Agreed! I’m finishing up a video now exploring the waterfront shops across the street that are all but abandoned too. It’s insane what’s happened to that area.
Consumerism and shopping isn't what makes a place lively. Glad to see it die. Maybe we can wake up to our reality that everything is designed to make money and exploit us
@@mediocrestu8238 hey buddy you need to stop being so “woke” and realize that tons of people have great memories in these places (such as me) and it’s just a shame to see it be like this
Grew up in Baltimore in the early 2000s. Really sad to see the decline over the past couple years. Losing the Barnes and Nobel at Powerplant hit me the hardest.
Im so glad I got to experience the Gallery during it’s prime. It was a staple in my childhood. I even did job shadowing there with the cooperate office. I remember thinking I wanted to work there when I was older.
I was born and raised in Baltimore. I remember the day Harborplace opened July 1980. It was such a big deal. I worked at Phillips Harborplace(in the adjacent food Pavillion) as a summer employee all through college so I spent a lot of time in this mall as well. This is so sad.
@JujuBees The downtown area which includes Harborplace was not a dangerous area in the 80s. There were Baltimore City police assigned specifically to Harborplace back then. But the whole downtown area was never very violent. Larcenies from cars was about the worst you could normally expect, but there was the occasional robbery. Central district had an officer detailed to patrol the skywalks in the evening back then to curtail this. I don't go into Baltimore anymore, so don't know what it's like downtown now. For the city as a whole, murders routinely exceeded 300 a year in the 80s. This rate was cut by 1/3 in the late 90s, with murders in the 215-220 range. In the last 10 years, that figure has again exceeded 300 regularly.
It's a reminder of how quickly things change, but that's inevitable. At least you were able to capture footage of its final moments as a viable mall. It was once a truly fabulous place to visit and it was beautifully maintained right to the end. FWIW, perhaps the staff there didn't want to put into words that the end was nigh because of how hard they'd worked to keep it going. It was a beautiful place, one that will hopefully find a new life.
Great points, especially about staff. I hadn’t considered that. Makes the most sense of all the options I’ve considered at least. And agreed about getting to document it before it shut down. I was glad I got something at least. Thanks for watching.
This whole area wss a tourist attraction. Harbor place gave people visiting a place that the çity to gain venture that it needs badly. Where they going to go to the block ? No , they will go to the Baltimore county to a hotel there . I heard they are fixing up the Aquarium but with only the Power plant and to walk by vacant stores and a bridge going no where .
I just went to Inner Harbor. The first time I went to visit was about 10 years ago. I was so sad to see how much the place had changed. The last time I was there, it was so lively and busy. And now it’s just a shell of what it used to be :(
I remember walking all thru that mall and the Inner Harbor especially when I was in high school. I had to take the #10 on Pratt Street to get home from school but I have very fond memories of walking all around that area on Friday’s afternoons after school. I would even venture into Little Italy and go to Vacarro’s for a cannoli. I heard recently that even that neighborhood is starting to get kind of bad. It’s a complete abomination to see how Baltimore has completely deteriorated to what it is now from what it was thirty plus years ago.
I worked in the office tower over the Gallery when it first opened in the late 1980s. Downtown was vibrant and exciting. Today people don’t feel safe in Baltimore. Until they fix their crime problem, the city will not recover.
Same for " The Gallery" mall in Center City Philadelphia. Rebranded as The Fashion District several years ago, it continues to have problems with the incessant crime plaguing the city, resulting in most suburbanites and city dwellers, as well, avoiding it at all costs.
How do you not understand the security issues with video inside stores or malls? In old crime movies, this used to be called "casing the place" for vulnerable areas for break-ins, etc
Yes, the problem goes deeper than Baltimore. Water Tower Place in Chicago, once vibrant, is not much better. Welcome to the death of American cities. Thank you quiet quitters and the work from home crowd who never want to leave their cocoons. Who want to sit on their asses and have everything brought to them, and who never want to walk anywhere or interact with actual human beings in the public arena. Incidentally, we thought we could have Ukrainians die for us and fight our proxy war, and that mere sanctions would destroy the Russian economy, but Russia appears to be doing just fine, and Russian malls are swarmimg with shoppers, and people mingling with their fellow citizens.
@@rickrose5377 got to say, you’re not off base. People just want to sit ion their phones and do the shopping from there. Basically anything that takes effort is removed from everyday life. Ukraine is another mess. No end in site and the Feds just sending billions in money and hardware to another corrupt regime.
Unreal. The Baltimore Inner Harbor area was one of the few success stories of the late 1970s/1980s Baltimore. Simply shocking to see it shriveled and dead.
Such sadness watching all of this. The lives of those who worked there the families visiting and shopping. The emotion watching all of this has shaken me to the core. Watching like an old silent movie from distant times but when you have been here enjoying life and the company of smiles and good humour it takes a silent tear and a deep sigh in joining everyone who has written in. Bless you for posting. God Bless you Baltimore and THANK YOU. ALWAYS IN MY HEART.
Before I left Baltimore in 1983 I used to go to the Inner Harbor every weekend. That was obviously before this mall was built but the two Inner Harbor Pavilions directly across from the mall that sat at the water’s edge were jammed packed with people inside & out. I moved back to MD 20 yrs ago & haven’t once felt the desire to go the Inner Harbor in spite of visiting old friends that live downtown.
This is a very well done video. Thank you. You transmit quite well the bleakness and the hollow emptiness of a dying institution. Rome in the 470's AD must have been similar to this experience. I can almost feel the phantoms, ghosts and memories moving in to occupy the space. Plenty of finger-pointing and blaming, to be sure. Yet, sadness prevails.
Thank you for the kind words and for watching! You could definitely feel how it must have been during its heyday. Interesting comparison to Rome back in the day or likely any dying establishment. It’s sad to watch the slow decline of something that was once great.
Shame, the construction and décor are absolutely beautiful. Also, it's incredibly surprising that they're still bothering to run the fountains, even active malls have given up on those, or never bother to build them in the first place. But the sound is lovely in the video. Very relaxing actually, I love how you do your videos.
How well I remember The Gallery! In the late ‘80s I worked for The Baltimore Sun (the A.M. edition) up the street and lived on Mt Royal Ave all within walking distance to Harbor Place. The Gallery was my town square for shopping, and meet ups for lunch and romantic rendezvous. As witnessed in my lifetime, nothing lasts forever only the fond memories.
Ian I have lived in Baltimore my whole life. I can tell you why they are being secretive. City officials know they screwed up when they let Harbor Place and The Galleria go to shit. Both City and County residents are not happy about it. It also comes down to crime. The Democrat government that has been voted in to office the past 20 years have been weak on crime almost to the point where they support the criminals and not the citizens and the local police. People from the surrounding counties are afraid to go downtown without being armed and the city has been leaking population out to the counties for almost 15 years because of how about the Democrats have let it become. I am 50 years old and remember when Baltimore City, the Galleria, and Harbor Place where great places to go with the family. Its sad what has become of this city.
Yup. The continued support of "Squeegee Workers" despite the high profile murders they've led to (making national headlines) has been the most recent example of them being soft on crime and supporting criminals. I still see them out there despite how much of a national blackeye they are for the city. I know so many people who refuse to come to Baltimore until they are removed from off the streets. And the squeegee boys are on TV and in townhall meetings saying "they just want a job." Well why don't you go and get one rather than assaulting drivers when they tell you they don't want you touching their cars and refusing to pay you, stealing from their cashapp, or ripping off their windshield wipers when they won't pay???? How is anyone ever going to come to or invest in this city when this is what they are greeted by????
I remember coming here when I was newly living in Maryland, and had relatives who had a boat--arriving at the Inner Harbor from the Bay in a "flotilla" was an experience! Inner Harbor seemed so splendidly successful then. What a shame this redevelopment could not be sustained, but it had some good decades.
@@IanMartinExploration this was a solution 30+ years ago after losing the Howard st corridor 50 years ago . Baltimore is losing hotels like the Holiday inn and soon others . I remember when they fixed up that area since it a rotting pier back in the 70s.
I worked in the adjacent office tower between 2012 and 2014. There were many food places on the 3rd level, including a McDonald’s. There also was a Starbucks on the second level, between the escalators. Many stores were open and the mall was usually pretty busy. The first store I remember that closed around that time was a GameStop because of trouble in the store and in the mall. The food places disappeared for the same reason, I believe. Walking out of the front doors, on the harbor side became troublesome because of begging. I was once begged by a young lady who was wearing a nicer winter coat than I owned. I worked outside of the city for a couple of years and returned to the Inner Harbor area around 2017-2018 and things had changed dramatically for the worse. Generally stayed away from around the harbor.
