Every few years I come back to check this video. My dad was a maintenance worker at Crestwood from 1992 to 2003. My sister and I would hang out with him while he was at work and his friend owned the Auntie Anne's that was located near the Dillards end. My dad passed away in 2011 and this video takes me back to a time when I was a Mall Rat and get to spend some time with my dad.
Man, this hurts my soul. When I was a child, I wanted to go to this mall every year for my birthday. I remember back then the place was always busy. They had two toy stores, a pet shop, two electronics stores, an a massive arcade in the basement level with the food court.
I worked here in 1993/94 at a huge arcade in the lower food court that had previously been a movie theater... it was called Exhilirama. Really an amazing arcade operated by Edison Brothers. It was a huge space with laser tag arena, bumper cars, virtual reality machines, pins games etc. I also worked up on the main level at Gloria Jeans Coffee, nice place to get real coffee before star bucks was every were. Shout out to Angie (RIP), Liz and the rest of the girls... good times!
I was the lead floor manager at Exhilarama in the early 1990’s! Met my wife there! We’re still married! As a matter of fact, I was even there upstairs in the VR/laser tag arena that was in operation before Exhilarama opened up downstairs! I used to hang out with Tom M, Andreas, Kevin O’Connor, Eric Eberhart, etc. What good times!
@@2.7petabytes We would have been there at the same time, I ran the laser tag arena most of the time and was on the early crew that got trained by qsar out of Dublin before we opened. Who are you 700 meg? I knew Kevin and the whole crew... remember the drama when he was let go... that was Kevin right as the GM?
Lincoln Whisler my wife was one of the front desk cashiers! Upper management found out about our relationship and she had to quit. We were just dating at the time. But we’re still together all these years later!
Malls have always held a special place in my heart. It's so sad to see this mall closed and demolished. This was one great walking tour you did of the mall.
Thank you for posting this video. Great mall and so many great memories growing up with this mall to go to. This video Really helps bring back the memories of toys from Kay Bee Toys Store, Pass Pets, the Skateboard shop and believe the video game store was across from it, Exhilarama, Radio Shack, and so many more great stores parents took me too and all the people that used to be in this mall shopping.
@@DieselDucy I sure did. At least this was done by you. Thanks again. Surely wish there was a full entire walkthrough on back around 1996 when the best stores where all around too but who would have imagine we would lost this iconic memory building. Why they tore the structure down and did not just reuse it with a grocery store like they have now and maybe a gym and other things is sad. The exact mall building, and mall could have been saved yet they tore it down. :(
Thank you for making this video! The last time I was at crestwood mall was when I was 5-6 so I remember it very vaguely but this helped jog my memory a bit.
Awesome mall! So bright and clean. And i just LOVE those 60's tiny OTIS escalators, and the 80's elevator with accoustic bell is really nice also. The Skylights are very cool. I hope the elevating equipment will stay original and that this mall will be in business again soon
As you can see there is about 3 Otis Escalator that the mall had the 80's where the food court ,the 70's where the cinema is and in the middle of sears is the 60's
I'm really glad you made this video while Crestwood was still open. I've seen several videos, but this is by far the best account of it. I'm almost 22 now, but I can still remember my mom taking me on the bus to Crestwood Plaza when I was about three years old; it was like a wonderland to me in those days. I have so many memories there. Every once in a while, I come back to this video and rewatch it for nostalgia. Thanks for making it!
My parents taking me here was one of my earliest memories and I spent many years in the arcade downstairs in the 90s when I was a bit older and knew the layout of this mall like the back of my hand up until 2006. Had a lot of fun memories hanging out with friends, goofing off, gaming, and being a goofball teen. Seeing this place close was hard, seeing it gone as it is now just seems.....wrong in some way. It truly went downhill fast after the early 00s sadly. I will always think fondly of the times I had their with my friends. This place becoming what it did was the start of the end of an era.
I have so many childhood memories of this mall. We would go Christmas shopping there every year. It's where I got my ears pierced and saw The Lion King. RIP Crestwood Plaza.
Same here! This was the best mall in the area in terms of the "scene" in the late 80's, early 90s when I was a teen. Had a kickass arcade which was Exhilarama at the time, a great food court, and a ton of pretty young girls both hanging out and working in the mall. It's really sad to see this place go. I walked in there yesterday to avoid the ridiculous heat outside and there is literally nothing left but the Lens Crafters, post office, and tiny kids area near the old Dillard's. Very sad!
FFKDTP1 many good memories there!! I was a floor manager at Exhilarama. Got to use the VR units sometimes all through the night after we were closed! Met my wife there!!
I know its been years, but I want to thank you so much for making this video. It means a lot to me to able to see the places I used to go to all the time with my grandparents (who are now no longer with me). I used to go to the Garden Room restaurant in the Dillards, sneak pretzels in my gmas purse into the movies.. I remember the Disney store that used to be there, and the Bread Co by the Sears.. Crestwood will always have a very special place in my heart.
Been to this mall a lot growing up. Haven't been there since I was a teen, so that was about 15 or so years ago. Felt a bit sad when I heard it was closing. Went by there a couple months ago and you couldn't even get into the parking lot, had up these barriers (course you probably knew that). Watching this video brought back some memories. Makes me miss home.
5:58 is when I finally recognized it. its been more than half my life since I was at the mall. But once I saw the Pasta House sign, memories came back. Thank you for this and Merry Christmas!
