Lafayette, Indiana native here. We used to “make a day of it” and go to places like this on weekends. I was a teenager around the time this place opened. Sega City was definitely the place to go in the 90s. I loved racing my friends on Daytona USA. They also had some, now primitive, virtual reality. Parking is frustrating and expensive these days, so I usually don’t drag my family down there. Castleton and Keystone malls are much easier for us to get to driving into Indy’s northwest from I-65.
Before the Brown Mackie when the mall first opened. That area was bars. You paid one cover charge and you got into all the bars. The bars where connected. Each bar played different music. You had a bar that played only 90's music, a bar that played 80's music. A bar that Music from 1970. A country music bar. Next to the arcade was a place that looked like a bar in front but they didn't sell alcohol. It was a waiting lounge for a Mech Warrior simulator game. They had game pods you got in that had the controls for the Mechs. So it was like you was a pilot. They also had a small area that was set up like a movie theater with the moving seats. The played movies for roller coaster a simulator and a few others. When the mall first opened there was so many people in the mall you could feel the floor shake on the top level by the escalators. The movie theater was aways busy untill someone made the decision to sell cold pre popped popcorn. It's was gross. I think they might of went back to popping fresh popcorn but the damage was already done and they lost alot of customers.
I remember that! My husband and I were just dating in the mid 90s and went there for a weekend with some friends. The third floor was awesome! I was just in Indy in August for work, staying at the Omni. It’s such a shame how bad this place has deteriorated. There’s quite a few homeless wandering around. It’s really bad!
I was a piano player at Nordstrom's in the mid-2000's! I had just graduated with my degree in music and one of my first jobs out of college was playing piano. I remember playing the Sunday shift and taking breaks and watching Peyton Manning and the Colts when he broke the TD pass record! Their 14-2 season in 2005... I would get coffee drinks at the Nordstrom coffee bar on the 2nd floor Talking to the cute girls that worked at Abercrombie near the west rotunda Getting a cinnamon pretzel at the east rotunda Buying video games at the GameStop on floor 2 Going to the P.F. Changs or Champps at the street level with my friends early on Saturdays before we stayed out late on Saturday nights Love the Harry and Izzy's! It was so vibrant!!!!! And - the funny thing is - so much of Indy's downtown are so alive! I'm downtown 3 or 4 days a week. But ---- this mall is dead. Meanwhile... 10 miles to the northeast... two malls are thriving and they're within 2 miles of each other. The whole retail area in the Castleton area is bustling and there's a lot of new stores up there. Ciao.
probably because there's not enough pedestrian infrastructure for the homeless to take over, since the police don't seem to be interested in enforcing it. would much rather prefer a walkable shopping and entertainment district over Castleton where you need a car to go from store to store.
It’s funny that I came across this video to see this. The actual funny part is that I live in Indianapolis and didn’t realize that this mall had declined this much, neither did I know it was declining at all. I used to love this mall, but now days I strangely find my self hardly going downtown for much of anything. Anyways, thanks for the video. Quite interesting. It came up probably because I watched a video in Washington Square Mall on the east side of Indy that I also used to love which is in a worse situation than this. Hardly any stores open in that mall yet it’s still open to the public.
I live here too, and it's a damn shame what happened to this mall. If anyone is curious how this (still) beautiful place is this deserted, it was single moms dropping their urchins off for a free babysitter. Downtown Indy was a filthy dangerous place in the 70s-80s, and really turned it around in the 90s-early 2000's. The past decade the city has been thrown to the homeless to use as a giant toilet.
@@darrellm4794 I remember coming there during the early 2000s when there would be events at the convention center. I was amazed by the multiple floors as our mall in Lafayette is only one level. There were a lot of cool things to do, but you are right. There seemed to be a disproportionate amount of kids to adults that made things seem like a daycare. It really is a shame. This was a beautiful place to visit.
I really appreciate this video! Long time Indy liver here. Since 93'. I use to BEG my mom to take me here as a kid. Greenwood Park Mall was always a good time, but nothing compared to walking in to this place as a kid. It was magical. My dad and I always loved the arcade. It's also the place where I watched Lion King on the big screen for the first time since I never got to see it when it first came out. Cannot remember what movie chain it was back then though, I just remember it being a core memory of mine. Eventually, the Disney Store closed in Greenwood, so this place was my go to for that was well for years after. Seeing this makes me determined to go visit it again. Over a year later since this video posted and thankfully it's not fully dead yet, but yeah, you know it's bad when a Chick Fil A pulls out (use to be right next to subway for YEARS). Chicks Fil A's are always busy. So for them to pull out of here says that mall is truly truly dead.
I was at Circle Centre Mall opening day in 1995, and I recall the place being absolutely packed. Shoppers were squeezing past each other in L. S. Ayres, shoulder to shoulder, gazing in wonder at how the historic department store had been transformed. I'd say mismanagement is largely responsible for the mall's decline. As it is connected to multiple hotels and the convention center, and within walking distance to plenty of new residential construction, there is no reason why it should be struggling, other than Simon has sadly let it become a place no one really wants to visit.
LS Ayres was already defunct when the mall was opened. Parisian was located in the former Ayres space when the mall celebrated it's opening. I worked as a manager in the California Cafe, located on the second floor next door to the interior entrance to Parisian. The mall was always busy for the four years I worked there. The mall truly was beautiful and very well done. The stores were all upscale and the exterior street-level restaurants were always bustling.
The parking structure attached to the mall used to be incredibly affordable... as low as $2 for the first hour or two. That made visiting this mall more enticing. Also, the fourth floor outside of the arcade used to have several night clubs in the early 2000's. Also, there was a gym up there at one point as well.
i would always park at the mall for everything, even not going to the mall. it stayed cheap for a long while but was so disappointed when the cost was raised.
Before the Brown Mackie College took up the fourth floor, there were 3 to 4 different bars and nightclubs there when the mall opened. The arcade blended in nicely among them, but it outlasted all of them, changing from SEGA City, to Gameworks, and then TILT over the years. Sad I was too young to ever visit those places, but that arcade is a very sentimental place to me.
I live in the Indy area. Covid, riots and people working mostly at home has caused people to not go downtown and move out of downtown. People now go to Mass Ave downtown and Bottleworks that you mentioned in the video. Indy was much more alive when people were working in the offices downtown.
Indy native. The moment Simon dumps your mall it's in trouble which is what happened to the bulk of the malls in the city., Two malls stand out as they are Simon owned; Castleton and Greenwood. Greenwood was a on sharp decline a few years ago because it felt so dated, dingy and just didn't have a lot of new focal points but Simon cleaned it up and it's like it was resurected. Castleton is enormous and a great place to wonder and shop with new places coming. The Fashion Mall at Keystone is the 3rd cornerstone mall in Indy and like the first two has a long history and was revamped to look great, making all three malls far from dead and the best places to go in the city to shop. Circle Centre...yeah, it's failing and the thing that's so messed up is that Simon property is just a block way from the mian entrance but they utterly abanonded it and it's a shame because it's a wonderful mall in terms of layout but there is no one really there to support it. Closing it down would mean leaving it as a vacant eyesore until some proper retail is picked up and the last thing downtown needs is more construction to block off the streets. And as for the spelling, that's done to make establishements look fancier.
9:26 Hey I used to go to school there! Purdue University opened a high school in downtown Indianapolis and had two years spent inside Circle Centre, I have a lot of fond memories of this place and I go back several times a year to just walk around and remember everything. I've seen its decline first hand, especially after COVID, and it was really rough to see. I still love this mall dearly, and it's such a shame of the state that it's in.
Actually, the planning started off poorly. While we anxiously awaited and salivated for a Nordstrom's to arrive at the Circle center, when they did so they brought "Hoosier-ized" merchandise, not what we were expecting as which was stocked at the Seattle stores. Other than excellent shoe offerings and a fabulous coffee shop with delicious sweets, Nordstrom's added little to the downtown experience. Some resturants initally added to it's welcomed presence, but that quickly changed as well. Reports of gang activity in the cinema and outside area also contributed to its declince. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly relating to its downfall, was a quickly instituted pay for parking scheme on the once free parking downtown streets. Pay-meters became the downfall of downtown shopping. If I could do the same shopping at Suburban malls with less of a drive and free surface parking, there is no need to pay to park downtown. I can count on one hand the number of times I have since done shopping in downtown indianapolis, this was a criminal oversight which eventually killed off the mall and many of our downtown merchants.