It’s really sad seeing the harbor like this. I didn’t even know the gallery closed even though I only visited there less than a handful of times. I remember visiting the inner harbor with my parents as a kid in the early 2000’s. We would walk around, get food, ride the merry go round that used to be there, just enjoy being out and about as a family. It was really crowded. My mom would also take my sister and I there for a girls night out as she would call it. Now both of my parents are gone and the place is just a shell of what it once was. I just go downtown if I have to these days. The inner harbor died with my childhood. It’s a really sad nostalgic feeling to say the least.
I have fond memories of visiting the Galleria and Harbor on sunny weekends from the nearby suburbs with my family as a teen in the 90's. Even after living in larger and more world-class cities like Chicago and Philadelphia, there was something so special about the harbor back then that other cities don't quite capture. Special memories too. Sad to see the end of an era, and just based on how the world is now, it will likely never be the same even if they do revitalize it at some point.
Ian another great post remember in the 1990s when my office was downtown going with my wife then fiance to the Gallery for lunch it was so nice and was a treat for us both . Now sadly like inner harbor not where you want to be. It's all crime related I think but now haven't been downtown in years and prefer North Baltimore county and york Pa. Its sad feel bad for the folks that bought condos down there and I'm sure they regret that now. Your productions are fantastic!!
This was the first time I’d been back to the inner harbor in years as well and it’s clearly just gotten worse. I prefer areas more outside of the city as well. Thanks for watching and for the kind words!
@@IanMartinExploration no thank you Ian my wife who is black and I'm white both grew up in city but no desire to go downtown anymore it's not a race thing just a criminal thing. My wife loves ❤️ your productions!!
Agree. As someone who grew up in the suburbs, has lived in other major cities, and recently moved back to the area a few years ago, another huge issue that is hurting attracting people downtown is SQUEEGEEING. I remember it was a thing decades ago, but not to the degree it is now. They have strategically setup at the major entry/exit points of the city, and with the high profile murders and violence, I know many people who have had such terrible experiences that they now refuse to come to the city until the squeegeeing issue has been handled. Unfortunately, it's been going on for decades, so until there is a new mayor (who will actually stand up and enforce the law), I don't know that it will be addressed. Which is sad because it's impacting tourism
Nice documentary Ian. Interestingly, a few people from Baltimore told me that this mall, even when it first went up and was bustling and very popular, it was very controversial (kind of a blessing and a curse). They claim that the reason that the rest of downtown Baltimore (opposite the harbor) doesn't have the type of high-end shopping districts that you find in downtowns of most other major cities is because they put up this large vertical mall, which stunted interest in developing a nearby high-end shopping district. They claimed that if they had instead put some of these high-end stores along one of the long city strips/streets downtown, it would have developed more foot traffic into the heart of downtown, which would lead to more high end stores, restaurants, shops, and overall vibrancy in the heart of the traditional downtown. So some people blame the galleria from the lack of a traditional high-end shopping/retail district in the heart of downtown Baltimore like many other cities have. Not saying I agree, just wanted to point this out.
When I worked downtown in the early mid-90's this would be packed at lunch time on a weekday. There were several food vendors on the connecting floors.
As a child, my family would go to the Inner Harbor at least once a year. As an adult, I would visit Fell's Point in Baltimore instead of the Inner Harbor, but occasionally I would stop by and visit this mall and the two Harbor Place pavilions. This is so sad. The last time I went to Baltimore was about 8 years ago. Crime has gotten out of hand and they have suffered with an awful city government
This brings back so many happy (and now sad) memories. My family and I used come here from the suburbs when I was a teen in the 90's. Sad to see the end of an era.
As a person who used to visit Baltimore; as a visitor AND a motor coach operator; all I can say is “WOW!” So sad. But it’s happening in a lot of major cities. Geez! My God!😞
Watching this made me remember all the childhood memories I had going here with friends and family. Sad to think that I had no idea it would be the last time I would see the place...
I was born and raised in Baltimore and I remember this being the go to mall back in the late eighties to early nineties. Lots of great stores and eateries. Au Bon Pan, Mama Illardo’s, The Steak Escape, and the Sharper Image just to name a few.
I remember when the mall opened and what a vibrant area this was. Even though it was closing in a couple of days, it appears that the mall was still immaculately clean and they even had Christmas decorations. This is just sad. It did not have to be this way.
The word you were looking for when talking about those store coverings was "façade". Those "ancient lights" are an architectural version of theatrical lighting fixtures. They are designed to make a relatively small puddle of light at a long distance, so have parabolic mirrors to focus the light, and long snoots to keep the stray light from spreading to the sides. Basically you can only tell they are on if you are right in front of them. Those were probably halogen light fixtures, but modern LED fixtures look basically the same.
Haha was just thinking that. Lived in Baltimore area for 5 years and walked past here many times and never bothered to walk inside, even though it looked like a nice entrance.
I remember when this opened. It was so upscale. Inside the entrance there was a Sharper Image, when that was uber upscale. They had the best of the best stores. The city needs a Mayor Schaefer now before they need to abandon that as well.
@@scottb4579 Agree, although a Schaefer type mayor would at least temporarily slow down its demise, even if only for the 4 years he/she was elected. The current mayor, you wouldn't even think he was a mayor based on how he talks/dresses. To have the string of mayors who have run Baltimore in the last 20 years is why the city is the way it is. They have even missed opportunities to close deals with investors that would have brought beautiful skyscrapers that would have revitalized the skyline because of the incompetence of city leadership. If a Schaefer type mayor was around the last 20 years, the city may have been a lot different. I agree that he wouldn't be able to save it now, but he could slow its demise.
The place is still in great shape. I wish I had gone there in the 1980's to see how it once was. Jeesus. They wrote newspaper articles about how this mall redeveloped old dilapidated land into something that was a destination, rather than just a place to shop.
The death of Harbor Place started when they allowed homeless panhandlers to wander around and pester people. The last time I was there, that’s what happened and it definitely was the last time I visited the area. I did not feel safe and I saw what the area was becoming. It was such a wonderful place to visit and experience. I brought many friends and family there. It was vibrant, lively and safe. Sorry, but that’s the unadulterated truth.
Was there with my wife after we moved to Maryland and there was absolutely no one around Inner Harbor and this mall. It was eerie. This homeless guy came out from behind a wall and literally "bum rushed" us. When I stood up to him he demanded money. Like he was going to rob us, but then stopped and just demanded it with no threat. I called the police and no one showed. We still walked around for an hour or so and did not see one cop (nor anyone but homeless) anywhere.
I grew up going to this mall. The 4th floor was the food court. They closed that down years before because it was a hub for the youth and violence. Once the food court shut down the business started declining. Floor 5 was offices and I believe a ballroom for the hotel.
I went down recently, couldn't enter on the hotel side, I walked around the building I was devastated when the front door was black and closed. I stood there for at least 10mins just astonished it was closed. The memories....
Did you cross the road to the Pratt and Light Street Pavillions? I just saw a video that said those buildings were almost completely vacant. Wondering if that is true.
So sad to see something that was such a draw to Baltimore being closed. Sad to witness such a decline in a prestigious area. Right below Federal Hill, Inner Harbor was a magnet for boaters and ships, people, food of all sorts. Now it's not safe, and you can imagine why.
@@colormedubious4747 Yup, unfortunately we know exactly why. The weird thing about Baltimore though is that, while things have changed since the summer of 2020, in most cities, downtowns have stayed relatively free from the rowdy teens (they mostly stuck to the bad neighborhoods). In Baltimore, even pre-pandemic, for years and years the rowdy group of teens would be causing trouble in the heart of downtown
I attended conventions at the Renaissance hotel for a couple years and remember the mall. It was only 5 years ago that I was last there. Sad. The inner harbour is beautiful
This is heartbreaking. 💔My daughter and I used to drive over from Montgomery County, MD and spend the day here on a Saturday. Ride the boat over to Fells Point, walk around and have lunch. Then back to the Harbor to take pictures.and walk around some more. 😔
I'm from Baltimore also. What a waste.!🙁🙁 I use to work downtown and went to the Gallery a lot. Crime in the Inner Harbor fatally wounded it, COVID just finished it off.