I went to this mall when I was really young in the 70’s, when it was a strip-mall. I worked at Sears in the late 80’s early 90’s and the part that you said was definitely built in the 60’s was actually the bridge that connected the two parts of the mall. It was literally just be a bridge with no storefronts until they expanded the mall again by bumping out both sides of the the bridge, adding all those shops from the Sears entry to the management office you mentioned. The bridge was already there but that part was expanded in the 90’s. It was in fact 1990 or 1991. The food court was expanded/renovated at this same time. You could always tell where the old strip mall was by looking at the threshold as you entered the stores because there was a slight ramp up where they had to warp the floor to marry the old and new. I spent a lot of my life in that mall and it’s a shame what happened to it. It out performed every mall in the area until the owner of Westfield properties bought it and intentionally crushed it in order to kill a lawsuit that the mall owners had against his company. He purchased the mall out of spite and ran it into the ground on purpose.
@@DieselDucy Galleria at White Plains I’ve been to since 2019 but I kinda had feelings after a while that it wasn’t gonna be built to last too much longer, compared to other related malls I’ve been to that have been amazing.
I watched this video early 2013 or late 2012, had no clue you filmed it DieselDucy!! Subscribed to you late last year, your videos have turned me into a full blown elevator fan!!
Parts of it were open air all the way up to the early 80’s! I was a manager at Exhilarama in the early 90’s. Spent many a night playing VR after hours.
The nostalgia pangs are so vivid with this mall. I keep coming back to this video. Lotsa good memories were at that mall.. It kinda hurts at 11:02 to not see Radio Shack in the corner space. But even that's been gone even longer. Wow.. What I wouldn't give to be able to walk around that mall again in the 90s. Just a phenomenal hangout. Thanks for this walkthrough, friend.
My grandparents used to take me and my sister hear all the time as kids. I remember the channel 9 store, Disney store, pet shop, the pasta house and the arcade. This video was taken when I was a senior in high school. I wish I could have gotten to see it one last time before they closed it.
I have so many good memories here. I am really sad to see it go. AI spent a good part of my youth here. Thank you for making this. Right after this I feel listening to "This used to be my playground"
A downstairs secluded foodcourt. Very nice an elevator serviced this area.The 1984 addition we see upon entering mall reminds me of decor of sets in 1980's Nickelodeon tv seried titled You Cant Do That on Television.
Breaks my heart to see what has happened to many of Americas malls. There are still active malls here in the San Francisco bay area. They are not what they used to be. I was born in the late '60s and have many happy memories at malls in the '70s,'80s and '90s. So sad to see the fate of this one. Oh well. Things change. Take care.
Dude… this was MY mall. It was more than that I knew this place inside and out. I still dream about it sometimes. They demolished it years ago :( thank you for this video
Thanks for sharing. Too many good memories in this mall to pinpoint just one. It is synonymous with my development as a person, from shopping with my mother as a youngster to dates with my partner. Seeing it in such rugged shape and--eventually--nonexistent is about the most heartbreaking feeling you can have toward a big inanimate structure. Thanks to videos like this, we can remember it in its later stages of "life."
The storefront to the left at 7:24 with all the white windows was once a Forever 21, I believe! (I never visited this mall sadly, but most forever 21s look like that!) Great video!
I spent much of my teenage weekend nights at this mall. Lots of great memories. I found this video after having driven by the former site. It's all open field now. 'Sniff'
I went there when I was a kid and the last time I went there one of my favorite stores we’re going out of business. It was the Hot Topic store and they were having deals galore there that day.
the guy you met on the escalator uploaded also on youtube ;) see movie called "Crestwood Court: Dead Mall in its final Days (A Walkthrough)" Time around 9:10
thank you so much for this dieselducy... I used to live in St. Louis when I was a kid, and this was one of my favorite places in the world. Watching it die over the years, all the empty stores and vacant paths... Just incredibly sad. I have a pretty great consumer level camera and I wish I coulda been there to record the last days, but sadly I don't live in St. Louis anymore. However you've done it so I just can't thank you enough. Exhilarama, Pasta House & the rest.. RIP Crestwood Plaza. RIP.
It is so depressing for me to watch these videos because you can tell how many people have lifetime memories of this place and now they are just going down the toilet. All of the one of a kind or non replaceable items that were left in this mall are now no more. I heard the stories of the arcade you told me. I felt quite sad hearing about it. And I also saw all of the places that people just want to see once more just to bring back their memories. :(
Dani K yeah same for me, i live near a town with just over 5000 and it has two dead malls and its not like its near a big city because the nearest town that is bigger is 2 and a half hours away and it only has 40 000
10:41 God I remember when I was a kid playing on that play area and going for a ride on the rocket shop on the left. This video made me feel so sad that it's all gone.
The store at 3:03 was The Men's Wearhouse, which later become The Dance Co-op St. Louis. And the store across from the food court elevator was a Aeropostale.
wow its amazing....as empty as it seems inside....you can picture in your mind all the years of people walking and shopping inside these malls. It's sad but soon all malls will be abandoned and a thing of the past :( i wish it wasn't....thanks to online shopping.
So many jobs lost.... Edit: Ok that's trippy! That movie theater you walked by, I could have sworn I saw it in a dream once. Maybe it's just my mind playing games with me. -shrug-
This happened with Hunt Valley Mall in Maryland in the late 90s. Then the mall closed down and was redeveloped into an outdoor shopping mall. Almost like the Avenue at White Marsh. And right now Owings Mills mall is mostly vacant so who knows how long that mall has left in business.
