Cortana Mall - Baton Rouge, LA | a dead mall nearly abrogated from torpid ownership | ExLog#39
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This Expedition Log marks the end of Phase II of the ExLog Series. The Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge is dead, and currently sits nearly vacant with only 5 stores left (As of May 2019) and just one anchor (Dillards Clearance Center). The footage in this video was shot in 2018 when the mall still had a bit of life left in it, and I'd like you to come take a walk with me and my dad, Captain Sal Sr. for one last look inside this 1.6 million square foot dead mall.
#DeadMall #SalGuido #ExLog
Hey everyone! This video marks the end of Phase II of the Expedition Log Series... Make sure you go back and have a look through the series, as Phase III will be coming super soon, and will kick off with a huge Episode!
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the KB toys at @12:20 though, walk down memory lane seeing that.
Sal thank You Sal ! Awesome Video.its sad though that malls are closing down.
Should have gone to Esplanade Mall! It was right next to the airport. Awesome mall that is dying quickly. Had a 3 story Macy’s.
The “bank” thing in the parking lot was a Sear tire center.
Yeah, that place you thought was a Mervyn's was a Mervyn's. As many times as I've been to that mall, I had never been in that store.
I grew up in this mall. My prom dresses were purchased here. My mom would pick up my school clothes from the catalog center in JC Penney! My first (few) jobs were in this mall! I remember the days of the Disney store & the fountain! The nachos & corn dogs! Ruby Tuesday & Best Image Photography Studio! My heart aches as Cortana dies.
I feel you... it's the same for me. Cortana mall was just a huge fixture in my life... if you needed an appliance, you went to Sears. School shopping? Sears, JC Penney's. Date night? Movies and corn dogs. Feels like a part of my childhood is dying...
Same here. I got here by googling 90's disney store and I was NOT expecting this nostalgia trip. So many memories!
The NACHOS!!!! To this day the best nachos I’ve ever had! Oh I miss Cortana in its glory days....
Same. This mall was my childhood
I'm 48 and I grew up going to that mall. It used to be such a beautiful place to shop, especially during Christmas time. When they built Hammond Square Mall we went to Cortana less frequently because we lived closer to Hammond but Cortana was bigger and we considered it a treat to go there. You brought back many memories with this video, Godchauxs was a distant memory brought back to me. Thank you. Oh the memories.
Anjie Marie remember when Hammond had the inside mall😭
I was the credit manager for DH Holmes when Hammond Square opened. Commuted from Baton Rouge with three other managers.
In the mid 80s you could buy parachute pants at the merry go round. LoL
Now they’re both gone, just memories.
Cortana was officially closed for business on September 18, 2019.
RIP to another once wonderful place.
I thought it was earlier. It was going really downhill last time I went a few years back. Seemed to do well in the early 00's though.
Blame the ghetto residents of BR.
In my opinion shopping malls would make perfect colleges or charter schools, they have a food court which could be rented again to vendors, and all the stores could be converted into class rooms or administrative offices. You cannot build any college for 4 million dollars.
Also with the huge issue of homelessness, the mall should be turned into a shelter where there's also job/career training as well.
part of Highland Mall in Austin,TX turn in to/remodel for Austin Community College and the parking lot is turning in to apartment complexes
@@TanTran-re1dm A good idea, and since I have a passion for the impovershed and the homeless; turn some of these malls into faith-based organizations that would offer temp housing, clothing, classes for life skills and job training/coaching, even turn a food court area into one huge soup kitchen and food donation department to feed this particular group of
people, plus implement some kind of culinary training program in it as well.
The former Macy’s in Landmark in Alexandria VA is a homeless shelter at the moment. I think Sal has a video on it.
The thing is, no one is gonna want to invest that much into converting such places. Because you know, people don't wanna spend more that isn't on themselves
Great video - I was the specialty leasing mgr, retired in 2005 - was there in the glory days - you brought back some great memories.
I have many memories of Cortana mall. I used to go there in the 80s,90s. And helped out working at the radio shack. The mall went down hill fast when the mall of Louisiana was built. I feel like the zombie apocalypse could start in that mall.
curtis white malls went downhill ever since internet started blowing up in the late 90s early 2000s
When the mall of Louisiana opened up the attendance at Cortana dropped significantly. The entire area around Cortana changed as well. Cortana lost stores to the new mall and Clientele changed from upper,middle and lower to lower and some middle. The new mall took all the upper and middle income. Restaurants right outside of Cortana also went downhill.
curtis white people love new buildings for some reason, old buildings keep going down hill all the time specially a mall,unless they keep fancy brand stores and good security
Everyone always makes a zombie reference
@@stonemaster1217 nope
I've lived in Louisiana since 1980 and moved to Baton Rouge in 1989 and my wife and I loved this Mall. In it's heyday it really was a magnificent place. Sad to see it go.
The echos of loudspeakers ringing through dead malls is pure magic.
Super glad you liked that touch :)
That part could be part of a great horror/thriller movie.
@@sal Someone should make 2, 3, 4 hr long sleep aid videos of those echoing sound effects. The music, ads, announcements, etc.