There's a habit in place naming in America to use British spellings of words like "Centre" and "Theatre" when you want to make the name scan as official or upscale. It's basically the real estate equivalent of casting British actors for the evil mastermind role in movies. It's actually very common once you start looking for it.
I’m curious why you have a soft spot for Indianapolis. I’m from here and I was surprised to hear you say that. I miss the old days at Circle Centre, when it was full of hustle and bustle.
My dad worked for a window and door factory that was contracted to build the window and door units for one of the facades of the mall, back in the early 90s. I also worked there on college breaks at the time, and helped build these units. Because these were for a commercial building, they specified single plate glass, which is very fragile and shatters into glass daggers when broken. One of the third-floor units slipped out of my hand when flipping it during painting, and the saw horse went straight through the window pane. The crash brought everyone running, but no blood. If I recall correctly, the builders also specified a type of wood that we did not normally use, and the company owner required a waiver that we were not responsible if it did not hold up to the ravages of time. We also treated the wood with some sort of preservative that was supposed to keep it from rotting.
It was such a fun place growing up. We spent SO much time hanging at this mall and all my friends had jobs at those stores. It’s a shame how things have declined over the years 😢 I always loved the layout and skywalk connectivity that makes it easy to navigate downtown indoors.
Yeah, me and a few friends would get a room at Embassy Suites every couple months, and go drink and have fun before stumbling back over the sky bridge.
Great video and commentary. I live in Indy and remember going once or twice in the 90s when I was a teenager to Circle Center. I never went to Washington Square Mall, it was really getting bad and now is a place you need full body armor to go near. I work close to the Washington Square mall and I don't feel safe going inside these dead malls. Closest mall to me now is Greenwood's mall but I haven't been since a hero stopped a coward. Enjoy your videos, great work and stay safe!
Greenwood has had a massive transformation over the years. It was called one of the worst or corniest malls in the city but is right behind Castleton in terms of retail and layout. It beats out Castleton just for having a bookstore.
We used to come here during our highschool field trips from 2011-2015 every time we were there it was decently busy, now you walk through there asking yourself am I allowed to be here because of how much is closed. I hadn’t been since I graduated and just recently went back due to my own curiosity and while curiosity might not have killed me, something sure offed that mall.
Me and my best friend went here about a year ago and when I tell you this mall has a huge issue with creepy men just casually walking around EVERYWHERE like it seemed like all these men that would pop up in different areas of the mall where on the same page with each other as if they all knew each other. When we went there we were legit the onlyyy young teenagers there and we had to ask a young like mid 20’s couple to walk with us to our car bc this one specific guy wouldn’t stop following us. There is an upstairs area and I have absolutely no idea why they don’t have it blocked off bc there is absolutely nothing at all up there it’s completely abandoned and me and my friend went up there and we were the only ones up there and it was so severely secluded nobody else could see us up there and the guy who was following us popped up around a corner up there and we immediately turned around and speed walk back down to the main floor and it’s like every secluded section u went to there were just a random guy standing in the corner “talking otp” but making eye contact with u the entire time as if he was watching and all the different guys in different areas of the mall were allllll “talking otp” and not looking at any stores at all or even going into the stores they would be standing in the hall areas in corners it was just so freaking weird bro
The upstairs area was veeery weird. Guess they had to keep the whole thing open for the movie theatre, but I believe that's now closed. Don't think the very central location helped towards the end when it comes to attracting the right crowd!
I went to the mall in 2019 when I went to Gen Con. There also was a Johnny Rockets at the food court. It was sort of dead back then and it looks deader now. I used it as a shortcut to get to other places. The mall gave me a weird vibe went I went there.
Everytime I go to GenCon/PopCon/ComicCon, I always end up in the mall lolol. Place is always packed with cosplayers and it's the cheapest nearby place to get food, even if taco bell IS more expensive than any other Taco Bell 😅
They're bringing in the first remodel crews in a week and a half, according to the night security. Me and my buddies have been flying fpv drones in there after the stores close. I'll see what i can do about snagging one of those fountain frogs
My first time there was around 2008-2010. A friend of mine used to work at World Mardi Gras, it had closed and we went to pick up some items he purchased from the mall owners before it was demoed for something else. Anyway, I was walking around and it was already on the fast track to being a dead mall. I wished u lived here a few years earlier to seen it in its prime.
It's really a shame there are plans to destroy this. Ayres and Blocks are long gone along with the shopping at Union Station. I remember shopping at the old Ayres building before this was built. Taken away to make room for this mall, and now the mall will be gone. Castleton hasn't been nice for years... Informative video. Thank you! I'll be sad to see it go.
I went there in the 1990's, during its heyday! I no longer live in Indiana. So I was shocked to see how this gorgeous, bustling has gone so dead! This is surprising and sad.
Watching the decline of circle center is do sad. Used to go there in late 90s early 2000s on dates. Was always a big deal to take a trip to Indy, park at CC, shop, and walk around the city. So so sad.
So unfortunate to see, in the early 2000's (2004-2008) it was really booming. It was the hangout place. Great for tourists and conventions. Crazy it barely lasted 20 years 95-15 before beginning it's downward trend. Parking use to be really reasonable, and handy with underground garages. Really unfortunate simon just decided to give up on it and stop caring, despite it being blocks from their headquarters, they could have decided to make it a signature property but CHOSE not to. Even years ago companies like Abercrombie complained about the rent when the sales pailed in comparison to Castleton, but it was enough of a signature location that stores stayed open.
I went here not long after you and it was utterly depressing, the state it was in. Half of these escalators have been broken for years, there are no stores left, and Castleton Square is just infinitely nicer. Sad thing is I also went here a few years before it got this way, and it was both incredibly nice and thriving. I remember seeing tons of stores that were interesting to walk through, even if their products weren't my kind of thing.
I had several visits at this mall in my youth in the early mid 1990s-early 2000s. In fact, I was one of its original customers when it first opened. It wasnt my favorite mall (I lived closer to Greenwood Park Mall) and because its very cramped compared to suburban malls which have a lot of space. There use to be a lot of people here, shoppers and shortcut(ers) especially on the weekends. Its so weird looking at how empty it is because it was crowded mall in its day. Also, born and raised in Indy and never knew that IndiaNAPolis was the origin of "naptown." Great video man.
The current owners have kept the mall somewhat relevant by temporarily leasing space during big events in town like the NBA All Star Game, the national swimming championships, and some smaller events. You'll see little shops open in the mall for a weekend or two and then leave. Same for restaurants. The sad thing about the stores downtown was there were already two functional retail spaces and Circle Centre killed them both. Union Station had become a huge hub for small speciality and local stores with a huge food court that was popular through the eighties into the early ninties. There had been plans to connect it to Circle Centre which never happened, and Union Station fell out of use. Now it's used as rentable space for large events and conferences. Most of the stores in the Clay Pool Court mall moved into Circle Centre and that space was completely redesigned to connect Embassy Suites to Circle Centre with new retail space. A new Burlington store just opened in the basement of Clay Pool Court where Simon once had office space until their new building was completed right down the street from their flagship mall they no longer manage.
Ah! I was also going to say I remember using that walkway from the small swanky hotel nextdoor on Illinois? to get into the mall when I worked in the morning and had to report to work before the mall was open. The mall entrances were locked, and a bellman would escort me through. It's definitely odd to see Circle Centre so empty. I was usually shoulder to shoulder with other people walking through any part of the mall.
It's interesting how these kinds of downtown malls almost never work in America, but do a lot better in Canada. The Eaton Centre in Toronto has some of the highest foot traffic in North America, and then you have malls like the CORE in Calgary, the Rideau Centre in Ottawa, the Pacific Centre in Vancouver, and a bunch of mall in Montreal including Centre Eaton. Even a smaller city like Hamilton has Jackson Square, which isn't in the best shape but it still a lot more lively than most American downtown malls
Yes! Visited many malls like this in Canada with good foot traffic. I wonder if the fact that more consistently cold weather makes going through these places part of people’s routines in a way that it doesn’t somewhere like Indy? Fun fact: I was considering moving to Hamilton for a while!
@@DeadMallWalking I noticed that city centre malls also seem to do better in the U.K. and Ireland. Even smaller cities like Inverness and Galway had malls that were in much better shape than almost anything you'd see in the U.S.
Back when Circle Centre first opened, that top floor held four different bars. My coworkers and I hung out at Brewskis after work on Fridays. I even bought the shirt off of the back of our server for my 30th birthday.