At one time, Crestwood was the St. Louis mall that had the most stores. The local NBC affiliate held its local version of the Jerry Lewis national Labor Day Telethon here. In the late 1990s, there were renovations to add even more stores. As late as 2004, all three anchors were still open and almost all of the smaller spaces had tenants. Then the bottom fell out in a hurry. The two big things that worked against Crestwood were the general decline of big shopping malls nationwide (and the causes of that are multiple), and the fact that Crestwood was not directly along a freeway or very close to a freeway to freeway interchange.
well here in canada we used to have 3 malls the square eastcourt and brookdale mall but the eastcourt and square malls are they last surviving two left brookdale mall is gone it is a strip mall outddors witch sucks
countenanceblog what is scary is that if you change some words around this what will be written about the USA as a superpower in the world. no babies, no mall. no consumption no currency. I see the USA like the malls, young people with a standard of living which includes not being burdened with kids, the new homosexual culture in the USA. Love freedom but maybe it wasn't the winner we thought it was, " then the bottom fell out in a hurry " very scary words. A baby boom in the 90's and this mall would be stronger than ever.
I visited this mall a couple days ago and went down the escalator (past the 'no access' signs) to where the arcade and food court used to be. The food court is completely barricaded off but I hopped over a counter and got into the sealed off portion, very dark and desolate in there. Got a few good pics of the old Athens Cafe sign and menu. The arcade was gated off, but you could still see inside. Snapped a couple pics of the cool Busch Stadium mural on the wall. Sad to see this place go.
0:27 - Even though I hate no photography policies, I really like the way they wrote out their policy. Any mall that really hates cameras should rewrite their policies to write it that way to appeal to noncommercial/casual filmers.
My dad used to take me and my brother here, I live close but for some reason after they nocked it down (atleast 5 years ago) they haven’t even started rebuilding anything :l
I don't know why I wanted to look up this mall from my early life, but I really enjoyed the video! Fun facts about this mall for me: 1. I never once in my years of going to that mall used the glass elevator. I don't know why. 2. I bought Halo 3 on release night for a friend there, and to pass the time, I walked across the hall to the bar and got drunk in public for my first time. 3. Right next to the Radio Shack that you kept mentioning was a card store called Cliques (Clique's?) that stole what was left of my wallet one day before every payday. 4. One time, in front of the Pasta House location, I saw a girl around my age being weird and staring at the ceiling while pointing at nothing, while onlookers would follow her gaze and realize that she was just, in fact, being a weird teenager. Later, I went with some friends and walked around the corner to where this happened and one of the girls with us told the group that she would sometimes stare and point at that exact location to get a reaction out of people. 5. About a month before you filmed this, I was in the mall and I went to a temporary store that was there to offload some stuff that was probably just a dude's collection and I bought the entire Star Trek original series on DVD. Each disc had between one and two episodes on it, so it was a big box, but I got it for like $15, so whatever. 6. I saw Alien vs. Predator in that theater and fell asleep because it was boring. 7. A buddy and I would walk around the outside of the building discussing philosophy such as whether the universe is more law or chaos and, if aliens exist, will we be the ones to freak out other planets because we beat them at the space race. 8. I once ran up that last down elevator just to see if I could, and a security guard told me to "Use those correctly." She then told me in so many words that if I did not go back down the one I just ran up and used the correct one to enter the building, she'd kick me out. 9. I peed my pants in the arcade because, even though the bathroom was just a 50-foot walk from where I was, Metal Slug was too fun to leave. I was very young.
Towson Town Centre in MD also has 3 parts. The 1973 portion which was only 2 stories. Then in the 80s the mall renovated and in 91 the 1973 portion renovated again while the 1991 portion was added. And in 2008 another section was added to the mall expanding out to Dulaney Valley Rd and hte 1973 portion was renovated.
Correction: the part you stated as the 60s was much smaller and that bridge was expanded to the moment you recorded. Expansion took place in the 90s. To accommodate stores.
If anyone wants an update. So this mall was obv killed and destroyed and I also just went passed the malls gravesite. I’ve been once when I was little but I never really remembered much abt it. Thanks for the tour btw.
Thank you for the memories. This was always one of my favorite haunts as a kid. It was a nice mall, but I always thought the layout and design were awkward.
I grew up right behind this mall in the Ridgewood subdivision. Used to walk or ride my bike to this mall on almost a daily basis in the 80's and 90's. I remember when the theatre was acually in the food court (where the old exhilarama now sits) and the Atari arcade was where AMC is now. Kind of strange how the roles reversed in the 90's. I also remember how that St. Louis Workout section of the mall used to be a Woolworth back in the 80's. So many memories here. Thanks for the video.
@dieselducy Good video. I saw TheElevatorChannel's video after I saw this one. Both videos are good. That looks like a pretty big mall. Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa Cal. was originally an outdoor plaza but in the 80s was converted to a Mall with a roof. Thumbs up.
Dillard's closed in 2007, Macy's closed in 2009, LensCrafters closed September 16, 2013, The mall closed July 11, 2013. Opened in March 21, 1957, Expanded in 1967, the rest was enclosed in 1984. The mall was also known as Westfield Crestwood.
