ABANDONED JAMESTOWN MALL - MOST DANGEROUS MALL IN THE US - FLORISSANT MO
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- Опубликовано: 6 июн 2020
- ABANDONED JAMESTOWN MALL - MOST DANGEROUS MALL IN THE US - FLORISSANT MO
#DMOD
Special Thanks to....
Mall Hall of Fame
mall-hall-of-fame.blogspot.com/
Phantom Drone Flyer
/ @phantomdroneflyer7937
Jack Thomas
/ @retailpocalypse
NAE
• NAE - Dacron Duvet
Brandon M
/ @retailreminisce
Jon R
/ jonrev
What a nightmare. I think future generations will regret losing malls like this, as places to meet, see and do things, especially during long grey days of winter and hot summer days.
EXATAMENTE AMERICANOS SÃO PIONEIROS EM DESGRAÇAR A HISTÓRIA E CULTURA, GASTAM DINHEIRO EM TANTAS COISAS FÚTEIS, E NÃO CONSEGUEM MANTER UM SHOPPING IMPONENTE COMO ESSE!
I do miss malls being popular i never really liked ordering online especially because you can get completely ripped off with bootlegs or it just never arrives
I always preferred going in person.
This just makes me sad. Malls were such a huge part of life as a child of the 80's. Never would have dreamed they would ever go away.
Theresa F Right?! It was always so busy, but internet killed the shopping mall #Memories #80sKid
Malls are alive and thriving in Dallas TX so I think it comes down to local economy
Me neither. I think it's more nuanced than just to say it had to do exclusively with online shopping or the local economy, though those are certainly factors.
I think it was Jake of Bright Sun Films who spoke about not only the oversaturation of malls in decades past, but also, many retailers sort of tried to assume what customers wanted, and once customers were able to get exactly what they wanted or needed online, they went there.
But before smart and even mobile phones gained popularity, they were also a social place to go. That's where the memories often remain.
moonraker30 Yes and no some shopping malls ends up like due to the way their run you got to remember most of these were around when the US economy was good and money value wasn't the same as it is today so average shopper who had money to spend didn't mind going to one and overpaid for something back than unlike the average shopper today who is living on a fix income.
Oh and fyi online shopping only makes up about 30% of a store sales.
Mandy Roy Or they go get what they want at a other location that's not in the mall for much cheaper price.
These videos are kind of like watching the first 40 years of my life disintegrate. I'm 52 but it was about the time that I turned 40 that malls started becoming truly endangered. This would have seemed unthinkable back in the 80s, even in the 90s. But all things must pass. Thanks for posting, this is good work.
I worked in this mall a bit back in the late 90s. To see what's become of it now is surreal. I still can't believe that Alton Square outlived Jamestown, the Mills, and so many other malls in the area.
Hey Jim, what store did you work at?
@@AcesAdventures1 I worked at the RadioShack that used to be right by the Sears
@@jimgoodwin45 Ah, RadioShack....another sad story of a once proud and strong retailer that's gone (I worked at the Fort Worth home office). Even more sad is that RadioShack's death was by suicide.
Especially the mills! I was at the opening of the mills back in 03. Just wow
@@jimgoodwin45 omg!! Yes. I remember. If coming out the sears it was on the right side!
I live in St.louis. This was my favorite mall in the early to mid 80's . Game room was the best
I'm shocked that this mall has only been abandoned for 6 years (2014). Looks more like 26 years. Great footage and background music!
Yeah
It just goes to show that abandonment can speed up the process of decomposition. A very sad state.
parts of it were closed years before the final closure. during that time water was allowed to seep in and run its course.
@@kilo-1337it doesn’t look anything like this video so many people destroyed it
Now almost 10
For sale: Handyman’s dream. Open concept with lots of natural light and parking for several vehicles. Some plumbing and electrical work required. 😂
@Bill Williams
Fast times at Ridgemont high!
Holy shit, even the GNC is closed! It’s worse than I thought! 😂
Why is that funny to you tho🤨
Interesting. The mall near me in Brampton (Ontario, Canada) has a GNC store ! I wonder if it's still owned by the original company ?
