Take a Look Inside Syracuse’s Abandoned Great Northern Mall
***DISCLAIMER: The Great Northern Mall was still open an able to be walked through at the time this video was shot, but it's unknown if that's still the case. Under no circumstances should you enter an abandoned property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property.***
It's been less than a month since the Great Northern Mall just outside of Syracuse said goodbye to its last tenants, but already the mall has the look and feel of an eerie ghost town.
What is it about abandoned malls that people find so interesting? Maybe it's a reminder of a different era of American consumerism, one we're not far removed from, but many of us are still getting used to. The fact is, the rise of online shopping in the last 10 years has changed the way the average person shops. Many retail chains that existed 10 years ago no longer do, and the ones still around have had to make drastic changes to their business models in order to stay afloat.
The reason an abandoned mall seems to unusual is because these structures were meant to host large numbers of shoppers, and that's how many of us remember them: crowded and full of humanity. When they're empty, it just looks weird and sad. Like an in-ground pool with no water.
PLANS FOR A "LIFESTYLE CENTER"
As of now, the plan is still to transform the Great Northern Mall into a "lifestyle center." Real estate developer Hart-Lyman Co. purchased the mall from previous owner Kohan Retail Investment Group and intends to follow through with those plans.
It would be nice to see the Great Northern Mall occupied again, but before that happens, we're able to take a virtual walk through its empty halls, courtesy of The Abandoned Place Man on YouTube.
Check out the gallery below for a look at what the Great Northern Mall looks like now: