This made me cry. I worked there. I ate there. I saw movies there. I bought gifts for my friends and family there. I had my ears pierced there. I was Mrs. Santa Claus there. I was an Easter Bunny there. I visited friends and partied there. I had my hair cut, styled, and colored there. The memories are overwhelming. It was really a destination. Thank you for preserving this historical site in video form. It is very sad to see the smashed glass. I wonder why someone would do that.
Thank you for sharing that. I've only been to Northridge a hand full of times due to it being on the complete other side of town. Southridge Mall has been the mall I've been to 1,000s of times since the 80s. But seeing Northrige in the state it is in tugs at my heart strings.
Thank you so much for this video! I worked at that movie theater in 1988 when I was 17. I remember every hall, every door and every design. Seeing it, made me feel young again. I really appreciate it.
My wife has been asking me over and over again why I like these dead mall videos, and I showed her THIS one, and she now gets it. For that, and for all the hours of entertainment and education you've brought, I thank you, Anthony. I soooo wish I could do what you do!
Thank you for making this video. Today the city of Milwaukee issued orders to demolish all that remains of Northridge mall due to years of neglect and vandalism. This prompted me to seek out some sort of documentation of the mall "in the old days" - and your video brought back a flood of memories for me. As a teenager in the early 80's, I lived in Northridge Lakes (the housing subdivision across the street from the mall), so I spent a lot of time there during its heyday. I vividly remember all of the stores in all their glory, and your video is a last glimpse of them before their eventual decline into decay and squalor. It deeply saddens me to bid a final farewell to this icon of my childhood, but "fugit inreparabile tempus". What a waste...
Thanks for posting this! I was at Northridge Mall on the opening weekend with my high school pals, had a blast! A few years later I took a gal to the theater on our first date. The movie was James Bond , Live and Let Die. We have been married now for 42 years. I also remember the long straight road that bordered the West side of the mall property. It was a perfect dragstrip for our Mustangs, Camaros, Cudas...
Anthony thanks so much for video taping North Ridge mall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I used to shop there back in the 80's when I was teen. That brought back many memories as I do remember the Kohls Grocery store in the Milwaukee area. Thanks again. I miss the city of Milwaukee.
That Ritz Camera location was originaly a Blacks Photography store, the rainbow striping and black and white color scheme was from Black's. The back of the store with all the cabinets and the wall mural was the photo mini- lab, I worked there almost 6 years. I was there when the Jessie Anderson thing happened, he blamed his wife's murder on a black teenager, causing the area of the mall alot of bad publicity. Mall management sent out statements to the stores to have us tell our customers that the attack did not happen on mall property, but at Fridays which was in a ring of stores that surrounded part of the mall. Also that giant wall at 25:25 was the entrance to Sears. The store was demolished and that giant wall put up
It’s so nostalgic seeing that.. I remember being a little girl going there and I was always so excited.. it breaks my heart that this is all gone never to be restored again 💔
I was an amateur photographer for a band back in the 90s and I bought my first pro camera at Ritz which I still have and use! And I was there every week getting photos developed. Ah the memories!
The sun shining in from the skylights in the roof looks so beautiful to me. It brings me right back to how exciting it was to go here as a child. As well as the toys R us across the street. Very nostalgic. My uncle worked for the company that assembled the clock tower elevator. I remember bragging about that to my friends. Thank you for the long tour! Very well shot.
I remember when Northridge was built, Southridge Mall was first on the south side of Milwaukee, then Northridge was built as a “high end” mall. Thanks for sharing.
@@CDRivera2010 Southgate!!! It was the first "mall" in Milwaukee, opened around 1951 or so. Wasn't in my neighborhood, but I knew someone who worked there. Long since been "reinvented".
@@CDRivera2010 Southgate Mall was originally Southgate Shopping Center they enclosed it in 1970 and renamed it to Southgate Mall. Prior to 1970 South Gate was basically a very long shopping strip with multiple shops. It was a new thing when it opened in 1951. And yes I do very much remember Southgate Mall I do miss it a lot. Kind of wish the Walmart wasn't there in it's place.
Thank you for this video. I remember when this mall opened. I had many wonderful times at this mall as a teen and took my children there when they were young. I never get tired of watching videos about this mall. Great job!