This is one of the most important places that puts Baltimore on the map .now because I've lived here from the time it was built it's fare to say we the people lost another great place that was great.very sad 😥
I remember the Inner Harbor development when it opened. They were projects of the Rouse Company -- a Maryland native, James Rouse was responsible for a lot of inner city shopping and lodging projects -- Boston's Faneuil Hall, New York's South Street Seaport. Rouse Company had a formula; the inventor of the "festival marketplace". The Rouse Company's biggest project was suburban - the planned community of Columbia, MD. Rouse died long ago (1996), and the the Inner Harbor struggled. Other nearby areas did surprisingly well - expensive condos to the South in Federal Hill, anchored by the prosperity of Under Armour - Baltimore is mostly a "branch office town" now, but the latter company, plus the Johns Hopkins juggernaut, has given the town some stability. To the East from the Inner Harbor, Fells Point has had lots of development . . . but the Harbor itself foundered, betwixt and between. USF&G, the insurance company that occupied a tower nearby, long since acquired (St Paul Companies, 1998). Alex Brown, the stock broker and investment bankers, acquired (1997 by Bankers Trust, which subsequently was bought by Deutsche Bank). Legg Mason acquired (2020 by Templeton Investments) The bane of the Inner Harbor for residents -- getting there. Parking was a chore . . . . . . and when locals got [somewhat] easier alternatives at Owings Mills Mall (opened 1986), Towson Town Center (had been around as much smaller facility, but the 1991 and 2007 expansions were notable). And to the Northeast, White Marsh Mall , and to the South Southwest, Arundel Mills. So in the decades following the opening of the Inner Harbor, a lot of competition for retail, much more convenient to park at, opened. At the same time, a lot of the daily business traffic evaporated. Back in the day, the Inner Harbor hotels were major centers for conferences -- Alex Brown's Healthcare conference took over the entire hotel, for example. So what you're seeing on the Gallery's last days -- is result of decades of change in Baltimore. Other parts of the City are healthier -- but this bit lost its logic and never found a new one. Interestingly, much of this was foreseen -- Pete Szanton, a consultant to the Goldseker Foundation, wrote a study of the city's potential, back in 1986, it was entitled "Baltimore 2000 : a choice of futures : a report to the Morris Goldseker Foundation" . . . as it happened, Szanton had hit on the problems that have blighted the city, most notably the lack of a functioning public education system. A 1999 opinion piece gives a sense of where Baltimore was, and the problems that were identified and never fixed. www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1999-11-07-9911080311-story.html
Pretty sad. This was a viable mall even 10 years ago, I remember going there back then and its stores were pretty filled with few vacancies. Twenty years ago, it was even kind of high-end. I know everyone is blaming panhandlers and homeless people for it and yes, they certainly played a role, but people need to understand that it's a SYMPTOM of larger issues. There are dead malls all over largely white working-class flyover country in smaller cities and towns, as this channel and so many ruin-porn TH-cam channels show, and it's not as much about panhandling or bums outside harassing people. The common denominator between ALL of these places are unhealthy local and regional economies. Baltimore is like so many older cities that had their heyday in the 19th through mid-20th century, struggling to adapt to a new world with stagnant to declining populations, undereducated workforce with entrenched intergenerational poverty and dysfunction, a very detached and disengaged economic and social elite in north Baltimore and out into the suburbs who almost all send their kids to elite private schools and wants little to do with the larger city, a hollowed out middle class and a struggling sense of community that's been riven with class, ethnic and racial divides for generations. THAT'S what causes the homeless people, the corrupt and inattentive cronyistic city government, the lazy lack of law enforcement, etc. TL; DR: Baltimore as a whole is a tired-ass place all around its metropolitan region. It's dated and faded, like so many once great places across the United States. Try to see the forest for the trees, folks. It's not just because you're a respectable suburbanite and all those big, scary poor people are chasing you away. LOL
This was a nice mall back in the day, always went to Shaper Image to see all the unique offerings. I always liked that glass brick walkway towards the front on the 2nd or 3rd floor.
I moved to Baltimore for college at around 2000 till 2010. I remember visiting that mall when I visited the harbor, It was interesting and felt upscale but felt out of place. I remember there was a resturant (maybe Burger King) up on the upper floor (right where the glassblock floor was in the video). The last few times I went there it was kinda empty and stores were more/less closed. I didn't really think anything of it going out of business. From the video, seeing all the employees and the decor and maintandence despite the fact there's a lakc of customers I'd bet they have money someplace or getting it from somewhere. The mall always seemed to look very nice up till the end.
Well, I'm sure all the criminals see the no gun signs and leave them outside so you should be safe right, oh wait, criminals don't abide by laws, so someone please explaine how that's supposed to work?
I lived in DC from the late 80s to the late 90s, and we used to love visiting the Inner Harbor and Fells Point when DC got a little boring. I have some strange and wonderful memories of this place, and this is really very sad to see. 💔💔
The design of that place is really cool, but having 80% of the potential floor space be an open atrium seems like a waste of square footage. Great video!
You know, I thought I mentioned that in the video cause I thought that a bunch of times while filming, but apparently I just thought it to myself. It’s the most comically inefficient use of space I’ve seen yet I think. How much money did they lose over the years due to that poor design? Probably a ton.
I live in Silver Spring -- Harbor Place is a good hour-plus away from me -- but I have some good memories of visits there back in its heyday. This is really so sad to see. As far as those scary signs are concerned, I saw plenty of similar signs in waiting areas of Georgetown University Hospital this past April. This country really seems broken.
Yes, unfortunately, the No Guns Allowed is common place in almost any big building in any major city. I travel a lot and see these everywhere (NYC, Chicago, DC, Boston, Philadelphia, etc.). Just a sign of the times unfortunately.
Brooks Brothers was my guilty pleasure here, and I say guilty because the salespeople were sometimes rude. It didn’t help matters that a friend I had at the time, who turned out to be a flake, worked there. Always amazed at cavalier attitudes from people that sell clothes and don’t have a dime to their name towards people that can actually afford to buy the clothes.
I have heard this about many malls that have closed or closing. Office space will save the building. It never seems to happen, and how much office space is needed now that many company's have moved to the suburbs, or many of their employees are mostly working from home.
I worked in this mall and still frequented it after working there for years. It was beautiful til the very end. It’s so sad to see how it ended. There was a footbridge that connected The Gallery to the Pratt St Pavilion across the street. It’s visible at the end of the video. I guess they closed that off as well. 💔
I used to love it down there and I am from up in Hereford, The HZ. I was going to The Gallery back in the late 80's and it was awesome, as well as the Harbor! It was before Camden Yards was just a warehouse.
Hopefully Baltimore rebrands the Inner Harbor well. It was a huge success story, but it was so painfully 1980s-90s in style. Most modern urban redevelopments focus on higher-end, often non-chain stores that you can't find in the suburbs. The Inner Harbor on the other hand focused way too much on mall shops and such which you could find anywhere. The area still has a ton of potential, they just need to act quickly.
BINGO. I have said the exact same thing. The Inner Harbor was built for the 90's, which is why it was such a nice attraction back then, but its setup and offerings never adapted with modern times. Like you said, the chain stores/restaurants and tacky tourist traps don't cut it nowadays, which is why it's struggled so much, even prior to the pandemic. Also, the volume/crowds of rowdy teens and "squeegeeing" going on downtown is a huge turnoff for attracting people from outside of the city. It has the potential, but they've got a few different things they need to address. I agree with you that they need to adapt with the times and focus on local, non-chain establishments as a starting point.
I mean, you can look at the other neighborhoods around the harbor for what people are more interested these days. Live-work-shop areas. Honestly, I'm not sure what the ideal central business district looks like these days. Most are struggling post-pandemic.
As most of us know, malls all over the country are closing. I watch the videos made by other mall video makers, and you see the same thing everywhere. North, south, midwest and west its all the same. Not much is written about it in the news, I guess reporters just aren't interested, or there are fewer of them and they are busy reporting the latest shooting's in their communities.
That’s so crazy I did.P not know that happen to down town I lived in Baltimore city all my life I use to cut school when I was younger when spring came and I would always get caught because I would get sun burn from walking around down town all day can’t believe it’s all gone 😢
I worked in the hotel gift shop attached to the mall in 98/99. The mall was busy for years. It's sad how local politicians let crime scare people away from the Inner Harbor.
It always hurts to see a dead mall but ESPECIALLY one that's newer and downtown! Those are literal signs of life in a city and most of them world wide are dying at a rate faster than anyone can comprehend... Edmonton once had 2.2 million square feet of downtown retail linked together in 4 super-block malls... Now? Only half a real mall is left and it has no open major anchors. Just a food court, theatre and sports equipment store plus some phone stores and pharmacies...
At one time, there was a McDonald's on the top floor if the Gallery. I grew up in Harford County, Maryland but would take rides down to the Inner Harbor with family members. I went to the Gallery not too long before it closed by myself and the sports store referenced in the video was still opened. I bought 2 Ravens shirts in there.
Sorry about your luck with management, I hate when they do that. Also this place is giving me insane l i m i n a l s p a c e vibes and I love your channel!
The last time I was in the mall I brought my kids..i would say around 2015. We went into a shoe store might have been a footlocker. Anyways all the workers were ghetto af and no joke every one of them had their ass hanging out..they weren't bothered by working and loud and cussing. Actually had to tell one employee to chill with the cussing in front of my kids. I knew at that point the mall was dead..never went back
Wow, no kidding. I had only been to this mall maybe 2-3 times around 2000/2001 and it was still pretty classy around there. I didn’t realize it got bad that long ago. Sure doesn’t help the situation.
