EXPLORING the LONG ABANDONED Northridge Mall - Milwaukee, WI. IN PIECES IN 2021

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  • Опубликовано: 21 сен 2024
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Комментарии • 595

  • @jsperb82
    @jsperb82 3 года назад +73

    What a great video. I'm biased because I'm a Badger who remembers going here as a kid, but this is just a testament to how good these videos can be when someone takes the time to both record *and* edit them. Some folks get great footage, but then screw it up in the editing room. But the post work here is such a testament to patience, to careful scripting, subtle music choices and rhythmic editing.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +14

      Wow thank you! It means a lot to me to do right by people who personally remember these malls when they were full of people.

    • @gadgettrek
      @gadgettrek 2 года назад +6

      Well said. I don't think ever visited Northridge. We lived closer to Southridge but they were nearly identical and it's heartbreaking to see it like this. Such a well done documentary. The editing is superb!

    • @FHC-RTPR-NGGC-PPNRZ-LFPP-QKPW-
      @FHC-RTPR-NGGC-PPNRZ-LFPP-QKPW- 2 года назад +1

      Lkl

  • @jeepguy220
    @jeepguy220 2 года назад +66

    a moment of silence for our passing places of our youth. the mall was to GEN X what the internet is to generations after us. great job as usual!

    • @DanDrolett
      @DanDrolett 3 месяца назад

      And here we are watching tours of abandoned malls on...the internet.

  • @koryclarke1991
    @koryclarke1991 2 года назад +31

    So heartbreaking. The mall that I patronized as a teenager now looks like something out of a low budget horror movie.

    • @jeffreyriley8742
      @jeffreyriley8742 6 месяцев назад

      I used to go to Northridge, too. Always sad when one of your stomping grounds turns out like that.

  • @PippenFTS
    @PippenFTS Год назад +6

    The thought that keeps coming to me when watching this video is the idea that its very possible that this isn't just the future of all malls... but all of society. The wrong virus in a lab gets spilled, or the wrong country presses the nuclear button and this could just become planet earth.
    I think what shocks and almost offends me most about these videos is the impermanence of everything. When you were a kid going through malls, the smells, sights, and "officialness" of everything just gave this vibe of invincibility to human society, this will be here forever. Watching this structure that created underlying childhood emotional belief, built up through your foundational experience crumble into into not just something that's abandoned, but torn apart, drenched in sewage and torn out of your deepest nightmare or best horror novel is amazing.

  • @brentmartin1981
    @brentmartin1981 2 года назад +25

    This is one of the eeriest abandoned malls I have ever seen, I can only imagine how spooky it is at night. I have always been obsessed with the way structures that were once full of life can end up just sitting silently and rotting away. The skyridge part almost seemed like a modern cathedral in a way. Keep up the awesome work.

    • @kerenk6923
      @kerenk6923 2 года назад +4

      It's even more eerie when you walked those halls as a teenager, and remember it brimming with life. Really sad.

    • @mikewillett5076
      @mikewillett5076 2 года назад +3

      Yeah I get creeped out easily over abandoned places, especially huge abandoned places. No way would I walk into one of the big, dark empty anchor stores getting no sunlight.

    • @brentmartin1981
      @brentmartin1981 2 года назад +2

      @@mikewillett5076 Same, I honestly would just be too creeper out, that scares me more than any horror film could ever.

    • @mikewillett5076
      @mikewillett5076 2 года назад +3

      @@brentmartin1981. Yeah. Even smaller abandoned places creep me out. Looking into tens of thousands of square feet of a windowless huge store would drive my imagination wild and not in a good way. Lol

    • @silvanogonzalez1488
      @silvanogonzalez1488 Год назад +3

      i went here at night once. it was super creepy at night but mostly because of the fact that EVERYTHING is pitch black

  • @allent7118
    @allent7118 3 года назад +93

    I don’t understand people’s need to vandalize! So sad to see this old mall in such bad shape. I enjoyed the content as always. Keep up the good work, Kristin.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +19

      The vandalism is so bad. This really needs to be a cautionary tale for owners of closed malls that they have to be proactive in keeping people out early-as soon as word gets around that no ones watching, it’s over. Thank you for watching!

    • @Zoza15
      @Zoza15 2 года назад +3

      Human nature, knowing that the property is left behind which means freedom to do anything.

    • @Steve.Cutler
      @Steve.Cutler 2 года назад +4

      Right, even when I was young and running the streets, I saw no need to destroy things or spray paint anything.

    • @glee181
      @glee181 2 года назад +1

      Concur with the others, but it does point to a cultural "rot" that has been slowly metastasizing for years! What leads one to loot and vandalize isn't that difficult to understand, but it's been dismissed and overlooked for such a long period of time that it has become common place.

    • @JacketsOnFire
      @JacketsOnFire Год назад +4

      I never found graffiti interesting or necessary. They all suck. Not sure if you can really call it art but does anyone stop and notice a graffiti tag and think “wow?” It’s mostly, “man everything sucks.”