I lived near Southridge mall back in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. It was always fun there. Santa as a little kid. The JC Penney's🎄Christmas🎄Catalog and Sears Wishbook releases. So many memories. I'm sure many Northridge people miss their mall. It's a shame things are happening as they are. Our past was wonderful and while living in it causes issues, losing it all SUCKS TOO! I can remember the layouts too. At Southridge Mall, Sears(North) and Gimbels(South) was at the ends or the North and South entrances. While JC Penney's and Boston Store were in the middle or West for Penney's and East for Boston Store. I saw the Boston Store entrances on top and bottom. The iconic look still there. Wow like a time capsule. It really is bad that this Mall was vandalized, trashed, and used as a drug and gang hub. Sad that so many iconic places fall to disrespecting punks and allowed to fall apart. They at least tried to save it. God, such memories! Thank you again for doing this! 🙏 I was diagnosed with the same illness that took my Mom. It's slow, but lethal. This brought back days of my childhood. My family, my friends, my life. God Bless you sir and thank you again!
the coolest mall in my opinion that stood up back in the day was buckingham palace mall in denver colorado...they tore it down in the early 2000s to make condos and shit
Great video. I grew up in this mall, Brown Port & Bayshore mall nearby in the late 70's thru late '80's. This was always the fashionable and upscale place to shop as I grew up in affluent River Hills..then there was a marked change in demographics to the tune of 180*. Was last there in '99 and couldn't believe the change. It was all no-name stores where the Gap, Kaybee Toys, Spencer's and the like once proudly stood. Now, the surrounding area is a complete sh*t-hole that I wouldn't drive through without a sidearm. I weep for what we have lost. :(
PS. Funny that as a kid; SouthRidge was the sh*t-hole ghetto mall you wouldn't be caught dead in while NorthRidge was THE place to shop. Now; NorthRidge is shuttered and SouthRidge is hip. Can't make this stuff up...
And look at BAYSHORE now too. I don't know if you still live in the area, but that too, has gone down the tubes. The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel doesn't even publish most of the crime for the area anymore either. Shoplifting, armed robbery, and car thefts/chases are now the norm. 35% vacancy rate, and after the re-make of it 12 years ago, they now want to do another $75 million dollar re-do. They will be next, but they continue to throw good money after bad.
@@gobbletegook I remember BayShore when it was just a strip-mall in the 70's and my Dad got a new vacuum tube for the playroom TV at Walgreens. You couldn't PAY me to go to BayShore, now. Grandmother retired from Gimbals at MayFair. I retired to Dr. Cnty and only miss what those malls USED to be. 😢
@@goofyleo3869 Yes, as a kid, we went to the SEARS on 21st and NORTH AVENUE, until the neighborhood "changed" and we had to start going to the one at BAYSHORE. (I am being polite when I say "changed"). Back then, you bought EVERYTHING at SEAR'S, from tools to paint to appliances. since there were no big boxes like HOME DEPOT or LOWES. BAYSHORE , around 1978, got its first makeover, and sort of went upscale, and even had a high end T.A . CHAPMAN'S. It was just exposed steel beams over the walkways until that first remodel and enclosure, and KOHL'S had a seperate, freestanding store a block away (which became part of the enclosed mall in 2006 for that reincarnation). They are breaking ground this week on a that new rehab do over for BAYSHORE--to demolish much of the 2006 retail space from BOSTON STORE all the way north, for high rise office and apartments . (BAYSHORE SEARS was demolished in 2017 and is still a vacant/fenced lot). When SEAR'S on NORTH AVE first opened in the 1930's, it was the largest SEAR'S in the country (called SEARS CITY). And the City of MILWAUKEE is now investing $10 million in taxpayer money to rehab the abandoned SEAR'S at that first WISCONSIN location on 21st and NORTH into a hotel which they say will cater to the "black" traveler! Good luck with that!
Here is some dead mall trivia regarding Northridge. The indoor trees continued to grow for years after the mall closed. One maintenance employee was retained at closing to act as a caretaker and to look after the building. He dutifully watered the trees for years and they got needed sunlight through the skylights.
For those wondering, Quality Candy was a Milwaukee-based company that along with Buddy Squirrel nut shops had stores in Milwaukee-area malls as well as Madison and Appleton malls.