Loved this so much; the awesome intro, the research, the soundtrack, the property ... stellar work, Ace, this was amazing.
TY SIR
This, for me, anyhow, seems to be the "new Rolling Acres Mall," one that fascinates and even causes obsessiveness in those who love these kind of places. A great job, Anthony!
I believe you are right, this building is the 'new Rolling Acres Mall" and I am also fascinated by the destruction that has occurred on the interior of the structure.
It burned last night!
Looks like a tornado ripped through it, followed by a hurricane.
Looks like a place seen in the last of us. Shame to see any place in that state.
Well, it would be an EF1 and Cat.1 lol
@@gagejackson8609 more like EF3 at most possibly a EF4
@@bassmaker4real197 That would have demolished the whole place. There wouldn't have been the roof or the stores standing if it was an EF3 or EF4.
@@gagejackson8609 you would be surprised how tough a mall can be against a tornado probably one of the safest places you could be at a four story mall would be able to survive a EF3 easy now a EF4 it's a 50/50 chance
That Mall was really well designed. Still has a futuristic look. Sad to See it so neglected. It's , " A Dead Mall " !
Wow. That place looks rough. When I look at pictures I see Randall Park skylights, Rolling Acres food court, Euclid Square architecture inside.
Same here. Agreed. But not as bad as rolling Acres...yet..
@@leesanders6914 key word yet. That's how Rolling Acres and Randall Park got so bad...abandoned and left to fester in a true 3 season climate.
@@aaronturner1072 Gotta remember, they both got vandalized to crap as well.
@@gagejackson8609 oh I know. Lived in North Randall most of my life (gone now) so I watched Randall Park wilt and die. Honestly both are in bad areas but Rolling Acres was worse so it was vandalized more harshly and more often. Randall was a bit better secured after closing but was in worse shape structurally so the elements worked on it. At one point the docks at sears filled up and flooded, the macys anchor was overrun with mold and moisture, and there was standing water in the mall. Rolling Acres did have broken skylights so it recieved snow inside but otherwise was not as moldy. So much better climate for vandals and vagrants to gut it out multiple times.
Sad no matter what the reason. In the case of this town they need to get this mall demoed asap. Only going to blight the area while simultaneously killing the tax base
Tonight it was set on fire. News link attatched.
fox2now.com/news/missouri/three-alarm-fire-at-jamestown-mall/
Thank you, Anthony, for this video! I live in Florissant and always watch the videos on Jamestown to keep track of its downward spiral. I can't believe how much worse it looks just in less than a year; it's crazy, because for a while they really locked it down and prevented anyone from getting in without permission, but clearly they let that lapse for there to be so much more destruction and graffiti. I hate that they couldn't figure out anything useful to do with the property - at this point it needs to be bulldozed just for safety, but it's been such a struggle for anyone to come to a consensus on what to do. St. Louis was just straight up over-malled, and this is a result of that. Btw, the ad in the outro featuring Kinney Shoes brings back major memories, as my mom worked for that company for my entire childhood and I'd been in the back of the store at Jamestown many, many times.
Invest money in renovating and reopening the mall
My wife was the manager of the Lady Footlocker at this mall in 1995 and 1996.
Wow seeing that storefront must be a shock
It was an absolute shame what Macys did to so many local stores. My towns Foley’s of which we had the original Foley’s Tower. And Famous Barr which I visited the original in 2005 while it still operated. What an incredible store it was. 7 floors of a 21 floor building built in 1913. Two restaurants a candy counter and the top 2 floors still had functioning wooden escalators. Macys eventually shut it. What a loss that beautiful store was. At least the building still stands our Foley building was imploded. British Pathe channel has a look at the Foley’s when it first opened though.
If I recall correctly when I did my St. Louis trip in early 2014, I unfortunately missed the closure of the downtown Famous Barr by something like 1 or 2 years. I really wish I could've gotten a look inside that store, before it closed for good. May Company also had its regional headquarters in the upper floors of their Saint Louis downtown flagship store, btw.
