The Arizona Center: A Dead Mall In The Heart Of Phoenix | Retail Archaeology
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- In this episode we take a look at the Arizona Center, a dead mall in downtown Phoenix.
This episodes music provided by Jason Heine. Visit heinehouse.com for more info.
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It is sad to see such a beautiful mall Dead. But at least Retail Archeology is here to document it.
😊
I've seen movies entirely alone in a theater at that AMC.
I was in a movie there. A bunch of thugs were behind me and I hear a big clank. Someones 45 all chromed out landed under my seat. I handed it back and said, "here, kill me last" Haven't really wanted to go back.
@@ACoustaDC I don't blame you. My father still goes there on occasion but I don't live in AZ any longer and only make it back once a year so seeing all of the dead malls breaks my heart but I have my own set of dead malls in Vegas as well.
Is it still $5 a ticket. But they c you on the concessions.
I still go there for cheap movies. I hope this theater doesn’t go away. I love it.
Lol I think every movie I see was alone I stopped going
Slap a few skateboard related stickers around the place and call it a Tony Hawks Pro Skater level.
Love the idea
We have a Vans skatepark here in California and it’s always busy.
London Calling, you maybe full of them on the West Coast, but here in the East, we got CAMP WOODWARD. OH YEAHHH. But seriously, that’s nifty. I thought the skateboard and BMX scene died out, unless it’s because I got older and don’t pay much attention anymore.
Enjoyed your commentary , nice to hear someone being complimentary and positive when so many find only the negative
Yeah let's be positive about a dead Mall !!
The reason these fail is because it is just a Monday through Friday mall. If you don't have enough residents downtown, these fail. It seems that putting these malls in downtown's of medium sized cities was like shutting the barn door after the horses ran away. People had already moved to the suburbs because the inner city wasn't safe and that's where the malls were built. People had no reason to come downtown anymore to fight the traffic and expensive parking. Great video.
I'm sure City Center didn't help any either. If Patriots Square wasn't a run-down hell hole before it went away, I would miss it a lot more.
@@snowycatinseattle people say it's a dry heat, but in 2005 I was in Vegas when they had record breaking temps and it's still hot and unbearable.
A partnership of ASU and U of A campus is right mext to this mall. They just put a supermarket downtown. I still think without the stores filled it's only going to busy during the week or at night when people go to the restaurants.
You are completely wrong, The reason why the mall fail is because it's located in the city which has walkable street facing storefront shops and pedestrians. Who the hell wants to go shopping in a "mall" when the entire city itself is technically a mall. This is why malls are usually built in suburbs cause they don't have a concentration of shops like cities do.
@@SofaSpy your opinion. St. Louis, des Moines are examples of mid sized city downtown malls that have failed.
when this originally opened up there was one restaurant on the second level and the rest of the second level was bars and dance clubs. Massive weekend party time.
Definitely. I remember coming here for a couple of evenings during the winter of 1991 and it was almost like frat boy party central with over a dozen bars/pubs/taverns shaking the 2nd floor. Not much of a mall vibe at all. Much the same for the old Mercado across the way southeast back then, come to think of it.....
do either of you have pictures from your times there? it would be cool if he could feature photos of the past at this place
@@Fo0lish_mortals I sure don't. It was nearly 29 years ago (winter, 1991) and I didn't own any type of camera - back then, if someone caught you snapping pictures in a mall/shopping area, security would escort you out PDQ if the subjects of the pictures didn't try beating the hell out of you first.
Hindsight's 20/20 though, right? I wish I would've snapped a few pictures of Metrocenter throughout the 1980's - if I knew then what I know now, I would've gladly taken the risk.....
I remember that too!
I remember that as a kid.
I remember in 1994 when I came to AZ and this was the go-to place for a night out downtown. I lived in Scottsdale and it only took about 10-15 min to get downtown. No crime, great walk-ability, lots of fun places.
God, Phoenix used to be so great. Not so much anymore.
@jason9022 In 1994. Were you here then? The only bad spot was along Van Buren some remoter areas of downtown like around 16th and Broadway. Most of the West Valley was all new as well. I was coming from Los Angeles, so to me, it was relatively crime free.