I like this idea.
@@Purebliss007 I'm gonna put some vaporwave in spotify and put in my earbuds and walk the mall, it's gonna be sick.
I grew up going to that mall. I remember taking an elementary school field trip there to sing French Christmas carols in one of the courtyards during the mid 80’s. Thanks for documenting it while it’s still standing.
Mr Musick I did the same thing! Maybe we were in the same group? You never know.
Are you by chance related to Paul Musick?
This is so sad. I grew up about an hour away from Cortana Mall and made many shopping trips there. I'm actually old enough to remember the Bon Marche' Mall ... that was the first shopping mall in these parts, and it was a big deal. But Cortana made a huge splash when it opened. I remember back in 1976 when a group of ladies from our church took the church van to Cortana for the first weekend it was opened. I was at a scouting meeting when they returned to the church. I can still see them getting out of the van with a bunch of shopping bags and talking about their feet hurting. It peaked my curiosity at what this mall must be like. From 1976 until I moved away in 1995, Cortana was the epitome of shopping. I still have a few things I remember buying there (Christmas decorations, cookware). My brother and I would often do our Christmas shopping there. I knew, when the Mall of Louisiana opened, that Cortana wouldn't last ... MOL is just much too fancy and "shiny new." But I'm still a little sad. I guess the last time I visited Cortana was about 2003. Nice work on the video.
You're soooo very lucky to have your Dad still trooping along with you, Sal. MY pop died back in early 2002, and I still miss him terribly...so here's to the senior Amadeo as the two of you hang out and do all that father-son stuff I miss so terribly...Shalom, all.
Mortuus Praesepultus mine died in 2006 :/ I miss him every day!
2002 was a bad year with my pops passing too. Went form 25 yr oldest sibling, to full blown adult times 2. I look out for moms daily, Fuuuccckkk that time, my life restarted that year -
The Salvation Army of Greater Baton Rouge, was allowed to use the old Mervyns for our Angel Tree program. That's why you saw all of the donations.
Thank you Sal for covering my childhood mall! I was excited and saddened to see what shape Cortana is in now. I absolutely loved this place as a kid! The last time I remember seeing this mall thrive with stores and shoppers was 2005-06. I would be surprised if this mall survives another 2 years.
That was my go to place when I was feeling down. It’s so sad. It had a small movie theater for a short time when it first opened, but Bon Marche had the biggest theater. That’s the only thing that kept it open as long as it was.
My dad has so many stories from going to Cortana growing up, he always seemed so happy telling those stories
I did a google search to see if I could scope out old videos of Cortana mall because I was feeling nostalgic and my memory was fuzzy on what it used to look like. I was a kid/teen in the 80s and 90s and spent so much time here. This video took me back and forgotten memories come pouring in as I watched it. Thank you!
Oh my -Sal you've won my heart. I grew up in Baton Rouge and remember when Cortana was built. I worked at Dillard's from the early 80's through 90's. I loved my job and the mall. I never heard of any crime or violence. That Price Leblanc commercial sure brought a nostalgic smile to my face. Yes sure and yes mam. ❤️💋🤗. It makes me so sad to see it now when it was the best mall in town 😔
29:55 "Because nobody's there to enjoy this."
That's not true, because we're there. Shoutout to Sal and all of us who appreciate and immortalise dead malls that are an important part of American society. Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.
As a kid who was born in 96 I was a little young during the boom of mall culture but I still feel such a strong nostalgic feeling when watching dead mall videos and listening to vapor wave and stuff like that. I feel alot of the magic of the 80s and 90s still carried on into the early 2000s. I remember as a kid not really understanding that things would change all around me as time would go on and now i miss how vibrant and "xtreme" everything used to be. It really helps me understand why as we get older we hold onto things from our past and childhood and are always finding the new generation of things to not be as good. The feelings we get when we see those visuals or hear those sounds we used to hear , there's nothing that compares to it and I'm so grateful people like you take the time to provide us with content like this. It gives me the chance to feel, breath, smell, hear all these sensations the same way I felt them back then and to not take them for granted I thank you so much for that.
Ah...the memories....I didn't only shop there. I would go there to walk around, to get my exercise, visit my boyfriend who worked there, and to find the best bargains. Good times!! It was a a beautiful place to relax, have a cup of coffee from the kiosk there, and sit by the fountains. Sad to see it go.
I grew up with this mall and thoroughly enjoyed this place well into adulthood. The sadness to see this place and Bon Marche' Mall just disappear is just heartbreaking to me. More places that just exist as memories now. I just hate it. Bon Marche' a business park and Cortana, now an Amazon facility. Home (Baton Rouge) is just not the same.
You do a great job of telling the full history of all of these malls and really paint a picture of their decline. The breadth of your coverage really helps to make the entire video engaging and stand out above other "dead mall people" who just walk around the dilapidated old retail complexes. Go you!
Hey thanks Jason!!
So sad, spent many a days hanging out there as a kid in the 80's and even more time when I had my own car in the 90's. Spaceport, Mama Brava's, Everything's A Dollar, Piccadilly, Maison Blanche/Goudchaux's, Mervyn's, Service Merchandise, I could go on and on.