I was at opening day and enjoyed visiting the mall in the early years. The mall was part of the Wholesale District, with eateries, bars, clubs, etc. There are a few reasons for the malls decline. One is that outdoor suburban malls continued to be built. Even with $1 for three hour parking, it was just easier for suburban residents to go to one of those malls. Unsupervised teens also were constantly getting into fights, mostly outside the mall. There were some higher profile shootings which I think added to suburban residents choosing to avoid Circle Centre. Also, developers and politicians always want to spend money. After the revitalization of the Whole Sale District, two relatively close areas started seeing some private and tax money investment. Mass. Ave. became the popular downtown destination. It drew people away from the Wholesale District. Not far from downtown is Fountain Square. It also started to draw people away from downtown for dining and socializing at bars/clubs. Don’t worry, the mall area is now the new focus for more spending. There are plans to revitalize it to a mixed use area. Indy really doesn’t how the downtown population to support all these retail and service focused areas, but there is always someone willing to build the latest thing, with lots of gov tax breaks or incentives, to make money before selling out and letting the area slowly fade when the next area becomes the draw.
Parking rates for the garages got jacked up to ridiculous levels and the empty areas don't seem safe at night. The street level restaurants with their own entrances still seem to do okay.
Several places spell it "centre" in Indy, they do it thinking it looks more exotic or international. I remember in the 90s the top floor was all nightclubs, sad to see it so dead now.
Glad you enjoyed Indy. Wanted to add the upscale Fashion Mall you mentioned on the northside is sadly losing one of its anchor stores, Saks Fifth Avenue.
The late 1990s had a pretty strong economy compared to the last 8 years. 9/11/2001 and the Great Financial Crisis of 2007/8 were a one-two punch that started the downfall. By 2016 the economy started to recover, and then we got knocked on our butts again by hyperinflation and COVID. There's nothing really "wrong" with the mall itself. It's the bad economic decisions of corrupt politicians who keep knocking the legs out from under the American economy.
@@Itsaboutthewaterlife I don't see him making things any better. There's a pretty strong pattern already. 9/11 and the Great Financial Crisis happened under Bush/Cheney, and hyperinflation and COVID happened under Trump the last time he held the reins. I don't see the GOP changing course.
My husband and I met in high school in 2018. Our first official date was in circle center and at 9:58 you are looking right where we had our first kiss. ❤ I have many photos from that day. I have a tilt studios arcade card we used to play games and the box from the pair of vans he bought me that day. Truly seeing this made my heart warm without having to venture downtown and up to the terrifying fourth floor of CC. I’ll stay at Castleton.
As a near Indy resident. There are few things that I think aren’t being discussed. A) Simon also owns a mall in greenwood wich is in the south suburbs of indy that has free parking, and very close to the interstate that comes right through Indy. So 3 very large and very active malls around it. B) downtown Indy is especially not safe anymore. Petty crime and violence. C) traffic into the area is awful just to go to a mall, on top of the $15-$30 parking. D) it has been on the decline since the early 2000s. Honestly it never recovered from the 07 recession. E) even giant events like GenCon, FFA, and firefighters conventions are election to rent out space at Lucas oil stadium rather then the mall, it’s an add on bonus. You can go to your convention and go to Lucas oil. They use to do it in spaces in the mall. Also they have food trucks come in, they use to have discounts with mall food court. Basically the giant attractions are not utilizing it any more.
Is the energy bill and upkeep what kills these? Being attached to a dozen different attractions/hotels, how could this not be the one case for indoor shopping to survive? Simon did an open air in my area and people pack that thing every summer sweating their asses off (Pier Park in Panama City Beach Fl.) Thanks for video.
I’ve been to this mall a few times. Years ago while going to a Colts game (in the Hoosier Dome) and during a couple Star Wars Celebrations. It was always packed, but it was the most fun with stormtroopers walking around.
Being from Indy, it is spelled centre for the added fancy. A lot of shopping centers go with French or UK spellings, this makes it so the prices are less offensive because it's more exotic or eloquent.
Wait whaaat--? I stopped by here last during gen con in 2023 and it was totally packed! At least, it seemed packed to me. Maybe I have a different definition of packed. You're telling me this was filmed like one month later? What happened??
The mall definitely doesn't get as full as it used to, but as a 36 year resident in the Indy area I've never seen that mall that empty. I'm guessing he went at a very specific time when people were not likely to be there, and was able to selectively edit the video to make it look emptier than it actually was.
I remember day after Christmas, 2004 - the Colts played and came from behind to beat the Chargers, and Peyton took over the (at the time) single season TD record with a throw to Brandon Stokley. I remember going to circle center mall after the game, and going to all the sporting good stores with gift cards and Christmas cash. Great freaking memories.
They also opened Clay Terrace in Carmel eliminating much of the need to drive there. They also added loads of food options off Mass Ave and Fountain Square drawing away a lot of attention. Castleton is also on its way down for similar reasons but the biggest issue is the crime and trouble in downtown that was more important to the mayor over several years. It has becoming increasingly unsafe. The mall itself was done beautifully.
I used to come over to circle center on occasion. I would always stop by the arcade there for a bit. They had machines for the first 2 Marvel Vs Capcom games. Since I lost my car, the shops are closing, and the mvc games are available at home now, I sadly have little reason or means to go back there now. Lots of fun memories though.
Downtown got sketchy and parking was a pain in the ass. I can testify when the mall opened it was a great mall. Casteleton is also sketchy. Keystone has its own issues, but it generally good to shop in. There’s also a mall in Greenwood and one up north in Noblesville. I lived on the south side and when I went to a mall, it was usually the one in Noblesville. It was just easier to park and get around in and they had more detached stores that I liked. None of the malls in Indiana are like they were in the 90s.
Circle Centre still gets busy in the afternoons, but it isn't the same thing. The movie theater is cool. The mall is connected to the convention and I think a few hotels.
I used to work in an office that entered beside the toy store right across from Hot Topic. Lots of memories from all the liminal spaces. That top floor was my go-to walking spot, so we might have run into each other depending on when you were there. I hope you also made the full walk to the convention center. The convention center has AMAZING liminal spaces when there are no events. MASSIVE open area with absolutely nobody and fewer than half the lights on. That was one of my favorites. And generally when there were FFA events, that place tended to explode. But I rather preferred the eerie silence and muffled music while walking alone on the top floor. It's a real bummer about malls, though. Especially malls like this with unique designs and spaces and not just giant rectangles with stores inside. Speaking for myself as to why malls are dead, I never actually shopped there. It's just women's clothes and jewelry. There's nothing to "hang out" for. No unique stores. Nothing special that would keep you around. Places like this used to have electronics stores, including unique ones like Bose and Sharper Image. And more stuff like bowling alleys and laser tag. There's a pretty cool arcade on the top floor at least. I haven't finished your video, but there are plans to overhaul the mall into an elevated park. Perhaps if they have a park with stores around it, that might be a better way to go.
It's weird, the food court has the same product from when I worked there back in 2001-2003, but different names. That charleys philly was a steak escape and the bella pizza was a sbarros. The city wok was an asian food, but can't remember the name.
Where does the mall or convention center connect to the Lucas Oil stadium? I see no sky bridge connecting the two. Is there an underground pathway? I wonder if you were misinformed, as I have never heard of this connection. Thanks!
It connects to the convention center by the escalators that are by the old movie theater. It's the floor below it. That leads to the convention center and it's connected underground to Lucas Oil Stadium.
My first trip was in the 90s. Not much to say, as I was too young to have expendable income and it was busy AF. I moved downtown in 2013 and it was BOOMING. Carly Rae Jepson "I just met you" was on the mall's vertically-oriented flatscreens.. their own TV network. The walkways were crowded, the food court was shoulder-to-shoulder. Lawless, Looper, Star Trek Into Darkness, Great Gatsby, Expendables sequels, nerds from gen-con flocking to the theater to do MST3K sarcasm at the screens during those days.. the college was still up and running. The arcade was half full at any given time. The parking garage was full and you had to walk from the outskirts to the mall, oftentimes. Everything went slowly downhill.. it wasnt until covid hit that it became the ghost town that it is. The riot did a number on it, too. The verizon store was thrashed, gamestop moved out shortly after, etc.
