Eastfield Mall: The Final Days of a Truly Dead Mall! July 2023. Springfield, Massachusetts.
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- Опубликовано: 4 июл 2023
- Join me as I take a look at the Galleria at White Plains, a truly dead mall in White Plains, New York.
That's right, the Eastfield Mall in Springfield, Massachusetts is officially dead. The mall is scheduled to close on July 15, 2023 and eventually be demolished, so I decided to come and document its final days.
If you liked this video, please give me a thumbs up, leave a comment and subscribe to my channel! Thanks!
Source of information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastfie...
#deadmall #deadmalls #mall #massachusetts #springfield #shoppingmall #shoppingmalls #retail
Lived in the apartments behind this mall from around mid eighties to early nineties. Spent much of my teen years hanging out there. Lots of memories. Sad to see it go.
Did the demographics change ?
@@jhonsiders6077 Not sure. Left Springfield in 96. Like a lot of malls it was probably struggling to compete with online and big box stores. Plus when COVID lock downs came it was probably the death blow.
@@budstickya chick fla is going there which is grat
@@jhonsiders6077 No they did not change I live in the same apartments right now Been living here since 2008
@@budsticky Hey old Neighbor I live in the same apartments right now I hope you're doing good in Springfield
This mall was a blast in the early 80's. The Dream Machine arcade was always rocking. There was a pizza shop right down the hall from it too. Then that big wooden ramp structure that went over the fountains. I also remember a myna bird in a big wooden cage that always said "hello". So many cool things to hit up in there. Orange Julius, Spencers gifts, Kay Bee Toys, little shops to get an iron-on shirt made, Record Town, Friendly's ice cream, etc. etc. So many good memories running around in there. Who remembers the Candy Caboose across the street by the Toy's R Us?
That is the Eastfield mall that I remember. It's the first time I had ever seen a myna bird! The Dream Machine soaked up a lot of my paper route money.
It’s so sad what this mall has unfortunately become. Thank you for documenting this mall. Great work.
EbLens was hiring as the store was closing
Thanks for memorializing this mall for us locals! Great memories when the mall was at its peak in the 80s… so sad…. 😢
Thanks again!
Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!
8:10- the store entrance you liked the design of used to be a hot topic, that is the original design of their store front from year's ago. It was fun watching you walk my old route from parking at that entrance by the hot topic and going to work at PacSun (the yellow store front on the right side ) around 9:19. I worked there back in 2004!! This was a flashback!
This has to be one of my favorite mall explorations.. No music, just raw audio of a mall in the end. Thank you sir!
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Here I am 51 years old and I have been going to Eastfield Mall since I was 15. I'm so heartbroken because I'm remembering all the great stores and the great fun I had with friends and family. I had also worked at Sears and Macy's, What a great Mall it was 🥰🥰😔😔😔
I managed an art supply store at Eastfield in the late 80s. It was booming. The food court (and every other store) was occupied and I remember how busy it was at Christmas. Mobs of people. A lot of the employees at the different stores knew eat other and we'd visit back and forth. Fond memories, for sure. BUT, around that time Springfield was in the top ten small cities in the country to live (as far as schools, employment, low crime, etc) Downtown was a hive of activity. Now, it's in the top 100 most violent cities - downtown is empty - schools are a disaster and the rest is a dump.
I remember going to this mall in 2011 a lot of people were there
That's what I hear from people all across the U.S. The city just swallows up the malls.
Koenig's!
I just moved to Hampden on November 10th of last year and that’s why my dad doesn’t want me going to Springfield. But he wants me to go to the tech college. Which I’m nervous abt because of Springfield’s bad crime rate.
@@corazonthewolfgamer18 Springfield Tech is fenced in. You don't ever have to go into the downtown if you don't want to, though downtown is safe during the day.
I love how they weren't afraid to use a bit of color in that mall. I think this is my favorite flooring out of the malls I've seen. What a shame it no longer exists. Thanks for keeping it alive through your video.