For being vacant for 15 years, this mall is in very good condition. It looks as if it has only been closed for a very short time. Other malls that had remained vacant for around the same amount of time had become vandalized, dilapidated, and saturated with black mold, causing them to eventually be demolished. I hope the city of Milwaukee leaves the mall as is and re-purposes it instead of tearing it down for redevelopment. The mall is stunning and would be great as a business complex, community center, or used for educational purposes. If I had millions of dollars, I would definitely buy it from the city of Milwaukee and re-purpose it or re-open it as a mall but build it up to include a hotel and apartments onsite which would give the mall foot traffic as it would become its own little city.
Chinese investors own this mall and they are doing nothing with it. The city of Milwaukee has been trying to get the property rights to this mall, but the investors keep renewing their paperwork and pay the property taxes so the city can't do anything about it. This mall closed in 2002 because of the high crime and black population that makes up the majority of the north side. Many shoppers didn't feel safe coming to this mall in the 1990s and this eventually led to it's closing. People were afraid of getting robbed in the parking lot or having their car stolen while shopping and young blacks youths made this a popular hang out spot to pick up girls to have sex with and became a nuisance to mall patrons. Milwaukee has many malls that are still thriving. Southridge Mall, Mayfair Mall, Bayshore Mall, and Brookfield Square are still open and thrive with business. The entire north side of Milwaukee is becoming like the bad parts of Detroit, but the properties are nicer because most were built in the 1980s.
@@michaelhuebner6843 I made a comment above and stated in my story that in high school in the late 90s my parents didn't allow me to go to this mall myself. I could go to all the other malls in Milwaukee which all exist very well such as Brookfield Square, Mayfair, Bayshore, and Southridge.
After the Casey Neistat video gave the place some publicity, it started getting targeted. Urbex'ers like The Proper People are one thing, but vandals started getting in too. *The place is absolutely trashed now.* Four arsons in it within the last four weeks, and Milwaukee's Fire Chief is fed up. He obviously can't say "Next time, I'm going to just let it burn to the ground" on camera, but I'll bet he's thinking it real hard.
Nice design in this, better architecture than most malls. The tiered/tray ceilings and repeating octagonal patterns in the common areas, especially with the skylights, and the large hanging light fixtures, are really unusual. Nice color schemes too. They don't make em like this anymore - today you'll get cheap mcmodern or just a box.
For real, you deserve a real round of applause for all the hard work and effort you put into these things. You are basically documenting an era that will soon no longer exist. Thanks.
This is insane! One of your best yet. That movie theatre and that Walgreens were beyond words. I’m so glad you got to do this and share it with us! I love the music, photography and commentary. I appreciate you and your friends and your work so much.
Being from the Milwaukee area, I can remember when Northridge was the hotness as it was in the late 80s and early 90s. The problem was its location and the crime around it that forced many places to close due to lack of business.
Neil Hood You’re right, too. I was incorrect and thinking about the old Capitol Court Mall location, which is now the Midtown Center. The Starbucks location I used to work at there just recently closed after being robbed at gunpoint 3 times in one month.
@@CDRivera2010 It was. I grew up a few blocks from Capitol Court. In the 1960s, it was like living on the set of Leave it to Beaver. Middle class neighborhood, an amusement park, safe shopping, good parks & schools, it was terrific. Northridge was maybe 5 miles to the north and was a MAJOR destination. Not only for the shopping, but the many restaurants & night spots surrounding it. I'm thankful I was able to experience it. When Capitol Court was reinvented, a Lowe's home improvement store was built on the site of the old amusement park. Within a very short time, it had to close, apparently due to too much merchandise walking out the door. Sad.
I remember the last time I was there. It was the Thursday before Christmas 1988. I was 25 years old and worked in Butler WI at a little tool and die shop. My mom had asked for some plastic salad thing for Christmas and told me she saw it at a store at Northridge Mall in Milwaukee. After I got off work that night I drove to the mall to buy the gift. Walked into the mall and didn’t make it a minute and a group of high school age looking guys walking side by side forced me to step into a store entrance to keep from running into them. All the while they were giving me the serious stink eye. They kept going on by laughing at making me nervous. I made my way to the place selling the plastic salad thing for my mom and purchased it. Had planned on walking around the mall and doing a little more Christmas shopping but the wide walking high school kids had pissed me off. On my way out I had another similar run in with a group of girls. One of them actually leaned a shoulder into me. I turned around to look at her and she has her arms up in the air looking at me like she wanted to fight me. A GIRL! Now I see the same group of guys from 5 minutes earlier making there way towards me. I turned around and made my way to the exit as fast as i could without running. I heard one of the girls say “you better run white boy.” I always try to figure out what it was I was doing to set them off. At that time I was 6’ and around 170 pounds and wearing a Carhartt coat over my work clothes. I never went back there and I’ll never forget it as long as I live. The worst part is I stopped by Brookfield Square on my way home and they had the salad thingy there. I think that is why people quit going to Northridge. Jesse Anderson was just the final nail in the coffin.