Fossilized Sea Life Beneath Your Feet: The Limestone Flooring of Circle Centre Mall The flooring at Circle Centre Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana, showcases Indiana limestone, a natural stone renowned for its beauty and rich fossil content. These tiles, which cover much of the mall, contain fossilized remains of ancient marine life, including nautilus shells, crinoids, and other sea creatures from over 300 million years ago. The Story of Indiana Limestone 1. Geological Formation: Indiana limestone, also known as Salem limestone, formed during the Mississippian period when a shallow sea covered much of what is now the Midwest. Layers of sediment and marine organisms compacted over time to create the fossil-rich stone. 2. Fossil Features: Embedded in the tiles are visible fossils of marine life, such as nautiloids and other ancient creatures, offering a glimpse into prehistoric ecosystems. These natural patterns are a hallmark of Indiana limestone. 3. Quarry Source: The limestone originates from quarries in southern Indiana, an area renowned for its high-quality building stone. This region, known as the Indiana Limestone Belt, has supplied stone for famous structures like the Empire State Building and the Pentagon. 4. Why It’s Used: Indiana limestone is celebrated for its durability, workability, and timeless appeal. The fossilized details make it particularly popular for decorative applications like the flooring at Circle Centre Mall, where it connects visitors to Indiana’s geological heritage. Walking through the mall is not just a shopping experience-it’s a journey through ancient marine history!
It's odd how open air malls were the thing until they enclosed many around Indy including Eastgate and Glendale, two of which are long gone now. Now places are being turned back into open air mini mall type spaces.
I loved going to this mall my brother worked as the assistant director for the security company so if he was working late for local events or if he was stopping by the mall I’d be with him exploring the mall going to the background areas like the offices and lesser known areas in the mall it was a fun experience i even discovered and underground pathway that lead from the mall to the government building it’s sad and unfortunate that Covid came along and destroyed what this mall used to be
Worked there in the early 2000s. Sales were already sporadic. Business was good during major events but other days not so much. Locals didn't want to pay for parking. Kids coming to the mall without a guardian and acting up gave it a bad reputation. I'm sure it went downhill during COVID.
I remember opening day. It was so crowded and overwhelming that my friends and I left and went to Union Station to what was barely left of the mall there. Circle Centre was awesome in the 90s. Rode the bus down Washington to get to it. The parking garage was cheap. It was upscale without being snooty like Keystone at the Crossing. Anybody could shop here. Nordstrom was one of my favorite stores. The top floor had virtual reality games...
I’ve been to this mall dozens of time because my in laws live in Indy, yet I’ve never even considered that it’s a mall. We just go to eat at the restaurants and pop over to Helium to see a comedy show.
I find it interesting how in some parts of the country malls are dying and that in other parts they are doing just fine. I stopped by Southcenter Mall near Seattle a couple of times during the holidays and the place was so packed they needed people to direct traffic as the parking lots were almost full. Sure one of the last few remaining Sears stores closed on December 15th so not everything is perfect but outside of that one space the mall is close to 100% occupied and foot traffic is good even on an average day.
They also closed off almost all their public restrooms for some reason. Not sure where their remaining shoppers are supposed to go when they do have to “go” 🤷
I actually live in Indy and i honestly was unaware it had been bought out. I also haven't been to the mall since before covid in like 2016 or 2017 i forget which.
I am local to the area and have been to that place many times. I believe the spelling of "Centre" was simply an attempt to appear more exotic and luxurious.
Real estate developers use the British spelling of centre and theatre when they want the site to feel upscale or fancy. It's actually done quite often in America.
It was a success for a decade, and it was not bad for a decade after that. For the last decade, I think the only reason it has hung around is nobody seems to have a workable plan for what to do with the space. Complicating things is it ties together the downtown hotels with the convention center and stadium. Conventions are a pretty big business for Indianapolis, which sells itself on its convenient location and (relatively) “no hassle” vibe. In the winter, being able to get around without going outside is a pretty big plus.
What's up boss You asked about the RE instead of the ER on the circle Center Mall I used to have a rock club on the third floor as I still deal with bands and such and Emma musician and toured for years but the original RE was to make it kind of like the fashion mall up north a little more upscale and to let people know that coming to downtown Indianapolis You could get the upscale versions of things rather than to have to go somewhere else you could come right downtown Indianapolis and do that the same with we actually use the circle center mall and the investment thereof which you said how much that the city actually invested that was kind of a fish lure if you will to get the super bowl which was accomplished and of course we have the NCAA and we have a lot of tournaments and this that and the other thing and it worked it just it kind of fell to the wayside which is very sad because I loved it I like to do national acts and that kind of stuff and it was up on the third floor where you were talking about brown Mackie college it's just a real shame The three different actually four different night clubs you had you know dancing in one live bands in another live bands and another and then like a country and western motif in a different one and it was and it's Hay Day It was tight man and sounds like you come to Indianapolis every once in awhile I live south of town about 30 mi look me up man anytime you want to come around and we talk about old times I'd love to talk to you Have a blessed New Year sir Mark
It used to be that you could get all the newer stuff at Circle Centre Mall...but now all the malls get all the same stuff at same time. Online shopping plus not having to pay to park has killed this mall, as well.
Is there any way to find out what stores used to be in the mall? There was a grunge or skate shop that used to be in the mall that I don’t remember the name.
It’s truly not been that long ago that it was still fairly busy, before 2020. But the combination of the pandemic, where almost everyone was home for at least 6 months and in many cases a year or even 2, and the riots from mostly bussed-in Backpage hires in a May of that year, where rioters used preset stacks of bricks and frozen water bottles to break windows-including some of Circle Center’s-meant fewer people downtown. Many people, both office employees and students, would go to the mall for lunch break and then do some quick shopping while there. But fewer people working in offices, combined with no decrease in unsupervised teens running wild, has made many people feel it’s unsafe. Outdoor malls work ok in suburbs in some climates. But in our climate of extremes, having a safe, comfortable place to go to be around others and shop is something we need. It’s just sad that by the time the next generation realizes this, most of the malls will be in such a state of disrepair as to be unsalvageable.
I am now envisaging a circle mall, where its basically a doughnut shape, with shops along the outside edge and a garden area in the middle visible at all times from the circular covered walkway of the doughnut, and in the centre of that garden area small food stands with their seating areas aranged in rather like a pizza formation with each establishment owning the area of a slice. maybe I'm just hungry.
This is the 2nd downtown Indy mall that has failed. Union Station Mall was pretty neat prior to Circle Centre
Lafayette, Indiana native here. We used to “make a day of it” and go to places like this on weekends.
I was a teenager around the time this place opened.
Sega City was definitely the place to go in the 90s. I loved racing my friends on Daytona USA. They also had some, now primitive, virtual reality.
Parking is frustrating and expensive these days, so I usually don’t drag my family down there.
Castleton and Keystone malls are much easier for us to get to driving into Indy’s northwest from I-65.
I’m from Lafayette too. This mall opened when I was 15. Would always visit.
Before the Brown Mackie when the mall first opened. That area was bars. You paid one cover charge and you got into all the bars. The bars where connected. Each bar played different music. You had a bar that played only 90's music, a bar that played 80's music. A bar that Music from 1970. A country music bar.
Next to the arcade was a place that looked like a bar in front but they didn't sell alcohol. It was a waiting lounge for a Mech Warrior simulator game. They had game pods you got in that had the controls for the Mechs. So it was like you was a pilot. They also had a small area that was set up like a movie theater with the moving seats. The played movies for roller coaster a simulator and a few others. When the mall first opened there was so many people in the mall you could feel the floor shake on the top level by the escalators. The movie theater was aways busy untill someone made the decision to sell cold pre popped popcorn. It's was gross. I think they might of went back to popping fresh popcorn but the damage was already done and they lost alot of customers.
I remember that! My husband and I were just dating in the mid 90s and went there for a weekend with some friends. The third floor was awesome! I was just in Indy in August for work, staying at the Omni. It’s such a shame how bad this place has deteriorated. There’s quite a few homeless wandering around. It’s really bad!
I was a piano player at Nordstrom's in the mid-2000's! I had just graduated with my degree in music and one of my first jobs out of college was playing piano.
I remember playing the Sunday shift and taking breaks and watching Peyton Manning and the Colts when he broke the TD pass record!
Their 14-2 season in 2005...
I would get coffee drinks at the Nordstrom coffee bar on the 2nd floor
Talking to the cute girls that worked at Abercrombie near the west rotunda
Getting a cinnamon pretzel at the east rotunda
Buying video games at the GameStop on floor 2
Going to the P.F. Changs or Champps at the street level with my friends early on Saturdays before we stayed out late on Saturday nights
Love the Harry and Izzy's!
It was so vibrant!!!!!
And - the funny thing is - so much of Indy's downtown are so alive! I'm downtown 3 or 4 days a week.
But ---- this mall is dead.
Meanwhile... 10 miles to the northeast... two malls are thriving and they're within 2 miles of each other.