Makes me sad to see these malls like this
That 1st tune is so euphoric!! Takes me back to holding grandma's hand in the mall as a wee one :) I miss the late 80's early-mid 90's. What a magical time to be a kid!
Lol I died when you commented on the picture "Young people having fun" No one is having fun, and there hardly is anyone around.
We have the same problem in England. Some ‘renowned’ architect convinces the local authority that they can increase revenue by building a ‘world class’ venue. 6 months later a load of drab boxes have been built, full of over priced tack, and they walk away with millions of pounds and leave behind a derelict load of scrap. Looks like you guys have the same problem.....just follow the money.
That Hooters has been there for literally as long as I can remember. It's amazing it's survived a dead mall that long.
Not anymore.
My very best memories are from 2000. At the time I worked for about six months as a temp worker down the street at the Capitol building. I'd take the free dash shuttle down to The Arizona Center on my lunch breaks. I'd get something at the second floor food court and, since it was fall and winter at the time, I'd usually sit out at one of the tables overlooking center court. More often than not there'd be a local musician of one kind or another playing and selling CDs. One repeat performer that showed up a lot was a gentleman named Alex Grant who was a pianist. After listening to him over the course of a few different days, I went down and bought a couple of his CDs, in fact, and I still have them.
I also have an Alex Grant cd from down there. Late 90s and early 2000s is when my memories are from and aside from a piano bar, the only reason to go there was the movies. It always seemed pretty dead to me.
You gotta see this place during Phoenix Comicon, it's like the place survives entirely based on that weekend.
It’s been canceled this year
@@danieldaniels7571 Yeah man, I know. This would've been my 11th year in a row.
120 degrees in the middle of summer is just the place to avoid. That doesn't help this mall.
the winter weather isn't so bad there.
These open air malls seem like they would stand a better chance of being revitalized than the traditional type.
Yeah, I live in Plano (suburbs) and would love if one of these were near me, currently it’s all strip malls and parking.
It’s like: houses, houses, houses, houses, store line, parking parking, parking, parking, 6 lanes, parking parking, parking, parking, line of stores, houses, houses, houses, houses, 6 lane road, parking, apartments, fieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeld, houses
@@kawaiidere1023 haha! you called that exactly!!!! Thx! Made me smile because thats the perfect description!
True, especially for desert areas where we get a lot of snowbirds. In palm springs we have the river which is an outdoor mall with incredible artificial water features and a lake and its about 50% chain and 50% local businesses
I remember going here when it opened in 1990. It was quite a "hip" and "happening" place in it's early days. Across the street was former Arizona governor's Fife Symington's "Mercado". It's now a branch campus for ASU.
so crazy its such a beautiful mall going to waste.
not really, I mean no-one's going to malls anymore. people shop online mostly today, especially in big city centers, so malls are dying
Havoc that’s real sad tho people can’t be social anymore
@@brobroant6205 I wouldn't say it's people CAN'T be social, more, how People Socialize has changed at a fundamental level. specifically, Social media and the insular social spaces they provide. i mean think about it. why go to a mall to socialise, gossip or catch up on the hottest and latest and greatest when it's all at your fingertips? anytime, anywhere, all over the globe? and for most people, it means not having to deal with people with conflicting, or just, different opinions.
That, Plus the fact it's easier and more convenient to get stuff delivered to your door from online, means there's less and less reason to go to a mall. about the only reason to go is, Ironically, to eat foodstuffs freshly prepared.
Would be Kool to make them apartments with coffee and food shops
You my friend need to get with the developer because that's brilliant!!! And with a woman's touch.
That's kind of what killed them.
I have a feeling that is the way it will go and hopefully that is what will happen. The big problem with downtown Phoenix is very little residential places to live. So if people come to downtown they either work there or come for some event. If it had a higher residential population, it would draw more people like on the day he did this video. The nightlife has gotten a lot better and if he came back at night he would see the place popping much more. However it is dead during the day on weekends.
they should have turned it into like apartments/ offices/ dining . Whole place looks stunning
When I first moved to Phoenix in the early 2000s , I moved near 7th Street and Van Buren. There was a night club in Arizona Center and I remember walking over to the AMC and like a Chicago Pizza place. But it was dead even in the 2000s except for weekday lunch rushes. The Coldstone and Hooters have been there like 15-20 years now. Wish I could still afford to live downtown, it was *super cheap* back then, but nothing to do (except go see sports/concerts), even the Quiznos closed early and there wasn't a grocery store downtown. Things have changed so much in Downtown PHX, but so far, even with this updated remodel, it appears that the Arizona Center may stay the same, dead.
jason9022 It’s a short walk from the location of this video and the apartments were super nice and super cheap at the time. It was always amusing to see folks reactions when I’d give my address, that’s for sure.