As a patron of the Cortana Mall since before I can remember, I was truly taken back to all the times I was amazed by the holiday decorations and all the fanfair the mall brought during my childhood. My heart still fluttered when I seen all the footage you brought to the end of a great mall. I have many childhood memories of this mall and they are slowly fading, however, I did always have a great time in this mall as a child and even as an adult through 2001 before I left town for a great while. Now, the mall is an Amazon hub warehouse and it was completely changed for their use. It looked very surreal when I seen the final closure of the mall. It truly was a grand mall.
When I've had a bad day, these videos are where I go. Things just get better.
I’ll be here for quite some time :) you rock
It's surreal watching this considering I worked there off and on for many years. I remember it being full of life and the smell of popped popcorn and fresh baked cookies. Christmas music blaring in the halls during the Christmas season and lines out the door for the next tennis shoe or video game release. Wild! Great video. The history takes me back through time. BTW that was in fact Mervyn's.
Yes, it was the Mervyn's -- it had the really old pre-1994 logo letters. Your comment brought back my own teenage memories of the popcorn and cookie smell in the mall.
Love all the background history and timeline info especially what was taking place in the world at the same time. Great video.
I grew up in BR. I remember as a kid the great excitement when the new "huge" Delmont Village shopping center on Plank Road. Later, the really great fanfare of the opening of Bon Marche shopping Center. In 1969 as I recall, there was an outdoor production of "Jesus Christ, Superstar" on the property that later was developed as this mall. Moved to Houston in 1971 before the mall was built. Was back once while the mall was a busy place, and now when I visit I have no reason to be in that area. Living in Houston, I have seen malls come and go throughout the greater Houston area. One thing that seems to be a common thread among mall declines, is the immediate vicinity. Typically there will be large apartment complexes and older neighborhoods around, and as the apartments entered their inevitable declines, and the neighborhoods similarly fall in stature, the mall follows shortly after, as the area becomes a place where people with money to spend don't want to be.
Cortana Mall is just one sad story among many similar ones. It stands out here, because it's in a smaller city. I can think of half a dozen or more that suffered virtually identical fates in Houston, most with the same major tenant anchors. Federated had Foleys and Macys. There was Dillards, Montgomery Ward, Sears, J.C. Penney, and later Mervins. Really nice shopping malls from the early 1970's, starting declines by the mid 1980's and deserted by 2000. One on the west side of Houston, Town & Country Mall, was completely demolished and the property redeveloped. Almost ironically, the redevelopment has been tremendously successful and resembles Baton Rouge's old downtown area more than a shopping center. City Centre includes streets with multiple individual stores, restaurants, high-end apartments, hotels, and a movie theater. As to traditional shopping malls, besides areas of town turning bad, the 21st Century has brought Amazon.com--the Sears Roebuck of the new century. As Sears hastened the end of the local small town stores, Amazon is crushing retail stores everywhere. Now add the effect of Covid and lockdowns, and the decline of the mall era is accelerating.
This video gives me goosebumps. My mom side of the family had lived in Baton Rouge for many years before moving to Arlington, TX in the early 2000s. Seeing this brings back so many memories as a young kid being here with my uncles.
11:30 "The Mall at Cortana makes holiday wishes come true..." ...so creepy these announcements for the benefit of no one. It's like wandering through the Overlook Hotel in 'The Shining', listening to the ghosts...
yeah I've never noticed these before. SO ominous
Haha that's actually added in post-editing, probably from old commercials on Cortana. A nice touch for many dead mall videographers out here.
Yep.
Another fantastic production, Sal. Good for you for calling out Moonbeam. Special thanks too for the sweet glimpse of the KB Toys storefront at 12:12. Worked there 20 years and loved every minute. Can't wait for the next episode!
Thank you!! I’m wrapping production on ExLog 40 in the next couple days :)
This mall looked wonderful even in its final days. If only those nasty fountains were cleaned out & refilled with cleaner water.
Also, wise that you backed out of that service tunnel. That is where you will disappear & never be seen again. That's probably why you didn't see the cart's owner.
I agree with you. Regardless of business lacking there of, they need to keep those fountains up! 😡
I remember running my hand through the cool (CLEAN) water in that fountain as a kid. I always got in trouble, but was always given more nickels/pennies to toss in as we left. the bottom used to be coated with them.
My BF and I always love it when you get something new up. Grab a good dinner, spark up, and sit back and enjoy! Keep these coming!
TheMrPits I always pull out a bottle of lube
@@areyoujelton *snickers* not sure I would go that far. Usually a ton of cuddles though.
I went to LSU from 1985-1989 and used to visit this mall all the time. My ex and I always did our Christmas shopping here, and even bought our wedding rings at the Service Merchandise (the Wilson’s). Yes, this place was always packed and there was a lot of great shopping to do. I was surprised to see the Gamestop still open in the beginning, that was the first Babbage’s I ever saw back in 1988.