  • @GonzoPandora69420
    @GonzoPandora69420 Год назад +10

    "Viewers, don't let you dead malls grow up to be Northridge" hurt to be honest. I still remember how much I loved the fountains when I was a young kid. The Easter display hit me too. My parents have a photo of me meeting the Easter bunny at Northridge when I was about 3

    • @Seruh
      @Seruh 2 месяца назад +1

      Same. This makes me want to cry. It was bad before Casey Neistat was here, but thanks to the attention he brought... it got monumentally worse. He didn't even clean up after he left.

  • @andreacope24
    @andreacope24 3 года назад +33

    I've seen so many dead mall exploration videos over the past few years, and this was so well done, my new favorite.. so informative and respectful. I'm really glad I discovered your channel and can't wait to watch more!

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +4

      Thank you! Welcome aboard!

    • @andreacope24
      @andreacope24 3 года назад +3

      @@UniCommProductions My pleasure. Thank *you* for taking us to all these amazing places!

    • @Withnail1969
      @Withnail1969 2 года назад +4

      This is the best dead malls channel yes. Glad people are documenting the end days of what was an important part of American life. These must have been some of the world's largest buildings.

    • @hobojon44
      @hobojon44 2 года назад +2

      did whoever ran it charge high rent and not take care of it so stores left

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +1

      It’s a combination of a few things-the reasons are different between different properties but it’s often that the area the mall is in can no longer support what is offered there. That can be because a big employer closed, the mall isn’t upscale enough because the area has improved, people don’t have the sort of time they had in decades past because their lives are more scheduled and most families require two incomes to survive, nationwide bankruptcies of standard “mall staple” retailers (Payless, Sears, Radio Shack, etc)

  • @sarcadam88
    @sarcadam88 3 года назад +34

    Love the weaving of narrative here. Your channel is total comfort food. 🌈

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +5

      Wow, thank you! That is always how I hope people see my videos--other peoples' mall videos have been that for me!

  • @carmeldennison7112
    @carmeldennison7112 Год назад +9

    The mall was place you could meet up with your friends, buy a birthday present, get your nails done or whatever your mood was. The sounds, bright lights, and smells. Christmas time was a hustle and bustle. But beautifully decorated with a giant Christmas in the middle of it all. Having a soft pretzel and cruising to see who had the best sales.very fond memories .❤️✌️

  • @djsonic6533
    @djsonic6533 2 года назад +9

    I grew up at a time when malls were still striving but now my children are growing up at a time when malls are at their last feet. It makes me sad to see them disappearing and your video just hit a spot in my memories. Very will done and narrated. Thank you!!

  • @randywarren7101
    @randywarren7101 3 года назад +22

    I used to shop there. Buying books either at B. Dalton's or Walden's. Sometimes I would go to the theater and see a movie. It's a crime what the place has become.

    • @Batboy_idiot
      @Batboy_idiot 3 года назад +1

      B Dalton, Babbages, gadzooks, ahhh the golden days of retail. Did you expect the mall to hold up after being shuttered though?

    • @tammybrown4901
      @tammybrown4901 2 года назад +1

      All across are nation

    • @ba_brisk
      @ba_brisk 2 года назад

      the place has become the way that it is because of CRIME. same with Mayfair and soon Bayshore. Population of Milwaukee Co has proven they dont deserve nice things

  • @swallace8182
    @swallace8182 3 года назад +22

    This video was great, absolutely fantastic. One of the perks of being a Petreon member. Lots of detail, and lots of decline from the past few years! Awesome job!!!

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +5

      Thank you, Scott! I'm glad you got to watch it early before I had to lock it down before the premiere!

  • @seand2711
    @seand2711 3 года назад +17

    Great video. I can still see the beauty of that building, those skylights/ceiling are incredible. This video shows even more damage and destruction than previous explorations have shown, so sad.

    • @Tonetare
      @Tonetare Год назад

      Sean, can you message me on my judge Judy cartoon series? I live in the Milwaukee area and would love to connect and get to know you.

  • @suemcnellis6107
    @suemcnellis6107 2 года назад +5

    I shopped at this mall as a young adult for years and years. It was so much fun and had anything and everything you needed. Clothes, nails, hair salons, eyeglasses, toys, videos, food court, even a store of just candles. I even lived in the area in the 1980s and my husband bought my engagement ring at Shaws Jewelry. It’s so sad seeing it now. I miss those days.

  • @WL59628
    @WL59628 2 года назад +9

    Growing up in the 80’s I really enjoy your channel. The editing, commentary and music is always top notch. Watching this one makes me nervous and hopefully you enter these structures not alone or with someone who can provide security if you run into someone who would do you harm. Be safe.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +4

      I wasn’t alone…in the building. The people I was with kind of did the divide and conquer thing but I was carrying things for my safety in case I ran into trouble. My fiancé is Mr Safety so he made sure I was prepared! Thanks for watching!

  • @justinmorrison321
    @justinmorrison321 3 года назад +29

    Those ceilings are just spectacular. You featured the architecture of this abandoned mall beautifully.