Great video, I have so many fond memories of this mall. It's a crying shame it closed. I do wish you would have taken some stills of the directory to get a view of the stores that used to be there.
this reminds me of a mall in upstate new york called latham circle and mixed with colonie center which is doing great and the circle has been seriously neglected and is getting demo'd in a month i think
It's honestly kind of sad when something like this happens because u have memories of it and it makes me sad a little but the only thing that makes me not sad is that it's being rebuilt
This is sad to see. My sister and I along with a couple of our best friends used to make the 100 mile drive to this mall several times a year back in the late '90's and early '00's. It was always packed and had some great stores. In the summer you couldn't get a spot in the parking garage because everyone wanted to get out of the sun. We had a lot of good times there... :'-(
At least my local mall in the least densely populated U.S. state bigger than 80,000 square miles (Idaho) didn't get into that state when the new owner bought the property. Karcher Mall in Nampa, Idaho. It saved from being a very dead mall, and the stores (most of them were independent) were forced to vacate for the then-upcoming redevelopment. The regional furniture chain Mor Furniture wing in the southeast of the mall was completely demolished for parking. Thus, Mor Furniture becoming a standalone building. The rest of the mall will be converting into power center stores with Boot Barn, dd's DISCOUNTS, and Shoe Dept. Encore as the charter tenants with two available tenants. The largest tenant originally anchored by JCPenney until 1988, Troutman's Emporium until 2003, reopened as Burlington in 2007 until 2018 when it moved to a nearby shopping center, and an independent furniture store until this year will be a new home for Extra Space Storage. The portion of the Big 5 Sporting Goods tenant will be relocated to the former mall walkway to accommodate the new Shoe Dept. Encore space.
I remember going here in, I think, January 2009 to attend the huge casting call (4500) to be an extra in Up In the Air while the Macy's was closing down. I got a callback but didn't make it to filming though the big shots told me some fun stuff making it.
I would pay serious, hard cash for that blue neon Athens Cafe sign. That thing is embedded in the earliest memories of my childhood. If you've still got the pictures, you should make a still shot video.
It was reported that in the summer of 2013, redevelopment of the mall hit a snag. It seems the mall's owner refused a bid from a redeveloper and there hasn't been any work done since. As of today, the mall remains completely vacant.
Well gotta say you did an excellent job. You even got permission from security. Not everyone will do that. I wish I had done this when the Rhode Island Mall closed. Very sad when a mall closes. Anyway loved your video and God Bless.
This is a very nice mall. Such a shame to see it go. There's a mall in my town called Vista Ridge. It's still in business although 35% of the shops are always empty but the city isn't maintaining it well and it's looking worse every year.
You know,it was bad enough losing Northwest Plaza,but now,Crestwood,too? losing both feels like losing a couple of old friends,not to mention,my youth.I remember hanging out at both when I was younger (btw,that Claire's is the same one my GF and I went to and I got my ear pierced(she talked me into it..lol).good memories.
Yes if you posted those pic anywhere could you share there location. i grew up in that arcade and would like nothing more than to remember seeing as when i was younger i didnt take many pictures of anything.
Every few years I come back to check this video. My dad was a maintenance worker at Crestwood from 1992 to 2003. My sister and I would hang out with him while he was at work and his friend owned the Auntie Anne's that was located near the Dillards end. My dad passed away in 2011 and this video takes me back to a time when I was a Mall Rat and get to spend some time with my dad.
I love getting comments like this. Places like this hold a special place in our heart.
Man, this hurts my soul. When I was a child, I wanted to go to this mall every year for my birthday. I remember back then the place was always busy. They had two toy stores, a pet shop, two electronics stores, an a massive arcade in the basement level with the food court.
I loved this mall. So many memories.
I worked here in 1993/94 at a huge arcade in the lower food court that had previously been a movie theater... it was called Exhilirama. Really an amazing arcade operated by Edison Brothers. It was a huge space with laser tag arena, bumper cars, virtual reality machines, pins games etc. I also worked up on the main level at Gloria Jeans Coffee, nice place to get real coffee before star bucks was every were. Shout out to Angie (RIP), Liz and the rest of the girls... good times!
I probably came in there when u were working. Last time I was in the arcade was 1993
I was the lead floor manager at Exhilarama in the early 1990’s! Met my wife there! We’re still married! As a matter of fact, I was even there upstairs in the VR/laser tag arena that was in operation before Exhilarama opened up downstairs! I used to hang out with Tom M, Andreas, Kevin O’Connor, Eric Eberhart, etc. What good times!
@@2.7petabytes We would have been there at the same time, I ran the laser tag arena most of the time and was on the early crew that got trained by qsar out of Dublin before we opened. Who are you 700 meg? I knew Kevin and the whole crew... remember the drama when he was let go... that was Kevin right as the GM?
Lincoln Whisler and I remember the Qzar training! We went out to a few bars with that blond woman from Ireland!
Lincoln Whisler my wife was one of the front desk cashiers! Upper management found out about our relationship and she had to quit. We were just dating at the time. But we’re still together all these years later!
Malls have always held a special place in my heart. It's so sad to see this mall closed and demolished. This was one great walking tour you did of the mall.
Thanks so much.
Thank you for posting this video. Great mall and so many great memories growing up with this mall to go to. This video Really helps bring back the memories of toys from Kay Bee Toys Store, Pass Pets, the Skateboard shop and believe the video game store was across from it, Exhilarama, Radio Shack, and so many more great stores parents took me too and all the people that used to be in this mall shopping.
Glad you enjoyed it! I had SO SO many memories here as a child.
@@DieselDucy I sure did. At least this was done by you. Thanks again. Surely wish there was a full entire walkthrough on back around 1996 when the best stores where all around too but who would have imagine we would lost this iconic memory building. Why they tore the structure down and did not just reuse it with a grocery store like they have now and maybe a gym and other things is sad. The exact mall building, and mall could have been saved yet they tore it down. :(
Thank you for making this video! The last time I was at crestwood mall was when I was 5-6 so I remember it very vaguely but this helped jog my memory a bit.
This was my favorite place as a child.
Awesome mall! So bright and clean. And i just LOVE those 60's tiny OTIS escalators, and the 80's elevator with accoustic bell is really nice also. The Skylights are very cool.