It’s depressing to see this, and the mall finally closed last month (Aug 30, 2019). I knew it wasn’t doing well but was stunned at this.
Btw the outparcel building you asked about, was a Sears Tire Center. It’s just outside the old Sears.
Thanks for posting this. Gotta admit, the music echoing throughout this empty place was just surreal.
Edit 10/2021: Cortana Mall was demolished in the spring of 2021 to make way for an Amazon Fulfillment Center.
As I watch these documentary videos, my heart breaks.
These places are dropping like flies, and I’m working as quickly as I possibly can to capture them all for you...
I remember when this mall was the shit! All the locals in Baton Rouge would shop there.
This makes me sad. I used to frequent this mall back in undergrad from 2000-2005. Spent many hours here and never had a desire to visit mall of Louisiana. It seemed like it was going to make a comeback after Katrina around 2007-2008 when that Macy's opened. Then it slowly started to decay around 2010. That's a shame
I remember shopping at the Cortana Mall when I was a kid. The area around it has gone hill since the Mall of Louisiana opened. We never go there anymore. In fact the only time I go to that end of town is when I have to go to our Baton Rouge office on Mondays for our weekly meetings and to pick up my paycheck. Great job on this video, it brings back memories from when we used to shop there.
this is my favorite "dead mall series" on youtube! i do love architecture and its a shame these one pristine malls are slowly being forgotten.
Sorry I missed the premiere! This was EXCELLENT as always-and I really enjoyed your historical-for-context additions (Y2K, movie releases etc). Great content as always my friend
Thanks for recording and sharing this awesome era in time .
Lots of retail lessons learned, lots of wonderful lifelong friends and lots of beautiful memories made whilst working for Gaudcheaux / Maison Blanche, Parisians then Macy’s at Cortana Mall and surrounding area Louisiana malls.
Here here to the gifted good times!!!🎉🎄🎁
Hey thank you for watching!
Hi ! just wanted thanks for being so kind to the old girl.I must have walked hundreds of miles in her ,the last place you wounder what it was . In 1985 it was the Chelsea Street Pub where i met my wife for the first time, we have been together to this day...
Fantastic production. I love how you create relevance by documenting those life events from the period. It enables me to realise just how quickly retail and our lifestyles have changed in such a relatively short timeframe . Does anyone else find it incredibly sad that these monuments to consumerism have become wastelands? As an 80’s child who grew up in mall culture ( for all its sins 😂) I find the demise of this 20th century western lifestyle to be something that future generations will look back on as a unique period in our evolution. All that aside, the waste of resources, and ‘abandonment’i is so wasteful, and it’s incredible that so few have successfully been repurposed. In Australian and New Zealand our malls have increasingly integrated apartments, commercial spaces, open air ‘streets capes’ as well as the traditional mall offerings, and even though on line is huge, they have mostly managed to thrive - smart urban design? Smart planning? Less land and smaller populations?
Well, the last few stores at Cortana have been given 2 weeks to vacate the mall.
Amazon has bought it to use as a distribution center.
Demo started today
:(
That small building was part of Sears auto center
ndimaioii yep
It was. I do remember seeing tires in there.
For those curious, Louisiana is the only state that uses “Parish” instead of “county”. They’re the same thing though
I'm sure someone else already answered the question but that stinky building you asked about was a Sears Auto Center. I used to live about a mile from the Cortana Mall when i FIRST left my hometown of Lake Charles, LA and moved to the "big city" to get a real job! Talk about memories!
Finally able to sit down and watch this awesome piece of art.
wow I remembered this place kickin ass in the 80's!
Hey Sal! I wrote a comment earlier on your video, but since I changed over my account, all my prior comments were deleted and I was reminded of your video when I was doing some TH-cam wondering! So since I have very little to do right now, allow this Baton Rouge native to once again fill you in on what was where...as far as I can remember. :-P
4:35 - On the right immediately after you walk in, that used to be an arcade/party area. The GameStop used to be a Babbages. There was an Electronics Boutique in the food court area. It was so much fun going from one end of the mall to the other and playing games on the SNES demo units. If memory serves, there was a fountain in that spot where all the mulch and plants were.
8:33 - On the right was a Lenscrafters and on the left was a Picadilly Cafeteria. I never went in this particular entrance of the mall that often. I did buy a pair of glasses from Lenscrafters. It was ready in an hour, but it was high as heck. 😛
10:00 - To the left of The Childrens Place in that corner was once a Spencer's Gifts. They had long since shuttered though. Further down was this really cool store called "Natural Wonders". It was this whole nature-themed store with overpriced nature stuff...think like the Discovery Store.
11:30 - That was the old Waldenbooks/Waldenkids store. Man, I bought so many books from there. I bought the novelizations from loads of Nickelodeon movies/shows from here including "Good Burger" and "Good Burger 2 Go", "The Rugrats Movie", "Kenan and Kel"...and when I got older, I bought so many NewType USA Magazines. Of course, right next door was the old KB Toy Stores...I remember they had the old Sega Genesis demo...never went in there all that often though.