  • @jeee1074
    @jeee1074 3 года назад +11

    I am truly amazed at how this video turned out. So many have already documented this mall, but your take has been one of the best I have seen. It is amazing how the mall was able to stay mostly intact and secure up until a few years ago. So many malls start getting ripped apart as soon as they are closed.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +4

      Thank you! Coming from a fellow creator that means a lot.

  • @chitownbangin
    @chitownbangin 2 года назад +11

    As an older millennial born in the late 80's, gotta say malls were a big part of my youth too. But yes the internet and internet gaming cafes really took off after about 1996.

    • @someguy9293
      @someguy9293 2 года назад +7

      I was born in the late 90's and malls were still apart of my life until 2010 when Amazon took off. Now I think Malls are struggling to find ways for my generation to use them.

  • @SynchroSk8
    @SynchroSk8 2 года назад +8

    I remember seeing the Easter Bunny here in the early 80’s - My mom loved shopping at the Gimbles and the Marshall Fields. I remember my mom walking the mall at such a fast pace and I was always rushing to keep up with her. I just thought it was the most beautiful mall. I also have memories of the Northridge/Southridge Mall commercials, especially for the holidays. It’s always so strange to see it in it’s current state.

  • @BeefySoftware
    @BeefySoftware 2 года назад +4

    I really appreciate the KEY footage you showed that demonstrated for practically the first decade of it being abandoned, the mall was actually still in very good shape!!

  • @ngtflyer
    @ngtflyer 3 года назад +10

    Your videos are among the best from both content and production quality. I like the subtle humor in some of them, but this is your best video yet. Super smooth camera work, perfect musical and background sound theming, (Reminds me a bit of the Aperture Science ambience in Portal 2).. and perfect narration. Great work.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +2

      Thank you so much-I always am super happy when I don’t have to be looking over my shoulder to see if security is about to have a conversation with me about my camera! This was a once in a lifetime experience and I was so honored to share it with all of you.

  • @_TruthNationTv
    @_TruthNationTv 2 года назад +9

    The style of the mall actually looks luxurious compared to some dead malls I’ve seen. Quite impressive.

  • @craiggillett5985
    @craiggillett5985 2 года назад +16

    I think I remember an 80’s teen singer called Tiffany performing at this mall, I remember the ceiling and sky lights of the main atrium. For the life of me I can’t remember her song 😂

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +8

      Her big hit was a cover of “I think we’re alone now”

    • @craiggillett5985
      @craiggillett5985 2 года назад

      @@UniCommProductions THATS RIGHT!!!! Oh no!!! Now it’s in my head and it’s Sunday night 10 pm New Zealand 🇳🇿 time!!

    • @toptendawgbaybeeeeeee
      @toptendawgbaybeeeeeee 2 года назад

      Havent found one thing online about tiffany performing any parts of vid "i think were alone now" at northridge in mke😵 maybe some scenes in the vid but i dunno im not subjecting my self to anymore scratchy "into the nights" ty

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад

      She usually lip-synched at her mall gigs. Man that girl had a husky voice for someone her age.

    • @toptendawgbaybeeeeeee
      @toptendawgbaybeeeeeee 2 года назад

      @@UniCommProductions its not really your fault but i feel terrible how ive conducted myself towards some of your replies. Im scrolling through all comments to delete my dang harsh comments fme. Im just real passionate about whatever i try to do sometimes as seen here to the point of outdoing doing myself

  • @stgenerations
    @stgenerations 3 года назад +19

    So sad to see the destruction. This was a beautiful 90s looking mall

    • @largol33t1
      @largol33t1 2 года назад +1

      I'm amazed it still stands. When I was finally on my own, getting out of college, going to work, my getaway was Collin Creek Mall in Plano, TX. Now it's gone, completely demolished. It's nowhere as old as this mall. Sadly, I think by the time I reach retirement age, there will be very very few malls left anywhere. Even 100 malls left in 30 years is really stretching. And it's our own fault. We've become too fat, cheap and lazy to get up and go anywhere. We don't want to even set foot in a mall when Amazon or some other online site sells what we want. That's also contributing to the permanent drop in the number of malls each year. There are only two malls within a 50 mile radius of where I live and one of those malls is literally dying: it's two stories and the entire second floor is abandoned and boarded up. Funny thing is the elevators work but the escalators haven't run in 2 years. JC Penney is one of the anchor stores and it has been reduced to half its size and turned into a clearance store. Even Burger King packed up and moved out of the food court along with a really good Asian wok restaurant. I don't see that mall lasting another 5 years.

  • @SynchroSk8
    @SynchroSk8 2 года назад +2

    This is by far my favorite video covering this mall. I am so glad you were able to film it. Thank you!

  • @jasonb8569
    @jasonb8569 3 года назад +10

    This was Amazing.
    The large skylights gave off old industrial exhaust fan vibes

  • @chessieup269
    @chessieup269 3 года назад +10

    So sad I can remember running thru that mall as I child and when they would hold trick or treating for family who worked there. Great video

  • @JacksonShredder138
    @JacksonShredder138 3 года назад +12

    Two words : Tragically Beautiful

  • @peteyg83
    @peteyg83 2 года назад +4

    Came here to give props to the low key FFVII background ‘mall music’

  • @Linda-akaLinnie
    @Linda-akaLinnie 2 года назад +13

    Compared to the Jamestown Mall here in St. Louis (closed in 2014), this mall is in great shape...especially since it has been closed for so long. Awesome video!