The whole retail area in the Castleton area is bustling and there's a lot of new stores up there.
Ciao.
probably because there's not enough pedestrian infrastructure for the homeless to take over, since the police don't seem to be interested in enforcing it. would much rather prefer a walkable shopping and entertainment district over Castleton where you need a car to go from store to store.
Did you ever visit the English Pub at Nordstrom?
It’s funny that I came across this video to see this. The actual funny part is that I live in Indianapolis and didn’t realize that this mall had declined this much, neither did I know it was declining at all. I used to love this mall, but now days I strangely find my self hardly going downtown for much of anything.
Anyways, thanks for the video. Quite interesting. It came up probably because I watched a video in Washington Square Mall on the east side of Indy that I also used to love which is in a worse situation than this. Hardly any stores open in that mall yet it’s still open to the public.
I live here too, and it's a damn shame what happened to this mall. If anyone is curious how this (still) beautiful place is this deserted, it was single moms dropping their urchins off for a free babysitter. Downtown Indy was a filthy dangerous place in the 70s-80s, and really turned it around in the 90s-early 2000's. The past decade the city has been thrown to the homeless to use as a giant toilet.
@@darrellm4794 I remember coming there during the early 2000s when there would be events at the convention center. I was amazed by the multiple floors as our mall in Lafayette is only one level. There were a lot of cool things to do, but you are right. There seemed to be a disproportionate amount of kids to adults that made things seem like a daycare. It really is a shame. This was a beautiful place to visit.
@@asalbert79 Glad you got to see it in its heyday! They're redeveloping the property
I really appreciate this video!
Long time Indy liver here. Since 93'.
I use to BEG my mom to take me here as a kid. Greenwood Park Mall was always a good time, but nothing compared to walking in to this place as a kid. It was magical. My dad and I always loved the arcade. It's also the place where I watched Lion King on the big screen for the first time since I never got to see it when it first came out. Cannot remember what movie chain it was back then though, I just remember it being a core memory of mine.
Eventually, the Disney Store closed in Greenwood, so this place was my go to for that was well for years after.
Seeing this makes me determined to go visit it again. Over a year later since this video posted and thankfully it's not fully dead yet, but yeah, you know it's bad when a Chick Fil A pulls out (use to be right next to subway for YEARS). Chicks Fil A's are always busy. So for them to pull out of here says that mall is truly truly dead.
This video says it was released 6 months ago, what do you mean over a year later since this video posted? Is this is a re-upload?
I mean, technically he's right in that the video was posted in 2024 and it's now 2025...hah.
Thanks dude! If you do make it back - I have to admit, I thought it would all be shuttered by now? - then please let us know how it goes!
I was at Circle Centre Mall opening day in 1995, and I recall the place being absolutely packed. Shoppers were squeezing past each other in L. S. Ayres, shoulder to shoulder, gazing in wonder at how the historic department store had been transformed. I'd say mismanagement is largely responsible for the mall's decline. As it is connected to multiple hotels and the convention center, and within walking distance to plenty of new residential construction, there is no reason why it should be struggling, other than Simon has sadly let it become a place no one really wants to visit.
The crowd can be a little rough after dark. People get scared.
"rough" lol. Yeah rough and dark. Same plague that kills everything nice.
LS Ayres was already defunct when the mall was opened. Parisian was located in the former Ayres space when the mall celebrated it's opening. I worked as a manager in the California Cafe, located on the second floor next door to the interior entrance to Parisian. The mall was always busy for the four years I worked there. The mall truly was beautiful and very well done. The stores were all upscale and the exterior street-level restaurants were always bustling.
@kevc3148 the media likes to call them "youths" and "teens"
The parking structure attached to the mall used to be incredibly affordable... as low as $2 for the first hour or two. That made visiting this mall more enticing. Also, the fourth floor outside of the arcade used to have several night clubs in the early 2000's. Also, there was a gym up there at one point as well.
$20 to park now. I refuse to visit any business anywhere in that area because of that.
i would always park at the mall for everything, even not going to the mall. it stayed cheap for a long while but was so disappointed when the cost was raised.
Before the Brown Mackie College took up the fourth floor, there were 3 to 4 different bars and nightclubs there when the mall opened. The arcade blended in nicely among them, but it outlasted all of them, changing from SEGA City, to Gameworks, and then TILT over the years. Sad I was too young to ever visit those places, but that arcade is a very sentimental place to me.
I live in the Indy area. Covid, riots and people working mostly at home has caused people to not go downtown and move out of downtown. People now go to Mass Ave downtown and Bottleworks that you mentioned in the video. Indy was much more alive when people were working in the offices downtown.
Indy native.
The moment Simon dumps your mall it's in trouble which is what happened to the bulk of the malls in the city., Two malls stand out as they are Simon owned; Castleton and Greenwood. Greenwood was a on sharp decline a few years ago because it felt so dated, dingy and just didn't have a lot of new focal points but Simon cleaned it up and it's like it was resurected. Castleton is enormous and a great place to wonder and shop with new places coming. The Fashion Mall at Keystone is the 3rd cornerstone mall in Indy and like the first two has a long history and was revamped to look great, making all three malls far from dead and the best places to go in the city to shop.
Circle Centre...yeah, it's failing and the thing that's so messed up is that Simon property is just a block way from the mian entrance but they utterly abanonded it and it's a shame because it's a wonderful mall in terms of layout but there is no one really there to support it. Closing it down would mean leaving it as a vacant eyesore until some proper retail is picked up and the last thing downtown needs is more construction to block off the streets.
And as for the spelling, that's done to make establishements look fancier.
9:26 Hey I used to go to school there! Purdue University opened a high school in downtown Indianapolis and had two years spent inside Circle Centre, I have a lot of fond memories of this place and I go back several times a year to just walk around and remember everything. I've seen its decline first hand, especially after COVID, and it was really rough to see. I still love this mall dearly, and it's such a shame of the state that it's in.
Actually, the planning started off poorly. While we anxiously awaited and salivated for a Nordstrom's to arrive at the Circle center, when they did so they brought "Hoosier-ized" merchandise, not what we were expecting as which was stocked at the Seattle stores. Other than excellent shoe offerings and a fabulous coffee shop with delicious sweets, Nordstrom's added little to the downtown experience. Some resturants initally added to it's welcomed presence, but that quickly changed as well. Reports of gang activity in the cinema and outside area also contributed to its declince. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly relating to its downfall, was a quickly instituted pay for parking scheme on the once free parking downtown streets. Pay-meters became the downfall of downtown shopping. If I could do the same shopping at Suburban malls with less of a drive and free surface parking, there is no need to pay to park downtown. I can count on one hand the number of times I have since done shopping in downtown indianapolis, this was a criminal oversight which eventually killed off the mall and many of our downtown merchants.
There's a habit in place naming in America to use British spellings of words like "Centre" and "Theatre" when you want to make the name scan as official or upscale. It's basically the real estate equivalent of casting British actors for the evil mastermind role in movies. It's actually very common once you start looking for it.
I’m curious why you have a soft spot for Indianapolis. I’m from here and I was surprised to hear you say that. I miss the old days at Circle Centre, when it was full of hustle and bustle.
My dad worked for a window and door factory that was contracted to build the window and door units for one of the facades of the mall, back in the early 90s. I also worked there on college breaks at the time, and helped build these units. Because these were for a commercial building, they specified single plate glass, which is very fragile and shatters into glass daggers when broken. One of the third-floor units slipped out of my hand when flipping it during painting, and the saw horse went straight through the window pane. The crash brought everyone running, but no blood. If I recall correctly, the builders also specified a type of wood that we did not normally use, and the company owner required a waiver that we were not responsible if it did not hold up to the ravages of time. We also treated the wood with some sort of preservative that was supposed to keep it from rotting.
It was such a fun place growing up. We spent SO much time hanging at this mall and all my friends had jobs at those stores. It’s a shame how things have declined over the years 😢 I always loved the layout and skywalk connectivity that makes it easy to navigate downtown indoors.
before the college, there were four connected bars up there and you walking through that hallway/corridor bright back s flood of memories 🙂
Yeah, me and a few friends would get a room at Embassy Suites every couple months, and go drink and have fun before stumbling back over the sky bridge.
Great video and commentary. I live in Indy and remember going once or twice in the 90s when I was a teenager to Circle Center. I never went to Washington Square Mall, it was really getting bad and now is a place you need full body armor to go near. I work close to the Washington Square mall and I don't feel safe going inside these dead malls. Closest mall to me now is Greenwood's mall but I haven't been since a hero stopped a coward. Enjoy your videos, great work and stay safe!
