Where Do Shopping Malls Go When They Die?

Back in the 90's, we had Mallrats

This is an interesting topic, albeit a morbid one.  Shopping malls are an American institution, like Baseball or Five Dollar Footlongs.

The question of what you can do with the physical space once a mall closes is suddenly apropos, as the retail picture grows more grim with each passing day.  Ever since the first modern, indoor shopping mall was built in Minnesota by architect Victor Gruen, they’ve been churning out these monstrosities like there was no tomorrow.  Well tomorrow has arrived and the malls are as empty as Ashley Simpson‘s head.

The New York Times consulted 5 experts on shopping malls, including one guy named Peter Blackbird who runs a site called deadmalls.com (yes, apparently there is now a website for everything).  The suggestions range from the absurd (spaces for nonprofit arts groups) to the practical (community colleges).

Anyway, worth checking out if this sort of economy-meets-anthropology thing is your cup of tea.

Full Story:  101 Uses for a Deserted Mall (NYT)