12:14 - That shuttered area right between the Dillards and KB Toys sold some of the best ice cream around. They were affiliated with Maison Blanche...
13:10 - This is the entrance my folks and I would use more often than not when going to the mall. Go right through Service Merchandise (Or "Serivce" as my folks called in) straight into the mall. So many memories. Oh, and before it was torn down, the old Mervyns building was used for an annual Attic Sale.
15:13 - That's the old Macy's/Foleys building. I thought those fountains were so freaking cool when I was little. I would make a wish and throw coins in there.
18:54 - That was a Merry-Go-Round store once upon a time, and then that whole store was turned into a gigantic Disney store. I remember that store because way at the back was this large screen where they projected movies with plushies all on the bottom.
20:25 - That was a big stage area once upon a time. Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, High School Performances, all right there or on the other side of the mall. It's funny how you could go in through one entrance of JC Penny, walk across, and go to the other side near the Macy's.
21:50 - An extension of the food court. They had so much in there--Dairy Queen, Mama Brava (Italian restaurant with THE BEST pizza), A&W Root Beer Shop, Chick Fil' A, and Taco Bell.
22:05 - Once upon a time, that was an AT&T store. But not a WIRELESS store; they sold business phones and home phones. I remember this was the first place where I saw a Video Phone in action--the screen was the size of an Apple Watch screen, black and white, and the camera was a glorified Gameboy Pocket Camera, but in the early 1990's, it was the Jetsons. It was turned into various other stores and eventually became the studio for the "Around Town" Local TV show....the host had a very...interesting background. Just look up "Baton Rouge Around Town TV Show".
23:10 - That was a T-Shirt Air Brush shop. There was also a Payless Shoe Source to the left of Mervyns. The restaurant you were in was once a Chinese buffet with some AWESOME food!
24:12 - On the left, the store with the wood on it was a Cooking/culinary store. That store, to me anyway, is infamous because WAFB Television Personality Vernon Roger doing a cooking demonstration. He was...well...not that nice to a young Josh. He was an...interesting character...and his death was...also very interesting. You should look it up. Oh, and of course, the big grey store to the right was a Radio Shack.
24:30 - The store with the neon was once a Suncoast/FYE store. Oh, the amount of anime I bought from them. The FYE actually shuttered up shop and moved to a stand-alone store off the interstate...and then shut down years later. Ironically enough before the mall shuttered up, that spot was a Church.
25:00 - That walled off area to the left next to the old Service Merchandice was this big cajun restaurant. Don't recall ever eating there, but they had this HUGE aquarium along the wall with all sorts of fish. It was a cool place.
26:15 - You're right! That's the old Mervyns building.
31:06 - Unless I'm very much mistaken...that is part of the Auto Department of Sears. But I'm not 100% certain. I know the old Maison Blanche had an Automotive island building...
32:51 - I think that used to be the old TGI Fridays.
WHEW! That was a long trip down memory lane! Sorry for the big block of commentary there! I mentioned last time, but back in 2021, they officially tore down the Mall at Cortana. Surprise-Surprise, a new Amazon Distribution Center opened up in the old spot. It makes the entire area look so weird...
Another moonbeam victim, it never seems to amaze me how bad moonbeam is and just runs things right in to the ground. Great video sal. I'm looking forward to phase 3.
Given how close those other malls were built to this one, I doubt anyone could have kept it thriving.
@@sparkplug1018 Did Moonbeam knew they had an impossible job trying to revive this mall?
Thanakon Praepanich doubt it. They probably never even saw it before they bought it.
I remember the Price LeBlanc commercials. Lived in Lafayette in the 80s and we got the Baton Rouge stations on cable.
I love watching these! Thank you Sal for your expeditions!! While watching, i cannot get over the signage to "rediscover a great shopping legend"!! Yes, come see all 10 stores left lol. There is nothing quite like a place clinging to one last strand of glory as it dies a slow death. Sad, because the furnishings look rather nice (well except for that leak in the roof)
It hasn't been great since around 2011. All of the stores left for the Mall of Louisiana. I'm glad Amazon bought the property even though I wished they would've just revived the mall.
Much praise for your work. The history behind the creation and finality to the mall and the tenants in the narration is really nice. Keep up the good work.
Holy crap! I was watching some of your other videos and thinking of this mall. I went there so much as a kid. Thanks for the video!
This mall isn't "closed" yet, even though most of the stores are. I still go to the warehouse Dillard's. The small building on the outside used to sell art, don't remember what it was before that. The tire town used to be a Firestone, sears had a separate auto center attached to it.
I can't believe I'm going to catch the latest episode as it drops!
Haha! Those Price LeBlanc ads are so funny!
He Black
Missed the Price Leblanc where you get a free pack of sausage with a new car purchase.
Hahaha is that actually real?
Yea it’s real. I grey up in Lafayette, (30 minutes west) and he was on all the time.
For a long time the tag line was “and sausage too dahlin”
Sad, so sad. 😭. I remember how cool malls were. I miss those days.
So sad...
Spent many years shopping Cortana. I remember when Bon Marche was booming as well. Good times.