    • @tammybrown4901
      @tammybrown4901 2 года назад +2

      I agree there

    • @largol33t1
      @largol33t1 2 года назад +1

      Yeah, but it must stink to the point you start physically suffocating because he mentioned asbestos and leaking sewage. Ugh.

  • @Seruh
    @Seruh 2 месяца назад +1

    Grew up in the Milwaukee area. This place and Memorial Mall in Sheboygan were my hangouts. This hurts my soul, but thank you for this video. Very well done.

  • @suzii6335
    @suzii6335 3 года назад +5

    Wonderful vid Kristin! Thanks for all the time and effort put into making this, definitely amazing to watch and your great narration made it even more so!

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +3

      It was a labor of love to put together. Exciting to film and a challenge to edit. Thank you!

  • @MichaelAussie05
    @MichaelAussie05 3 года назад +17

    This is amazing thanks once again for your time and efforts. The production level is par excellence. I can't help but see a building that in its heyday would have been a beautiful monument to modern architecture and culture. I always find it such a shame to see so much money hard work blood sweat and even a death go to waste. I absolutely love this work its like you guys the DMOD team are modern historians documenting this part of our culture. Cheers.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +5

      Thank you Michael! This video was so awesome to film and I am so glad to finally share it with you and the other viewers.

  • @petergorshe7307
    @petergorshe7307 2 года назад +5

    Kristin, you are a fabulous wordsmith. Thank you for adding dignity to the inevitable demise of the Northridge Mall. I think it is much like a great sunken ship wreck that resides above ground. It is almost inconceivable that this could happen in our society today

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +3

      It feels VERY much like a wrecked ship-I remember seeing some of the post-wreckage photos of the Costa Concordia and it felt very similar. Excellent analogy.

  • @jeffbarnes54
    @jeffbarnes54 3 года назад +16

    This has to be the saddest installment to date. The whole time I watched I was thinking, why does this have to happen, why do we LET it happen? How did this once beautiful mall collapse like this. I did a quick Google street view of the surrounding areas and a check on demographic history, that told the tale. Almost without exception, if the income bracket around a mall begins to decline and crime, real or imagined, gets into the media malls are doomed. Same thing happened to Banister Mall in Kansas City. South East KC was once a strong middle class area and Bannister was the mall to go to, we loved it. But, a sudden influx of low income apartments sent the entire Southeast area on a rampage of white flight. Crime became a big problem and the retailers began leaving the mall in droves. Now the mall is entirely gone and the area around it is really bad and keeps getting worse.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +4

      For whatever it’s worth on a surface level drive around the area while I was waiting around it seems run down more than dangerous but unfortunately crime and poverty go hand in hand a lot. You want to hope, regardless, that whatever they replace the mall with will be something to help turn both around.

    • @bemore1134
      @bemore1134 3 года назад +1

      The NW side of Milwaukee is, in a word, problematic. Capitol Court, in the same general area as Northridge but closer to the center of the city, started circling the drain around the same time. It was demolished & replaced with a new shopping center in the "Town Center" concept, and it appears to have been a massive failure.

    • @rondowty4396
      @rondowty4396 2 года назад +1

      Jeff, you nailed it!! I was in my late teens living 3 blocks from Northridge when they built low income housing to the north of the mall. As much as people keep saying the guy shooting his wife was the demise of the mall - it was the new housing that brought it down. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh but I lived it every day and watched the decline.

  • @jakerez4666
    @jakerez4666 3 года назад +6

    Man !!! I know you don’t do Urban Exploration but that was the best Urban Expo video I’ve seen outside the Proper People. You didn’t use click bait. You took time with your shots not just focusing on one thing for 10 minutes like many seem to do. You use news footage to help us along. The music was used at the right times & last but not least your tone of voice wasn’t as upbeat as usual it fit the sadness of the video great freakin job !!!!! If you ever wanna start doing Urban Expo videos I’m so down for that hahaha !

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +2

      Wow thank you very much! I really admire the Proper People’s work and watch it often. I am always interested in telling an interesting story about spaces like this whether they’re abandoned or still open. I definitely would love to start doing more “urbex” type videos if the opportunity presents itself

    • @cathedralsedm
      @cathedralsedm 3 года назад

      This is an amazing vid, 9/10. I will reccomend some urbex videos from shiey, his videos are amazing as well (and better than the proper people imo).

  • @christianrocklover69
    @christianrocklover69 2 года назад +9

    this is so cool!! there needs to be more female urbex explorers out there!! im so happy i found this video! great narration and detailed camera work :) absolutely loved it

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +3

      I don’t know why there’s not more of us out there! Thanks so much for watching!

  • @WhisperWebb
    @WhisperWebb 3 года назад +5

    This is amazing! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I love the music and the background sounds too. Wonderful job!

  • @brianwilson9828
    @brianwilson9828 2 года назад +4

    Props on your writing! Beautifully phrased at time...poetic.

