, too. Maybe it was built before ADA when stairs were "grand", not a "barrier". In any event, the place made me uncomfortable and offered nothing I could not get a whole lot easier without going into the city.
+Ted yellowstone Wow the first time you put "noting" I thought it was just a typo.
typo, my keyboard has an issue with "h"
O, I ate wen tat appens lol.
That's interesting. I've never seen a mall that's dead from the 2nd floor up.
+Max Moser (aMAXproduction) It is kind of weird but makes sense.
+This is Dan Bell. It makes sense like if people use it to pass through for 80%+ of the time, then the 4th floor would die off first, followed by the 3rd floor, and hopefully the dying can be held off before it kills the 2nd floor
Can you find me a link to the opening song? That song's bass is amazing, I can't get enough
+realimbored668 just look up hologram plaza by disconscious. It's on the album.
+This is Dan Bell. Thanks
After that I'll never unsubscribe
+This is Dan Bell. Also why are you attractive
I frequently return to this video because I love the first 90 seconds of this video. The song has a very nostalgic 80s vibe and sound to it.
When Dan Bell walks around your mall with his camera, you know you've hit the bottom.
Desert Foxchild the mall actually did a huge turn around and has a new name “the fashion district of Philadelphia”
The gallery has been dead since the mid 90's you may get robbed or beat down there
even the criminals know its dead!...they want money too
Alexis Thomas it's sad it was mall nice but had bad reputation
It's Philly....you might get robbed or beat down anywhere in that town. Or, you might just get hit by bricks on your way to Temple.
The_Gilded_Age_Phoenix haha I live in philly
🤣 I have no idea why I found this comment so funny. It's technically not funny but the way you said it was hillarious!😆
I love the old openings... brings back memories.
This video and Rolling Acres mall are by far my favorite mall videos you have made.
You failed to mention the many suicides that take place by people going to the third or fourth floor and jumping.
I went to go pick up a game at Gamestop in 2012 on the third floor, and the mall was closed down because of one such instance. Happened more than I realized.
+Danny C. Oddly enough, there were two. One on the top floor and one on the lower floor. I always found it a tad bit odd having two in the same mall, but I "think" one was an EB, and the other was always a Gamestop and when they merged, the EB became a Gamestop.
+Dean Dixon Malls seem to be a place to do that for some reason.. a number of ppl have jumped from the 4th floor at my mall as well.
+Dean Dixon The one on the lowest level was once a Software Etc (I bought some Final Fantasy games there in the early 2000s), & IIRC the other one was a Game Gallery.
How many jumpers altogether?
Christian B over the course of time, I'm not sure without doing research into the matter. I know it had that reputation for years though, and it's one of those things like Urban Legend...until you experience.
I have been so moved by your videos Dan. I share the same passion for abandoned places as it gives me an indescribable feeling of sort of a sadness, and almost a reget that I didn't visit virtually any of these places when they were open. Consequently, I can't walk into a shopping mall without trying to imagine it abandoned, like...the feeling in reverse.
Example: I recently visited Trumbull Mall, located in Trumbull, Connecticut. A mall that came pretty close to being a dead mall back in the day (I'll look into the details if I can find any), but now is extremely successful..very busy 100% of the time.
Dan, keep your amazing and priceless work coming because your videos help preserve these places in memory, and and are as you said, the last hurrah for these places. Thank you for your work!!!
A Dave And Busters in a mall........no offense but it sounds like a bullshit of a lie just to bring people in...but it also does sound pretty nice┐(￣ヘ￣)┌
I know the video's a couple years old, but I can best describe 9D Cinema as a virtual roller coaster. There were seats that shook when there were a lot of turns in the screen, which needed 3D glasses to properly see. There were options for which "video" to see, some of them shooting out bubbles and other things. 9D cinema was also one of The Gallery's newer editions before closing down.
I cant stop watching these!♡
Laquisha Scott I know me TOO!
Yes JessicaJayneNC they are addicting:)
and yet I cant place my finger on WHY.
LOL
Laquisha Scott like crack?
To bad theres only 49 of these乁༼☯‿☯✿༽ㄏ
"the gallery for Lea_ning" perfect.