I prefer a good mall to all these new ‘strip malls’ they keep building. It’s 80-90 degrees here most of the year. I’d rather park once & walk an air conditioned mall to the in and out of the heat & driving all over to shop. Lakeside Mall in Metairie, La is always full of people & is full of open stores. I don’t know how they manage to do it while all these others are failing.
The mall in Houma, La is in a downward spiral now...half the mall is closed. I imagine a few years from now it will be on the abandoned list if they can’t get it together, too.
Mall of Louisiana seems like it's still doing well. Though, the last time I went, it was a month before Covid. Not sure how much that had an impact on the mall.
Though, you don't see too many malls in small communities doing well... the more middle ground and small malls. They're all turning into outdoor shopping centers, which makes no sense in Louisiana. The weather sucks.
Muck foonbeam
Everyone, please upvote this. Thank you Savvy :)
Someone needs to file a health code violation on those fountains to city code enforcement. I suspect someone forgot to put chlorine or bromine in them.
Oh cmon. Its about to be shut down. It's not that serious
@@Deenique16 Health code violations are completely serious. Just because the mall will be closing soon does not give the owners the right to put the public at risk.
You have the address of the mall so why don’t you report it yourself. Or are you one of those who says “someone” should do it. If you think they give two shits about standing water in a soon to be closed mall then you are delusional.
Sal been watching your videos Al well as other channels that show what you it's sad that time has changed so much I'm 1980s kid malls used to be the ultimate place to be as a kid it's crazy how all this history is disappearing as we leave this world new genrations miss the true fun of past childhood joys we had keep the history alive so glad people like you are keep these memories alive thanks for everything
Only five stores left in this mall ... but ... one is a Bath & Body Works! I swear in a post thermonuclear war devastation malls will be smouldering in ruins but B & BW will still be open for business selling their crappy body lotions.
I remember as a youth always hearing “god, the mall was packed!”... dead malls need to be “repurposed” into either office space or factory or other productive use...nothing worse than seeing a slow death. Fact remains that mall retail shopping will likely never return as e-commerce is simply the new normal.
Thanks for documenting this. THIS was my childhood mall. One of them, anyway. We also frequented Mall of Louisiana. But even though the Mall of Louisiana was awesome with its carousel, this was the mall I liked to go to, because this was the one with the toy store--- which Mall of Louisiana didn't have, for some reason. (I wonder if they have one now...?)
Anyway. My time period for going to this mall was during the 2000s. I remember there being quite a lot of stores operating, people bustling around, though it was always less crowded than Mall of Louisiana--- which I preferred, being a shy kid who didn't care much for crowds. It was in the late 2000s that I started to notice that there were less stores open, but the place wasn't dead at that point. Seeing recent video of it is so weird, because there's almost nobody there! And the fountains. I remember the fountains most clearly about this mall. They fascinated me. They were never that green and gunky then--- I recall them being a light blue-green color. Minimal algae. And people were always throwing coins into them. (I always wanted to reach in and grab the coins but I never did... Mom didn't want either me or my sister getting too close to the edge.)
And I'm pretty sure that decrepit little building was some sort of auto center. Don't put too much confidence in that. I'm going on 10-year-old memories at this point. XD
Tire store**
You would think they would drain those fountains.🤢 It still looks like a beautiful mall.
They probably just left them all running. The pumps probably failed in the ones that are "turned off". They should throw a 3" chlorine tablet into each of those pools.
504RoadTrips sounds like a great solution too! Just try something instead of allowing them to grow green gunk algae in them, probably mosquito larvae too. Ewww!!
@@susansauls8902 The mosquito farm is a big risk, although I'm not sure if that'll happen indoors. A little bit of chlorine will take care of the mosquitoes though. Then there's the chance that someone's unsupervised rugrats will decide to go wading in the stagnant water. Not good.
Sad to see. I used to work there, graveyard shift in the Service Merchandise Warehouse. Baton Rouge was much different then. Loved the Price LeBlanc ads! I still remember them. Better to remember things as they were back when I lived there, from '73 to 84. It's like the whole town packed up and moved East.
The one huge attraction that was never mentioned was the Picadilly Cafeteria. No trip was complete without going there. It was the place to go after church on Sunday.
You should look up Bill Hicks talking about Baton Rouge 😂
Back in 2006-2008 I used to go to Cortana regularly. But in 2009 that whole area around it seemed to shut down. Circuit City was gone, Toys R Us was leaving, and the mall was becoming a gang hang.
I moved out to Walker from Baton Rouge in 2010, and from then onward went to the Mall of Louisiana instead. Until 2014 when I moved north to Elmira, NY. I gotta tell ya... malls ain't doing any better up here. haha
because the ghetto infected that part of BR.
Totally enjoyed this as bittersweet as it was after I went and searched it up before I watched it, finding the demolition video readily available to view and very sad. Thank you for documenting this mall as well as all the others you do, and yes, it was no surprise to hear Moonbeam mentioned in this either *rolls eyes*
Still watching through all your old vids and watching new ones as they come out too!
Perfect timing! I will have just finished eating dinner, and will be sparking up a big one for desert!