They have a Frys down town no iirc the closest grocery store was Safeway on 7th st and McDowell
they opened a dollar general and a cafe a little more east from the az center, they are cleaning up little by little. they closed down a couple of motels around the 24th street area which was a breeding ground for crack whores and crackheads and pimps, i dont see hardly as much around there anymore
So where would you say good places are to live in Phoenix, would love to move down there.
I left my Paradise Valley Mall area and move to downtown Phoenix in March. I now live a couple blocks away from Arizona Center and have recently started to explore it. I guess I need to explore it more because I never saw all your stuff that was in the video. Maybe I’ll start heading down there during the day and relaxing by the waterfalls. I’m surprise how how dead this is. I am enjoying downtown Phoenix so much. No more driving just been walking around..
I almost god my phone stolen by a crazy homeless guy with open sores on his head here. He then yelled at me and followed me around when he saw I had a dead gift card and he screamed that he was going to freeze and starve that night because I was a selfish bitch.
Anyway the mall is real pretty!
Looks like a fun place to explore, even with no stores.
Yeah, totally would be a fun space to go to be away from the crowds
I think "The Proper People" went to film there thinking it was abandoned.
I remember being there once or twice in my early teens. All I remember is there was bar/grill with a full size boxing ring inside.
The empty restaurant used to be named My Big Fat Greek Restaurant.
After the Greek Restraunt. It was turned into a Italian restaurant called Cucina Cucina Modern Italian. Now it's gone
I used to dance my booty off at Moon Doggies every weekend. I even loved shopping at the 2 story New York and Co. All this time I had no idea there was a 3 floor. Lol
You should cover the Simi Valley town center. That mall has an extraordinary story. It had the only Apple store to ever close due to not enough business. It has hardly any retail fronts like this mall.
I did not expect to see a comment about my hometown here, ahaha. I was living in Simi back when they were building that Mall.
They seem to have themselves covered. One day it will make a complete transition to office park.
DONUTS!!!
What a beautiful mall.
I'm glad to see that the 2nd and 3rd floors are occupied and that half of the 1st floor is as well.
That's for taking us along with you on this tour.
It’s crazy I’ve walked through this mall yearly since 2016 and I never would’ve thought of it as dead but that’s because every time I walk through here it’s while a convention is going on across the street so it’s booming with cosplayers, I’ve never seen it any other time of the year so I wouldn’t have known it was so dead
I go to the movies here. It's a great place. Weekends are dead in this part of town. No one lives near here.
yes, no one lives near there, the comment in the video was that there were.
Yes, when you go to the movies, it's empty, so you get the great sound system and big screen, but no idiots talking and no kids running.
But I HATE to pay for parking. I'm not sure if they still have it but the validation very conveniently did not cover the length of the movie. I feel ripped off.
One plan, Park off site, take the free shuttle in.
Reminds me of downtown San Jose, CA's failed Pavillion mall, only they had even fewer tenants and failed much quicker. Part of Pavillion was below street level, makes me wonder if any of it still exists? I moved out over a decade ago and never bothered going downtown like the majority of San Jose residents.
Great job, man! Love seeing your videos. I’ve never lived in Arizona, but my dad was born and raised in Mesa and all of his family still lives there. So I love seeing your stuff.
the water features looked super cool! also love the underwater shots, they're always fun to see.
I remember going there a lot as a kid. It was the closest AMC to my house...and back then AMC had this pass where you got free popcorn, and a free ticket every 10 movies. I often would drive down and see the $5 matinee they had. I went there over 100 times to see a movie, and often ate there also. I also remember when I turned 21 I went to the dual Piano bar they had up there on the 2nd level by the escalator. It was awesome and fun. After 2004 I moved near the Arrowhead area and almost never went back here. The two tall buildings on the same land are all part of the same complex, so their CAM fees pay to help keep the mall nice. APS has over half of one of the buildings and they have record profits recently, and are not going anywhere. When you showed the Cold Stone, it would had been awesome to mention how our Governor, Doug Ducey was the one who build cold stone.