Spent many a Sunday afternoon here with my mom and brother. You got great footage of the interior of the Rocky Rococo restaurant which was in the food court but had it's own seating area. Saw Home Alone 1 in that theater. Played Street Fighter 2 on SNES in one of those central gazebo features when it first came out. This was my favorite mall in Milwaukee even better than the historic Grand Avenue arcade downtown which is half dead and has been for half my life. Great memories. Would love to relive them somehow. Guess this is the closest I'll ever get. Southridge just doesn't have the same vibe. Never has in my opinion. This place seemed more chic. More high end. Then the wife murderer and thugs ruined all the fun.
Agreed! My mom worked in the Jewelry department at the Sears that used to be there. She also worked at a luggage store, salon, and Gimbels at Northridge. Plus she saw the first Star Wars movie in the theater. Northridge was also where all mine and my siblings first Santa and Easter Bunny pictures were taken.
The former Northridge Toys "R Us store is being repurposed for rebuilding automobile transmissions. It's a sister operation to the same at the former Servite Drive Walmart Store. The former Target is being used for light industrial purposes, the former American TV & Appliance is now a warehouse/distribution center, and the former Stein's garden center is used to clean up used cars prior to auction. There is an auto auction facility next door to the former Stein's. Retailing may have left this neighborhood, but jobs are coming back at light industrial facilities.
cuz theyre fucking dumbass kids,,,i said it before ,,,i hate todays generation of kids,,,,except for my own kids i love them because i raised them to be respectful,,,,,my kids were taught values and to respect peoples property,,,not to go smashing windows, eat tide pods etc........this is ridiculous,,,just cuz its shut down doesnt give nobody the right to destroy it
Ace, your videos are getting better and better. Living here in MKE and growing up on the north side I have SO MANY memories in this mall. Thank you for this wonderful documentation of a mall that may not be with us much longer.
I absolutely loved this mall as a kid. I pass it everyday and I hate that it sits there vacant like that..the entire strip is turning Into a ghost town.
Yes! Brings back a LOT of memories. Last movie I seen there my ma took me and my lil sister to see Aladdin. That whole area used to be a prime area. Even Northridge Lakes is trash now, smdh
@@MetalPete_the_metalfan I grew up in Menomonee Falls. Sad to see what happened to it. Every time I go there now it makes me sad. We went to Northridge all the time too:(
I have very fond childhood memories of Northridge from when I lived in Milwaukee in the 1970s. It was BOOMING back then! At the time you never could possibly imagine it would ever become dead. My family went there every weekend. I saw so many movies at "the movies". I remember being in line to see Jaws in 1975. A man walked out in crutches and my dad joked "Jaws bit him". You mentioned Kohl's owned this mall. I found an old book my mom had as a child...on the first page there was a handwritten note "Happy Birthday from the Kohl's" who were her neighbors in the 1950s.
Ace I have no idea why, but this is one of my favorite videos of any Dead Mall out there and I have seen a ton as a fan of your channel and many others. I can't tell you how glad I am you got this one!
Awesome video! I could remember when all the older Walgreens had those brown marquee signs and had backlighted white lettering that wrapped all the way around the inside walls in the store. Kinda miss that old look for Walgreens back when.
I realize this comment is old. I am too...lol. Well into my 50's. These Malls represent most of our childhoods. What you and the other enthusiasts do is bring back some memories, some sadness too, as well as many many dreams as kids. Thank you for the RESPECT and CARE that you showed. This Mall became a "bad" spot for gangs, and criminal activity when they shut it down. Supposedly I should say. I plan to watch this entire video and subscribe as well. Your intro was awesome and again so respectful and honoring! Thank you sir! You brought back many memories. Mayfair Mall, Bay Shore Mall, Southridge Mall, and Northridge Mall. Oh and Grand Avenue, can't forget that beast! Ice skating ⛸ at Mayfair Mall as a kid. Gosh I could go on for hours. Memories abound. Movie theaters, seeing Jaws at Southridge with my Mom. Getting a puppy at Animal Crackers, or the little Pet store next to the arcade. Again thank you! God Bless and keep up your great work!🙏 Be safe and stay healthy!