Love the old KB Toys toys soldier logo still visible above a repurposed storefront.
I have many fond memories of this place. I practically grew up there! I still remember all the crowds and long lines to see Santa. There used to be a corn dog stand just to your right when you're looking across at that GameStop. We used to throw pennies in those fountains. When I was a teenager, my friends and I would smoke in those service alleys lol. This is about how it looked the last time I saw it, the last day it was open to the public. Thanks for this video!
I used to live about two miles away from Cortana mall for several years. It was always full of people in the 80's and 90's. The last time I went to the mall was in October 2016. It closed in September 2019. Amazon bought the mall and is going to build a distribution warehouse on the property.
I shopped there many times until Mall of Louisiana was built. It was closer to home and has a straight layout which I much preferred. Lake Forest Mall was so big you could get lost and they'd find your bones tucked away in some obscure corner!
Such nostalgia watching this. I remember going there with my mother and grandmother often as a child. Grandmother always insisted on eating at Picadilly.
Omg, you have captured my childhood in this video! All I needed was the Rosenbergs commercial...
I grew up going to Cortana mall for back to school shopping, dates, movies... sad to see what it's become.
I remember throwing pennies into those fountains as a small kid. I believe the window you peer into at the ~32:50 mark (yellow and green walls) was a Ryan's Buffet. There used to be three in Baton Rouge that I can recall (maybe more). They recently demolished the building for the last one and started constructing something new there.
I went to this mall about 2 years ago. Cortana was part of my childhood, but it was declining fast even in the early 2000’s. Those fountains were drained then, completely dry. The Sears was still open and fully operating. I bought some clothes there, on the cheap of course. That restaurant at the end was a Ruby Tuesday, I believe. That building with the funk, however, I don’t know what it used to be. I always wondered myself. But I think sears used it. Not sure though.
Your dad cracks me up. He is definitely a trooper, getting out to check for open doors and being your lookout. 😁
Your informative narrations make your channel a favorite of mine.
Loved it! P.S. That restaurant was a Ruby Tuesday’s.
Karen Kasulke it wasn’t Piccadilly?
No the Cortana Piccadilly was near another large entrance.
I remember this really cool pet store that was there in the 80's and Toys by Roy. Loved that place.
I remember when Cortana Mall was built. I worked at the J.C. Penney for about 3 years in the early 80s. It had many wonderful shops, two book stores, a Spencer Gifts, and a few great restaurants in its heyday. Two of my favorite restaurants when I worked at Penneys were MaMa Brava and Chelsea Street Pub. The fountains were beautiful and relaxing at that time and people would toss in coins . There was a stage near one of the stores where schools would bring chorale groups to sing carols at Christmas time and a really nice area where you could take your child for pictures with Santa (at least that's what I remember from when I worked at Penneys).
There were three malls in Baton Rouge in the 70s: Cortana Mall, Bon Marcie Mall, and Corporate Mall (later renamed Esplande Mall). Bon Marche' and Cortana Mall had a mix of upscale and "common" stores, but Corporate Mall, at its opening, had more upscale stores. They seemed to target the elite or the executive-type. I don't know if it still has stores open, or if it is mostly restaurants, or if it is even open. It was small, but at the time it opened, it was very beautiful.
Compared to some of the other malls you've visited, this one seems to actually still be in semi decent shape. Minus the fountains of course.
You’re right...the mall was super clean! But I’m afraid the mall has closed, and amazon will be using it as one of their facilities.
Amazon demolished it. I was told it contained a lot of asbestos.
The rancid, stinky, green, moldy water in the fountains best sum up this mall. It's very very dead and very very sad to let a mall get run down to this point... and a refuse for homeless people. Now the Virginia McCollege goes out of business and leaves big spaces in malls and other places. Putting a branch campus for a college is a good idea... as long as the school can sustain itself.
Good idea to bring your Dad with you... after your solo experience being shadowed in that creppy crime in fested Houston mall. Cortana looks like it can go that route... though the smelly fountains may scare criminals away.
Moonbeam is the Fast Eddie of mall operators. It's a crime to let these malls like Cortana and Burlington simply die. Particularly looking forward to Burlington.
You’re spot on here. Definitely have a look at my previous Burlington Center video as a primer...I haven’t decided on the ultimate order for Phase III yet, but I have a feeling that New Jersey will be kicking us off. Stay tuned!
Honorable mention to Mike Kohan, where I'm sure his company is second worst. With the malls I've seen his company own, go very downhill quickly. Especially for me, seeing Lincoln Mall in Matteson, IL go downhil. And just as I predicted after that mall was hit with a lot of building code violations by Matteson, they opted to close the mall in the end over fixing the structural issues. :(
Kohan is indeed terrible. He was the last owner of Woodville Mall in suburban Toledo. He was too cheap to pay the gas bill so there was no heat! Not a good idea in a northern city. He also wouldn’t replace the roof, so the place was condemned and eventually demolished.