I like how they have the Quaker Oats guy looking like some sort of god on that big sign as you were going down the elevator.
+Rusty Nickels Since it's Philadelphia, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Ben Franklin.
carguy53 Jokes don't work very well on the internet.
+Rusty Nickels LOL!!!!!
Rusty Nickels William Penn has put on some weight.
It's William Penn...Penn-sylvania? Get it? lol
The place looks cold and outdated. No wonder it's dying. Reminds me of an outdoor mall in my area. I remember visions of tumbleweeds rolling passed the closed doors of shops that were no longer in business that outnumbered the active stores still there. This was years ago. Since then, they renovated and put shops that people would leave their homes to go to. Today, you'd be lucky to get a good parking space. There's still hope for these dying malls. The owners just need to think outside the box and think of creative ways to bring the shoppers back. Great video Dan!!!!
+JennyBMoon I think it all depends on location. This mall isn’t in a good location. They’re going to try to appeal to suburbanites but luring them downtown to shop is a hard thing to do when they already have malls in their communities. I’m just stunned at the renovation costs. 350 million. That’s a lot of money to gamble with. We’ll see how it goes. I’m bitter I didn’t get to see the trash compactor room from Mannequin. Lol.
Good point Dan. I'm too optimistic sometimes. Does not look like a promising business plan unless that included getting more people to move into the neighborhood. Maybe not a realistic plan either. I hear you on the trash compactor. I saw one eat an old sofa and was thoroughly fascinated.
Re-watching this I realise that this video and the 'neon dreams' one actually changed my life! I can't thank you enough for introducing me to Vaporwave, which has been my only non-medical anxiety coping mechanism (and sparked my current love of the 80s, though I still love Vaporwave more).
I know this is ancient in terms of dead mall videos, but I come back once in a while for the nostalgia. I’m a native philadelphian, and my mom and I stopped in a few times when I was a kid probably before we hopped on the el since jefferson station is right there. I remember eating at the food on one of the upper levels there once and being in awe of the views, plus the pretzel factory and cinnabon have been there as long as I remember. the new renovation does make it a better mall, but it just isn’t the same for me anymore. love your vids btw man! ❤
Burlington Coat Factory was originally a JC Penney, Kmart was originally a Gimbel's, and Century 21 is in a portion of the old Strawbridge & Clothier flagship store
+Carol Szelestei Very confusing. First time at this mall. Thanks for clearing it up for us!
I can remember visiting here way back in 1999 on my schools foreign exchange trip. I can remember buying a fatboy slim CD from sam goodys and a t-shirt from old navy 😅
Sam Goody. good grief I forgot about that place.
Sam Goody...now THAT'S a blast from the past.
Dan Bell is one of the best UA-camrs I've watched in years, focused, professional, and really knows what he is talking about. The Disconscious track used is this posting "Enter through the lobby" is one of the best tracks I've heard on his videos - perfect mall music. All the best from Yorkshire in the UK! :-)
I have fond memories from the late 70’s and early 80’s at The Gallery Mall! We would ride the train every Christmas to see the big Christmas displays at (I believe) Macy’s. I was a little kid back then but it sticks out in my head!
Great video, as always! The mall that was featured in Night of the Comet (in your intro) was Bullocks Wilshire - a beautiful art deco-style mall in LA. Ghostbusters was filmed on top of the building as well
from google - 9D Cinema involves a 3D move ride, moving seats, and special effects like water, snow, wind and more that will make you feel like you are IN the movie! sounds cool!
+bigchevs1 Sounds like I’d barf.
Watching this four years after my initial viewing. Feeling nostalgic for two different time periods
ironic to see purple cladded bus with "Yahoo" on it....
Really is cause Yahoo sucks
+Kevin Porth you don't understand that was the 80s and Internet coming out in 95 makes that strange
I am so glad I'm not the only one to notice that
EvanPlayzGames This isn't Filmed in any of those era's xD in 2016 Yahoo is extremely outdated. It's Pretty much like Bing, nobody uses it.