Farrells, Farrels, Fun at Farrells, Farrells Ice Cream Parlor... I thought of that jingle completely out of the blue a few weeks ago then read your comment today. Thanks for the memory.
This was MY mall in the 80s and 90s. I loved shopping with my mom or friends there. Went to the movies there too. And the food court was great back in the day. Makes me sad to see the videos of it now. It’s like the death of a friend.
33:14 Taco Bell! I know a Taco Bell menu when I see one! Pintos and Cheese for 99 cents? Wow, that *is* old! I was also amazed at the old Walgreens, seeing the signs for Kodak Film and Polaroid Film. It reminded me of the 90s back when I could go into Walmart and get Type 107 or 108 Polaroid peel-apart film for the old Polaroid cameras I collected back then (Fuji still makes a version of that film but you have to order it).
Thank you for this AWESOME video of the mall I grew up in. The video footage where you went into Black’s Photography/Ritz Camera is where I worked in the photo lab by the mural in the back of the store. My parents took me to the grand opening of Northridge back in 1974...I was way to young to remember, but I grew up seeing this mall transform and eventually fade away. Thank you for creating this awesome memory piece I couldn’t have relived with out you!
I used to go to this mall consistently as a child and teenager. So many memory flashbacks when seeing this video. I've been wanting to get in there to document it for a while so thank you!!! Northridge died due to many other factors other than the murder of Jessie Anderson's wife. It had been a rapidly declining urban environment for years with mostly government subsidized housing and a rough area in terms of crime, violence, theft, shootings, etc all typical of the early 90's, which made it easy for Jessie Anderson to blame the death on somebody else in the area. At the time, it was actually a plausable argument. Nobody with money wanted to go anywhere near Northridge anymore simply because it became Brown Deer's equivalent to Compton, CA and people started avoiding the area like the plague (including me) and going to Mayfair Mall instead. Northridge was the victim of it's surroundings and I'm really glad I don't have to drive by it anymore, but certainly do have fond memories of when it was considered 'safe'.
What a beautiful mall. I'm glad you are able to document it. Personally I appreciate it the sentiments you shared as it shows the genuine excitement of someone who achieved a bucket list item. As for the mall itself, I love how so much of what you showed us looks like it was straight out of the 70s and 80s. Truly a beautiful piece of History. I appreciate the work you put into making these videos as I'm sure it is not an easy or quick process but I know for you it's a labor of love.
What a mall. It ticks all the boxes - 70s and 80s aesthetics, loads of light and plenty of walkways. Probably been said a million times but it's not hard to see where Rockstar got inspiration for GTA Vice City Mall. I'd love to visit this mall, getting over from the UK to explore such places. Maybe they should turn it into living spaces, be pretty cool. Keep up the good work.
One thing which did not help Northridge was the instability of eastern-end anchors. From Northridge's August 1972 opening this anchor was a branch of Milwaukee-based Gimbel's Midwest. However, in early spring 1986 the parent company of Gimbel's, BATUS, decided to shut down the entire chain. This despite the Milwaukee-Madison-Appleton, Wis. stores being profitable.However, Northridge was one of several locations BATUS decided to place it's other store, Marshal Field. Milwaukee at the time had one Marshal Field's, at Mayfair Mall. Other Gimbel's locations chosen for Marshal Fields were the downtown Gimbel's flagship store (also an anchor of the Grand Avenue Mall), Southridge Mall, Hilldale Mall in Madison, and downtown Appleton (also an anchor of the then-still under construction Avenue Mall.After a few years Marshal Field's decided to close it's Northridge, Southridge and Appleton stores. A Wisconsin-based department store chain called Prange's decided to enter the Milwaukee market with stores at Northridge and Southridge. However, by this time Prange's was becoming heavily laden with debt and Prange's entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 1990s. In 1992 Des Moines, Iowa-based Younkers purchased Prange's and eventually changed the name to Younkers.In the mid 1990s the department store industry began a large wave of consolidation via mergers and acquisitions. Younkers and fellow Northridge anchor Boston Store eventually ended up sister stores of the same chain in the same mall at Northridge and Southridge, as well as at other Wisconsin malls. So the parent company decided to close the Younkers stores at Northridge and Southridge.