I grew up at my grams off of Boston Rd and lived in the apartments behind the mall when i was born..i have so many memories going as far back as Easter pictures when i was young, going to the movies, meeting my first date ever at the movies and being dropped off and picked up, walking the mall w my friends when we were like twelve and going to American Eagle, Bath and Body Works, Macys etc... to having drinks at Donovans and more recently taking my own kids for a picture with Santa and piercing my daughters ears...my last time there was such a cute experience when we went into this shop that had all sorts of nick nacks and antiques etc next to the pretzel place and my 4 year old son passed toy after toy instead picking an old coca cola radio...he had to have it..cute memory of mine now.. its a eerie realization to walk around in the void but still have vibrant memories w every step..Im glad i grew up in mall era..my only hope is that it doesnt end up a decaying building taking up space and looking spooky
My mom and I did our final walk through this afternoon. So many happy memories 😫
The huge entrance structures are hideous
Eastfield Mall was built in the late 1967, and opened in 1968. I used to eat at the Chinese Restaurant in the food court whenever I go to Eastfield Mall, sad to see this mall being closed and demolished, It keeps the retro architecture original from 1968, Eastfield Mall 55 years of good memories for many people, May be this weekend I will do my last visit to Eastfield Mall too. excelent video thanks for sharing.
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Thank you, Fleabitten Adventures I have been visiting this Mall since I moved to Springfield MA in 1993, I,m gonna miss visiting Eastfield Mall, Especially the chinese restaurant in the Food Court,
@@RubenLopez-ke3jw What was the name of the Chinese place because they've had the same one here Since I've been here in 2008
@@poppadnice52 The name was YUM YUM CHINESE RESTAURANT,
The only part of the basement I’ve been in is the part connected to Sears, the Sears basement use to be where the bathrooms were and there was an eye doctor down there? I remember it was super creepy lol but I had no idea it actually jutted into the parking lot. Man I would love to explore down there.
Photos too. I had all my pictures in the 80s there
So many malls like this now. I grew up in the 80's and 90's we had a blast at the arcade and getting food. Christmas time you know where we are going. 1st dates, meeting your 1st love. All the businesses gone and all the people they employed. In high school we all had jobs at the mall and the theater was attatched. My wife and I used to frequent the mall in our teenage years. Now, 22 years later.... We wish we had those days back. We're still going strong and we love our kids and life but lets face it those were the days.
I don't think we realized how great it was back then. It was just normal to us. Seeing Springfield now is tragic.
For the last day it would be nice if you interviewed the employee that worked there the longest. He lives in Agawam and I don't think he'd mind reminiscing.I saw him being interviewed on Western Mass news. Nice guy. He's the only employee that had a retirement party.
Interesting. I'll look into it. Thanks for watching.
I lived right there in Springfield, used to get all my tools and appliances at Sears there.
The mall had a good run, but hopefully the redevelopment will bring new life to the area. Chicopee had a mall that was demolished then rebuilt. Best decision they made.
So true, I remember Fairfield Mall closing. But the many new thriving stores that opportunity brought was heaven sent because that area was also dead and now its thriving for sure
Yeah, but it's all big box stores. The food court in the mall used to be a place where the old folks used to go to play cards, drink coffees and socialize. chain store strip malls can't compare.
Sad thing is is that this mall is closing down and going to be torn down, yet it's busier and has more businesses and people walking around and shopping in it than the two malls closest to me that I grew up going to. Both Fort Henry Mall in Kingsport, TN and Middlesboro Mall in Middlesboro, KY are more dead than this mall and yet they're somehow still holding on and staying open. I always hate to hear any mall is closing down and going to be torn down because as a kid of the 1980s I know how important, fun and filled up these great malls used to be so I hate it for the people that grew up around there. Kids today don't know what they're missing. A screen will never take the place of being with your friends hanging out in the mall like a bunch of mall rats.
this mall is dead I live nearby, only reason there people there now is because they want to see it before its torn down
The numbers spike near the end because of doom tourism.
A single tear escapes your eye as you remember the nostalgia.
I grew up shopping here with my parents there used to be so so many people so many stores and colors just so much.
But now it's nothing, a quiet wasteland of what it used to be.
Goodbye eastfield mall I loved you and I miss you.
It really is a dead mall in a shattered world.