I hope the elevating equipment will stay original and that this mall will be in business again soon
As you can see there is about 3 Otis Escalator that the mall had the 80's where the food court ,the 70's where the cinema is and in the middle of sears is the 60's
Sadly torn down
I'm really glad you made this video while Crestwood was still open. I've seen several videos, but this is by far the best account of it. I'm almost 22 now, but I can still remember my mom taking me on the bus to Crestwood Plaza when I was about three years old; it was like a wonderland to me in those days. I have so many memories there. Every once in a while, I come back to this video and rewatch it for nostalgia. Thanks for making it!
+Lori Dresner thanks for sharing the memory. This place was amazing back in the 80s. I grew up here :)
My parents taking me here was one of my earliest memories and I spent many years in the arcade downstairs in the 90s when I was a bit older and knew the layout of this mall like the back of my hand up until 2006. Had a lot of fun memories hanging out with friends, goofing off, gaming, and being a goofball teen. Seeing this place close was hard, seeing it gone as it is now just seems.....wrong in some way. It truly went downhill fast after the early 00s sadly. I will always think fondly of the times I had their with my friends. This place becoming what it did was the start of the end of an era.
I have so many childhood memories of this mall. We would go Christmas shopping there every year. It's where I got my ears pierced and saw The Lion King. RIP Crestwood Plaza.
I got my ear (only one) pierced here too, in the late 80’s. I think it was at a place directly across from that second entrance to Sears.
Same here! This was the best mall in the area in terms of the "scene" in the late 80's, early 90s when I was a teen. Had a kickass arcade which was Exhilarama at the time, a great food court, and a ton of pretty young girls both hanging out and working in the mall. It's really sad to see this place go. I walked in there yesterday to avoid the ridiculous heat outside and there is literally nothing left but the Lens Crafters, post office, and tiny kids area near the old Dillard's. Very sad!
FFKDTP1 many good memories there!! I was a floor manager at Exhilarama. Got to use the VR units sometimes all through the night after we were closed! Met my wife there!!
I know its been years, but I want to thank you so much for making this video. It means a lot to me to able to see the places I used to go to all the time with my grandparents (who are now no longer with me). I used to go to the Garden Room restaurant in the Dillards, sneak pretzels in my gmas purse into the movies.. I remember the Disney store that used to be there, and the Bread Co by the Sears.. Crestwood will always have a very special place in my heart.
Been to this mall a lot growing up. Haven't been there since I was a teen, so that was about 15 or so years ago. Felt a bit sad when I heard it was closing. Went by there a couple months ago and you couldn't even get into the parking lot, had up these barriers (course you probably knew that). Watching this video brought back some memories. Makes me miss home.
5:58 is when I finally recognized it. its been more than half my life since I was at the mall. But once I saw the Pasta House sign, memories came back. Thank you for this and Merry Christmas!
I went to this mall when I was really young in the 70’s, when it was a strip-mall. I worked at Sears in the late 80’s early 90’s and the part that you said was definitely built in the 60’s was actually the bridge that connected the two parts of the mall. It was literally just be a bridge with no storefronts until they expanded the mall again by bumping out both sides of the the bridge, adding all those shops from the Sears entry to the management office you mentioned. The bridge was already there but that part was expanded in the 90’s. It was in fact 1990 or 1991. The food court was expanded/renovated at this same time. You could always tell where the old strip mall was by looking at the threshold as you entered the stores because there was a slight ramp up where they had to warp the floor to marry the old and new.
I spent a lot of my life in that mall and it’s a shame what happened to it. It out performed every mall in the area until the owner of Westfield properties bought it and intentionally crushed it in order to kill a lawsuit that the mall owners had against his company. He purchased the mall out of spite and ran it into the ground on purpose.
This dead mall tour also makes me think of my last trip to the former Galleria Mall in White Plains, which closed in 2023.
I remember that mall!
@@DieselDucy Galleria at White Plains I’ve been to since 2019 but I kinda had feelings after a while that it wasn’t gonna be built to last too much longer, compared to other related malls I’ve been to that have been amazing.
I watched this video early 2013 or late 2012, had no clue you filmed it DieselDucy!!
Subscribed to you late last year, your videos have turned me into a full blown elevator fan!!
the main entarance where the small steps is a memory for children as a kid when they were little
I miss it
Parts of it were open air all the way up to the early 80’s! I was a manager at Exhilarama in the early 90’s. Spent many a night playing VR after hours.
i know it's kinda off topic but do anyone know of a good website to stream newly released series online ?
@Tatum Axton Flixportal xD
@Gunner Kayden thanks, signed up and it seems to work :D I appreciate it!!
@Tatum Axton you are welcome :)
The nostalgia pangs are so vivid with this mall. I keep coming back to this video. Lotsa good memories were at that mall.. It kinda hurts at 11:02 to not see Radio Shack in the corner space. But even that's been gone even longer. Wow.. What I wouldn't give to be able to walk around that mall again in the 90s. Just a phenomenal hangout. Thanks for this walkthrough, friend.
The arcade was F'N' epic. High-end mall for sure. #Icon#R I.P.
My grandparents used to take me and my sister hear all the time as kids. I remember the channel 9 store, Disney store, pet shop, the pasta house and the arcade. This video was taken when I was a senior in high school. I wish I could have gotten to see it one last time before they closed it.
I remember wen I was little this used to be the most popular mall in the area. Sad to see it like this. I know it's even worse now.
It's actually abandoned now
@@exoticcar5482 on top of that it was demolished a few years ago
I have so many good memories here. I am really sad to see it go. AI spent a good part of my youth here.