And you are right that Macy's is struggling, and has closed a lot of these former historic flagship stores down of department stores they've absorbed. Not to forget on a side note for Boston in 2005, that the company chose to keep the Macy's at a storefront across the street, and shut down the Filene's in its historic building. At least that building has been remodeled since, and now houses offices and a Primark store. I hope some of the other historic downtown flagship buildings Macy's abandoned see a second life as a remodeled building, such as the one for Kaufmann's in Pittsburgh.
Absolutely! I grew up in Los Angeles, where we had a wonderful chain of full-sized department stores, called "Bullocks Wilshire," after the original and marvelously grand store just north of downtown, on Wilshire Blvd. It had an amazing eight-story tower, the top three floors of which were sheathed in copper that had achieved a stunningly beautiful deep green and turquoise patina, and I remember going in the store with my folks after church to shop their amazing wares and then eat in the luxury of their full-service restaurant, complete with crisp table linens and a small, electric lamp at each table. I don't recall exactly WHEN Macy's got their hands on it, but they closed it and sold it off within five years of its acquisition. Fortunately, it was later acquired by a local and very prestigious law school that has since refurbished much of the building's original features and returned them to their once-glorious and grandeur-filled appearance. Sadly, nothing could be done for all the OTHER Bullock's-turned-Macy's in the greater L.A. area that have come under the Macy's-driven wrecking ball...
I remember the Dillard's wing was closed off quite some time before the rest of the mall, so that's likely why its deterioration is so much worse. The wooden exterior store at 16:32 was a vintage style candy shop owned and operated by a family member of mine, but no, unfortunately we never got free candy, lol. I honestly struggle to believe it closed just 8 years ago, it feels like so much longer. I grew up going to that mall. I saw so many movies in that theater, got my ears pierced at that Claire's, and made dozens of wishes throwing coins in the giant fountain. I remember all the times I whispered embarrassingly at my Dad to "STOP IT!" because he would whistle every time we passed the Victoria's Secret just to make me and my brother giggle. I remember how, to my Mom, a mall walk wasn't complete without a pretzel from the pretzel place. I miss this kind of shopping experience- it was more than just about buying stuff, it was about spending time together. You just can't make those kinds of memories with your family and friends when you shop online.
Can't imagine who would thumbs down this video. Literally top notch on everything from filming, music, to history and then some! Pay no attention to jealous people!
They thumbs down before it was even posted lol. Haters.
I can't begin to explain how sad this video is for me. I live just across the river from this mall in Illinois. I was born in 1968, and grew up going to this mall before the mall in Alton, Illinois was built. It was such a nice mall for many years, but you are correct in saying that the dynamics of the surrounding area changed dramatically in just a few short years. North County where this mall is located was basically abandoned by local politicians, and allowed the moving of resources out of the area so it became a "dead zone". Businesses moved away as property values tanked. Even hospitals closed, perpetuating a steady decline in traffic in the area. Jamestown Mall was doomed to fail by the late 90's. It's sickens me to see what happened.
Translation: the politicians removed all the traffic lights at intersections on 67 on the way to the casino so there was no sense in opting to putt-along on Lindbergh to near the Missouri River bridge so hardly anyone went that way anymore. But there's still a lot of traffic on Lindbergh. People who now buy their clothing at thrift-stores ( I do ) instead of malls so they have more money to go spend at Fast Eddie's Bon Aire or the Casino ( I *don't* ). But when the nation's biggest defense-contractor no longer was and got gobbled-up by another one and the local presence became a mere shadow of it's former local economic impact? That's a lot of people who had a lot of disposable income missing. People who raised their kids like they did their demanding jobs ( by the book ) and the human resource of their raised-right kids and and their parents, as both the customers and staff that can make a mall or break it, were largely missing from the equation.
And I know just who to thank for that... Thus proving the old adage that "one 'bad apple' spoils the bunch". And also that it's not the size of the dog in the fight so-much as the size of the virus-load of Rabies lyssavirus in the dog's brain...
ruclips.net/video/ppZ0HUFBc88/видео.html ( ~4:24/4:45 )
*Robert Palmer: rest in peace.*
jamestown was built on my family farm , was a wonderful place to work and shop and as a teen to hang out........... then the neighborhood/clientele changed, theft and personal danger destroyed the stores as was/is the way of all malls. when the customers are scared to shop and the stores are losing more to theft than they're selling you end up with this clip
I have to say that mall has amazing natural lighting.