Greenwood has had a massive transformation over the years. It was called one of the worst or corniest malls in the city but is right behind Castleton in terms of retail and layout. It beats out Castleton just for having a bookstore.
We used to come here during our highschool field trips from 2011-2015 every time we were there it was decently busy, now you walk through there asking yourself am I allowed to be here because of how much is closed. I hadn’t been since I graduated and just recently went back due to my own curiosity and while curiosity might not have killed me, something sure offed that mall.
Nice looking and well maintained. It's a shame how cold and dead it looks
Yeah, it’s a nice looking spot! Getting quieter by the day though…
It's not really dead, last time I was there it was decently packed
It's dead Jim....
New developers have purchased it and are wanting to turn it into combined retail, residential and green space.
It has always been cold looking, even when it was popular. They are closing it finally. It has been going down hill since early 2000s
Thank u for taking us with u. I remember hearing about it opening on the news in 1995. It was booming in the early 2000s.
Me and my best friend went here about a year ago and when I tell you this mall has a huge issue with creepy men just casually walking around EVERYWHERE like it seemed like all these men that would pop up in different areas of the mall where on the same page with each other as if they all knew each other. When we went there we were legit the onlyyy young teenagers there and we had to ask a young like mid 20’s couple to walk with us to our car bc this one specific guy wouldn’t stop following us. There is an upstairs area and I have absolutely no idea why they don’t have it blocked off bc there is absolutely nothing at all up there it’s completely abandoned and me and my friend went up there and we were the only ones up there and it was so severely secluded nobody else could see us up there and the guy who was following us popped up around a corner up there and we immediately turned around and speed walk back down to the main floor and it’s like every secluded section u went to there were just a random guy standing in the corner “talking otp” but making eye contact with u the entire time as if he was watching and all the different guys in different areas of the mall were allllll “talking otp” and not looking at any stores at all or even going into the stores they would be standing in the hall areas in corners it was just so freaking weird bro
The upstairs area was veeery weird. Guess they had to keep the whole thing open for the movie theatre, but I believe that's now closed. Don't think the very central location helped towards the end when it comes to attracting the right crowd!
I went to the mall in 2019 when I went to Gen Con. There also was a Johnny Rockets at the food court. It was sort of dead back then and it looks deader now. I used it as a shortcut to get to other places.
The mall gave me a weird vibe went I went there.
As a lifelong resident and frequent shopper at that mall about 20 years ago, it's always felt weird and had weird vibes. I thought it was just me.
Everytime I go to GenCon/PopCon/ComicCon, I always end up in the mall lolol. Place is always packed with cosplayers and it's the cheapest nearby place to get food, even if taco bell IS more expensive than any other Taco Bell 😅
So sad, was such a great mall, lots of good memories.
They're bringing in the first remodel crews in a week and a half, according to the night security.
Me and my buddies have been flying fpv drones in there after the stores close.
I'll see what i can do about snagging one of those fountain frogs
If possible tell them to not destroy this mall. Instead tell them it would be much simpler to turn this into a botanical garden with restaurants.
My first time there was around 2008-2010. A friend of mine used to work at World Mardi Gras, it had closed and we went to pick up some items he purchased from the mall owners before it was demoed for something else.
Anyway, I was walking around and it was already on the fast track to being a dead mall. I wished u lived here a few years earlier to seen it in its prime.
It's really a shame there are plans to destroy this. Ayres and Blocks are long gone along with the shopping at Union Station. I remember shopping at the old Ayres building before this was built. Taken away to make room for this mall, and now the mall will be gone. Castleton hasn't been nice for years... Informative video. Thank you! I'll be sad to see it go.
I went there in the 1990's, during its heyday! I no longer live in Indiana. So I was shocked to see how this gorgeous, bustling has gone so dead! This is surprising and sad.
Watching the decline of circle center is do sad. Used to go there in late 90s early 2000s on dates. Was always a big deal to take a trip to Indy, park at CC, shop, and walk around the city.
So so sad.
So unfortunate to see, in the early 2000's (2004-2008) it was really booming. It was the hangout place. Great for tourists and conventions. Crazy it barely lasted 20 years 95-15 before beginning it's downward trend. Parking use to be really reasonable, and handy with underground garages. Really unfortunate simon just decided to give up on it and stop caring, despite it being blocks from their headquarters, they could have decided to make it a signature property but CHOSE not to. Even years ago companies like Abercrombie complained about the rent when the sales pailed in comparison to Castleton, but it was enough of a signature location that stores stayed open.
I worked at the Finish Line inside Circle Centre in 1995. I was 18 years old. Good memories
I went here not long after you and it was utterly depressing, the state it was in. Half of these escalators have been broken for years, there are no stores left, and Castleton Square is just infinitely nicer.
Sad thing is I also went here a few years before it got this way, and it was both incredibly nice and thriving. I remember seeing tons of stores that were interesting to walk through, even if their products weren't my kind of thing.
I had several visits at this mall in my youth in the early mid 1990s-early 2000s. In fact, I was one of its original customers when it first opened. It wasnt my favorite mall (I lived closer to Greenwood Park Mall) and because its very cramped compared to suburban malls which have a lot of space. There use to be a lot of people here, shoppers and shortcut(ers) especially on the weekends. Its so weird looking at how empty it is because it was crowded mall in its day. Also, born and raised in Indy and never knew that IndiaNAPolis was the origin of "naptown." Great video man.
I was born and raised in Indy and didn’t know the Naptown origin either! 😅
The current owners have kept the mall somewhat relevant by temporarily leasing space during big events in town like the NBA All Star Game, the national swimming championships, and some smaller events. You'll see little shops open in the mall for a weekend or two and then leave. Same for restaurants. The sad thing about the stores downtown was there were already two functional retail spaces and Circle Centre killed them both. Union Station had become a huge hub for small speciality and local stores with a huge food court that was popular through the eighties into the early ninties. There had been plans to connect it to Circle Centre which never happened, and Union Station fell out of use. Now it's used as rentable space for large events and conferences. Most of the stores in the Clay Pool Court mall moved into Circle Centre and that space was completely redesigned to connect Embassy Suites to Circle Centre with new retail space. A new Burlington store just opened in the basement of Clay Pool Court where Simon once had office space until their new building was completed right down the street from their flagship mall they no longer manage.
From the video, Kay Jewelers and The Children's Place stores are gone since then. The Cinnabon sign is finally gone.
Nooo, not the Cinnabon sign!!!
Ah! I was also going to say I remember using that walkway from the small swanky hotel nextdoor on Illinois? to get into the mall when I worked in the morning and had to report to work before the mall was open. The mall entrances were locked, and a bellman would escort me through.
It's definitely odd to see Circle Centre so empty. I was usually shoulder to shoulder with other people walking through any part of the mall.
It's interesting how these kinds of downtown malls almost never work in America, but do a lot better in Canada. The Eaton Centre in Toronto has some of the highest foot traffic in North America, and then you have malls like the CORE in Calgary, the Rideau Centre in Ottawa, the Pacific Centre in Vancouver, and a bunch of mall in Montreal including Centre Eaton. Even a smaller city like Hamilton has Jackson Square, which isn't in the best shape but it still a lot more lively than most American downtown malls
Yes! Visited many malls like this in Canada with good foot traffic. I wonder if the fact that more consistently cold weather makes going through these places part of people’s routines in a way that it doesn’t somewhere like Indy?
Fun fact: I was considering moving to Hamilton for a while!
@@DeadMallWalking I noticed that city centre malls also seem to do better in the U.K. and Ireland. Even smaller cities like Inverness and Galway had malls that were in much better shape than almost anything you'd see in the U.S.
It is likely due to having a larger city center population than many American cities which tend to not have much housing.
Back when Circle Centre first opened, that top floor held four different bars. My coworkers and I hung out at Brewskis after work on Fridays. I even bought the shirt off of the back of our server for my 30th birthday.
I was at opening day and enjoyed visiting the mall in the early years. The mall was part of the Wholesale District, with eateries, bars, clubs, etc. There are a few reasons for the malls decline. One is that outdoor suburban malls continued to be built. Even with $1 for three hour parking, it was just easier for suburban residents to go to one of those malls. Unsupervised teens also were constantly getting into fights, mostly outside the mall. There were some higher profile shootings which I think added to suburban residents choosing to avoid Circle Centre. Also, developers and politicians always want to spend money. After the revitalization of the Whole Sale District, two relatively close areas started seeing some private and tax money investment. Mass. Ave. became the popular downtown destination. It drew people away from the Wholesale District. Not far from downtown is Fountain Square. It also started to draw people away from downtown for dining and socializing at bars/clubs.