Thank you for making this. Right after this I feel listening to "This used to be my playground"
A downstairs secluded foodcourt. Very nice an elevator serviced this area.The 1984 addition we see upon entering mall reminds me of decor of sets in 1980's Nickelodeon tv seried titled You Cant Do That on Television.
+Corrina And Leny Corrina And Leny I can remember coming here when it first opened. Sad it is leveled :(
Breaks my heart to see what has happened to many of Americas malls. There are still active malls here in the San Francisco bay area. They are not what they used to be. I was born in the late '60s and have many happy memories at malls in the '70s,'80s and '90s. So sad to see the fate of this one. Oh well. Things change. Take care.
Yeah. So many malls in St. Louis are gone now
Dude… this was MY mall. It was more than that I knew this place inside and out. I still dream about it sometimes. They demolished it years ago :( thank you for this video
Same here. I had so many memories growing up here. It is sad. Both this and the drive in that was across the street.
Thanks for sharing. Too many good memories in this mall to pinpoint just one. It is synonymous with my development as a person, from shopping with my mother as a youngster to dates with my partner. Seeing it in such rugged shape and--eventually--nonexistent is about the most heartbreaking feeling you can have toward a big inanimate structure. Thanks to videos like this, we can remember it in its later stages of "life."
The storefront to the left at 7:24 with all the white windows was once a Forever 21, I believe! (I never visited this mall sadly, but most forever 21s look like that!)
Great video!
It was. There was one in Plano's Collin Creek Mall that looked exactly like that.
This makes me feel so sad, I remember being taken there as a little girl around Christmas time.
THIS is how I found your channel!
TheComputerGeek010101001 awesome thanks
Dillard's closed in 2007,
Macy's closed in 2009,
Sears closed in 2012.
Thanks for sharing. I met my husband at this mall. When I see the empy halls I think of old family members and friends,
bmittenzwey same here! I met my wife there in 1993! I was a manager at Exhilarama!
according to dead malls .com here is the restaurants that was in the food court there is a McDonald's, Subway, Sbarro and an Athen's Cafe
I remember Panda also.
I saw JFK when he was campaign for president at Crestwood Plaza on Oct. 22,1960. The first job I had was at Vandevorts in the mall.
Whats very sad is that this mall will always be in our minds..
I spent much of my teenage weekend nights at this mall. Lots of great memories. I found this video after having driven by the former site. It's all open field now. 'Sniff'
Glad you enjoyed it. I miss this mall so bad :(
GOD BLESS YOU FOR DOCUMENTING THIS WONDERFUL PIECE OF HISTORY … ohhhh the nostalgia 😊
I went there when I was a kid and the last time I went there one of my favorite stores we’re going out of business. It was the Hot Topic store and they were having deals galore there that day.
the guy you met on the escalator uploaded also on youtube ;) see movie called "Crestwood Court: Dead Mall in its final Days (A Walkthrough)"
Time around 9:10
They know each other
Igor Hnízdo That other person is Jacob aka The Elevator Channel. They were having a meet up there.
thank you so much for this dieselducy... I used to live in St. Louis when I was a kid, and this was one of my favorite places in the world. Watching it die over the years, all the empty stores and vacant paths... Just incredibly sad. I have a pretty great consumer level camera and I wish I coulda been there to record the last days, but sadly I don't live in St. Louis anymore. However you've done it so I just can't thank you enough. Exhilarama, Pasta House & the rest.. RIP Crestwood Plaza. RIP.
Grubbo I was a manager at Exhilarama back in the early 90’s at Crestwood!
I shopped here many times in the eighties and early nineties, it was a very fun place! RIP.
I so miss this mall. I had so many memories growing up there.
It is so depressing for me to watch these videos because you can tell how many people have lifetime memories of this place and now they are just going down the toilet. All of the one of a kind or non replaceable items that were left in this mall are now no more. I heard the stories of the arcade you told me. I felt quite sad hearing about it. And I also saw all of the places that people just want to see once more just to bring back their memories. :(
Amazing that the Sears still had the old entrance logo!!
I worked at sears in 1996. This place was booming then.
I bought my TV there in 1987. Still have it. Still works! Miss sears so bad!
Something about dead malls that fascinates me. I can't put my finger on it though.
They all have an air of nostalgia to me
I feel the same.
Dani K yeah same for me, i live near a town with just over 5000 and it has two dead malls and its not like its near a big city because the nearest town that is bigger is 2 and a half hours away and it only has 40 000
Dani K. Memories?
10:41 God I remember when I was a kid playing on that play area and going for a ride on the rocket shop on the left. This video made me feel so sad that it's all gone.
Worked at sears it's last 5 years remember going to the food court when only subway was open and LOTS of seating
This is actually a nice mall, it's strange that its closing.
Damn, I remember going there when I was younger. Now it's just gone.. Just like that! R.I.P
The store at 3:03 was The Men's Wearhouse, which later become The Dance Co-op St. Louis. And the store across from the food court elevator was a Aeropostale.
+Rowan Cunningham I remember all those. Sad this mall is no more
Don’t you mean at 4:18?
The first portion was built in 1957, second portion was opened in 1967, and the final was in 1983.
thanks so much for the info. I miss this mall.
wow its amazing....as empty as it seems inside....you can picture in your mind all the years of people walking and shopping inside these malls. It's sad but soon all malls will be abandoned and a thing of the past :( i wish it wasn't....thanks to online shopping.
So many jobs lost....