What an incredible experience! This mall was a gem in its time. So sad and tragic. Another great video. Love the music, too. I hope someone is planning to preserve those plans/blueprints.
I used to live about a half mile from there. It was a great place to shop, lots of stores. Then they built low cost condos near there, and (I don't know what they called it back then but basically section 8) cheap apartments. The housing drew a lot of the people from impoverished areas of the city. Over time, it didn't feel safe to go there. Too many hoodlums walking in groups pushing people out of their way. Too many threatening people just walking around. Crime went up. The customers decided it was easier to drive a little further to the suburbs or to Mayfair Mall, Brookfield Square, or SouthRidge than to shop where you didn't feel safe. Customers flocked away in droves. It's not a safe neighborhood.
You speak the truth, Smedley! The low cost housing built just to the west was what killed the mall. Suburban shoppers became frightened and went elsewhere. Damn shame but you get called racist if you say this.....
@@rickkarbash2012 it's not racist it's the truth the northside is a shithole and I live 15 min from Northridge. They built a pick n Save there it lasted 2-3 years.
GREAT VIDEO. Thanx for doing these. They have cleaned out a lot of the stuff in that mall and the stores (shelving, lighting, planters, etc.), since I last had access to it. At one point, there were still huge trees growing in the planters. But I always am amazed that so many things have not been salvaged, like lighting fixtures, custom cabinets, and planters and waste baskets. I would kill for some of those things, knowing what they cost. Even the leftover trash bins and counters in some stores. Imagine some small business being able to utilize some of these things. We have become such a throwaway society.
I remember going to that movie theatre there as a kid. It's been well over 35 years for me. By the way my dad worked as a meat cutter for Kohl's food stores back then. Thank you very much for a fantastic video and bringing back fond memories!
I remember seeing Purple Rain on the opening day at this theater. Worked at a strip mall next door. Spent many weekends here in the 80’s. I remember my mom bringing us here when I was very young. Great video.
I remember when this was the mall to go to. Spent many hours in this mall. Special memories. My Aunt took me here every year for my birthday. We'd see a movie then go shopping. I always looked forward to spending my Birthday money here. Woolworth was a store I looked forward too. Saw many movies here. Some of the movies I saw here: Black Beauty (with cousin), Arthur (Aunt), Gremlins (Aunt), The Toy (Aunt), and Rocky 3 (dad and brother). Saw more but those are the ones I remember most. I remember buying clothes at Chess King and being excited about Music Land.
for a place that has been abandoned for 15 years, this place is still in great shape. I have a phobia of being inside a large building where everything is just so quiet - like a mall with nothing inside - I think I'd go crazy if I were there. Great video!
ACE! This was every bit as juicy as you promised it would be.It was me and mom sailing through this mall in my head as this explore played,and it was a time in my life I enjoyed getting back,even if only for 34 brief minutes.Bravo!
The store fronts are so beautiful, it's too bad that people have to destroy them. By the way Anthony, I like the vapor wave music in your videos, it goes really well with them. Thanks for the video!
I remember walking on the Northridge Mall property as it was being constructed. This was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL Mall I have ever seen. I was 14 years old at the time. When the Mall was completed and opened, this was the go-to place for kids to go to on the weekends. It was so exciting to go through all of the stores and explore the wonders of the dream world. I went there with my children in the early 80's and it was still nice. Then from Chicago came the gangs and Ghetto dwellers who have no respect for people, property or beauty. This is a FACT! The entire Brown Deer Road Strip was taken over by them. Denny's across the street from the mall was the first one of their chain that installed locks and closed the doors at night (the others were 24 hour restaurants.) Before Northridge the only malls around were Capitol Court, Mayfair and Brookfield Square. Capitol Court was also a statistic of the Ghetto/Chicago people. Thank you for your nostalgic look back in time. I'm sure you can confirm my info from many of the old shoppers and shop owners and renters.