Its to bad..my family are from south Baltimore. I was a young teen in the early 90s and we would just walk down from the neighborhood.. back then the mall and inner harbor was bustling..every day during the summer it was packed. When they opend Camden yards 92 it awesome..thats also around the time they put in the Hard Rock mid 90s.
Yeah, I've noticed the same things. They try to give these kids opportunities so they're not out there Squeegying or worse, but many of them just don't know how to carry themselves professionally. It's really sad. I see this all around Baltimore where they hire these kids at stores, restaurants, and other places, and they just aren't professional at all. It's a black eye. I've lived in other major cities too (Chicago, Philadelphia, and Orlando) and in those cities, the young kids that I have spotted who have been given an opportunity and working downtown have all been very professional and taking advantage of their opportunity. There is something about Baltimore that just can't seem to overcome this.
Sadly, I think that Norfolk's MacArthur Center is headed in this direction especially after Nordstrom did not renew its lease. It has no guns signs after shootings in the mall and surrounding areas. It is near Waterside, which is a replica of Inner Harbour and was revamped as an entertainment district a few years ago.
I agree. I stopped going to MacArthur after the recent spate of shootings, including three carjackings in two days in the parking garage. When it opened, it was a fantastic place to go. Now, I don't feel safe there. That's a terrible transition for just over twenty years. So sad to see.
I think especially the centre management realizes at that moment the video footage is made: That they normally haven't done all what it takes to keep things running. And the question how many people are with him just was to reassure that he wasn't live on air.
Reminds me of the waterfront stores in Norfolk, Va. Same story, urban renewal in poor run cities that the leadership is corrupt or sides with criminals.
So sad! As a teen, my friends and I would play hooky from school, in south central PA, to spend the day here in the late 80s. I even have video of our adventures. I don’t think the top one or two floors were ever shops. I know there were restaurants on the second or third level, where we’d order deep dish pizza and have a great view across the street. Loved the Sharper Image store on the first floor (first store on the left, as you entered the mall).
Some people are such gatekeepers… the place has maybe three people in it and she’s worried about your camera. When I go into malls and capture some video, I usually dress a bit more “business casual professional” and I never get asked what I’m doing…. Shouldn’t have to do that just to capture some images.
I thought the same thing. I assumed I’d have no issues since the place was closing, but I guess some people are sticklers right until the end. I should try the professional dress route and see if that helps. It’s not even like I’m talking poorly about the place, just trying to document it. Thanks for watching.
I worked there in the early 90's at a store called Arcadia and also Claire's. Claire's owned Arcadia ( a giftshop). It was the store with the neon star lights in the window you could see outside . Haunting how its all a ghost town now. It was fabulous back then.
Its literally not hard to increase the police presence in the tourist areas from 6am to 11pm but Baltimore seems okay letting the core of the city die out.
Wait for another video coming up at some point of the other two shopping centers right along the water. If you checked out those when you visited the area, you’ll be shocked at their current state. Basically abandoned right in the middle of that busy area. Thanks for watching!
I lived in bmore for 4 years..there are rough areas but most of the city is nice. Plenty of towns in the use have high murder rates...some of them you wouldn't even realize. Retail malls are closing everywhere in the burbs and cities.
I hate malls, always have.. But this one is very interesting architecture & layout .. Those no firearms signs though would certainly keep me away .. I do not want to be gunned down in crossfire while shopping for Pantene !! TgT
My favorite women's clothing brand, White House Black Market (WHBM), had its start at Harborplace in 1985. Back then, what later became WHBM was known as The White House, and it only sold white women's clothing and accessories. A sister store selling all-black women's clothing, Black Market, started as a separate concept under The White House company umbrella in 1995. The two concepts began to merge in 1997, when the first combination White House | Black Market store opened. Chico's FAS bought out WHBM in 2003, and over time, they began to branch out from selling just white and black clothing by adding additional colors to their collections. While there's still a heavy emphasis on white, black, and neutrals, the WHBM brand is much more diverse in its fashion now. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the first White House boutique opened in the Gallery or the festival marketplace portion of Harborplace. There's not much information out there on WHBM's early years (1980s and most of the 1990s) sadly, aside from some archived news articles I've seen from The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post, as well as the Reference for Business company profile on The White House, Inc., which does do a pretty good job of documenting the company's history prior to the 2003 Chico's acquisition. That latter profile does state that WHBM's founder, Richard D. Sarmiento, did originally want to open a lingerie store in the Gallery, but that the planned opening of a Victoria's Secret store derailed those plans, and that it was in a meeting between Sarmiento and Rouse Company officials where the idea for a boutique selling all-white women's clothing was born. Sarmiento was initially motivated more by location, namely the potential for a thriving business in Harborplace, than a specific concept. Reading "between the lines," this does suggest that The White House opened in the Gallery portion of Harborplace, although I still can't be 100% sure with the information out there. EDIT: I saw on Sal's video that the Gallery opened in September 1987, so The White House couldn't have got its start there. It had to be in one of the pavilions, at least until the Gallery opened. It does seem that Sarmiento was in on some of the plans for the Gallery (eg. the Victoria's Secret store) given his meetings and correspondence with Rouse Company officials.
Recently watched a handful of mall videos as of late. I believe I must be part of the problem, after thinking about it a bit I realized, I haven't been to a shopping mall not attached to a las Vegas casino in well over 2 decades. I remember growing up loving going to the malls in the 80s and 90s. Now I can't think of anything I'd need to go to a mall to get, I really don't like most people much ether. This mall is in a horrible location,that's to bad, it really looks much better than 98% of dead malls I've watched.
Horrible location is absolutely true! I’m surprised it lasted for 30 years. And I’m the same way as you, I realized I’m part of the reason for declining mall traffic as I hadn’t been to a mall in ages either before starting to make these mall videos. Thanks for watching.
This place is absolutely beautiful and extremely classy! It definitely has that late-'80s/early '90s elegance and charm about it.
As a Baltimorian this truly makes me sad to see once a place with so much life die
Agreed! I’m finishing up a video now exploring the waterfront shops across the street that are all but abandoned too. It’s insane what’s happened to that area.
@@IanMartinExploration Yeah sad really sad
Consumerism and shopping isn't what makes a place lively. Glad to see it die. Maybe we can wake up to our reality that everything is designed to make money and exploit us
@@mediocrestu8238 hey buddy you need to stop being so “woke” and realize that tons of people have great memories in these places (such as me) and it’s just a shame to see it be like this
@@lilwebthegoat9642 you just need to know your nostalgia is misguided and demand better or you can be a whiny piss baby
Grew up in Baltimore in the early 2000s. Really sad to see the decline over the past couple years. Losing the Barnes and Nobel at Powerplant hit me the hardest.
Im so glad I got to experience the Gallery during it’s prime. It was a staple in my childhood. I even did job shadowing there with the cooperate office. I remember thinking I wanted to work there when I was older.
aw
I was born and raised in Baltimore. I remember the day Harborplace opened July 1980. It was such a big deal. I worked at Phillips Harborplace(in the adjacent food Pavillion) as a summer employee all through college so I spent a lot of time in this mall as well. This is so sad.
@JujuBees One of my high school teachers was mugged while visiting harborplace right after it opened in 1980.
@JujuBees The downtown area which includes Harborplace was not a dangerous area in the 80s. There were Baltimore City police assigned specifically to Harborplace back then. But the whole downtown area was never very violent. Larcenies from cars was about the worst you could normally expect, but there was the occasional robbery. Central district had an officer detailed to patrol the skywalks in the evening back then to curtail this. I don't go into Baltimore anymore, so don't know what it's like downtown now.
For the city as a whole, murders routinely exceeded 300 a year in the 80s. This rate was cut by 1/3 in the late 90s, with murders in the 215-220 range.
In the last 10 years, that figure has again exceeded 300 regularly.
It's a reminder of how quickly things change, but that's inevitable. At least you were able to capture footage of its final moments as a viable mall. It was once a truly fabulous place to visit and it was beautifully maintained right to the end. FWIW, perhaps the staff there didn't want to put into words that the end was nigh because of how hard they'd worked to keep it going. It was a beautiful place, one that will hopefully find a new life.
Great points, especially about staff. I hadn’t considered that. Makes the most sense of all the options I’ve considered at least. And agreed about getting to document it before it shut down. I was glad I got something at least. Thanks for watching.
This whole area wss a tourist attraction. Harbor place gave people visiting a place that the çity to gain venture that it needs badly. Where they going to go to the block ? No , they will go to the Baltimore county to a hotel there . I heard they are fixing up the Aquarium but with only the Power plant and to walk by vacant stores and a bridge going no where .
I just went to Inner Harbor. The first time I went to visit was about 10 years ago. I was so sad to see how much the place had changed. The last time I was there, it was so lively and busy. And now it’s just a shell of what it used to be :(
This was EXACTLY how I was going back to make these videos. It’s shocking right?!