Back in Jamestown Mall's heyday, that natural lighting was the best! The sunlight would sift in through those big, octagonal skylights and bathe everything in a soft, yellow luminescence that lent that extra hint of life to everything. And those fountains were filled with water dribbling and spritzing everywhere; when the sun hit the water just right, you could see all the little dancing rainbows wavering all over the common areas. There was nothing like it! It's heart-wrenching to see all of that laid to ruin now. ☹
The mall has been set on fire this evening. 3 alarms.
Grew up here and spent many hours in this mall as a kid. It was very sad to see it close and deteriorate over time. One of the big things that spiraled its demise was a murder-suicide that happened in the food court. My parents weren't super keen to go to the mall after that. Thanks for posting the video. I always loved the sculptures in this mall, and it's sad to see only the concrete "slide" remains. Always dreamt of playing on that when I was little.
Wait. I only know of it being the mall used for Stranger Things, where the murder happened, in the food court.
My mom always took me there or to Northwest Plaza when I was younger. Seeing the food court destroyed and the purple playground pieces kinda hit a soft spot.
Jamestown and Northwest Plaza?? Your mom was very brave!
"St. Louis had a lot of malls, guys." - Yes! Yes we did. So many, in fact, that despite me growing up in St. Louis, I had no idea this mall existed. I have never laid eyes on it. Of course, I grew up in Rock Hill, and moved to Manchester later. My Main mall haunts were Crestwood, The Galleria, West County Center, and I would occasionally scoot up to Chesterfield. I miss Crestwood, especially. Lots of memories. There was a Drive-In Theatre not too far from it, if memory serves. I remember catching a few movies there.
Looks like it was a really nice mall. I'm sad to see it go. Thank you for documenting it.
Yes I definitely miss crestwood
Rolling Acres II: Electric Boogaloo. Plus a broken water main like many Moonbeam-owned malls.
Tonight it was set on fire. 3 alarm blaze. Link to news story
fox2now.com/news/missouri/three-alarm-fire-at-jamestown-mall/
@@KrisKelly1970 According to the article, the aforementioned burst pipe was the reason for the eviction of the last business (a funeral parlor, ironically) and total shuttering of the mall.
@@wolftickets1969 The article is misworded -- the funeral parlor operates in a freestanding building on the mall property and an underground pipe burst in the Sears parking lot which forced them to close due to no water pressure. That main was fixed and the funeral parlor is back in business, but that break was responsible for completely flooding the lower level of the Sears anchor with several inches of standing water. The burst pipe Ace and I found was gushing within the mall itself.
Dude, I agree. This is so like Rolling Acres, it's sad.
@@Beaglegirl19 Nothing could ever replace Rolling Acres
You called out that it looks nothing like it’s sister mall (Chesterfield)... up until about 2006 they looked very similar. The skylights / ceiling patterns, the planters, and the floor tile, in addition to the food courts matched. Both Jamestown and Chesterfield got similar looking food courts in 1995/96. At Chesterfield the original food court was on the upper level near Macy’s in the large space last occupied by H&M but that was changed in 2006 when it was moved to the lower level in what had been Famous-Barr until Fall 1995 (then JCPenney for a brief stint later). Also, at the beginning you mentioned River Roads... RR was demolished in 2006 but had been dead since the very early 1990’s and the mall corridor closed from 1994/95 onward until its demolition. RR’s own decline began in the mid/late 80’s. I look forward to your Chesterfield Mall video! I worked at that mall for a good amount of time.
I enjoyed this video! The reasons that malls close, are poor location, high rent for the store managers, and poor management of the managers who operate the mall. Malls that are located in high crime areas are doom to close because people don't feel safe going to the mall. I enjoy watching your videos as much as Wallieb26 videos.
Thats not a bad area tho
That’s not a bad area though..