Joe Black except for porn
I lived in Center City from '88-'94. At the 10:00 mark, the red wall across from the Food Court area was a department store called Stern's. It closed in 1989. When they were having their 'going out of business sale,' I bought a nice set of cookware for about 75% off. I still use it to the day--and it remind me of this mall.
OMG! I'm so glad you did the Gallery! I worked there from 1995-1996 in Gallery I at G&G. This mall was THE place to go to back then. This place was super crowded on Saturday afternoons! There was a Merry Go Round in Gallery I, 3rd floor, Suncoast in Gallery I, 1st Floor, and lots of other 90's stores. Thanks so much for featuring this mall!!
I just walked through The Gallery today. The only stores that are really open are Burlington Coat Factory, a Bath & Body Works, a Five Below (think of Woolworths but targeted at Millenials), and a T-Mobile. There's a bakery that's still open and a convince store which are really getting their business from people who are coming off the subway or regional rail trains. It's heartbreaking because I remember taking the train into Philly and walking through that mall with friends when I was in college.
There is now a wall on the lower level (not far from Jefferson Station). My guess is that's where they are doing the construction since one now has to walk out onto Market Street and enter Century 21 that way.
Marie B that bakery has the best cheese danish I ever ate!
My first deadmall video of your series and still my favorite! You outdid yourself with the nostalgic intro. And the awesome mallsoft music😍
I knew that Mall like the back of my hand Bruh 😂
Everyday after school walking straight down 11th street before going home and cutting through Market East Station and hitting the Cinnabun.
Mannnnnnn the 90's
A personal thank you! This was my teen hang out between 1986-thru early 1990s. Lived in West Philly University City from 1985-1998. We left in 1998, after 2000 I got married and moved where my wife was from in North east PA. Our son, 16 this summer (2019) ventured to Philadelphia. When he described 10th and Market at a bus station, I said that should be my old teen hang out. The Gallery. Apparently its completely renovated. Shocked and saddened at this news. I was searched youtube like we all do and started searching abandoned buildings in Phila. I then found your video. You filmed just before the closing. OMG thank you! Again this was my teen hang out. A "few" things remain, especially the lay out, stairs, escalators. BUT its now gone. :(
I love these old malls. The architecture of the 70's to the 90's are just stunning.
I thought that was actual music playing in the mall lol
9d cinema is like 3d only better you sit in seats that move there is also lots of special effects and it makes you feel that you are really there things jump out at you it looks very cool .
Oh that sounds so cool
Not to be rude... but isn't that what we called 4D nowadays
Achmed 2315 i thought 4d is when you can smell things from the movie
That cinema was built for Trump to play chess in lol.
Not enough gold and "yes men" for Trump.
There were two separate commuter railroads joined at Market East (now Jefferson Station) around the time the Gallery opened. At a time when the abandonment of central cities by retail was nearly complete, Philadelphia was leading the country to a transit renaissance that is still under way. This mall seemed like an urbanist's dream come true. Not only could you catch any train from there, you could take take care of business in an almost futuristic setting. The impact of both the station and mall opening at the same time (Gallery 2 late '83, ME Station '84) was a huge morale boost for the city. Gallery 1 opened in 1977.
I was there in 2015 also and especially loved the incandescent Hollywood lights ( 9:57 ). These have largely been obliterated or replaced with tiny CFL bulbs and LED bulbs. Only a place about to close would keep them going. Sometimes you see 'fake old' ones that are incandescent, but never in huge arrays like this!
Just wanted to share that I bought Disconscious’s album thanks to your use of it during the showing of my childhood mall (The Gallery at Market East [soon to be Fashion Outlets of Philadelphia]). Thank you very much!
As a former Philadelphia native, I have several things to share:
1) YES, it’s a walkthrough. Other than visiting Game Gallery, Software Etc. (now Gamestop in the Gallery II wing), EB Games (used to be on the second floor in Gallery I) and Waldenbooks/Suncoast (now the 9C that you talked about), I just used to Gallery as a way to keep the rain off of me from 8th & Market, through City Hall and at the western edge of Penn Center (18th and John F. Kennedy Blvd.). You could even stay underground all the way to Broad St. (now called by the stupid name of Avenue of the Arts) and Spruce Street. You have access to PATCO, four Market-Frankford stations, the Broad-Ridge Spur, the Broad Street line and SEPTA Regional Rail (formerly Market East Station, now called Jefferson Station) from the adjoining concourses. The Gallery also closed rather early on weekends, and I was an adult before I found out why (NEVER be stuck in Center City at night!).