  • @cabbagenjam
    @cabbagenjam 2 года назад +3

    From an architectural standpoint, this mall looks amazing and still modern looking imo. Your narration is awesome btw!

  • @memesandgasoline
    @memesandgasoline 2 года назад +3

    Amazing video, love that you have the history of the mall and it's slow demise documented here as well. I also like that you speak clearly, so I don't need subtitles to watch this. Thank you!

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +2

      You’re very welcome! Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!

  • @nayismprod
    @nayismprod 2 года назад +2

    Both my grandparents and several relatives lived at Northridge Lakes across the street and I worked at that Hardees by Dennys in HS. Man such memories!

  • @coasterdude407
    @coasterdude407 2 года назад +1

    Seeing this video crushes my heart. I grew up in this mall spending many days and nights working and shopping here.

  • @V0ID_X5
    @V0ID_X5 2 года назад +3

    Exploring an abandoned mall is now on my bucket list! (I went to the mall to see Santa as a kid in the 2000s)
    This video was very well done!
    Effort was put into this and it shows, thank you!

  • @Mozz2004
    @Mozz2004 3 года назад +3

    Yet again another fantastic video. Each and everytime I'm impressed with your research and production quality. I'm so glad I found your channel. Thank you for your content.

  • @chrissasandlin8344
    @chrissasandlin8344 3 года назад +2

    The remaining coloring and architecture inside was beautiful but the frustration of those waiting for something useful was heartbreaking.

  • @buzzgohman2177
    @buzzgohman2177 3 месяца назад +1

    Good heavens. For those who had pleasant memories of this mall, it must seem like a visit to a haunted house…..

  • @brandisgrier5065
    @brandisgrier5065 5 месяцев назад +2

    This is where that cartoon cat image was taken.

  • @OscarVaughn
    @OscarVaughn 3 года назад +6

    Great video. I've seen malls in way worse shape that was abandoned for less time. Love the fountains in this mall.

  • @jeslowe72401
    @jeslowe72401 3 года назад +5

    Great job. I grew up in Wisconsin, but was 4 hours away from Milwaukee so I never went to any of the malls down there growing up.

  • @gobbletegook
    @gobbletegook 3 года назад +7

    Having grown up, and even working here, it just freaks me out to think that what we once held as a viable community or establishment is obsolete in our lifetimes. And, as for the "legal" issues involved in bulldozing this place, you have to wonder what they can possibly do with this location. It is now in a less than desirable area (low income housing in the immediate area in the 1990's certainly did not help). Even if you were to convert all 100 acres of this land, it would be a risk to think that it would be a destination anymore, where people would be proud to live. There is not even a shopping store for miles around anymore...they too, were abandoned.

    • @pinx1413
      @pinx1413 3 года назад

      Agreed, the area is totally effed. 💯

  • @TimurTripp2
    @TimurTripp2 2 года назад +8

    The interior architecture of this mall is way better than the ones in my area. It's really a shame what has happened to it.

  • @meepinandmorpin
    @meepinandmorpin 2 года назад +6

    News Anchor: "Guys, there's a fence, don't go in here, it's obviously not safe"
    *fence only covering the road entrance and easily walked around*
    News Anchor: "Definitely don't walk 10 feet due-East and find this great pathway into the mall!"

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +4

      He’s out here doing a service but not to the people he thinks he is. Teenagers getting CLOUT. On their PHONE!

  • @stayfused78
    @stayfused78 3 года назад +5

    Awesome video.Brings back some memories.I remember going there a handful of times between 1997 and 2001 and it was just eerie seeing more and more storefronts boarded up everytime I went.People used to hide under cars and slash your ankles as you were getting in so you drop your keys,I didn't think that was true until the last time I went I saw someone laying under a car waiting,just the weirdest thing.Sucks to see this once great mall in this condition,but great video .Keep up the excellent work

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +2

      Holy crap that's scary, especially as someone who drives a vehicle with hella ground clearance. Thank you for taking the time to share your memories and for watching!

  • @KeithAinsley
    @KeithAinsley 2 года назад +2

    The ceilings are amazing. They really did nice architecture work on this place.

  • @jamiejean6020
    @jamiejean6020 2 года назад +1

    Great video! I grew up going to this mall as early as 1980 and had a ton of memories watching this.

  • @Minnesotaqueen1969
    @Minnesotaqueen1969 2 года назад +2

    Went there a few times in the early/mid 90's with the restaurant company, 1 Potato 2. I traveled from Minnesota to both malls to visit those locations owned by franchisees. I feel old thinking back how far back that was and how things have changed. great video. thank you

  • @BigKahuna0275
    @BigKahuna0275 2 года назад +1

    That ceiling is a work of art, I love the aesthetic.

  • @davel9505
    @davel9505 Год назад +1

    I love how the video gives me euphoria and that longing for heavenly nostalgia.