It has nothing to do with crime. It has to do with Amazon becoming a monopoly and because of the car centric infrastructure where you need a car to go to a mall. And that at the end you always had the exact same products everywhere.
The only place which always worked well are the food courts, but even there only the same chains everywhere and nothing innovative.
@@chrisbillups3632 Jamestown is a horrible area lol
@@ymcgill62 are you joking?
Sad to see the continued decline of this mall. I have very fond memories of this place growing up in the 80's. It had a great toy store..a tobacco store that my dad would go to called, The Tinder Box (smelled great), a very nice arcade..and always a long line for Santa. Sure there were other malls around town, and this place was sort of isolated in the northern sector of the county. Believe me, this place used to be packed, no problem. There were 50K people in Florissant alone when this place was in prime, about the same as today.
I know online shopping is convenient..but what about all the social interactions and memories we miss out on not having places like this around anymore? It's not only malls, there used to be go cart and putt putt places, waterslides, arcades, all peppered around town. Most are gone now. I guess lawsuits and insurance are to blame. It just seems to me that we're moving in the wrong direction socially anymore. My two cents anyway. Peace everyone.
Moving in the wrong direction? D'ya thinK?
do you think Greitens can do anything about this if elected?
Went to Jamestown Mall quite a bit as an adolescent to remember they're not being a vacant storefront until the 90s came along and then you started seeing more storefronts not having any occupancies this is when I had a feeling that these types of places wouldn't be around in the next 10 to 15 or 20 years
Dude I swear combined with the styling, still pictures and 80's synth....I fucking dig the into .....pure perfect vibe to start the show...Well Done Ace!
ty ty
What an excellent production. I would like to hear more of the footsteps and the crunchy "broken" ambiance, natural sounds under the music.
I live in St. Louis and would like it noted that the vast majority of this "damage" is from the wrecking / reclamation crews. The mall is obviously WAY beyond saving Because they have essentially began the demolition already. Why they stopped is stupid and not logical.
This is as Ace says an incredibly dangerous mall. Please Do NOT attempt entry. I drove up 1-2 months ago just for a look . Didn't care for stupid barricades , only one entry into parking lot. .
Hate to say it but Tear it down Port Authority!-
Great video Ace. Thanks!
As a Florissant/St Louis native I grew up with Jamestown. I used to visit Aladdin's Castle all the time when it was in the now theater now lies. I loved Sam Goody and used to get music & movies from there. I was saddened when it started going down hill & eventually closed. There's been much speculation as to what to do with the old mall but nothing yet. Ps: Do a video on the Mills while it's still standing!
I grew up across the river on the Illinois side in Cottage Hills. Jamestown Mall was THE first and only Mall around to go to when it first opened. Spent many hours there shopping when I was a teen. Left the area in 1979 and moved to Cincinnati. Been there ever since. Sad to see this has happened to Jamestown Mall. Many great memories made there.🙁
I remember being pushed around in a stroller through this mall. I threw many coins in that fountain and can remember playing in the play place in the food court. Thanks for sharing this
Thanks for putting this up! I'm a St. Louis resident, and a little ashamed to say, I never knew about this mall. I really don't ever go up into North County, I guess. 🤷♂️
It is really out of the way. I only went there as a child with my aunt a few times when we didn’t go to the larger and more centrally located Northwest Plaza. Of course, they lived in North County back then.
Wow! Ace, this is the best video I think you’ve ever put out! Absolutely hit this one out of the ball park! Enjoyed it very much!
I miss sam goody and radio shack in malls !! It sad see those pic people happy in malls back then good times.
"Goody Got It!" as they used to say. And I used to look forward to Radio Shack putting out their annual catalog.
Wow, that was great. The last aerial shot helps you to understand just how large this place is. There was also a sense of sadness of a bygone era gone in the final photo of shoppers so happily posing for the mall picture. Awesome job!
Complete nostalgia. I visited this place countless times as a child. I'm 24 now. My mom and I often went to the food court and there was a huge indoor play place. We definitely miss this place. Not sure how relevant it is to closing but there was a murder-suicide in 2008. I think a lot of business was lost after that.