Arizona Dead malls are Pretty Aesthetic like it does as that good vibes with nodady inside A Dead Mall with Mall soft type music
ugh, putting a college in a shopping center will kill it every time. sure the center will get the rent, but nobody but the students will go there and ONLY to go to class
If there were a place like this near my job, I swear that I would eat lunch there just about everyday.
Great video as always, your channel has grown alot in the past few years!
Thanks Eric, really enjoyed this as always.
I love donuts. 🍩 I love coffee. ☕ I love the fountains. ⛲ That was cool when you put the camera underwater. I love the waterfall.
Great video! I used to go there in the late 90s and early 2000s and the second floor used to be all dance/night clubs.
a mall is officially dead when there is no Hot Topic or GameStop. You have to have at least one of those to be a mall with a future. lol
americandumpsterfire I hate to say it but based on the past (Babbage’s, software etc, toys r us, etc. ) and future of video games and gaming in general, I believe GameStop will cease operations of brick and mortar stores in the next 10-12years. The new Xbox does not even contain an optical device for dvd?? Everything is quickly becoming cloud based. Which is sad in my opinion.
@@munk469 maybe. I think they could tough it out longer if they switch up their model a bit.
@@munk469 I can see GameStop closing a lot of their stores within the next 5 years. The next Xbox and PS5 releasing next year might breathe some life back into GameStop, but personally I get almost all of my games digitally. I make it a point not to go to GameStop.
americandumpsterfire ew-
@@RealToWonder They can't switch up their model enough to survive.
What kind of rent are these dying malls asking for? Some of these malls are surrounded by active retail.
Yeah, honestly surprised they wouldn’t get tenets with a small budget
The empty restaurant space next to Canyon Cafe was My Big Fat Greek Restaurant. Before that, it was an Italian restaurant, but I can't remember the name. I want to say it was called Lombardi's or something like that.
The Greek restaurant came first. The Italian restaurant that used to be there was called Cucina Cucina Modern Italian
Reminds me of a mall called Portage Place in my home town of Winnipeg. It was built the late 80s to revitalize downtown with higher end stores but now it's anything but that.
My family lived in a house on 7th street and Polk ( right around the corner ), walking distance .
Nice place to walk around and be in the shade with the misters at that time .
The upstairs food court had the usual fair , hotdog on a stick , pizza place , Chinese , and a layout of tables with a wonderful view of the grounds surrounding the property.
Little paths and sitting areas , very well put together.
The players restaurant and sports bar was fairly busy during the 90’s heyday!
The usual souvenir flags and Arizona Knick knacks .
A club that had 2 areas for dancing , a record store , clothing stores , comedy club at one time .
The downstairs area underneath food court had a great restaurant named sams cafe , south western food .
Footlocker , the gap , a Fat Tuesday frozen drink place , and of course hooters !
Visited this place a lot over the years , til I moved north away from downtown area .
Watching this video brings back lots of memories.
Thank you for the videos sir
So I lived in Phoenix from 1989-1996. My girlfriend at the time worked at a store in the Arizona center. The store was an awesomely irreverent little card store called “CardWare”. There use to be an awesome sports bar on the second floor that had a boxing ring dance floor, but I can not remember the name of that bar. They also had the first and only hooters I ever went to. Which was well, a hooters. I had oysters there and watched a busy get sick after eating them. Please don’t chew your oysters.
All the stores were leased in the early 90’s and it was also an easy trip from Butler below Dunlap to just jump on the way less crowded freeways in those days and go down there and hang out on a Friday or Saturday till my girlfriend got off work. I don’t remember spending much money at the Arizona Center other than on food but I’m sure I did. There use to be parties and events down there covering live music, art around the corner, Cinco De Mayo, New Year’s Eve and various other events that were nice to go check out and Wander thru. Or if you just had to go to court. However, Mill Ave was a much better spot in those days. It seems like there was always some office space leased out on the second floor in addition to the various clubs and bars up on the 2nd floor of the Az Center but I’m not 100% on that. Seems like I remember some attorneys and some financial and cpa type companies.