2) The easternmost anchor was Strawbridge & Clothiers, and housed their headquarters. I remember being interviewed there and I think it was six stories tall (the location of a MAJOR sex scandal) with three floors facing the mall. I don’t know when, but only the ground floor was accessible. I never shopped at the S&C, but I shopped at all of the stores surrounding it back in the 90s - Sam Goody, Suncoast, an African-American bookstore, an ice cream stand, the Waldenbooks, the Gallery sign, the Game Gallery around the corner down the hall leading to 8th Street Station, I can go on.
The middle anchor kept changing since the mall was built (Gimble’s/Stern’s (maybe?)/Clover/I forget/to K-Mart [and NOT a good one]). The westernmost anchor (I think was JC Penney before it became Burlington Coat Factory, and I know that JC Penney pulled out sometime in the mid-to-late 90s. BCF had been there for a LONG time.
3) The reason that so many guards are there is because of flash mobs as well as the usual. Students have been known to cut class and congregate at the Gallery causing all kinds of problems not only there but at the shops and the former arcades on Chestnut Street (one block south of the mall). The biggest flash mob I saw was around 2004 when it appeared that about fifty youths came out of nowhere, caused a HUGE ruckus and then raced towards Chestnut Street. It may have made the news - I’ll check. Also, shoplifting, fighting, the homeless and the lack of proper lighting plus the smells coming out of the concourse attached to 11th Street Station didn’t help the ground floor of Gallery II.
4) The food court…meh (shrugs). McDonald’s had it’s own space just west of the food court, but the food court proper had Sbarro’s, Taco Bell, KFC, (maybe) a Chik-fil-A, a cheesesteak stand (of course) and a couple of others. One of the best spots was Tiffany’s Bakery, which sat outside the eastern edge of the food court, and across from that, between Modell’s and the old newsstand (that newsstand had been there FOREVER) was a diner (another hot sandwich/pizza spot) that opened in the early 2000s, what it replaced I don’t remember. NOT in the food court were the best places - a Chinese food sit-and-eat, Subway, and another bakery which sat across from Market East Station (I REFUSE to call it Jefferson Station).
5) I think (I’m not sure), but Kay-Bee used to be where the Old Navy is now…
6) the top floor had been dead since the 1990s! no one went up to the top floor unless it was to have some peace and quiet. There were entrances to the garage on that floor, but I’ve never witnessed people coming in and out. I went up there a couple of times during lunch breaks while working for Jefferson University, but every time I went up there, here come the security guards, my shirt and tie be damned. From then on I sat and ate around Walnut Street closer to work. I honestly can’t remember when The Gallery for Learning was last open.
Anyway, just wanted to say thank you. I moved from the metro-Philadelphia area to Ohio in 2013 and your video reminded me of how craptastic the Gallery became after the early 2000s. But you should have seen it in the 1990s.
Or maybe it’s my rose-tinted glasses and nostalgia those days talking. High school for me SUCKED but the Gallery gave me short repreives on the weekends.
You should definitely see it today! It’s now called the fashion district and there’s always people there. A common hangout for me and my friends after school!
Terrific production, as always.
I’ve been using this train station my entire life and never knew this mall had a third or fourth floor. For context the first floor is underground you come up one level from the regional rail to get to the first floor. The second floor is street level. Therefore those two floors get all the foot traffic.
NPR recently did a story on this mall. You should check it out.
I took my teenage son here back in 2010, expecting it to look like what I remembered the last time I was there, which was the mid-80s, when I was a teen. I couldn't get over how dead it was. The further up we went, the more dead it was.
I always feel like I've stepped out of time and snuck into another one when I watch your videos. Like something I shouldn't be looking at, because it should've been dead a long time ago. It's a weird mix of nostalgia, depression, and curiosity that I don't quite have a word for.