  • @m-ok-6379
    @m-ok-6379 3 года назад +4

    Nothing says you gangsta by putting your tag inside a building 99.99% of people in the area won't see. hahaha

  • @familycentral4767
    @familycentral4767 2 года назад +2

    I used to come here every weekend, if not every day as a kid. Now I live in WA but watching this and Carefully looking for the place where my parents used to work at the nail salon. This is so eerie and nostalgic. I remember the fountains and the book store right next to the nail salon. I was wondering if it was even still an actual building.

  • @Talendale
    @Talendale 2 года назад +3

    It's almost as if after seeing the memories of a better time, the response is to obliterate and defile it- to tear it open to the elements and watch it rot. While it's not the worst example of mall-to-blight I've seen, it's obvious this mall is a well-rotted corpse.

  • @makaylacrivello2426
    @makaylacrivello2426 2 года назад +3

    As someone who once broke into this mall we all know this place was bound to be razed and torn down, which is why we all went and explored (never destroyed, goes against urban exploration rules). None of us got to experience it and knew we never would with malls dying out nationally, but we still wanted to have a part in and leave our mark while it was there, and saw we did it. Dumb, yes I know, but this place is unsafe regardless if it was demolished to shreds, and needs to be torn down and has from the start. Asbestos, mold and flooding, mass destruction from even before people got into it and destroyed everything.
    Not only that but the area is awful and nobody wants to be in that area of Milwaukee, it was bound to happen with it’s location, sadly. It just needs to be razed and officially torn down.

  • @JenniferinIllinois
    @JenniferinIllinois 8 месяцев назад

    What a fantastic job you did with this Kristin. The camera work, the music, the narrative. This mall definitely needs, to be demolished. Developers and speculators should not be allowed to sit on derelict properties for years waiting for a big payday.

  • @marktwo3160
    @marktwo3160 Год назад +1

    Born and raised in Fox Point WI. 1957. Moved away to Savannah in 1986. I remember the grand opening of the Northridge Mall. It was a place for teens to hang out in its day. It was the place to be and be seen. Christmas time of year was fabulous. The decorations were incredible. That was prime super expensive real estate when it was built. I even lived across the street for a time in some apartments called Northridge Lakes. I have not been back for over 30 years. I can't even image that it has turned into an episode fit to be in the "walking dead". Very sad.

  • @Foxy27177
    @Foxy27177 2 месяца назад

    33:29 and a rubber hosed cat legend was born.

  • @Eufranco
    @Eufranco 3 года назад +8

    2:11 Scratched my head for a moment on where that music was from, and then *DING* Makou Reactor!! Pretty sweet renditions of FFVIIaporwave used throughout here, especially that remix of Flowers Blooming in the Church near the end. As always, a somber yet enlightening exploration! Hope you bring an air-filtered mask next time.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +3

      I love Final Fantasy VII and after playing the remake this place really brought those “destroyed city” vibes of Midgar. I had a respirator however there were parts of the filming for which I wasn’t wearing it. After that close call in the old Gantos I put it on!

    • @Eufranco
      @Eufranco 3 года назад +2

      @@UniCommProductions *Phew* glad you had your respirator. Sometimes I even feel like holding my breath whenever I see urbexers venturing into spots with heavy mold and powdered glass in the air!
      Were you able to finish Remake? Tried getting into it again with my Bro playing but I felt a sense of wanting, especially with the music. When I heard the boss battle theme again, it just didn't hit as hard without the electric guitar.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +2

      @@Eufranco I have a couple times actually! I’ve been muddling my way through Hard mode the last couple weeks. I had probably played through the original once a year since it came out so I was super stoked to try out the new one.

    • @Eufranco
      @Eufranco 3 года назад +2

      @@UniCommProductions Once a year since?? Is that 100% with side quests every time? Haha, well glad to hear. If you're enjoying the Remake as much as the original, then perhaps you've got twice the gameplay per year to look forward to!

  • @CookyMonzta
    @CookyMonzta 2 года назад +3

    On second thought, bring a wrecking crew in the middle of the night and tear it down _now!_ [Use dynamite if necessary.] Then offer to pay out the insurance on the mall (which can't be much more than that last appraisal of the mall), before telling the owners to go to hell!

  • @Accnotinuse
    @Accnotinuse 2 месяца назад

    "What a beautiful mall! Why did they abandon i-"
    "We're on our way to Grampy's! He's such good company."

  • @V1PER7964
    @V1PER7964 4 месяца назад +1

    My parents used to take me and my siblings here every year before Christmas as our tradition. We would walk around the mall, buy a bag of nuts, and eat them in the main fountain area. I would reach down and splash the water while wishing I could grab all the coins that were all far out of reach. I'd also stomp on those metal grates on the ground that used to hold the trees. They had lights underneath the grates as well. Sad to see what it's all become.

  • @Kujaras
    @Kujaras 4 месяца назад +1

    The music was a good creepy touch. Midgar being the ruined building we see in the video had me with goosebumps.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  4 месяца назад

      The whole time I was in there it made me think Sector 6 abandoned highway with all the piles of detritus everywhere. Good ear!

  • @hermitthedruid
    @hermitthedruid 2 года назад +1

    The mall architecture beautifully utilizes natural light, what a sad state for such a well-designed structure.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад

      I was truly surprised how little I needed to use my on-camera lights. Nearly all of the shots in the common areas were shot using the ambient light.