I remember walking all thru that mall and the Inner Harbor especially when I was in high school. I had to take the #10 on Pratt Street to get home from school but I have very fond memories of walking all around that area on Friday’s afternoons after school. I would even venture into Little Italy and go to Vacarro’s for a cannoli. I heard recently that even that neighborhood is starting to get kind of bad. It’s a complete abomination to see how Baltimore has completely deteriorated to what it is now from what it was thirty plus years ago.
@@thomasnee270 (30 PLUS years ago)-when European immigrants worked hard for a living, respected their surroundings and contributed to the community...
I worked in the office tower over the Gallery when it first opened in the late 1980s. Downtown was vibrant and exciting. Today people don’t feel safe in Baltimore. Until they fix their crime problem, the city will not recover.
Same for " The Gallery" mall in Center City Philadelphia. Rebranded as The Fashion District several years ago, it continues to have problems with the incessant crime plaguing the city, resulting in most suburbanites and city dwellers, as well, avoiding it at all costs.
I stopped by the inner harbor and homeless people kept coming up to me looking for money. It wasn’t worth the constant badgering.
How do you not understand the security issues with video inside stores or malls? In old crime movies, this used to be called "casing the place" for vulnerable areas for break-ins, etc
Yes, the problem goes deeper than Baltimore. Water Tower Place in Chicago, once vibrant, is not much better.
Welcome to the death of American cities. Thank you quiet quitters and the work from home crowd who never want to leave their cocoons. Who want to sit on their asses and have everything brought to them, and who never want to walk anywhere or interact with actual human beings in the public arena.
Incidentally, we thought we could have Ukrainians die for us and fight our proxy war, and that mere sanctions would destroy the Russian economy, but Russia appears to be doing just fine, and Russian malls are swarmimg with shoppers, and people mingling with their fellow citizens.
@@rickrose5377 got to say, you’re not off base. People just want to sit ion their phones and do the shopping from there. Basically anything that takes effort is removed from everyday life.
Ukraine is another mess. No end in site and the Feds just sending billions in money and hardware to another corrupt regime.
The sound of water is always a nice soothing backdrop to a soon-to-be-decaying monolith of future urban decay.
I agree about the water, it was a very soothing sound, especially with no other noise. Thanks for watching!
Unreal. The Baltimore Inner Harbor area was one of the few success stories of the late 1970s/1980s Baltimore. Simply shocking to see it shriveled and dead.
This makes me cry. I remember bringing my kids here. We thought we were rich
Such sadness watching all of this. The lives of those who worked there the families visiting and shopping. The emotion watching all of this has shaken me to the core. Watching like an old silent movie from distant times but when you have been here enjoying life and the company of smiles and good humour it takes a silent tear and a deep sigh in joining everyone who has written in.
Bless you for posting.
God Bless you Baltimore and THANK YOU. ALWAYS IN MY HEART.
Before I left Baltimore in 1983 I used to go to the Inner Harbor every weekend. That was obviously before this mall was built but the two Inner Harbor Pavilions directly across from the mall that sat at the water’s edge were jammed packed with people inside & out. I moved back to MD 20 yrs ago & haven’t once felt the desire to go the Inner Harbor in spite of visiting old friends that live downtown.
This is a very well done video. Thank you. You transmit quite well the bleakness and the hollow emptiness of a dying institution. Rome in the 470's AD must have been similar to this experience. I can almost feel the phantoms, ghosts and memories moving in to occupy the space. Plenty of finger-pointing and blaming, to be sure. Yet, sadness prevails.
Thank you for the kind words and for watching! You could definitely feel how it must have been during its heyday. Interesting comparison to Rome back in the day or likely any dying establishment. It’s sad to watch the slow decline of something that was once great.
Sad to see this mall close, it was always a nice mall. Thank you for documenting it!
Agreed. Thanks for watching!
Sign: Firearms are prohibited.
Criminal: Darn. Well guess I’ll just go home now.
I found that funny too. I don’t know why they think putting up a sign will deter people who want do criminal activity.
I bought a Sony Walkman at that mall, cherished memories from 1994! So sad to see this majestic place shut down.
Shame, the construction and décor are absolutely beautiful. Also, it's incredibly surprising that they're still bothering to run the fountains, even active malls have given up on those, or never bother to build them in the first place. But the sound is lovely in the video. Very relaxing actually, I love how you do your videos.
How well I remember The Gallery! In the late ‘80s I worked for The Baltimore Sun (the A.M. edition) up the street and lived on Mt Royal Ave all within walking distance to Harbor Place. The Gallery was my town square for shopping, and meet ups for lunch and romantic rendezvous. As witnessed in my lifetime, nothing lasts forever only the fond memories.
Ian I have lived in Baltimore my whole life. I can tell you why they are being secretive. City officials know they screwed up when they let Harbor Place and The Galleria go to shit. Both City and County residents are not happy about it. It also comes down to crime. The Democrat government that has been voted in to office the past 20 years have been weak on crime almost to the point where they support the criminals and not the citizens and the local police. People from the surrounding counties are afraid to go downtown without being armed and the city has been leaking population out to the counties for almost 15 years because of how about the Democrats have let it become. I am 50 years old and remember when Baltimore City, the Galleria, and Harbor Place where great places to go with the family. Its sad what has become of this city.
Yup. The continued support of "Squeegee Workers" despite the high profile murders they've led to (making national headlines) has been the most recent example of them being soft on crime and supporting criminals. I still see them out there despite how much of a national blackeye they are for the city. I know so many people who refuse to come to Baltimore until they are removed from off the streets. And the squeegee boys are on TV and in townhall meetings saying "they just want a job." Well why don't you go and get one rather than assaulting drivers when they tell you they don't want you touching their cars and refusing to pay you, stealing from their cashapp, or ripping off their windshield wipers when they won't pay???? How is anyone ever going to come to or invest in this city when this is what they are greeted by????
I remember coming here when I was newly living in Maryland, and had relatives who had a boat--arriving at the Inner Harbor from the Bay in a "flotilla" was an experience! Inner Harbor seemed so splendidly successful then. What a shame this redevelopment could not be sustained, but it had some good decades.
Boy, has the inner harbor changed in the last couple of decades. It’s a shadow of what it once was and that’s putting it nicely. Thanks for watching!
I wonder if they will keep the Constellation there or move it to another place.
@@IanMartinExploration this was a solution 30+ years ago after losing the Howard st corridor 50 years ago . Baltimore is losing hotels like the Holiday inn and soon others . I remember when they fixed up that area since it a rotting pier back in the 70s.
I worked in the adjacent office tower between 2012 and 2014. There were many food places on the 3rd level, including a McDonald’s. There also was a Starbucks on the second level, between the escalators. Many stores were open and the mall was usually pretty busy. The first store I remember that closed around that time was a GameStop because of trouble in the store and in the mall. The food places disappeared for the same reason, I believe. Walking out of the front doors, on the harbor side became troublesome because of begging. I was once begged by a young lady who was wearing a nicer winter coat than I owned. I worked outside of the city for a couple of years and returned to the Inner Harbor area around 2017-2018 and things had changed dramatically for the worse. Generally stayed away from around the harbor.
It’s really sad seeing the harbor like this. I didn’t even know the gallery closed even though I only visited there less than a handful of times. I remember visiting the inner harbor with my parents as a kid in the early 2000’s. We would walk around, get food, ride the merry go round that used to be there, just enjoy being out and about as a family. It was really crowded. My mom would also take my sister and I there for a girls night out as she would call it. Now both of my parents are gone and the place is just a shell of what it once was. I just go downtown if I have to these days. The inner harbor died with my childhood. It’s a really sad nostalgic feeling to say the least.
I have fond memories of visiting the Galleria and Harbor on sunny weekends from the nearby suburbs with my family as a teen in the 90's. Even after living in larger and more world-class cities like Chicago and Philadelphia, there was something so special about the harbor back then that other cities don't quite capture. Special memories too. Sad to see the end of an era, and just based on how the world is now, it will likely never be the same even if they do revitalize it at some point.
Ian another great post remember in the 1990s when my office was downtown going with my wife then fiance to the Gallery for lunch it was so nice and was a treat for us both . Now sadly like inner harbor not where you want to be. It's all crime related I think but now haven't been downtown in years and prefer North Baltimore county and york Pa. Its sad feel bad for the folks that bought condos down there and I'm sure they regret that now. Your productions are fantastic!!
This was the first time I’d been back to the inner harbor in years as well and it’s clearly just gotten worse. I prefer areas more outside of the city as well. Thanks for watching and for the kind words!
@@IanMartinExploration no thank you Ian my wife who is black and I'm white both grew up in city but no desire to go downtown anymore it's not a race thing just a criminal thing. My wife loves ❤️ your productions!!