Edit: Donovan's Irish pub is truly an amazing place. I wish I got the chance to go to that one more
Had my last walkthrough Monday, real sad it’s closing. 😢
Thanks for watching
@@fleabittenadventures Your welcome! I enjoyed it!
I loved this place! It is the mall of my childhood! RIP east field mall, thousands of people will miss you.
I enjoyed watching your videos. Hoping more videos to be uploaded in the coming days.
Thanks. Glad you like them. I have plenty more videos coming up.
So many memories in this mall . Did my final walkthrough last week .
The Old 99 was a food pantry for Veterans. So sad. They had a great walking club and I saw alot of Tyler Perry movies here. The last movie I saw was "Little Women." And The Mocha Emporium had great coffee.
Thanks for that info.
I visited this mall once in September 21’ i was on vacation and seen some RUclipsrs video so i had to make it to see it glad i did this video brought back good memories of my vacation that year
Beautiful mall. What a shame.
Thank you so much for documenting this for all of us. I spent much of my childhood going to the mall on weekends and have many amazing memories...Orange Julius, photo booths when my ex-wife and I took pictures, many fountains with a soothing sound..I am wondering if there is any footage of the Springdale mall which was across the street...Lechmere, where I bought the first Tomb Raider, Papa Gino's for pizza and the jukebox, Strawberries where you could always get a copy of the latest hits....
Weird that people don't go to the mall anymore, so many memories in this place
All of these malls closing is depressing. 😢
I grew up in 16 acres. Spent my childhood going to that mall. My dad would take me clothes shopping at JCPenny and Sears. Later id go to the movies there and I even worked at the arcade by the food court when I was studying at STCC. I hope whatever comes after will bring joy to the people of Springfield.
Teary eyed while watching your video. Imagine the mall employees losing their job.😢😢😢
Very true. I think at least some have moved to new locations though.
neat video of a cool mall with some nice retro touches. in all these empty hallways and shuttered storefronts, i can easily imagine all the people who have gone there through the decades whether on dates, just doing some shopping and hanging out, or working, or maybe catching a movie (i loved how quaint the theaters were in this video). i know malls and consumerism have their fair share of detractors but at least malls were communal spaces where you could be around real live people in a (depending on the time of year) mostly relaxed setting.
It’s sad that lots of malls are losing businesses and closing . Cause people shop online instead. Malls are great places to hang out too.
I also feel like those gondola style walkway coverings for the 'ol JC Penney came from the 60's/70's too since they're still standing today even if they are rusted out and look like they've seen better days. Just the fact they haven't fallen down yet attests to their build quality. If they were put up recently they'd be a pile of rubble by now (completely fallen down) due to cheap materials and just trying to get things done fast (you'd hear that thing wobbling, if it were still standing, if a strong wind were to blow [once again if they were put up in recent years]).
I agree. However I would bet that their internal structure is almost completely rusted out.
Danke! I like your mall Videos.
Thank you very much! I appreciate it!
💔💔💔💔 I never knew a building can make me cry so hard all my memories the hang outs as a teen. Change is never easy it hurts so much to see this place go. I will always be greatful for all the good times I had here with my friends my parents . I’m glad I took my son here and showed him where his mom spent her weekends If not roller skating. An era coming to an end💔 also hot topic used to be the place where you said you weren’t sure what it was but you liked the entrance. It was poppin back then lol . Thank you for this
Hello from western Canada! I just subscribed. I love your videos, your voice, your courtesy and your love of pop culture stuff. Having said that, you do drive me slightly nuts when you stroll past the records, tapes and CDs. I get it, you’re into other stuff but I do flinch and recoil when I see records that you don’t care about.
Sincere best wishes to you and your Mom! Keep it up.
The JC Penny was Forbes and Wallace when the Mal opened. Forbes and Wallace and Steigers were Springfield's 2 high end department stores,,like Hartford's G Fox and Sage Allen.
This must've been shot before this past Sunday. I can tell because I took that basketball down that was stuck on the net on the arcade game. Haha. This was my favorite mall as a kid and took my son for one last walk through.
Yes. It was filmed on 2 days, one before and 1 after Sunday.