  • @JarrettBEdwards
    @JarrettBEdwards 2 года назад

    What is so amazing is that because of all the natural light in the main corridors it looks vandalized but in good shape when the videographer was walking down it. It is only when she turned and entered the stores or hallways off of the main corridors that you can see just how bad of shape the mall really is in.

  • @iamtuzii
    @iamtuzii 3 года назад +4

    YAY PERFECT VIDEO FOR A LAZY WORK FROM HOME MONDAY!

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +1

      Enjoy! I love longer videos to watch while I'm working. I'm glad I get to keep your company tomorrow.

  • @nancydarling4918
    @nancydarling4918 3 года назад +3

    Excellent video. Sad. Thanks for filming.

  • @MadDrx
    @MadDrx 3 года назад +3

    Awesome video and love the lounge version of the Shinra them from FFVII

  • @suga_bop9431
    @suga_bop9431 Год назад +1

    I love the cinematic feel to the video. I know it’s an old video but thank you for sharing this experience with us❤

  • @ryanfrisby7389
    @ryanfrisby7389 3 года назад +7

    This was fantastic!

  • @appalachianwoman561
    @appalachianwoman561 2 года назад +3

    I'll never understand why people have to break, destroy and vandalize everything and feel the need to spray paint their names or obscene messages everywhere. If places were just left to decay naturally it would be nicer.

  • @keirengaming
    @keirengaming 3 года назад +7

    This place should be demolished ASAP. It’s in such terrible condition now.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +1

      It's what they would call an "attractive nuisance" in the insurance industry. Someone else is going to get hurt.

    • @bemore1134
      @bemore1134 3 года назад +4

      It would probably be for the best if it were. Problem is, part of that process is to market the land for future use, and it would be VERY challenging to find anyone willing to develop it, outside of possible industrial use.
      When I was five, we took a field trip out there somewhere to pick pumpkins, before the mall was built. Maybe it can revert to that lol.

  • @Hagfan789
    @Hagfan789 2 года назад +3

    ​ @Paul Brower I beg to differ. That mall was my old stomping grounds. I've watched all kinds & colors of people flood that mall buying all kinds of things with no concern about money. Only one group brought a destructive element to the area with them. Stealing those cds, books, tools, cars out of the parking lot. Harassing people in the food court or robbing them in the bathrooms. My girlfriend made me pick her up after work each night because of girls being assaulted walking out of the mall. Dumpster fires, assaulting customers, fighting, gang fights made normal people (of all colors) afraid to go to the mall. Stores just couldn't handle the losses year after year. For some reason certain people work to better their environment...& other people have the need to destroy everything that is good around them. I don't know why. Just because you're poor it doesn't mean you have to conduct yourself like an ahole. Maybe the fatherless environment is to blame. Monkey see monkey do becomes the teacher. All it takes is a few bad apples.

  • @meaghanfromontario7555
    @meaghanfromontario7555 Год назад +1

    So sad. As a child of the 1980s/1990s, it saddens me to see so any dead malls; even on vacation I loved visiting them.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  Год назад +1

      I completely relate to this; if we went on vacation and it rained there was an almost guarantee we’d end up at a local mall (one of my “vacation malls” recently closed and i made a video about it! Savannah Mall in Savannah, GA)

  • @MichaelMcFerrin
    @MichaelMcFerrin Год назад +1

    Good to see Southridge Mall survived after all these years. Northridge was the fun place to be years ago even though living on the far south side it took me awhile to get to N 76th n W Brown Deer Rd by bus.

  • @k.vansickle2310
    @k.vansickle2310 Год назад +1

    MAJOR props on using an elevator music version of the Mako reactor theme.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  Год назад

      I am so impressed with how many people have picked up the reference...the visuals from the game and the visuals in the video are weirdly similar.

  • @cynthiaj.simmons870
    @cynthiaj.simmons870 3 года назад +3

    Great job on this mall documentary Kristin!!! 🤗❤🤗❤🤗❤ I love this video your video is by far the longest on I seen here on RUclips and the most enjoyable video too!!! ❤❤❤ I live in Rockford, Illinois for the past 15 years I grew up in Chicago and lived in the Elgin, Illinois area for 21 years before moving to Rockford. I heard of this mall I never been there even when I was a child growing up in Chicago and many trips I took with my stepfather at the time to Milwaukee. I heard of the mall and seen the footage about this mall after that Casey Nastead made that holiday video for the boys and girls club. As a RUclips Urban Explorer I been visiting this mall in many videos and I love your long video documentary on this mall!!! Great job and keep them coming I love it!!! ❤ ❤❤

  • @gregg.380
    @gregg.380 2 года назад +2

    I really miss this mall I live right across the street I really enjoyed going here in the 90s

  • @themilwaukeeboy
    @themilwaukeeboy 2 года назад +2

    Oh cool at 20:53 that's the news story clip from 2011 that I recorded and uploaded lol. I really wish I could have gone to this mail but I've only ever been to its sister mall, Southridge.