"night of the Comet"...Loved this movie as a kid...and still do..
I always like the video before I watch it, because I know it's gonna be great!
I do the same 😊
Me too!!
Me three!
I haven't been in this mall since Christmas of 2004. Man, it really seen better days.
Richer & more populous than ever, this is what happens when the Richest take all the money out of the pockets of the average citizen.
Very strange to think how we're poorer now while being so much richer.
Holy cow. Talk about memory lane! I lived in center city for two years between ‘96-‘98 while attending University of the Arts. I used to frequent this mall! I moved to L.a. in ‘98 and have been there ever since. This video brought back so many memories! Even back in ‘96, it didn’t feel that lively either.
I keep having dreams about malls like this.
You're lucky!!
go to neshaminy mall in bensalem pa. 30 minutes from philly. i give that mall 5 years before it’s gone
I'll bet it was even more spectacular with the plants installed
+lambchopxoxo I agree.
I miss the gallery, Ive been to the fasion district and its definitely heart breaking for me to see the changes. It'll never be the same. The stores were one of kind, the art, the people and just the atmosphere was different.
Your videos are like a time capsule and they give me nostalgia even though I wasn't born during the time of these. It's weird.
When I worked in a mall, one of the top bosses actually asked me, desperately, why malls were failing. He was so out of touch, bless his heart. I think a lot of these higher ups have poured so much into their malls over the decades that they can't accept the need to adapt and think a renovation will fix everything.
Also, how are you still functioning in EVERY dead mall, Bath & Body Works and Radio Shack!?
that’s so sad ):
I just love your 80's inspired intros!
So many memories! I remember going to the Gallery all the time when I was a kid. Sadly it started going down in the mid 90's (because of King of Prussia) and eventually became a place for teens to hang out, flash mob and cause chaos (hence all of the security guards) so it's been dying for a long time. I used to commute through here daily to work and it's like you said, people just walk through to get to the train (Sometimes stopping at the Starbucks which was near the Food Court; that one closed way before they were about to renovate).
I live in DC now but last time I was in Philly about a month ago both Gallery places were blocked off so you can only get in to access the Regional Rail trains from the street level (same with the El and Broad St trains). And the only thing opened down there now is Tiffany's Bakery, which is one of the original places that was in the Gallery. Also they are building new condos and shops right across the street from the Gallery. It will be interesting to see what everything looks like when it's fully renovated and brought back to life.
So weird coming back to this video nearly 8 years later. This place is now known as The Fashion District and is busy all week. Great retail mix, food court with some local vendors mixed in with your usual food court tenants, an AMC, an arcade, and an interactive art gallery.
Love this hologram plaza
The Gallery is still a very popular place to shop and the prices are great. We go into the city just to shop there about once a month. And PS, that guy wasn't sleeping he was either overdosed and dead or just nodded. Kensington (heroin capital of the east- is not far at all. Maybe 10 min away?)
I remember when it was pretty active in the early 2000's. It's not a great mall, but it had a nice bookstore and some cool little stores here and there.
That collage around 8:36 used to have Bill Cosby on it, but he was removed.
I remember the bookstore. It was all the way up. Think it was either a Walden or a chain you wouldn't find in New York City.
Gallery was notorious back in the day.
Not even from the 80's but getting nostalgic feelings 😂😂
I love both versions of the song in this video! Baby You’re the Champ!
I remember going to this mall during a summer as a teenager with my uncle when he lived there one early 2000s. This mall use to be a busy and bustling place, I remember my uncle bought me a Lego set at the know closed Kmart. We also entered the mall via the subway station as well. Watching this video sure brought back some memories, can't believe the mall has fallen on such hard times.
great intro 👌
+ＶＨＳＴＨＥＴＩＣ Thanks!
I live in Philadelphia and have been to The Gallery hundreds of times over the years. It was once a great place to shop and eat, but has gone down hill dramatically over the years. Hopefully, the planned renovations will give the place a much needed update. For the movie lovers, several scenes from the Brian DePalma film Blow Out were shot in The Gallery 1 in 1981. Here's an article explaining what the developers have in mind for the renovation of the mall. articles.philly.com/2015-06-16/news/63452370_1_gallery-concourse-market-east-the-gallery
Had no idea about Blow Out. Absolutely love that movie. Just watched the mall scene. Wow! Thanks for the info!