Back in those days people (kids) could cruise downtown on Central Avenue and there would be blocks of every kind of car and truck up and down Central Ave. to check out. Prior to that people cruised the metro center mall loop. However, due to increased gang, drug and criminal activity that was all quickly shut down in both locations.
But I have fond memories of both locations. It sad to see what has happened.
Love your dead mall videos!
I went there over Labor Day weekend, it was a nice Saturday morning, though only a few people were there, and most of them were from an anime cosplay at the convention center, we went to one of the only 2 open restaurants, the one we went to was full, but many were still form the aforementioned convention
Every time I go to Phoenix, I always try to go to the Corner Bakery, I remember seeing the renovations over the year and it was fun to come once a month to see the progress
Aww, my favorite music. You making me soooooo hungry! Good thing it's Thanksgiving tomorrow.
Happy Thanksgiving, Retail Archaeology.
At 13:20, that used to be a Greek restraunt called My Big Fat Greek Restraunt. Years later, it turned into an italian restaurant called, Cucina Cucina Modern Italian. My father worked at both restaurants at that same location. I only been to My Big Fat Greek restaurant only twice. But I used to come visit Cucina Cucina after school often, I remember moving some furniture out of the restaurant because it closed and then they opened Pubblico Italian Eatery. The restraunt took over Okra Cookhouse in the same location. We used the same furniture from cucina cucina, including chairs, tables and patio tables at Pubblico. The same crew and chefs that worked at Cucina Cucina now works at Pubblico. My dad did work at Pubblico since they opened in 2018 but he doesn't work there since he quit around 2021. I currently work at pubblico and for my 1st job, I love it. Started in 2021 and still going strong. Just recently celebrated my 2nd year at Pubblico.
super great video info and analysis from absolutely the best channel on utube you hit this one out of the park. this place will will be in a bankruptcy court very soon. I was at this mall last year when it was still under construction and I new this place had absolutely no hope or chance to survive its,a told joke of a place and you could tell they must have got a ton of tax money to throw away . you need people with money to spend and not a bunch of collage students who have no money and 140000 in student loans to pay off for a worthless degree . thank you and keep up the good work.
Gorgeous place. Nice video... great underwater shots!
Ah, I was hoping you'd cover this one. I took a class on the third floor last spring. Despite the fact that it really isn't much of a mall anymore, "The Mall" is what I refer to it as. Yes, it gets somewhat lively during lunch and dinner hours, and if you're lucky, there may be someone with a guitar or something on that wooden platform in the main court. Retail wise, I honestly have no hope for it. It's ironic that only a knick knack store would want to be there.
Just wanted to say that I enjoy your videos immensely.
It'd be great to see this during the week. I have the feeling that this is in transition, from a mall to... something else. All the retail spaces will be absorbed but all the dining will be kept. And it'll be very successful from the mgmt's view. Clearly, even at its state right now, it's pulling its weight by how clean and good condition it's in.
When I lived in Arizona years and years ago the downtown AMC theater was my go to spot for movies. It was always clean, never crowded, and offered parking validation. As stated in the video, there are plenty of good restaurants at the location to dine at before or after your movie.
Hope you do a new video on this mall again soon. I went there for a photoshoot for during Game On (still super bummed I never saw you. Was stuck at my booth most of the time so wasn't able to catch your panel.) It was so sad to see how dead this mall is now. I almost cried reading the Hooters sign posted on the window. We use to go there during Saboten Con. I hadn't been to Phoenix since 2019 so seeing the difference of that mall from then was honestly heartbreaking. Glad the little Japanese restaurant is still open, but there was hardly anything there.
I went there quite often when I lived in Phoenix. I worked for ASU in 1990 and '91, and I went to their building - I think it was across the street at another failed outdoor retail plaza, the Mercado - to help wire it up for cable. Spent some time at the Arizona Center just after it opened, and went down there fairly regularly until I left the Valley in 1995. It used to be really jumping on the weekends, especially after the sports venues opened nearby, with several busy nightclubs and lots of restaurants.