It saddens me. Here in the Philippines the malls are very much alive. Malls like SM, Ayala and Robinsons are very much alive. They only closed during the COVID 19 PANDEMIC. If you have some time, you can visit our malls here in Manila, Philippines and compare it to the malls in the USA.
If I'm ever in the Philippines, I will try to do so. However I doubt I'll be over there anytime soon.
So sad. Loved this mall in the 90s… it felt special.
Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the "film!" Sad to see it demolished!
The massage chairs in front of Rainbow are a clutch tbh 😂
Most of my childhood memories are from this mall. And it was one of the most easy walking malls of all time because it was all one floor. The saddest thing was taking my mom back there because she remembered when the mall opened for the first time, and when we saw how empty it was it was just heartbreaking for us. Before Sears closed I remember telling my mom that I was going to go back there and get one of those like fake plastic unicorn horns they used to have up on the top shelves and I never went back and got one I really regret that now that I'm in my '30s
My first "real" job was at the movie theaters when it opened as a concession stand worker 40:40. I used to love walking through Sears as a kid (main the tools and tech sections). I remember going to Sears, Filenes & Steigers (and across the street was Lechmere's) lots with my dad. Would go there to play in the arcade and food court. My mom used to work at the New England candle. Lots of memories as a kid walking/running through these hallways. I also helped out at a cyber shared pc store at the inside entrance to the theater at 10:40 to the left. It was a very 80's/90's mall that has just been passed on by people because of the Holyoke or Buckland hills malls. Also, just not as accessible with no major highway close by.
I remember the carousel they had in the middle of the food court when they first opened it in the late 90's. Back then, mall carousels in food courts were the trendy thing to do as other malls did similar. Sadly, it was gone after a few years and seats were added.
So sad to see the mall go. I grew up in Sixteen Acres in Springfield not far from the mall. This was our mall. Going to the Holyoke mall was a rare event. My sister and her friends would bring me there when she was babysitting me. So many memories. It was great to spend time with you, we'll miss you Eastfield Mall.
Since I live in Easthampton, MA which is in Hampshire County just 20 minutes north of Springfield I decided to take a trip to the Eastfield Mall for one last time Tuesday morning. I'm definitely going to miss this mall. Good thing is I don't live far from the Holyoke Mall and the Hampshire Mall which are both thriving. I also visit Thornes Marketplace whenever I go into Downtown Northampton which is my neighboring city. Thornes Market is still thriving it has great shops and restaurants!!!
Hampshire mall was dying last time I went.
@@alextacohead1352a lot of people go to the Holyoke mall
Hampshire Mall going up for auction on June 21st 2024, on or about.@@alextacohead1352
I loved too shopping at Sears. Bought one of hose King -of-the-Highway rollaways with a 200 pc. socket set that I still have today.
I think that mall would have still been open if the employees from the movie theater on closing day didn't destroy the movie screens if you look it up in the news the Springfield courthouse was looking to relocate in the old movie theater for a little bit but because of the movie screens they weren't able to move in look it up in the local news which is Western Mass news or 22 News I think if the courthouse would have moved in it would have made a big impact in the mall I'm sad to see it go😢😢😢😢 thank you for doing your videos I try to watch him as much as I can they're very entertaining again thank you for taking your time to do your videos
Something of the sort happened near me when a supermarket closed several years ago. On its last day some disgruntled employees dumped bags of Quikcrete down the toilets and drains, which necessitated expensive repairs when the property was later renovated for another use.
There was a Kids "R" Us down and across the street a few block from the mall, but that closed years ago.
They must have moved that ride from there I guess. I wonder where they will move ot next.
My guess as to the store with the bare red ceiling and dark colors would be Hottopic, that color scheme/theme is typical for them
I was bummed out July 15. Also, Friendly's in Palmer, MA, recently closed, suddenly and permanently, an era gone by.
Feels like the right era for the basement to have been a fallout shelter but that’s just my speculation.
That crossed my mind as well. There's probably some really cool stuff down there.
I grew up going to this mall. My Gram was the manager at McCoy's department store. The store by the food court was an arcade years ago, followed by a Hot Topic. There was a Kids R'Us. The neon was so nifty when I was a kid.