I'm not 100% sure, but I seem to recall stumbling upon your channel circa 2017/2018 and I think I actually subscribed circa 18 or 19. Point is, I just wanted to tell you that I actually enjoy very much when you do the voiceovers and provide all of the factoids and details about the history of the mall or anecdotal stories etc. I find the narrative of any given mall that you profile to actually be among the best part of each installment in addition to the visuals as well. Especially with retro malls like this one. Just wanted to say how much I appreciate all the information and research that you provide Anthony. For many reasons, I could not do what you do. My sense of meglophobia a term by the way that I think I might have learned from your channel. LOL I determined was so cute once while standing outside of an abandoned Sears Roebuck in Citrus Heights California, the one I grew up with. It just freaks me out- the idea of being in huge vast empty spaces like that.
I came back to rewatch this one. I have such clear childhood memories of coming here with my mother. I would take the stairs and she would take the escalator, and I would speed up to beat her to the second story. I am pretty sure I had a few Easter bunny and Santa photos taken here in the 80s as well. Thank you for your continued documentation. -Bree
Another fabulous video. I️ absolutely love the esthetics of this mall. Next time you encounter any maps during your explorations, do you think you can try to get a shot of the whole map. I️ love maps and it is super cool to look at some of the retailers at that time. :)
Would anyone go to a mall that looked how they did back in the 50's. mid 60s and early to late 70s, with employees dressed in period clothing, vintage cars, and music from each era playing in each section? It would be 3 or 4 sections each set up to look like they did in each of those periods, including a movie theater with the 70s design that shows cartoons, news reels, vintage movie trailers, concession clips, old movies and other things that used to be shown before the movies. I'm just curious. Would anyone also like to see at least one empty mall turned into affordable housing too?
Yup, I said that on another video--a lot of these places would make excellent apartment complexes or even hotels. But, my other suggestion was to make it a complete living village--shops and living space enclosed so you work, live and have entertainment all in one space. But, I also like your idea of turning an old mall into a huge working museum.
Thank you so much for doing this. I have childhood photos of being there back in the mid-'90s and seeing this video is like being a little kid all over again. I always remember it being really busy, even though the consensus seems to be that it started going downhill in the '90s.
I grew up with Northridge being the mall we always went to (I saw pagemaster in the theater with my dad and sister when I was four (and somehow was the only 1 who remeberd it even though I was by far the youngest) my dad used to show us this burn mark up on the ceiling on the east end of the mall from when he was a kid and shot a rocket off (when the mall was new.) He died a long time ago tragically and I was hoping to see the mark on ur video but wasn't so lucky. Thank u for the walk down memory lane. And for proving to my sister that the movie theater really existed!!👍
Im from Milwaukee. This mall closed when I was still relatively young, but I think I still have some memories of being in this mall. The sister mall to this, southridge, is still open but it's owners just filed for bankruptcy. At one point north and south pretty much looked exactly the same. I remember the water features and those wire seats! It's crazy to see how the malls of this country are disappearing right in front of us. I still have the theory that online shopping will eventually peak and dwindle, then maybe the indoor mall will come back. Especially the northern states with such an array of weather conditions
I still remember the summer of 1992. Northridge had billboard up in the Milwaukee metro area stating "For 20 years Milwaukee we've been your style." They even had a small "Northridge Museum" in a window case in the center court area. It compared 1972 fashions against those of 1992. Polyester clothing, bell bottoms, platform shoes along with 8-track tapes and portable monaural radio/tape players. In summer 1992 Northridge was still full of life (despite the Terry Anderson murder of his wife months earlier in April(.
Another fantastic job! Ugh, so so awesome. Expertly done. The aesthetics and that theater, holy shit! From all of us who don't have the extra time, means or connections to visit as many of these gorgeous places as we'd like to, a million thanks for what you do! Keep doing what your doing, so glad to support you!
We would go to this mall when I was 7 or 8 years old and at that time it was jumpin'! Always packed. Got my first skateboard, baseball mitt and several Star Wars action figures there back in 1979 and saw Flash Gordon at the movie theater in 1980. There was a Kohl's nearby which was most definitely a grocery store and where my mom did our weekly shopping. Good times.
Thanks to the people that made this video, I sent A LOT of time at the mall we lived within walking distance and was always there, it’s nice and very depressing at the same time to see this video. The punks mentioned in a prior comment that vandalize it now are the same reason why the mall closed years ago, the theft and trouble was too much for insurance companies handle. This was a place people could go and enjoy car shows, snowmobile displays, they even had live models that would stand next to brand new cars. THANKS AGAIN!