But the retail part of the mall never did well - they really needed an anchor, which I'm sure they knew they couldn't get and didn't build for - and the development should have included residential space, but nobody was building that downtown in the early 1990's. I'm not surprised it finally died - presumably the bars and restaurants have moved closer to the ballpark and arena.
It did better than The Mercado next door, though. That was a complete flop from day one. I guess ASU stepped in and saved it by buying it at the end of the '90s. Now I hear it's going to be razed entirely:
www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2019/03/07/downtown-phoenix-real-estate-project-developed-by.html
There were several of these huge outdoor two or three-level shopping plazas built in the mid-'80s thru the mid-'90s in the Valley. The Cornerstone over in Tempe is another, smaller, earlier example that was likewise never entirely successful - it also had a half-dead theater that hung on for years.
yamproperties.com/commercial-real-estate-properties/tempe/cornerstone/
You'd think cities would have learned sooner that these things didn't really work.
There are some malls in Jakarta that is mostly filled with restaurants that cater to the weekday office crowd
Spent soooo many of my HS years here (and before honestly) and frankly it felt empty-ish then (2003-2007) but it was still fun. Usually went for the vibes, AMC, and starbucks. The water area was always the coolest spot to hang out.
I worked across the street from the Arizona Center for five years, from 2008 to 2013. The reason those restaurants are still in business is because they are conveniently located for business lunches. There's a great place called 1130 that was my go-to restaurant for meeting people for lunch. I'd also get ice cream from Cold Stone and eat it on a bench in the park, which was really relaxing. I remember the mall used to have some good nightlife spots in the '90s including a popular piano bar and a Fat Tuesdays, but those are obviously long gone.
Another excellent video. Thank you.
4:00 I did a few food events at that same space with my old job. Wow.
Hotter than hell in the summer time!
Honestly, this ACM has always been a dead mall from the get go. There was a HOOTERS restaurant in the front entrance to the mall. The AMC Theatre never got full, always half empty. The original food court was really beautiful as well with a sunken level. Even though this Mall never really thrive during its hey days, I still loved coming to it, because it was clean, beautiful and quiet. Also on the first level near an elevator is where they had musicians and bands would perform. I thing this Mall never had was those GNC store or arcades. Yes the 2nd level had a nightclub back then. I believe this Mall really catered to the young professional that worked in downtown Phoenix. Again, this Mall never really got busy, everyone was at the ARIZONA MILL in Tempe. Thanks for this upload. Happy Holidays.
Great water features and I always enjoy seeing the underwater camera shots :)
When they were first selling Diamondbacks season tickets when they were first formed, you had to go to the AZ Center to the team shop to select your tickets. It was a popular place back then.
Very cool looking open mall, does remind me of Horton Plaza, which thanks to you i did visit!
I can’t imagine how awful it must be going to college on the third floor of a mall.
Dale Jennings go visit the asu campus. Those kids might prefer it. The school is so big and has grown so much it is across the phx valley.
Think I would prefer it
I used to perform at a nearby theater. On some weekends we basically had run of the place between shows. I did not have as good an experience with that Bosa's coffee as you did lol.
I think this mall is probably busiest during the local comic/anime conventions that take part in the area. Saboten Con is hosted in the Sheraton across the street, and Phoenix Fan Fusion is at the convention center a couple blocks south. Those are the only times I've ever been to the Arizona Center Mall.
I remember that there used to be a nice water feature in the center plaza.
6:16 that was an awesome shot! Love your vids :)
Went there with coworkers for training a couple of weeks ago. The Bosa Donuts was great, especially their breakfast sandwiches. I'm sure the hotel will add to the restaurant crowd. In the morning, you can't sit until about 7:00 am because they have to unlock all the chairs to prevent their theft. They pay some guy to lock / unlock chairs for at least two hours a day...
I remember visiting Phoenix for Diamondbacks baseball at the nearby BOB ... I remember there used to be a NASCAR store in that mall.
They used to have a dualing piano bar. It was a fun place.
In the early 2000s, I would come read by the water features about one weekend a month. I think the restaurant right by the water is still the same - Canyon Cafe. I should get back into that reading habit over there. It still looks lovely!
Check out Fiesta Mall in Mesa, AZ aswell, thats a mall i grew up going to, I can remember when Holiday Santa's would be hired for the mall, now its abandoned and empty.