The bump in the floor has been there for about 20 years. I have absolutely tripped on it
McCrorys you mean.
The now tiled court was in front of what used to be Steiger’s had a sunken fountain. No idea when that disappeared.
Yes, and the mall continued past to Forbes & Wallace at one end and Sears at the other.
80's baby raised in Indian Orchard, we would walk to the mall every day! Food court hangouts and the Arcade was always fun! Babbages then Game Stop and then theatre hangout after. Man those were the days
Who else remembers that Flaming pit ?? The food court was the old Movie theater at one point in time !! The old Movie theater is a / Was remote courtrooms !! No kids R Us EVER !! No. JC Penny Was Forbes and Wallace !! Stigers was where Macy's was !! The sears wss the only original tenant left at the mall at the time !!
Enfield looks worse to me !!
I think there used to be a McCrory's where Old Navy is/was. I just remembered Friendly's was in there as well.
@@christamarie1983 McCrory's had a little food counter by the entrance and I remember they had chili dogs.
@@paulsportal1720 Actually, I thought that was a Woolworth's.
I don't have many fond memories of the mall, but it was still a staple part of growing up for me. Whether it was shopping with mom and dad, going to the rave movie theater, or just wandering around, I'm going to really miss it... Goodbye Mall.
I remember being here as a kid. My Dad was stationed at Westover AFB, and we enjoyed Patronizing businesses business in the area. Sad to see it go.
I like the red brick look in malls. Maybe not for every inch of floor, but the planters being made out of brick is a nice, cozy touch.
That storefront you liked was a Hot Topic originally. Not sure what moved in after they left though.
Sad to see this mall, going there for Covid vaccines, Halloween shopping and pictures with Santa long time ago. Some stores are active but most of the time the metal barrier would be the main thing closed for most stores. Used to be a good mall
Will be missed when it's gone... shopping on a phone..or computer can't compare to the social interaction one could experience at a mall especially at Christmas time.. just a total loss to this area..the new development won't be the same.... outdoor malls really aren't fun especially in the winter months..
I agree. Outdoor malls are not any fun. The inside mall experience is totally different.
Can’t believe the mall is closed this was my childhood
grew up in this mall. sad to see it go.
It lives on in memory!
Great video, thanks for sharing. I'm curious what you are using to record the video. The quality is great and it looks discreet. Our local mall is on the way out as well, and I would love to get some video before that happens since I spent so much of the early 90's there. Don't want Paul Blart yelling at me for recording 😂
I'm using a Gopro 8 with snap mount chest mount. It's small enough that most people don't even know it's a camera. I can also cover it with my hand to hide it. Thanks for watching.
Sears Roebuck was there before the mall was built; the entry is different because it connected Sears to the mall (it may have originally been a breezeway). One of the original anchor stores there was Forbes and Wallace, an upscale competitor of Steiger's. Those three stores were the original anchors of the mall. The movie theaters were not original to the mall. I passed by there within the last couple of months; the demolition of the mall was near completion and the Sears store and auto center were still standing.
nice
That mall used to be my home, for so long it was my biggest haunt
hi i grew up right right up the street from the eastfield mall i will miss eastfield mall when it closes my mom father worked on eastfield mall when it was first being built back in the 1960's & the former jcpenny was never a steigers it was first a forbes & wallace & then jcpenny & then jcpenny outlet & steigers was in the middle of the mall then was filenes & then macys & a flea market for alittle while & the last anchor was sears to the right of the mall & of course the former sears auto center was on the mall property
Good old Eastfield Mall. Also the Fairfield Mall in Chicopee Ma where fun malls
Who remembers Springdale mall across the street with Child world, Lechmare,Bradlees,Strawberries music and papa Gino's and the little pet store with the monkey in the cage out front? Dam im that old lol
You mention the JC Penney used to be the Steiger's department store, but the Penney's space was actually was built as the former Forbes & Wallace, which was my Mom's absolute favorite department store from when she was a kid in the late 1940s until it closed in the mid1970s. She always talked about Forbes & Wallace for several decades after the chain closed and I wish I was old enough to remember it before the chain closed. Once F&W closed she focused her shopping on Steiger's the right of the old F&W and then kept shopping there for years after Filene's and then Macy's took over (although she would always complain about the lack of sales associates once Filene's took over and then sold to Macy's.... our last visit to Macy's was when I took my parents for their first round of Covid vaccinations in 2021, and what an experience to be in there for that reason...). I loved this mall and I can remember back-to-school shopping in here during the late 1970s into the mid 1980s before the Holyoke Mall was opened and took over most of the regional retail/mall business... before the Holyoke Mall took over, Eastfield was absolutely mobbed on Saturdays with entire families doing their shopping for school and then we would go for lunch or dinner either at one of the many sit-down restaurants through the years in the mall or across the street to the original Uno's in the area. So many memories with both my family and my friends in the stores, food court and movie theaters since I grew up in East Forest Park and this was the closest mall to us. By the mid-2000s I would just come here for last-minute Christmas shopping at Gift-ology because I knew I could find a parking space and then get in and out without fighting any crowds. Always loved the Greek restaurant in the food court and I look forward to it reopening in downtown Springfield. My only regret is I didn't go for one last stroll in July of 2023 before it closed for good, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it...