@@someguy23475 I forgot he owned Woodville Mall, sad to hear. And no wonder that mall was ordered to closed by Woodville, and was later demolished. :( I'm sure there are more stories out there about malls Kohan owned, that I hadn't yet heard that have suffered under his company's ownership. I also seem to remember Kohan was the last owner of The Orchards Mall in Benton Harbor, which only closed IIRC about a year ago.
Is no one gonna mention that the mall closed in September 2019? ok
so crazy to think i use to shop at this mall, it is a shell of itself.. i remember going here before they renovated it...
oh and Sal, please keep looking into dead malls and doing what you are doing, the data you are getting form all this shows a larger picture of the commerce of the US during the early times to late tames of malls.
Yet another excellent video, Sal! I so appreciate your cutting, but calm, narration and background history. So cool to see your Dad in this one! This mall was so sad but as you said, still being kept up pretty well. Are malls truly dead in our society because of online shopping? I'm particularly disturbed by the acres of parking lots and the huge decaying buildings. What will ever be done with them? It's so very sad when I think of what malls used to be like. Great channel, great content, great editing, etc. I am looking forward to Phase III!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Kelly! Make sure to join the Discord, and keep up with my social media things for the latest updates!!
@Kelly Houlton It isn't *entirely* online shopping, though that's certainly had some impact. A large part of it are due to other things. For example:
(1) Overmalling. America has about 3 to 4 times as much retail space as most other countries; more than 7 square feet per capita, compared to less than 2 square feet per capita in most other countries. Part of the "dead mall syndrome" is simply retail shrinking to a more sustainable size.
(2) Changing demographics. The young urban professionals move further out into the suburbs, and lower-income families fill the gap where the yuppies used to live. Sometimes this comes along with an increase in crime (so the mall gets a reputation for being dangerous and shoppers start to avoid it), or the mall gets less foot traffic because the yuppies go to a nicer mall closer to their new home, or the mall gets less traffic because the stores are *too* high-end; most of the lower-income families just can't afford to splurge on the big-ticket items being sold at the mall.
(3) Changes in customer expectations. Consumers these days aren't just looking for a place to go in, look around, buy something, and leave; they want an *experience,* whether that takes the form of having sample units so customers can play with the products, or superior customer service, or whatever.
The management of the big chain stores, and the management of the malls that these big stores tend to occupy, have been slow to respond to these changes. But there is still a chance for them to avoid their fate, as long as they haven't dropped below 50% occupancy. That's usually considered to be the point at which the "downward death spiral" begins.
Sal, I am 99% positive that building at 31:15 is a Sears Tire Center. My Pops use to work there back in the 1980s and he talked about working there and how the AC never worked and it would stink. Also how it was so horrible in those Louisiana summers in that sea of concrete. He use to tell me a lot of stories working at this mall before he left for the Navy.
Ok. After watching a little bit more. I didn’t see any garage stalls or what have you for a tire center. But he did tell me he worked in the middle of the parking lot of the Cortana mall for Sears. I’ll get the details for you next time I speak to him.
Alrighty, got the facts straight. It was a Sears Lawn Care Center. He said he would have to go chase the people stealing wheels off the lawnmowers. So now I know why I got tires in my head. Guess they sold lawnmowers and equipment there. He said they would all be out there on display in the parking lot and they had to push them all back inside the main Sears store. And of course the management wouldn’t let them drive them back, they had to push them all.
I think you're correct though I thought it became Discount Tire at one point (or it could be another building I was thinking of).
@@johncooke4057 I know which one you're talking about. It wasn't that building actually. It was a different one. It had 3 garage bays but it looked similar to it. The one he asked about I THINK was a Hancock bank.
Love to you and your Dad. Ty for sharing your experience.
I am so glad I didn't miss that sponsor spot. It truly wasn't anything I was expecting.
i remember going there not that long ago with my grandma and it was still pretty busy, haven’t gone there since but i have so many memories there. i remember the day the picadilly closed and being one of the last people there. my family also used to have a business there when it first open and my mom tells stories about how great it was. now the only reason many people really go is for the discount dillard’s because you can find pretty good deals there. it’s sad to see a place that has such a special place in me and my family’s hearts fall into such a depressing state.
After waiting and waiting, I’m a day late! Can’t wait for Phase III! Thanks for the ExLogs Sal!
That donation center looks like it says Mervyn's to me. Love how the Dillard's never got a remodel to their current look inside. That restaurant at the end looks like a Ruby Tuesday maybe. Great stuff.
Yeah that was definitely Melvyn's they were in, JCP never (as far as I know) had lights like that in their stores. And yes that was a Ruby Tuesday, worked at one for 3 days.
Yep it was Mervyn's been there many times
You're right about the ruby tuesday, too!
I love the old commercials
Just before the malls go completely belly-up the same bottom-feeder type stores move in, although some of them are somewhat unique to the Southeast. Wig stores, bridal shops, GNC, jewelry stores, low-end trinket shops, etc. are always a sign that a mall's days are numbered.
Thank you for this🙏🏻..cant wait for your upcoming content
That last building was Sears tire shop and not a bank. The restaurant you saw at the end was ruby Tuesday