Agree. As someone who grew up in the suburbs, has lived in other major cities, and recently moved back to the area a few years ago, another huge issue that is hurting attracting people downtown is SQUEEGEEING. I remember it was a thing decades ago, but not to the degree it is now. They have strategically setup at the major entry/exit points of the city, and with the high profile murders and violence, I know many people who have had such terrible experiences that they now refuse to come to the city until the squeegeeing issue has been handled. Unfortunately, it's been going on for decades, so until there is a new mayor (who will actually stand up and enforce the law), I don't know that it will be addressed. Which is sad because it's impacting tourism
Nice documentary Ian. Interestingly, a few people from Baltimore told me that this mall, even when it first went up and was bustling and very popular, it was very controversial (kind of a blessing and a curse). They claim that the reason that the rest of downtown Baltimore (opposite the harbor) doesn't have the type of high-end shopping districts that you find in downtowns of most other major cities is because they put up this large vertical mall, which stunted interest in developing a nearby high-end shopping district. They claimed that if they had instead put some of these high-end stores along one of the long city strips/streets downtown, it would have developed more foot traffic into the heart of downtown, which would lead to more high end stores, restaurants, shops, and overall vibrancy in the heart of the traditional downtown. So some people blame the galleria from the lack of a traditional high-end shopping/retail district in the heart of downtown Baltimore like many other cities have. Not saying I agree, just wanted to point this out.
I went there in the early 1990's and remember it being a place that was alive and vital. Camden Yard isn't too far away.
When I worked downtown in the early mid-90's this would be packed at lunch time on a weekday. There were several food vendors on the connecting floors.
As a child, my family would go to the Inner Harbor at least once a year.
As an adult, I would visit Fell's Point in Baltimore instead of the Inner Harbor, but occasionally I would stop by and visit this mall and the two Harbor Place pavilions.
This is so sad.
The last time I went to Baltimore was about 8 years ago. Crime has gotten out of hand and they have suffered with an awful city government
This brings back so many happy (and now sad) memories. My family and I used come here from the suburbs when I was a teen in the 90's. Sad to see the end of an era.
SO SAD! I remember when the Gallery was bustling with people! Such a beautiful place it was.
As a person who used to visit Baltimore; as a visitor AND a motor coach operator; all I can say is “WOW!” So sad. But it’s happening in a lot of major cities. Geez! My God!😞
Watching this made me remember all the childhood memories I had going here with friends and family. Sad to think that I had no idea it would be the last time I would see the place...
Gorgeous city center! What a shame!
They better not let this beautiful gallery rot away!
A future college campus is a great plan for this epic place!
Its so sad, as this was a beautiful mall!
It really was. Very unique from what I’m used to seeing. Thanks for watching!
I was born and raised in Baltimore and I remember this being the go to mall back in the late eighties to early nineties. Lots of great stores and eateries. Au Bon Pan, Mama Illardo’s, The Steak Escape, and the Sharper Image just to name a few.
I remember when the mall opened and what a vibrant area this was. Even though it was closing in a couple of days, it appears that the mall was still immaculately clean and they even had Christmas decorations. This is just sad. It did not have to be this way.
Baltimore is getting exactly what it deserves / and votes for.
The word you were looking for when talking about those store coverings was "façade".
Those "ancient lights" are an architectural version of theatrical lighting fixtures. They are designed to make a relatively small puddle of light at a long distance, so have parabolic mirrors to focus the light, and long snoots to keep the stray light from spreading to the sides. Basically you can only tell they are on if you are right in front of them. Those were probably halogen light fixtures, but modern LED fixtures look basically the same.
I stayed right around the corner from here in 2013, and I had NO IDEA this was even a mall! Unbelievable!! I feel bummed out I missed this!
It’s shocking when you find out there was a mall hidden in there, right???
You should of seen it back in the late eighties to mid nineties. It was incredible.
Haha was just thinking that. Lived in Baltimore area for 5 years and walked past here many times and never bothered to walk inside, even though it looked like a nice entrance.
I remember when this opened. It was so upscale. Inside the entrance there was a Sharper Image, when that was uber upscale. They had the best of the best stores.
The city needs a Mayor Schaefer now before they need to abandon that as well.
It was super upscale back in the day when I used to go too. Such a shame. The city is absolutely falling apart too, totally agree.
I certainly do remember Sharper Image at the entrance. 😥
Yep. The Sharper Image was off to the left as soon as you walked into the mall.
Even Schaefer couldn't save this place now. The late 70s were a whole 'nother world compared to today.
@@scottb4579 Agree, although a Schaefer type mayor would at least temporarily slow down its demise, even if only for the 4 years he/she was elected. The current mayor, you wouldn't even think he was a mayor based on how he talks/dresses. To have the string of mayors who have run Baltimore in the last 20 years is why the city is the way it is. They have even missed opportunities to close deals with investors that would have brought beautiful skyscrapers that would have revitalized the skyline because of the incompetence of city leadership. If a Schaefer type mayor was around the last 20 years, the city may have been a lot different. I agree that he wouldn't be able to save it now, but he could slow its demise.
The place is still in great shape. I wish I had gone there in the 1980's to see how it once was. Jeesus. They wrote newspaper articles about how this mall redeveloped old dilapidated land into something that was a destination, rather than just a place to shop.
The death of Harbor Place started when they allowed homeless panhandlers to wander around and pester people. The last time I was there, that’s what happened and it definitely was the last time I visited the area. I did not feel safe and I saw what the area was becoming. It was such a wonderful place to visit and experience. I brought many friends and family there. It was vibrant, lively and safe. Sorry, but that’s the unadulterated truth.
Was there with my wife after we moved to Maryland and there was absolutely no one around Inner Harbor and this mall. It was eerie. This homeless guy came out from behind a wall and literally "bum rushed" us. When I stood up to him he demanded money. Like he was going to rob us, but then stopped and just demanded it with no threat. I called the police and no one showed. We still walked around for an hour or so and did not see one cop (nor anyone but homeless) anywhere.
Why are you sorry?? Sorry you didn't virtue signal?
The woman said the doors would be locked so that is a roundabout way of saying it was closing.
Lived in Baltimore my whole life. (52)The homeless was always around. The place changed when Mayor Schaefer left office.
Panhandlers destroy cities and towns everywhere. I have gotten pestered by them in London, Paris, Rome and even in Aruba. They are very unpleasant.
I grew up going to this mall. The 4th floor was the food court. They closed that down years before because it was a hub for the youth and violence. Once the food court shut down the business started declining. Floor 5 was offices and I believe a ballroom for the hotel.
I went down recently, couldn't enter on the hotel side, I walked around the building I was devastated when the front door was black and closed. I stood there for at least 10mins just astonished it was closed. The memories....
Did you cross the road to the Pratt and Light Street Pavillions? I just saw a video that said those buildings were almost completely vacant. Wondering if that is true.
So sad to see something that was such a draw to Baltimore being closed. Sad to witness
such a decline in a prestigious area. Right below Federal Hill, Inner Harbor was a magnet
for boaters and ships, people, food of all sorts. Now it's not safe, and you can imagine why.
Agreed. As someone who grew up going to that area, it’s just so sad to see how awful it is now.
Yep, I can relate too.
We don't have to imagine why. We know why. Baltimore's citizens keep voting for this and then act shocked when they get it.
@@colormedubious4747 Yup, unfortunately we know exactly why. The weird thing about Baltimore though is that, while things have changed since the summer of 2020, in most cities, downtowns have stayed relatively free from the rowdy teens (they mostly stuck to the bad neighborhoods). In Baltimore, even pre-pandemic, for years and years the rowdy group of teens would be causing trouble in the heart of downtown
I attended conventions at the Renaissance hotel for a couple years and remember the mall. It was only 5 years ago that I was last there. Sad. The inner harbour is beautiful
This is heartbreaking. 💔My daughter and I used to drive over from Montgomery County, MD and spend the day here on a Saturday. Ride the boat over to Fells Point, walk around and have lunch. Then back to the Harbor to take pictures.and walk around some more. 😔
I had some very fond memories of weekend trips here from the suburbs with my family as well growing up. Very sad.
Wow! What a beautiful mall!
I'm from Baltimore also. What a waste.!🙁🙁 I use to work downtown and went to the Gallery a lot. Crime in the Inner Harbor fatally wounded it, COVID just finished it off.
This is one of the most important places that puts Baltimore on the map .now because I've lived here from the time it was built it's fare to say we the people lost another great place that was great.very sad 😥
Agreed, that whole area has just gone off the deep end from what it once was. Thanks for watching!