Don’t worry, the mall area is now the new focus for more spending. There are plans to revitalize it to a mixed use area. Indy really doesn’t how the downtown population to support all these retail and service focused areas, but there is always someone willing to build the latest thing, with lots of gov tax breaks or incentives, to make money before selling out and letting the area slowly fade when the next area becomes the draw.
Parking rates for the garages got jacked up to ridiculous levels and the empty areas don't seem safe at night. The street level restaurants with their own entrances still seem to do okay.
Several places spell it "centre" in Indy, they do it thinking it looks more exotic or international. I remember in the 90s the top floor was all nightclubs, sad to see it so dead now.
Glad you enjoyed Indy. Wanted to add the upscale Fashion Mall you mentioned on the northside is sadly losing one of its anchor stores, Saks Fifth Avenue.
Damn the Keystone Fashion Mall is dying to?
The late 1990s had a pretty strong economy compared to the last 8 years.
9/11/2001 and the Great Financial Crisis of 2007/8 were a one-two punch that started the downfall. By 2016 the economy started to recover, and then we got knocked on our butts again by hyperinflation and COVID.
There's nothing really "wrong" with the mall itself. It's the bad economic decisions of corrupt politicians who keep knocking the legs out from under the American economy.
Let's hope Trump can turn things around.
@@Itsaboutthewaterlife I don't see him making things any better.
There's a pretty strong pattern already. 9/11 and the Great Financial Crisis happened under Bush/Cheney, and hyperinflation and COVID happened under Trump the last time he held the reins.
I don't see the GOP changing course.
My husband and I met in high school in 2018. Our first official date was in circle center and at 9:58 you are looking right where we had our first kiss. ❤ I have many photos from that day. I have a tilt studios arcade card we used to play games and the box from the pair of vans he bought me that day. Truly seeing this made my heart warm without having to venture downtown and up to the terrifying fourth floor of CC. I’ll stay at Castleton.
I love that, what a fun coincidence! Glad I could take you there, haha.
You make such good videos, and great commentary. I have seen a few locations with the British spelling like the iconic San Francisco Centre.
Circle Centre Mall was a big deal when it opened...not so much now. 😢
I live near downtown and used to shop there but parking is outrageous.
My dad built the Union Jacks on the windows. ❤
As a near Indy resident. There are few things that I think aren’t being discussed. A) Simon also owns a mall in greenwood wich is in the south suburbs of indy that has free parking, and very close to the interstate that comes right through Indy. So 3 very large and very active malls around it. B) downtown Indy is especially not safe anymore. Petty crime and violence. C) traffic into the area is awful just to go to a mall, on top of the $15-$30 parking. D) it has been on the decline since the early 2000s. Honestly it never recovered from the 07 recession. E) even giant events like GenCon, FFA, and firefighters conventions are election to rent out space at Lucas oil stadium rather then the mall, it’s an add on bonus. You can go to your convention and go to Lucas oil. They use to do it in spaces in the mall. Also they have food trucks come in, they use to have discounts with mall food court. Basically the giant attractions are not utilizing it any more.
Is the energy bill and upkeep what kills these? Being attached to a dozen different attractions/hotels, how could this not be the one case for indoor shopping to survive? Simon did an open air in my area and people pack that thing every summer sweating their asses off (Pier Park in Panama City Beach Fl.)
Thanks for video.
I’ve been to this mall a few times. Years ago while going to a Colts game (in the Hoosier Dome) and during a couple Star Wars Celebrations. It was always packed, but it was the most fun with stormtroopers walking around.
Being from Indy, it is spelled centre for the added fancy. A lot of shopping centers go with French or UK spellings, this makes it so the prices are less offensive because it's more exotic or eloquent.
Wait whaaat--? I stopped by here last during gen con in 2023 and it was totally packed! At least, it seemed packed to me. Maybe I have a different definition of packed. You're telling me this was filmed like one month later? What happened??
The mall definitely doesn't get as full as it used to, but as a 36 year resident in the Indy area I've never seen that mall that empty. I'm guessing he went at a very specific time when people were not likely to be there, and was able to selectively edit the video to make it look emptier than it actually was.
@evancombs5159 my thoughts exactly!
I remember day after Christmas, 2004 - the Colts played and came from behind to beat the Chargers, and Peyton took over the (at the time) single season TD record with a throw to Brandon Stokley. I remember going to circle center mall after the game, and going to all the sporting good stores with gift cards and Christmas cash. Great freaking memories.
Great video 👏 The centre thing is so weird, I hate when you can’t get answers to stuff like that
They also opened Clay Terrace in Carmel eliminating much of the need to drive there. They also added loads of food options off Mass Ave and Fountain Square drawing away a lot of attention. Castleton is also on its way down for similar reasons but the biggest issue is the crime and trouble in downtown that was more important to the mayor over several years. It has becoming increasingly unsafe. The mall itself was done beautifully.
I used to love this mall, went here all the time. I haven't been in at least ten years, if not longer, and I'm sad to see it so empty now
You should check out The College Mall in Bloomington, IN. It's another mall owned by Simon Property Group that they're running into the ground.
I used to come over to circle center on occasion. I would always stop by the arcade there for a bit. They had machines for the first 2 Marvel Vs Capcom games. Since I lost my car, the shops are closing, and the mvc games are available at home now, I sadly have little reason or means to go back there now. Lots of fun memories though.
What an amazing, beautiful structure!! Doesn't anyone enjoy going to an actual, physical location to shop?!
Man, I remember when this mall went in.
It was a HUGE deal. Within that same year, they also opened a Planet Hollywood.... Which didn't last. haha.
I misspoke. The Planet Hollywood opened in 97
What?! I used to go here in the mid to late 2000's. It was always so busy during Christmas time
it's a ghost town only bc of the crime at the mall and around it.
Downtown got sketchy and parking was a pain in the ass. I can testify when the mall opened it was a great mall.
Casteleton is also sketchy. Keystone has its own issues, but it generally good to shop in. There’s also a mall in Greenwood and one up north in Noblesville.
I lived on the south side and when I went to a mall, it was usually the one in Noblesville. It was just easier to park and get around in and they had more detached stores that I liked.
None of the malls in Indiana are like they were in the 90s.
Circle Centre still gets busy in the afternoons, but it isn't the same thing. The movie theater is cool. The mall is connected to the convention and I think a few hotels.
I used to work in an office that entered beside the toy store right across from Hot Topic. Lots of memories from all the liminal spaces.
That top floor was my go-to walking spot, so we might have run into each other depending on when you were there.
I hope you also made the full walk to the convention center. The convention center has AMAZING liminal spaces when there are no events. MASSIVE open area with absolutely nobody and fewer than half the lights on. That was one of my favorites.
And generally when there were FFA events, that place tended to explode. But I rather preferred the eerie silence and muffled music while walking alone on the top floor.
It's a real bummer about malls, though. Especially malls like this with unique designs and spaces and not just giant rectangles with stores inside.
Speaking for myself as to why malls are dead, I never actually shopped there. It's just women's clothes and jewelry. There's nothing to "hang out" for. No unique stores. Nothing special that would keep you around. Places like this used to have electronics stores, including unique ones like Bose and Sharper Image. And more stuff like bowling alleys and laser tag. There's a pretty cool arcade on the top floor at least.
I haven't finished your video, but there are plans to overhaul the mall into an elevated park. Perhaps if they have a park with stores around it, that might be a better way to go.
Go to Greenwood park mall next time in Indy, it's always busy. And very close to Indianapolis
Simon Property Group, Inc. Is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
I was there last year for WWE fastlane and it had a surprising amount of business, back during covid it did too. Surprised to see it this way
It's weird, the food court has the same product from when I worked there back in 2001-2003, but different names. That charleys philly was a steak escape and the bella pizza was a sbarros. The city wok was an asian food, but can't remember the name.
I went there last winter...oh how the mighty have fallen 🙁
Where does the mall or convention center connect to the Lucas Oil stadium? I see no sky bridge connecting the two. Is there an underground pathway? I wonder if you were misinformed, as I have never heard of this connection. Thanks!
It connects to the convention center by the escalators that are by the old movie theater. It's the floor below it. That leads to the convention center and it's connected underground to Lucas Oil Stadium.
www.icclos.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/downtown-indy-skywalks.pdf
The last time I was in that mall was in 2012. It was still really busy then. The world's changing fast.