it was a really nice place to go...
Hard to believe that it is all gone.
Sad 😞 looks like a nice mall…. Del amo mall in Torrance, Ca. And Carson mall in Carson Ca are alive and thriving ! So far!
I remember going to the movies at the east field mall in the early 2010s
Basically grew up here; makes me sad that it’s going to be demolished
5:30 kinda reminds me of a small train station with that roof and the skylights
Used to go here as a kid when all the anchor stores were still open
I remember this mall from the late 70. Everything was so fun and vibrant. The economy is hard on most people and there's little need for consumerism like this. Our Country will probably never experience life like this again. The middle class lifestyle is shrinking.
What camera setup are you using? The quality is great
Thanks. Go Pro Hero 8. It's great, except in low light.
Even though I’ve been a big fan of malls, didn’t particularly care to be in them, it’s still sad to see so many close. I’m also a central MA. resident.
i got vaxxinated here! roommate bought a knife there, too. miss you, eastfield.
When the mall first opened in the sixties I was 14 and it was the first of its kind in our area. Lots of good memories So sad to see it go.😂😶
The store where you liked the round doorway around the food court used to be Hot Topic.
Crazy, i live in Enfield CT n this was the mall i went to for shoes since ours sucked. Sucks to see its downfall
I'm sad to say that this Mall has been demolished now.
I had so many childhood memories there . We would all go after school . I mean . It's everywhere these kids now don't even have places to go . Big business would rather demo and rebuild than invest in mall.
The Mall shocked I can’t wait to watch the Hoyoke Mall go down at one we built on top of a dump a real landfill
me and my friends would go to this mall a lot because it was very close to our houses and we wouldn't be able to go too far , we did have a lot of memories in the small arcade thing they had
It is now totally demolished, a huge sandpit with only the Sears building and Sears Automotive left standing. Bradlee's, Caldors, Lechmere's all occupied the Boston Road corridor. A black day in retail.
This mall died because it didn't keep up with Holyoke Mall and even Buckland Hills in Manchester, CT. Eastfield looks pretty much like it did when I was a kid in the 70s. This was the mall to go to when you didn't want to deal with the parking and crowds at Holyoke Mall.
I love the dead mall series great video I think instead of demolishing the mall they should re- purpose the mall into low income housing/ shelter for the homeless. I thought it was funny when you open the drop off for the keys and I saw a McDonald’s package.
the former sears basement was a photo center at once & there were creepy restrooms down there not sure what else used to be in the basement of sears
My mom used to work in the collections department downstairs (early 1990's). HR Block was down there during tax season. Also, their basement where they kept extra product was quite large. I used to do inventories and I would sometimes be assigned to that area.
My wife and I would come here on every other Fridays nights to shop and watch movies. And would eat dinner across the street at the fruity gooty buffet which is called royal palace now next to chcucky cheese. This lot is turning into apartments and stores soon
one place I didn't see mentioned...what happened to Donovan's Tavern that was in the back end on the JC Penny side?
Mostly I guess to security reasons? Sadly malls are getting unsafe security can’t do a thing to stop a problem .