Edit: Ok that's trippy! That movie theater you walked by, I could have sworn I saw it in a dream once. Maybe it's just my mind playing games with me. -shrug-
i used to go to that movie theater all the time when i was younger
Talia al Ghul it's a dead mall
I've had things like that happen before.
LOL two people filming this mall's demise at the same time!
This happened with Hunt Valley Mall in Maryland in the late 90s. Then the mall closed down and was redeveloped into an outdoor shopping mall. Almost like the Avenue at White Marsh. And right now Owings Mills mall is mostly vacant so who knows how long that mall has left in business.
Leveled now. Once was a very popular mall.
Used to go here every Saturday with my grandfather... Sad to drive by it and see rubble now...
Ahh that mall gives me memories in the 80's man...just good memories in my childhood
At one time, Crestwood was the St. Louis mall that had the most stores. The local NBC affiliate held its local version of the Jerry Lewis national Labor Day Telethon here. In the late 1990s, there were renovations to add even more stores. As late as 2004, all three anchors were still open and almost all of the smaller spaces had tenants.
Then the bottom fell out in a hurry.
The two big things that worked against Crestwood were the general decline of big shopping malls nationwide (and the causes of that are multiple), and the fact that Crestwood was not directly along a freeway or very close to a freeway to freeway interchange.
well here in canada we used to have 3 malls the square eastcourt and brookdale mall but the eastcourt and square malls are they last surviving two left brookdale mall is gone it is a strip mall outddors witch sucks
countenanceblog what is scary is that if you change some words around this what will be written about the USA as a superpower in the world. no babies, no mall. no consumption no currency. I see the USA like the malls, young people with a standard of living which includes not being burdened with kids, the new homosexual culture in the USA. Love freedom but maybe it wasn't the winner we thought it was, " then the bottom fell out in a hurry " very scary words. A baby boom in the 90's and this mall would be stronger than ever.
richarerich richards looks huge
I visited this mall a couple days ago and went down the escalator (past the 'no access' signs) to where the arcade and food court used to be. The food court is completely barricaded off but I hopped over a counter and got into the sealed off portion, very dark and desolate in there. Got a few good pics of the old Athens Cafe sign and menu. The arcade was gated off, but you could still see inside. Snapped a couple pics of the cool Busch Stadium mural on the wall. Sad to see this place go.
0:27 - Even though I hate no photography policies, I really like the way they wrote out their policy. Any mall that really hates cameras should rewrite their policies to write it that way to appeal to noncommercial/casual filmers.
It sad to see such a beautiful mall go. Thats a pretty cool place with the escalators that link the parking garage below with the mall above.
My dad used to take me and my brother here, I live close but for some reason after they nocked it down (atleast 5 years ago) they haven’t even started rebuilding anything :l
I don't know why I wanted to look up this mall from my early life, but I really enjoyed the video!
Fun facts about this mall for me:
1. I never once in my years of going to that mall used the glass elevator. I don't know why.
2. I bought Halo 3 on release night for a friend there, and to pass the time, I walked across the hall to the bar and got drunk in public for my first time.
3. Right next to the Radio Shack that you kept mentioning was a card store called Cliques (Clique's?) that stole what was left of my wallet one day before every payday.
4. One time, in front of the Pasta House location, I saw a girl around my age being weird and staring at the ceiling while pointing at nothing, while onlookers would follow her gaze and realize that she was just, in fact, being a weird teenager. Later, I went with some friends and walked around the corner to where this happened and one of the girls with us told the group that she would sometimes stare and point at that exact location to get a reaction out of people.
5. About a month before you filmed this, I was in the mall and I went to a temporary store that was there to offload some stuff that was probably just a dude's collection and I bought the entire Star Trek original series on DVD. Each disc had between one and two episodes on it, so it was a big box, but I got it for like $15, so whatever.
6. I saw Alien vs. Predator in that theater and fell asleep because it was boring.
7. A buddy and I would walk around the outside of the building discussing philosophy such as whether the universe is more law or chaos and, if aliens exist, will we be the ones to freak out other planets because we beat them at the space race.
8. I once ran up that last down elevator just to see if I could, and a security guard told me to "Use those correctly." She then told me in so many words that if I did not go back down the one I just ran up and used the correct one to enter the building, she'd kick me out.
9. I peed my pants in the arcade because, even though the bathroom was just a 50-foot walk from where I was, Metal Slug was too fun to leave. I was very young.
I love hearing memories like this. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING!
Towson Town Centre in MD also has 3 parts. The 1973 portion which was only 2 stories. Then in the 80s the mall renovated and in 91 the 1973 portion renovated again while the 1991 portion was added. And in 2008 another section was added to the mall expanding out to Dulaney Valley Rd and hte 1973 portion was renovated.
Correction: the part you stated as the 60s was much smaller and that bridge was expanded to the moment you recorded. Expansion took place in the 90s. To accommodate stores.
If anyone wants an update. So this mall was obv killed and destroyed and I also just went passed the malls gravesite. I’ve been once when I was little but I never really remembered much abt it. Thanks for the tour btw.
Thank you for the memories. This was always one of my favorite haunts as a kid. It was a nice mall, but I always thought the layout and design were awkward.
I grew up right behind this mall in the Ridgewood subdivision. Used to walk or ride my bike to this mall on almost a daily basis in the 80's and 90's. I remember when the theatre was acually in the food court (where the old exhilarama now sits) and the Atari arcade was where AMC is now. Kind of strange how the roles reversed in the 90's. I also remember how that St. Louis Workout section of the mall used to be a Woolworth back in the 80's. So many memories here. Thanks for the video.