What a great video! Brilliant job! Anthony, I appreciate all of your hard work and look forward to each new video.
Very nice piece Ace! I was worried it might be too long of a video to become boring but it was excellent!! Great work.
That mall is one of the most apocalyptic malls there are. It is just as bad as Rolling Acres used to be, if not worse. It appears that they let a beautiful building go to waste. It really is an important history lesson of what happens when retailers die and the mess it leaves on the planet. It appears that that mall is going to have to be wrecking balled most likely and is not savable.
It just burned over night!
TheBIGJake111 What?!
It can be saved, if leadership of the city wants to do so.
Sad times we’re living in
Definitely.Intu shopping centres here in the U.K. are ready to call in the administrators.The company employs 100,000 shop staff.Take care🏴
@Active Sync You would be surprised at how nice older malls were before renovating. People wanted a new look in malls and got drab 2 color palettes in return. Malls in general were a bad idea, because it wasted far too many downtown's.
Holy shit! This place reminds me of Rolling Acres and how bad it got before they finally demolished it! Awesome job as always Anthony!
I remember going here back in the 70s and 80s whenever my family went to visit relatives that lived out there. I had no idea this had happened.
These videos are so damn depressing........but I watch tons of them. Thanks, we might not like it, but it is reality.
This is an amazing video. Great footage, great music, great commentary. And such balls to explore such a clearly dangerous building. Fascinating.
thanks so much, it was scary at times
Somebody needs to rescue those Jamestown Mall plans. This was a really good tour Ace. I can see why you stayed out of certain parts of the mall, it is pretty nasty in there. Maybe you can put the extra footage on your second channel. I would love to see it.
It was set on fire tonight. News link attatched.
fox2now.com/news/missouri/three-alarm-fire-at-jamestown-mall/
@@KrisKelly1970 wow
The plans look good in the video but are all pretty badly waterlogged.
@@kurtismckemmie4850 it's fake
Thank you for putting this video together. I worked at the JCPenney from when it opened until 1998. I still remember going there before the grand opening as it was still being set up. It was so nice and seemed almost too upscale for a JCPenney. I hadn’t been in this mall since 2001 and hadn’t driven by it in probably over 15 years. This weekend I drove by it with my son and my jaw about hit the floor. I couldn’t believe what the outside looked like. Finding this video and seeing what the inside looked like was mind-blowing. Very sad.
I drove by it last weekend as well.. I forgot it was there.. I was like oh damn.. that’s where it was😱
Holy Crap, that'a Rolling Acres bad!! eek!
Unless it's torn down, it's quickly on its way to being "Dixie Square" bad.
Came for the tour, stayed for the amazing jams.
My hometown is Alton, IL. We would drive across the bridge over to Jamestown Mall all the time.
And lots of people headed toward your town from St. Louis and surrounding county drove right by that mall on Lindbergh to go gape at the grave of Robert Wadlow or that stupid statue dedicated to that jerk Elijah Lovejoy r.i.p. ( rot in perdition ). The Piasa Bird recreation never drew one tourist or visitor to the area past that mall. Not one, I'm sure. There were no attractions in the area of that mall. Not one. How could such paltry things compete with Blueberry Hill?
Thanks for coming over here and spending money and paying taxes at our once-wonderful indoor mall! It was a nice place, wasn't it? I mostly went there on the excuse of buying a record or some boots just to walk around looking at the people. You never knew who you were going to encounter. But even if you never saw anyone you knew you were sure to see a whole lot of people you might think you'd *like* to know. It wasn't like going to Walmart, that's 4sure.
@@diogeneslamplit6573 Anyone who would refer to Elijah P. Lovejoy as a jerk is a POS with very little of anything worthwhile.
Another great presentation. I always get melancholy seeing the vintage memorabilia-I remember those crowds and all those great stores and the fun weekends. The world seems to change faster than anyone's mind can comprehend it. Great music and narration and as always interesting to see. I think you're right about structural issues, I noticed leaning supports and all sorts of things. They probably aren't going to want to leave it standing much longer or someone's going to get hurt.