I remember the Inner Harbor development when it opened. They were projects of the Rouse Company -- a Maryland native, James Rouse was responsible for a lot of inner city shopping and lodging projects -- Boston's Faneuil Hall, New York's South Street Seaport. Rouse Company had a formula; the inventor of the "festival marketplace". The Rouse Company's biggest project was suburban - the planned community of Columbia, MD. Rouse died long ago (1996), and the the Inner Harbor struggled. Other nearby areas did surprisingly well - expensive condos to the South in Federal Hill, anchored by the prosperity of Under Armour - Baltimore is mostly a "branch office town" now, but the latter company, plus the Johns Hopkins juggernaut, has given the town some stability. To the East from the Inner Harbor, Fells Point has had lots of development . . . but the Harbor itself foundered, betwixt and between. USF&G, the insurance company that occupied a tower nearby, long since acquired (St Paul Companies, 1998). Alex Brown, the stock broker and investment bankers, acquired (1997 by Bankers Trust, which subsequently was bought by Deutsche Bank). Legg Mason acquired (2020 by Templeton Investments)
The bane of the Inner Harbor for residents -- getting there. Parking was a chore . . .
. . . and when locals got [somewhat] easier alternatives at Owings Mills Mall (opened 1986), Towson Town Center (had been around as much smaller facility, but the 1991 and 2007 expansions were notable). And to the Northeast, White Marsh Mall , and to the South Southwest, Arundel Mills. So in the decades following the opening of the Inner Harbor, a lot of competition for retail, much more convenient to park at, opened. At the same time, a lot of the daily business traffic evaporated. Back in the day, the Inner Harbor hotels were major centers for conferences -- Alex Brown's Healthcare conference took over the entire hotel, for example.
So what you're seeing on the Gallery's last days -- is result of decades of change in Baltimore. Other parts of the City are healthier -- but this bit lost its logic and never found a new one. Interestingly, much of this was foreseen -- Pete Szanton, a consultant to the Goldseker Foundation, wrote a study of the city's potential, back in 1986, it was entitled "Baltimore 2000 : a choice of futures : a report to the Morris Goldseker Foundation" . . . as it happened, Szanton had hit on the problems that have blighted the city, most notably the lack of a functioning public education system. A 1999 opinion piece gives a sense of where Baltimore was, and the problems that were identified and never fixed.
www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1999-11-07-9911080311-story.html
The fourth floor was accessible via the Renaissance Hotel.
Pretty sad. This was a viable mall even 10 years ago, I remember going there back then and its stores were pretty filled with few vacancies. Twenty years ago, it was even kind of high-end. I know everyone is blaming panhandlers and homeless people for it and yes, they certainly played a role, but people need to understand that it's a SYMPTOM of larger issues. There are dead malls all over largely white working-class flyover country in smaller cities and towns, as this channel and so many ruin-porn TH-cam channels show, and it's not as much about panhandling or bums outside harassing people. The common denominator between ALL of these places are unhealthy local and regional economies. Baltimore is like so many older cities that had their heyday in the 19th through mid-20th century, struggling to adapt to a new world with stagnant to declining populations, undereducated workforce with entrenched intergenerational poverty and dysfunction, a very detached and disengaged economic and social elite in north Baltimore and out into the suburbs who almost all send their kids to elite private schools and wants little to do with the larger city, a hollowed out middle class and a struggling sense of community that's been riven with class, ethnic and racial divides for generations. THAT'S what causes the homeless people, the corrupt and inattentive cronyistic city government, the lazy lack of law enforcement, etc.
TL; DR: Baltimore as a whole is a tired-ass place all around its metropolitan region. It's dated and faded, like so many once great places across the United States. Try to see the forest for the trees, folks. It's not just because you're a respectable suburbanite and all those big, scary poor people are chasing you away. LOL
💯 agree. Now what can be done?
I went in there once as a teenager with friends back in the 80's, it was packed.
This was a nice mall back in the day, always went to Shaper Image to see all the unique offerings. I always liked that glass brick walkway towards the front on the 2nd or 3rd floor.
I moved to Baltimore for college at around 2000 till 2010. I remember visiting that mall when I visited the harbor, It was interesting and felt upscale but felt out of place. I remember there was a resturant (maybe Burger King) up on the upper floor (right where the glassblock floor was in the video). The last few times I went there it was kinda empty and stores were more/less closed. I didn't really think anything of it going out of business. From the video, seeing all the employees and the decor and maintandence despite the fact there's a lakc of customers I'd bet they have money someplace or getting it from somewhere. The mall always seemed to look very nice up till the end.
Well, I'm sure all the criminals see the no gun signs and leave them outside so you should be safe right, oh wait, criminals don't abide by laws, so someone please explaine how that's supposed to work?
I lived in DC from the late 80s to the late 90s, and we used to love visiting the Inner Harbor and Fells Point when DC got a little boring. I have some strange and wonderful memories of this place, and this is really very sad to see. 💔💔
Me too. The inner harbor remains but I never bought anything in the mall, did you?
@@GB-ez6ge Yes! They had a great hat store called Hats in the Belfry!
The design of that place is really cool, but having 80% of the potential floor space be an open atrium seems like a waste of square footage. Great video!
You know, I thought I mentioned that in the video cause I thought that a bunch of times while filming, but apparently I just thought it to myself. It’s the most comically inefficient use of space I’ve seen yet I think. How much money did they lose over the years due to that poor design? Probably a ton.
I live in Silver Spring -- Harbor Place is a good hour-plus away from me -- but I have some good memories of visits there back in its heyday. This is really so sad to see. As far as those scary signs are concerned, I saw plenty of similar signs in waiting areas of Georgetown University Hospital this past April. This country really seems broken.
Yes, unfortunately, the No Guns Allowed is common place in almost any big building in any major city. I travel a lot and see these everywhere (NYC, Chicago, DC, Boston, Philadelphia, etc.). Just a sign of the times unfortunately.
Brooks Brothers was my guilty pleasure here, and I say guilty because the salespeople were sometimes rude. It didn’t help matters that a friend I had at the time, who turned out to be a flake, worked there. Always amazed at cavalier attitudes from people that sell clothes and don’t have a dime to their name towards people that can actually afford to buy the clothes.
Been there twice during the 90s for business. Was warned don’t go out alone after 9 or 10 pm. The streets belong to those who rule the night.
Very beautiful space especially with fountain. But it would make good office space. Definitely a smaller mall but very regal looking.
I’ve always thought it was such a unique place. Small and strangely located, but also very pretty with the fountain. Thanks for watching!
I have heard this about many malls that have closed or closing. Office space will save the building. It never seems to happen, and how much office space is needed now that many company's have moved to the suburbs, or many of their employees are mostly working from home.
@@iworkout6912 that's true. You have a good point.
I worked in this mall and still frequented it after working there for years. It was beautiful til the very end. It’s so sad to see how it ended. There was a footbridge that connected The Gallery to the Pratt St Pavilion across the street. It’s visible at the end of the video. I guess they closed that off as well. 💔
I used to love it down there and I am from up in Hereford, The HZ. I was going to The Gallery back in the late 80's and it was awesome, as well as the Harbor! It was before Camden Yards was just a warehouse.
This place was beautiful
Hopefully Baltimore rebrands the Inner Harbor well. It was a huge success story, but it was so painfully 1980s-90s in style. Most modern urban redevelopments focus on higher-end, often non-chain stores that you can't find in the suburbs. The Inner Harbor on the other hand focused way too much on mall shops and such which you could find anywhere. The area still has a ton of potential, they just need to act quickly.
BINGO. I have said the exact same thing. The Inner Harbor was built for the 90's, which is why it was such a nice attraction back then, but its setup and offerings never adapted with modern times. Like you said, the chain stores/restaurants and tacky tourist traps don't cut it nowadays, which is why it's struggled so much, even prior to the pandemic. Also, the volume/crowds of rowdy teens and "squeegeeing" going on downtown is a huge turnoff for attracting people from outside of the city. It has the potential, but they've got a few different things they need to address. I agree with you that they need to adapt with the times and focus on local, non-chain establishments as a starting point.
I mean, you can look at the other neighborhoods around the harbor for what people are more interested these days. Live-work-shop areas. Honestly, I'm not sure what the ideal central business district looks like these days. Most are struggling post-pandemic.
The vacant stores look more appealing than the few remaining ones!
As most of us know, malls all over the country are closing. I watch the videos made by other mall video makers, and you see the same thing everywhere. North, south, midwest and west its all the same. Not much is written about it in the news, I guess reporters just aren't interested, or there are fewer of them and they are busy reporting the latest shooting's in their communities.
This brings so many memories back of working at Ann Taylor and the customers smh it’s just crazy!
That’s so crazy I did.P not know that happen to down town I lived in Baltimore city all my life I use to cut school when I was younger when spring came and I would always get caught because I would get sun burn from walking around down town all day can’t believe it’s all gone 😢
I worked in the hotel gift shop attached to the mall in 98/99. The mall was busy for years. It's sad how local politicians let crime scare people away from the Inner Harbor.
How about the criminals creating the crime? That's the politicians fault as well?