  • @izukusbeat6391
    @izukusbeat6391 2 года назад +6

    I just explored this place yesterday in the middle of the night with a few friends and my boyfriend...it's so much worse now. despite it not even being two months ago that you posted this. one of the main boards blocking off the entrance by the glass atrium is half collapsed, where my boyfriend penetrated his foot with a nail, and the inside is crumbling. almost full of graffiti.
    gotta admit, thrilling expirence and the fun of exploring this creepy ass mall was worth it; but the smell and all the glass was not. all I had on was a normal medical mask which probably didn't do anything. I was born in 2004 sadly, which means I never got to expirence the life of this sad abandoned treasure. I hope southridge doesn't end up the same, though. I have so many memories there.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +3

      In the future, get one of those 3M particle masks (they even sell them at Menards next door!)…the one with the big pink filters like Walt and Jesse wore on Breaking Bad. It’s going to run you about 30 bucks but it will save your lungs. I’m glad you’re safe!

  • @ronespindola94
    @ronespindola94 2 года назад +3

    I explored the mall in Aug 2021. Vandalism is crazy there. It was well sealed and hard to get in, once in the broken glass makes it hard to explore.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  2 года назад +1

      I hope you were wearing heavy soled shoes. That glass is no joke; I was wearing motorcycle boots and I was still worried I was going to find a nail or something

    • @ronespindola94
      @ronespindola94 2 года назад

      Steel toe shoes, It was after work that day (so Lucky!) Wisconsin has some cool places to explore

  • @victoriahanke5086
    @victoriahanke5086 Год назад +2

    It’s so stupid the malls are gone. They were awesome in bad weather, and a good source of exercise. It was exciting to go shopping at the holidays, there was always so many nice decorations, and it just made life so much fun. We are a sad country these days, no place for your children to go and see wonderful things. iPads and computers and phones have made them lazy, and an

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  Год назад

      There are still many, many malls. They were wildly overbuilt in the 70s and 80s and what we are experiencing right now is a market correction to the number there probably should have been to begin with. You seem very upset by technology; are you posting your comments from a phone?

  • @victor3410
    @victor3410 2 года назад +1

    I love that Journey Across Japan music in the intro

  • @mjc8248
    @mjc8248 3 года назад +7

    It looks way worse than when the proper people were there. Sucks cause it was clean for so long before Casey filmed there.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +1

      The Proper People shot their video in spring 2019 so it’s been about two years. It’s gotten much worse

    • @mjc8248
      @mjc8248 3 года назад +2

      It's always enjoyable to see these places and learn about the history but it seems once a place gets explored or publicized the bad behavior comes out. The Japanese sites are always so cool because there's very little vandalism.

  • @dianalynn8781
    @dianalynn8781 2 года назад

    What memories you captured here within these many walls. So many hours I spent here. Such a shame this building has to remain torn to shreds. Why can't it be demolished. Today is August 29th, 2022...and it still stands...disgraceful...

  • @youtubasoarus
    @youtubasoarus 3 года назад +7

    Sad. It's amazing to me how much and how fast the vandalism takes to places like this and abandoned centers. It's strange.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +4

      It’s like vandals can smell it from miles away when a place isn’t being cared for

    • @youtubasoarus
      @youtubasoarus 3 года назад

      @@UniCommProductions Exactly. Super weird because it's almost universal. Some place goes untouched for a while.... boom graffiti everywhere.

    • @Code7Unltd
      @Code7Unltd 3 года назад +2

      It's mainly down to the foreign buyer (that being US Black Spruce Enterprise Group) in this case. This mall is being treated no different from one of many ghost houses in China.
      Why foreign nationals or financial institutions of any stripe are allowed to own American land or housing (especially when they'll only care for making money on it) is beyond me.

    • @youtubasoarus
      @youtubasoarus 3 года назад

      @@Code7Unltd Agreed, foreign investment should be limited to 49% but oh well.

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +2

      @@Code7Unltd They should at least have someone local to keep an eye on it...it seems a lot of the problems here have been a result of no one being available to hold accountable for its current condition.

  • @55Porter
    @55Porter 2 года назад +1

    From what I've heard this mall was the place to be back in '86!

  • @catrinag.9262
    @catrinag.9262 3 года назад +2

    Great video once again. Idk how you walk these dark corridors. I would be so scared someone would jump out at me. Thank you for all you do!!!

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  3 года назад +2

      It's weird, really quiet places like that don't really scare me because I can hear someone coming a mile away but this one definitely made my hair stand on end.

  • @jimsciarrone5877
    @jimsciarrone5877 Год назад +2

    Loved the video, especially the slowed down video game music!

    • @UniCommProductions
      @UniCommProductions  Год назад +1

      If the music is your thing, check out RiftiBeats on RUclips; lots of very similar stuff over there from all kinds of games!

  • @Nobunaga1983
    @Nobunaga1983 2 года назад +2

    why does this sound like sarah connor doing a voice over for the next terminator movie lol

  • @JRMcDowell
    @JRMcDowell Год назад +2

    It was beautiful.. its so sad to see this once great building in such disrepair and vandalized.