Unbelievable.. I used to love going to the malls in the 80’s.. it was the place to hang out with friends. The food courts.. I miss that so much. This is soooo sad :(
Sooooo badass! Thank you for another gem!
Subscribed. I found you, Sal, Unicomm, Dan Bell, and Faded Commerce when researching my local Dead Mall (Forest Fair Village, Cincinnati). Enjoy your different perspective on retail. Keep going, you are doing great!
The Forest Fair videos are awesome! I can't believe they have reopened after the COVID closures.
This mall burned this evening. Link attatched.
fox2now.com/news/missouri/three-alarm-fire-at-jamestown-mall/
Another great and well put together video Ace!
as you said the mall decline began in about 1997, give or take. I had a buddy who was a mall manager, he told me things were trending down across his company which owned or managed several malls- they were beginning to allow local shops to fill spots
The design of this mall makes me feel like you are walking through a real life Battlestar Galactica ship with the ceiling and skylights. Too cool
One thing I really like about your videos is 2 things.
1: The attention to detail.
2: You have the most catchiest music choice I've ever heard, in fact watching your videos and playing games helps me concentrate.
Thanks alot :)
@@AcesAdventures1 Your welcome! =)
Thankfully we don’t really have this problem in England with dead shopping centres. There’s been some big ones built in London in the past few years and the ones that have been around for ages are thriving. So sad to see what happens to malls like this.
Send some of your mall owners over here to buy and help the ones still working. Apparently your management system us superior to ours and to save malls I would look outside the box for help.
Thanks for showing our area and giving life to the abandoned! GO SABRES!
Sabres?
Great video. The destruction and vandalism at this mall is shocking. Thanks for filming.
This is pretty wild seeing this now...all destroyed and deteriorated...I remember it as a teenager growing up in the area,. And later as an adult, working as Union Carpenter there on various remodeling and new store builds back in it's hay day...
Wow! I remember going to and shopping in this mall when I was in my early to late teenage years! I am 30 now, my best friend used to work in the Jamestown Mall theater back then! I think that the Saint Louis Mills took a bulk of what few customers that the mall had previously!
thank you for the kind words, many of us struggling staying in so that helped
Just seeing the decay and mold made it hard for me to breathe
it was bad lol
Ace's Adventures I can only imagine 😂😝😂
I keep expecting Dan Bell to appear around one of those empty shop fronts!!
Fascinating! Subscribed.
A huge part of my childhood and especially middle through high school days. This is where a bunch of us kids would meet up to get a bite at ChikFiLA, check out the latest music at Sam Goody, beg our parents for the latest kicks at foot locker, the latest styles at Gliks, 5-7-9, Express, Dillard’s and most importantly meet up at the cinema with our friends. Back in middle school, across from the cinema there was a restaurant, it was much like a Denny’s. My 14 year old boy just said this morning it would be awesome if they could remake malls to look like the 1980’s nostalgia♥️ He loves appreciates how they have redone the mall on “stranger thing’s” which is pretty much how I remember Jamestown mall looking during my childhood. Thank you for sharing this documentary. Amazing job Ace!
If it's not already a "thing" I predict onlne shopping with a virtual mall you guide your avatar through like a video game but you're really buying things. You'll actually see either avatars of other shoppers or possibly their real appearance if they select that, be able to converse and so-forth. Some exercise equipment manufacturer will probably become involved in combination with a treadmill.
That was sad to watch. But you did one of the best exploration videos I’ve seen. Long steady wide shots. Good work.
I'm a new subscriber I love your vibe in doing videos.
Amazing footage!
Nicely done Anthony. One of your best vids.
Ace!! You and Sal bang out some good content Mint👌👌👌
I really like your music in the beginning of this video. Electronic Synth music. - Who made the score music? Thanks, new subscriber.
I'm from the St Louis area and this brings back so many memories..... I couldn't help but cry watching this
I can't wait to see your video on Chesterfield Mall! My family didn't get to St. Louis very often (we lived about 2 hours out) but when we did that was normally the one we went to in the 90s.
You know Chesterfield was rebuilt some years ago???