I forgot about the theater being in that location. Thanks for the memory. I remember Woolworth being at the location you mentioned too.
@dieselducy Good video. I saw TheElevatorChannel's video after I saw this one. Both videos are good. That looks like a pretty big mall. Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa Cal. was originally an outdoor plaza but in the 80s was converted to a Mall with a roof. Thumbs up.
Dillard's closed in 2007, Macy's closed in 2009, LensCrafters closed September 16, 2013,
The mall closed July 11, 2013. Opened in March 21, 1957, Expanded in 1967, the rest was enclosed in 1984. The mall was also known as Westfield Crestwood.
And Later... The Crestwood Court Got Demolished In 2016.
It's all torn down now. It's residential housing and a Dierbergs now. Sad. Great 80's and 90's memories for me.
You should visit Livingston Mall. It's a dead mall worth visiting.
The AMC Wing in the mall was blocked off in May 2012
5:57 There used to be a giant transparent clock in front of the Pasta House in the 1990's
13:46 was my local Sears store 2 or 3 years ago. Sears itself is unfortunately mostly a thing of the past now.
Yeah that is sad.
Great video, I have so many fond memories of this mall. It's a crying shame it closed. I do wish you would have taken some stills of the directory to get a view of the stores that used to be there.
The former site of this mall is currently brownfield land.
I know :( I miss the mall.
Portion 1: 1957
Portion 2: 1967
Portion 3: 1983
Thanks!
this reminds me of a mall in upstate new york called latham circle and mixed with colonie center which is doing great and the circle has been seriously neglected and is getting demo'd in a month i think
I had my first ever date there when it was the mall. I use to love this place. I always get a little depressed when I see videos like this haha.
I love hearing memories like this. THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING!
8:20 The Motor on the Old Otis Escalators sounds really good.
Sadly they are gone
When did they Remove Them?
They were removed when the mall was getting torn down in 2016.
It's honestly kind of sad when something like this happens because u have memories of it and it makes me sad a little but the only thing that makes me not sad is that it's being rebuilt
This is sad to see. My sister and I along with a couple of our best friends used to make the 100 mile drive to this mall several times a year back in the late '90's and early '00's. It was always packed and had some great stores. In the summer you couldn't get a spot in the parking garage because everyone wanted to get out of the sun. We had a lot of good times there... :'-(
At least my local mall in the least densely populated U.S. state bigger than 80,000 square miles (Idaho) didn't get into that state when the new owner bought the property. Karcher Mall in Nampa, Idaho. It saved from being a very dead mall, and the stores (most of them were independent) were forced to vacate for the then-upcoming redevelopment. The regional furniture chain Mor Furniture wing in the southeast of the mall was completely demolished for parking. Thus, Mor Furniture becoming a standalone building. The rest of the mall will be converting into power center stores with Boot Barn, dd's DISCOUNTS, and Shoe Dept. Encore as the charter tenants with two available tenants. The largest tenant originally anchored by JCPenney until 1988, Troutman's Emporium until 2003, reopened as Burlington in 2007 until 2018 when it moved to a nearby shopping center, and an independent furniture store until this year will be a new home for Extra Space Storage. The portion of the Big 5 Sporting Goods tenant will be relocated to the former mall walkway to accommodate the new Shoe Dept. Encore space.
Before the portion was closed, the interiors were decayed. Hallway lights to the bathrooms were burnt out, and the bulbs were never replaced.
This was sad :( I miss this mall.
I remember going here in, I think, January 2009 to attend the huge casting call (4500) to be an extra in Up In the Air while the Macy's was closing down. I got a callback but didn't make it to filming though the big shots told me some fun stuff making it.
I would pay serious, hard cash for that blue neon Athens Cafe sign. That thing is embedded in the earliest memories of my childhood. If you've still got the pictures, you should make a still shot video.
I still don't know what happened to elevator adventures who had videos of Crestwood court the day before it closed
His video is still
Up
I never even been to the Crestwood Plaza before...
It was an amazing place.
I remember when this mall was still open. So sad to see it go
+BlueGroup22326 I had many memories there
DieselDucy yeah
I'd like to see those pics too. I spent a lot of weekends in the 90's at Crestwood Mall. It's sad to see it empty.
It was reported that in the summer of 2013, redevelopment of the mall hit a snag. It seems the mall's owner refused a bid from a redeveloper and there hasn't been any work done since. As of today, the mall remains completely vacant.
Well gotta say you did an excellent job. You even got permission from security. Not everyone will do that. I wish I had done this when the Rhode Island Mall closed. Very sad when a mall closes. Anyway loved your video and God Bless.
I remember when me and suzie Q use to go to this mall. Use to hot rod around the arcade in my leatherjacket.
This is a very nice mall. Such a shame to see it go. There's a mall in my town called Vista Ridge. It's still in business although 35% of the shops are always empty but the city isn't maintaining it well and it's looking worse every year.
If anyone paused the video the read the "Code of Conduct" you are officially a dork.
Guilty as charged
Honestly I would like to have seen the map from the directory. I would have paused on that too!
You know,it was bad enough losing Northwest Plaza,but now,Crestwood,too? losing both feels like losing a couple of old friends,not to mention,my youth.I remember hanging out at both when I was younger (btw,that Claire's is the same one my GF and I went to and I got my ear pierced(she talked me into it..lol).good memories.
What does the crest wood plaza elevator looks like? You should check it out in 2024 this is a request
Demolished
@@DieselDucy Really?! How?!
Yes if you posted those pic anywhere could you share there location. i grew up in that arcade and would like nothing more than to remember seeing as when i was younger i didnt take many pictures of anything.