+This is Dan Bell. You're quite welcome, Dan. Thanks for doing such a great job on the video, as always.
I once watched Blow Out, years ago. Had no idea a scene was filmed at Gallery at Market East, myself!
Can you really blame the mall management for not letting a random guy into the basement? lol
Interesting to see a mall that's not quite dead yet, but certainly will be soon.
That's where you find the civil defense supplies
+MrCivildefense LOLLLLLLL
The blue neon "Hoagies" sign is so cool! It inspired me to make one of my own for my store in Florida.
Wanted to thank you Dan for introducing me to the amazing album played in the background. It really kickstarted my love for Vaporwave.
Man I miss watching these. It makes me miss when vaporwave was big in 2015 and 2016 when everything was aesthetic
Looks like this was quite the place back in the day. I wish them good luck in revamping it.
paintedbird it was when I was a kid
I find these series extremely disturbing and extremely creepy makes me think of the 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead 💀
Which took place in A empty shopping mall plus the series on the Bristol mall is 20 minutes from my house I practically grew up there shopping every weekend while I was in high school we had some awesome shops !!now the jewelry stores sucked but we had Spencers the county seat for jeans all types of clothing for men and women and a huge Belk!!
So sad to see it go it was built in 1975 and I started going in around 1976 or 77 we had 4 AMC theaters that were awesome I remember June 1980 when the movie Friday the 13th came out there was a line of people all the way out the back door I was in sixth grade.
Saw so many movies they're up until the theater went out of business which was so sad I loved the Bristol mall and I will never forget all the money I spent there
Dutchess lust Moon.....That mall in "Dawn of the dead" was the Monroeville mall outside Pittsburgh. When I lived down there, that mall was always full, but, kids would come there and fight. There was an incident were a mid aged couple were walking through a JC Penny or some dept. store, and I believe the husband got shot by a 16 yr old boy walking with a group of teenagers. Yeah, you read that right. When the boy was arrested and put in jail, they caught his family telling him to lie about it during a phone call. I'm from outside NYC and never heard of anything happening like that until I moved to Pittsburgh
I'm from Philly and I went to the gallery many times to eat and buy things and this video just brings a tear to the eye I must say I'm enjoying the dead malls series keep it going
I really enjoy this series. I love how you frame your pictures. I can tell your a great photographer and do a superb job at editing. Thank you. The angles and views are super.
The Gallery was recently remodeled and now called the Fashion District and it’s pretty lively and beautiful. You must come see it and film it.
"The Gallery For Leaning" LMAO
This mall is actually really nice looking. Usually these other malls look tired and ready to go, but this one didn't. The inside looked like it was at least trying. I hope the renovation works.
I know this video is older, but I've been really into urbex videos lately. I think you have the best camerawork out of all the creators I've seen and you're not loud and obnoxious. I always come back to your vids. Thanks Dan!
The Gallery At Market East, (Gallery 2) was built along with the Market East (now Jefferson Station) SEPTA station, that was totally rebuilt to link SEPTA regional rail to more Philadelphia suburbs in 1984. Up until the early 2000s it was a hustling place. Lots of stores, lots of people spending money in them. Dunno what happend. It literally died overnight..
Those neon signs are epic.
Love the vaporwave intro!
I love the character this mall has.
the gallery was part of my childhood and now they are still renovating the place when it was suppose to be done in spring of 2018.
Dan Bell,
I just wanted to let you know that you've made an impression on my family. I got into your channel when I was working a lonely night job. It really was entertaining and enlightening how so many malls have become dead malls recently. I got my wife hooked on your channel, and we started watching together. Being Millennials, we don't have cable and get all our entertainment from the Internet. So, quality UA-cam channels are always an exciting find. The videos in your channel are very tasteful in that you have very good atmospheric music and have just enough voiceover to keep us informed.
Well done, and keep us the good work!