Policians do not help, but it is the black culture of crime and poor parenting that destroyed Baltimore and the entire country. It cannot be fixed.
It always hurts to see a dead mall but ESPECIALLY one that's newer and downtown! Those are literal signs of life in a city and most of them world wide are dying at a rate faster than anyone can comprehend... Edmonton once had 2.2 million square feet of downtown retail linked together in 4 super-block malls... Now? Only half a real mall is left and it has no open major anchors. Just a food court, theatre and sports equipment store plus some phone stores and pharmacies...
Wow, the worker doesn't even know if it was closing and he said management isn't telling them? That tracks for Baltimore.
At one time, there was a McDonald's on the top floor if the Gallery. I grew up in Harford County, Maryland but would take rides down to the Inner Harbor with family members. I went to the Gallery not too long before it closed by myself and the sports store referenced in the video was still opened. I bought 2 Ravens shirts in there.
Sorry about your luck with management, I hate when they do that. Also this place is giving me insane l i m i n a l s p a c e vibes and I love your channel!
At least I got most of what I wanted filmed before being told to stop. Thanks for watching!
@@IanMartinExploration better stop or they'll ban you from the mall, ha.
The last time I was in the mall I brought my kids..i would say around 2015. We went into a shoe store might have been a footlocker. Anyways all the workers were ghetto af and no joke every one of them had their ass hanging out..they weren't bothered by working and loud and cussing. Actually had to tell one employee to chill with the cussing in front of my kids. I knew at that point the mall was dead..never went back
Wow, no kidding. I had only been to this mall maybe 2-3 times around 2000/2001 and it was still pretty classy around there. I didn’t realize it got bad that long ago. Sure doesn’t help the situation.
Its to bad..my family are from south Baltimore. I was a young teen in the early 90s and we would just walk down from the neighborhood.. back then the mall and inner harbor was bustling..every day during the summer it was packed. When they opend Camden yards 92 it awesome..thats also around the time they put in the Hard Rock mid 90s.
Yeah, I've noticed the same things. They try to give these kids opportunities so they're not out there Squeegying or worse, but many of them just don't know how to carry themselves professionally. It's really sad. I see this all around Baltimore where they hire these kids at stores, restaurants, and other places, and they just aren't professional at all. It's a black eye. I've lived in other major cities too (Chicago, Philadelphia, and Orlando) and in those cities, the young kids that I have spotted who have been given an opportunity and working downtown have all been very professional and taking advantage of their opportunity. There is something about Baltimore that just can't seem to overcome this.
Sadly, I think that Norfolk's MacArthur Center is headed in this direction especially after Nordstrom did not renew its lease. It has no guns signs after shootings in the mall and surrounding areas. It is near Waterside, which is a replica of Inner Harbour and was revamped as an entertainment district a few years ago.
I agree. I stopped going to MacArthur after the recent spate of shootings, including three carjackings in two days in the parking garage. When it opened, it was a fantastic place to go. Now, I don't feel safe there. That's a terrible transition for just over twenty years. So sad to see.
Its so sad that this mall is closing its doors 😢. This mall was my favorite place to visit
What a sad situation. This is the fault of the local government and DA for not taking crime seriously
Diversity is our greatest....
All this time I thought it was a office building too. The tragic comedy is it turned into a office building anyway.
Glad I’m not the only one who thought it was an office building! Haha
Great video!
Thank you and thanks for watching!
It’s when you talk to the employees, it raises suspicion and makes people nervous.
I think especially the centre management realizes at that moment the video footage is made: That they normally haven't done all what it takes to keep things running.
And the question how many people are with him just was to reassure that he wasn't live on air.
Reminds me of the waterfront stores in Norfolk, Va. Same story, urban renewal in poor run cities that the leadership is corrupt or sides with criminals.
So sad! As a teen, my friends and I would play hooky from school, in south central PA, to spend the day here in the late 80s. I even have video of our adventures. I don’t think the top one or two floors were ever shops. I know there were restaurants on the second or third level, where we’d order deep dish pizza and have a great view across the street. Loved the Sharper Image store on the first floor (first store on the left, as you entered the mall).
I used to work on the 3rd floor in 2000-2001 at World of Science. It used to be packed during the summers and holidays. I miss those days.
Some people are such gatekeepers… the place has maybe three people in it and she’s worried about your camera. When I go into malls and capture some video, I usually dress a bit more “business casual professional” and I never get asked what I’m doing…. Shouldn’t have to do that just to capture some images.
I thought the same thing. I assumed I’d have no issues since the place was closing, but I guess some people are sticklers right until the end. I should try the professional dress route and see if that helps. It’s not even like I’m talking poorly about the place, just trying to document it. Thanks for watching.
@@IanMartinExploration some people get a thrill from controlling others. I call them psychopaths
Typical Rent-A-Cop attitude!
I worked there in the early 90's at a store called Arcadia and also Claire's. Claire's owned Arcadia ( a giftshop). It was the store with the neon star lights in the window you could see outside . Haunting how its all a ghost town now. It was fabulous back then.
It was such a nice place not a few years ago . The late 10s killed it.
Its literally not hard to increase the police presence in the tourist areas from 6am to 11pm but Baltimore seems okay letting the core of the city die out.
Used to live about 20 minutes away and visited a few times a year. Death by crime and COVID. Too bad. It was very impressive at one time.
Three words were the death knell… Freddy Grey Riots.
sad i remember going here when I visited Baltimore...1998, 2011
Wait for another video coming up at some point of the other two shopping centers right along the water. If you checked out those when you visited the area, you’ll be shocked at their current state. Basically abandoned right in the middle of that busy area. Thanks for watching!
@@IanMartinExploration oh my I remember there was so many ppl out and about it was so nice, but just 3-4 blocks beyond the harbor was the hood
The locusts' show up and kill the place. Big surprise. How many other cities have suffered the same fate?
I lived in bmore for 4 years..there are rough areas but most of the city is nice. Plenty of towns in the use have high murder rates...some of them you wouldn't even realize. Retail malls are closing everywhere in the burbs and cities.
I hate malls, always have.. But this one is very interesting architecture & layout .. Those no firearms signs though would certainly keep me away .. I do not want to be gunned down in crossfire while shopping for Pantene !! TgT
My favorite women's clothing brand, White House Black Market (WHBM), had its start at Harborplace in 1985.
Back then, what later became WHBM was known as The White House, and it only sold white women's clothing and accessories. A sister store selling all-black women's clothing, Black Market, started as a separate concept under The White House company umbrella in 1995. The two concepts began to merge in 1997, when the first combination White House | Black Market store opened. Chico's FAS bought out WHBM in 2003, and over time, they began to branch out from selling just white and black clothing by adding additional colors to their collections. While there's still a heavy emphasis on white, black, and neutrals, the WHBM brand is much more diverse in its fashion now.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the first White House boutique opened in the Gallery or the festival marketplace portion of Harborplace. There's not much information out there on WHBM's early years (1980s and most of the 1990s) sadly, aside from some archived news articles I've seen from The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post, as well as the Reference for Business company profile on The White House, Inc., which does do a pretty good job of documenting the company's history prior to the 2003 Chico's acquisition. That latter profile does state that WHBM's founder, Richard D. Sarmiento, did originally want to open a lingerie store in the Gallery, but that the planned opening of a Victoria's Secret store derailed those plans, and that it was in a meeting between Sarmiento and Rouse Company officials where the idea for a boutique selling all-white women's clothing was born. Sarmiento was initially motivated more by location, namely the potential for a thriving business in Harborplace, than a specific concept. Reading "between the lines," this does suggest that The White House opened in the Gallery portion of Harborplace, although I still can't be 100% sure with the information out there.
EDIT: I saw on Sal's video that the Gallery opened in September 1987, so The White House couldn't have got its start there. It had to be in one of the pavilions, at least until the Gallery opened. It does seem that Sarmiento was in on some of the plans for the Gallery (eg. the Victoria's Secret store) given his meetings and correspondence with Rouse Company officials.
I went in 2020 just after the reopening, it seemed to have been doing fine. That was one of the few Forever 21s I could find.
I remember shopping there with my ex in the mid 90s. We used to have a lot of fun in those times. Sorry to see it go.
Recently watched a handful of mall videos as of late.
I believe I must be part of the problem, after thinking about it a bit I realized, I haven't been to a shopping mall not attached to a las Vegas casino in well over 2 decades.
I remember growing up loving going to the malls in the 80s and 90s. Now I can't think of anything I'd need to go to a mall to get, I really don't like most people much ether.
This mall is in a horrible location,that's to bad, it really looks much better than 98% of dead malls I've watched.
Horrible location is absolutely true! I’m surprised it lasted for 30 years. And I’m the same way as you, I realized I’m part of the reason for declining mall traffic as I hadn’t been to a mall in ages either before starting to make these mall videos. Thanks for watching.
@@IanMartinExploration thanks for making them.