St. Louis had tons of malls. South County Mall, West County Mall, Chesterfield Mall, Northwest Plaza Mall, St. Louis Center, Jamestown Mall, Crestwood Plaza Mall, As somebody who grew up in the 80's it was glorious.
I live VERY close to this mall and used to work at the EB Games/GameStop until it closed. Jamestown was always the little mall that could, but it certainly did. Always had a decent amount of regular foot traffic and the theater helped a LOT. It's also in a rather low crime area so that wasn't the issue. What killed it was St.Louis Mills. When that mall opened, it was a BIG deal, the mall was HUGE and it stole business from all the other malls in the area...only for there not to be enough interest or tenants to keep that mall going. Within a month, St.Louis Mills had DRASTICALLY reduced foot traffic but the other malls still suffered from its existence. Jamestown then tried to force tenants out, raising rates to obscene levels because they wanted to knock it down and turn it into a Town Center as you mentioned earlier. Then the housing market crashed, putting the kibosh on those plans. Since then the mall has been abandoned for years as no one knows what to do with it. The parking lot has been used to host the UniverSOUL Circus a few times and I hear a few weeks ago someone screened a film premiere in the parking lot? I dunno what's going on with it anymore. Weirdest thing is the little bank in the parking lot that's still open somehow.
It's sad. I loved going to all the different malls in the St.Louis area but after The Mills, there are almost none left.
The rate of decay between the Retailpocalypse video of the same spaces and this one is astonishing. At this point, it's two years later and the property IIRC is still not demolished, but at the end of April 2022 $6 million of an estimated $10 million needed to make the mall "shovel ready" to demolish was set aside by St. Louis County.
i love watching these videos because i could never do this myself but it’s fascinating to see the changes of everything and where we’ve come in just a short span of time. as a pop culture historian, i get excited about this 😂
This mall actually caught fire tonight (6/12/2020). It was a 3 alarm with the fire being in 2 locations of the mall.
Kim this is Mike Tritch, I was there tonight!
false
This mall became plagued with violent gang bangers as the entire North County did. Massive white flight out of North County and several high profile violent crimes at the mall caused a mass exodus of retailers.
Accurate
Why ? I love malls , everything in one place , don't have to drive all over. I worked at Jamestown in the 80's at the Merry Go Round , a pretty high in clothing store. I took the bus , that mall was awesome
Nice content Ace's..I like the walk through and history. I also do Adventure Videos. Keep up the great work.
This is the new Rolling Acres, but probably five times larger. The only place I can think of that may be worse in regards to mold, destruction , and decay is the Macy’s at Randall Park Mall. But awesome video as always, man. I’m glad I stumbled on this channel, I enjoy it a lot
I dunno about the rest of the country but malls in north jersey are still busy as hell. I was at the Willowbrook Mall yesterday and it's was packed even had a live concert in the main plaza
Technology is changing the culture. Whoever thought you could order anything from your phone and have it delivered to your door in 2 days
and not get mugger either - but now you need a doorbell camera so you know when to call the police
What a shame. I get sad when I see once awesome malls in such deplorable condition.
@Active Sync silence lazy ass
Ace, do you have at least a picture of that broken water main or even a short clip of it? Just curious, great video man!
My family used to shop there in the 90's. Thanks for this video. it is crazy how horribly it has fallen apart. it amazes me that it has turned into this mess. if youd have told me that in 88' itd be like this id not have believed you.
Really excellent video!
Excellent intro. Nae has such a pleasant voice!
This place burned down twice, the most recent being three weeks ago. There are now bids for demolition.
Cannot wait for your chesterfield mall video! I go every few weeks to check on it and it’s just so sad to watch it deteriorate.
Another awsome video from Ace Adventures thank you for downloading this video but most all please safe when you are touring old malls that have falling in to such decay.
Best one you’ve done. The outro was 🔥.
I can’t help but wonder where in the country there would even be enough landfill space for that amount of contents and building materials? I just kept thinking, where will it all go when it finally is torn down?
This is so sad. Malls were big part of childhood 90s. Sad to see it like this 🥺😞