Thanks for the tour.
This mall makes me sad, there is a restaurant that was in there called Sam's café. I have many fond memories here as a kid but my family stopped going as I got older. I rediscovered it last year but after going a few times they shut their doors due to covid strain and ASU is taking over downtown. They had amazing Southwest style food and the chips and salsa were so bomb, and after the meal they gave you a white chocolate tamale thing. RIP Sam's café
Would love to see more SoCal malls! Awesome channel!
Fat Tuesday’s used to be in the corridor heading west. That’s where my now ex-wife and I met up for the first time in 2000. There was also a piano or dueling piano bar down the way. I can’t remember exactly. You’d also see those spray paint artists creating space art on canvases.
this really is a beautiful space - thats the great thing about your climate - you can have open air malls - up here in Canada there would be about 6 months of the year where they would be dead because of the cold.....I'd love to visit this place.....
I lived out in PV when this opened, it felt like Logan's Run, all futuristic...
I've lived in Phoenix all my life, I didn't even know about this place until like a month ago. Just shows how bad it's gotten in terms of being dead
I am here for a conference. I was initially thinking that the mall was left vacant due to a post COVID shutdown/reopening. A comment from two months ago mentioned that Hooters was still here; however, I can tell you that it is not. I am surprised by the lack of shopping and restaurants in the area due to the sporting venue, conference center, and ASU campus. The mall's building and fountain areas are still beautiful.
i used to work right next door to the AZ Center in the late 90s...back then we would occasionally use the food court for lunch. i remember it being pretty light on retail stores always and rarely very crowded -- outside of lunchtime. these days i believe the only store that does consistent business is the first-floor Starbucks, if that is even still there.
The only reason anyone goes to downtown Phoenix is if they have to go to court lets be real.
I lived in Phoenix for 2 years. I only went to downtown Phoenix, on purpose, once - to go to the Social Security office to get a replacement SS card. For food and entertainment (or anything else really), I went to Tempe, Gilbert, Scottsdale, or the more suburban areas of Phoenix.
@@jasonmeadows8510 Same here I only went downtown a few times and it was all business with the state or courts, everybody knows the hotspot is Tempe specifically Mill Avenue due to the proximity to ASU.
Nice Joke but ASU downtown right near the Az Center. They use to be a couple clothing stores but now it looks more dead. I use to wake thru on my way to class back in 2014.
Speedy I go to the library and to my LGBt youth group and that’s about it. Oh and maybe a teen night at the science center!
I went to ASU downtown but I do love to go to downtown just for the Cornish Pasty Co! I love that location best
man u gotta come to wonderland of the americas mall here in San Antonio,TX. super dead, honestly quite large, and stuck in the 80s. also i love the food court. honestly pretty good food. one of my favorite places to go relax.
It was like a supernova, it was the place to be for a while then flamed out quickly.
I like that little Park area with all the water features too. Real nice chill zone. Maybe the new Hotel will breath some Life into the Center... I agree the Downtown area is improving, it is nice down there. I am down there for four days at Phx. ComiCon every year. I get there by LRT ( Light Rail ) it is convenient.
Sad its so dead. Gorgeous " Mall". But strange there are no stores really. The beautiful outside area with those awesome fountains and ponds would be a nice place for a wedding reception or similar. Could have it catered by one of the restaurants in the mall. Good video, thanks for sharing!
Prom queen from our High School was working at Hooters, she took all of our orders. She was still beautiful, awesome, and kind. Hope she is doing well. She was tipped awesomely.
The Arizona Center was part of the revitalization of Downtown Phoenix. Back in the late eighties early nineties, which didn't go over very well. Due to the poor reputation of downtown Phoenix, but local politicians were begging people to go downtown. People would go do their thing and leave, that didn't change until recently. With a lot of the residences that were put up in the last decade or so.
I remember going the AZ Center every now and then. The space you showed near the end of the video, I remember a fancy Italian restaurant there at one time.
That mall is so gorgeous, too bad its dead :( I wish there was a place like that where I live.
I used to live in chandler in 2012-2013 and worked at the Chipotle at the mall on Chandler Blvd. that mall over there was nice, in my opinion. Wish I would have known about the AZ Center cause I would have gone over there to check it out before the renovation.