My first trip was in the 90s. Not much to say, as I was too young to have expendable income and it was busy AF.
I moved downtown in 2013 and it was BOOMING. Carly Rae Jepson "I just met you" was on the mall's vertically-oriented flatscreens.. their own TV network. The walkways were crowded, the food court was shoulder-to-shoulder. Lawless, Looper, Star Trek Into Darkness, Great Gatsby, Expendables sequels, nerds from gen-con flocking to the theater to do MST3K sarcasm at the screens during those days.. the college was still up and running. The arcade was half full at any given time. The parking garage was full and you had to walk from the outskirts to the mall, oftentimes.
Everything went slowly downhill.. it wasnt until covid hit that it became the ghost town that it is. The riot did a number on it, too. The verizon store was thrashed, gamestop moved out shortly after, etc.
Fossilized Sea Life Beneath Your Feet: The Limestone Flooring of Circle Centre Mall
The flooring at Circle Centre Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana, showcases Indiana limestone, a natural stone renowned for its beauty and rich fossil content. These tiles, which cover much of the mall, contain fossilized remains of ancient marine life, including nautilus shells, crinoids, and other sea creatures from over 300 million years ago.
The Story of Indiana Limestone
1. Geological Formation:
Indiana limestone, also known as Salem limestone, formed during the Mississippian period when a shallow sea covered much of what is now the Midwest. Layers of sediment and marine organisms compacted over time to create the fossil-rich stone.
2. Fossil Features:
Embedded in the tiles are visible fossils of marine life, such as nautiloids and other ancient creatures, offering a glimpse into prehistoric ecosystems. These natural patterns are a hallmark of Indiana limestone.
3. Quarry Source:
The limestone originates from quarries in southern Indiana, an area renowned for its high-quality building stone. This region, known as the Indiana Limestone Belt, has supplied stone for famous structures like the Empire State Building and the Pentagon.
4. Why It’s Used:
Indiana limestone is celebrated for its durability, workability, and timeless appeal. The fossilized details make it particularly popular for decorative applications like the flooring at Circle Centre Mall, where it connects visitors to Indiana’s geological heritage.
Walking through the mall is not just a shopping experience-it’s a journey through ancient marine history!
It's odd how open air malls were the thing until they enclosed many around Indy including Eastgate and Glendale, two of which are long gone now. Now places are being turned back into open air mini mall type spaces.
This place has fared better than the downtown mall in Columbus, Ohio: Columbus City Center. That mall, built in 1989, is now a park.
I loved going to this mall my brother worked as the assistant director for the security company so if he was working late for local events or if he was stopping by the mall I’d be with him exploring the mall going to the background areas like the offices and lesser known areas in the mall it was a fun experience i even discovered and underground pathway that lead from the mall to the government building it’s sad and unfortunate that Covid came along and destroyed what this mall used to be
It was destroyed way before that
Worked there in the early 2000s. Sales were already sporadic. Business was good during major events but other days not so much. Locals didn't want to pay for parking. Kids coming to the mall without a guardian and acting up gave it a bad reputation. I'm sure it went downhill during COVID.
I remember opening day. It was so crowded and overwhelming that my friends and I left and went to Union Station to what was barely left of the mall there. Circle Centre was awesome in the 90s. Rode the bus down Washington to get to it. The parking garage was cheap. It was upscale without being snooty like Keystone at the Crossing. Anybody could shop here. Nordstrom was one of my favorite stores. The top floor had virtual reality games...
It was a great mall in the early 2000s. I used to shop there a lot…it makes me sad to see this!!
I’ve been to this mall dozens of time because my in laws live in Indy, yet I’ve never even considered that it’s a mall. We just go to eat at the restaurants and pop over to Helium to see a comedy show.
A really interesting mall and one which genuinely seems a shame to loose
I find it interesting how in some parts of the country malls are dying and that in other parts they are doing just fine. I stopped by Southcenter Mall near Seattle a couple of times during the holidays and the place was so packed they needed people to direct traffic as the parking lots were almost full. Sure one of the last few remaining Sears stores closed on December 15th so not everything is perfect but outside of that one space the mall is close to 100% occupied and foot traffic is good even on an average day.
They also closed off almost all their public restrooms for some reason. Not sure where their remaining shoppers are supposed to go when they do have to “go” 🤷
make a diahrea where it originated: PF Changs
Because homeless people and drug addicts hung out in the restrooms. Not a safe place to go.
I had no idea. I remember when it opened. It had so many kickass stores! Such a waste of time and resources.
I actually live in Indy and i honestly was unaware it had been bought out. I also haven't been to the mall since before covid in like 2016 or 2017 i forget which.
I am local to the area and have been to that place many times. I believe the spelling of "Centre" was simply an attempt to appear more exotic and luxurious.
Makes sense, I guess! But definitely odd to see as a Brit out of water, hah.
Can you do a vid of Crompton Place in Bolton? Your chance to get one last glimpse before it goes.
Real estate developers use the British spelling of centre and theatre when they want the site to feel upscale or fancy. It's actually done quite often in America.
I loved that mall back in the day. Sad what happened to it
It was a success for a decade, and it was not bad for a decade after that. For the last decade, I think the only reason it has hung around is nobody seems to have a workable plan for what to do with the space. Complicating things is it ties together the downtown hotels with the convention center and stadium. Conventions are a pretty big business for Indianapolis, which sells itself on its convenient location and (relatively) “no hassle” vibe. In the winter, being able to get around without going outside is a pretty big plus.
I'd pay to walk through one of these. Has to be empty of course.
What's up boss You asked about the RE instead of the ER on the circle Center Mall I used to have a rock club on the third floor as I still deal with bands and such and Emma musician and toured for years but the original RE was to make it kind of like the fashion mall up north a little more upscale and to let people know that coming to downtown Indianapolis You could get the upscale versions of things rather than to have to go somewhere else you could come right downtown Indianapolis and do that the same with we actually use the circle center mall and the investment thereof which you said how much that the city actually invested that was kind of a fish lure if you will to get the super bowl which was accomplished and of course we have the NCAA and we have a lot of tournaments and this that and the other thing and it worked it just it kind of fell to the wayside which is very sad because I loved it I like to do national acts and that kind of stuff and it was up on the third floor where you were talking about brown Mackie college it's just a real shame The three different actually four different night clubs you had you know dancing in one live bands in another live bands and another and then like a country and western motif in a different one and it was and it's Hay Day It was tight man and sounds like you come to Indianapolis every once in awhile I live south of town about 30 mi look me up man anytime you want to come around and we talk about old times I'd love to talk to you
Have a blessed New Year sir
Mark
Now that sounds like fun. Dance party at the mall? I'm so in! Happy New Year to you as well.
It used to be that you could get all the newer stuff at Circle Centre Mall...but now all the malls get all the same stuff at same time. Online shopping plus not having to pay to park has killed this mall, as well.
While it has probably been more than 15 years since I have been there. This place was one of my favorites as a youngin. This made me sad
Is there any way to find out what stores used to be in the mall? There was a grunge or skate shop that used to be in the mall that I don’t remember the name.
It really is just a short cut to the convention center ... only places I ever went to where the toy store and the theater
Parking cost and crime potential is why I don’t visit anymore. Along with inflation my shopping has slowed quite a bit.
It’s truly not been that long ago that it was still fairly busy, before 2020. But the combination of the pandemic, where almost everyone was home for at least 6 months and in many cases a year or even 2, and the riots from mostly bussed-in Backpage hires in a May of that year, where rioters used preset stacks of bricks and frozen water bottles to break windows-including some of Circle Center’s-meant fewer people downtown. Many people, both office employees and students, would go to the mall for lunch break and then do some quick shopping while there. But fewer people working in offices, combined with no decrease in unsupervised teens running wild, has made many people feel it’s unsafe.
Outdoor malls work ok in suburbs in some climates. But in our climate of extremes, having a safe, comfortable place to go to be around others and shop is something we need. It’s just sad that by the time the next generation realizes this, most of the malls will be in such a state of disrepair as to be unsalvageable.
Oof, yeah, it really has been a brutal few years! Thanks for the comment :)
I am now envisaging a circle mall, where its basically a doughnut shape, with shops along the outside edge and a garden area in the middle visible at all times from the circular covered walkway of the doughnut, and in the centre of that garden area small food stands with their seating areas aranged in rather like a pizza formation with each establishment owning the area of a slice. maybe I'm just hungry.
Maybe you should stop using meth.