Ace Adventures you are doing exstreamly Fabulous job along with your co partners making it possible to reproduce the dead malls series. I'll try and watch as many dead mall series as possible during the Cornavirus pandemic. Keep up the awesome job. 👍👍👍👍
Before they Demo (Raze) this, allow pickers to purchase some of these items for reuse. Looks like most fixtures are salvageable and can be repaired. Good job on video.
@@calebdouglas7622 WALMART took over the LOWE'S space. LOWE'S was lucky if it made it to the 5 year mark before it was shuttered...just enough time probably to make sure it didn't have to pay back loans from the Village of BROWN DEER. I think they had a clause that says so many jobs for so many years. They also closed the LOWE'S at the old CAPITOL COURT. I guess people in these neighborhoods don't fix up houses.
this is absolutely beautiful. today i’ve realized how much i’m fascinated by dead malls, wow. thank you for filming this so well (: (ps i really enjoyed the voice-overs; so informative!!)
Very sad and brings back memories of a vibrant mall. I worked there as a Security Supervisor. We put our heart and soul into protecting Northridge. I fault management for not allowing us to trespasse/ ban offenders from the mall because " they're customers!" By being passive on crime it created an atmosphere of acceptance. To all you men and women who served there with me, thanks and God bless! P. S. That murder was not on mall property! It was just next door.
This video is fantastic! You are right, I love the interior design and architecture. Your channel is excellent. Thanks so much for posting this. Hope JonnRev posts something also. I miss his videos.
This is truly sad seeing this, my family & I have a long history with this mall. When it opened, we lived around a half mile away, my mother who worked for Sears in a neighboring suburb transferred to the Northridge store shortly after the opening, as a customer service representative, then as an instructor teaching customers how to cook meals in early Kenmore microwaves. My friends & I would walk to the movie theater to see the latest movie during summer or after school in the mid to late 1970's, when I was 8 to 11 years old & was where we did all of our Christmas shopping, school shopping, & appliance & furniture shopping, & every year had to make the traditional visit to tell Santa Claus what I wanted for Christmas. We moved away from the area in 1980, but always came back to do any necessary shopping. In my high school years, my friends & I would shop at the in style clothing stores at the time, stop at Music Land to buy albums, go the movies, or just hang out. When I got married in 1991, my wife & I registered at 1 of the anchor stores, can't remember which one, & bought our first kitchen table there. Shortly after that, the Jesse Anderson murder happened at TGI Fridays, my grandmother had her purse snatched in the parking lot just outside Sears, & my car was broken into, thus ending my shopping there. The idea of these giant beautiful malls was simple, create an inviting atmosphere where people can come to shop for anything & everything, not unlike the Walmarts, Meijers, Costcos there are today, but at these malls, you could buy from a wide variety of brands & different stores. Unlike the brick & mortar stores closing today, Northridge was not a victim of the internet, it might have been had it survived long enough to see the birth of Amazon & the rest of the internet shopping giants, but Northridge died because the new management let it's appearance decay, smaller shops were closing all the time, some I was told because the owners kept raising the rent without making any of the needed improvements. The area the mall was located in was becoming more & more unsafe, gang members & drug dealers frequenting the mall, & the malls outside Milwaukee were growing & expanding, & were much safer to shop at. In it's early years, Northridge was incredible, always clean, beautiful, never any vacant spaces, & always crowded. Towards the end, it was a depressing shell of it's former glory. But I will always have very fond childhood memories of that place.
This made me cry. I worked there. I ate there. I saw movies there. I bought gifts for my friends and family there. I had my ears pierced there. I was Mrs. Santa Claus there. I was an Easter Bunny there. I visited friends and partied there. I had my hair cut, styled, and colored there. The memories are overwhelming. It was really a destination. Thank you for preserving this historical site in video form. It is very sad to see the smashed glass. I wonder why someone would do that.
Thank you for sharing that. I've only been to Northridge a hand full of times due to it being on the complete other side of town. Southridge Mall has been the mall I've been to 1,000s of times since the 80s. But seeing Northrige in the state it is in tugs at my heart strings.
Thank you so much for this video! I worked at that movie theater in 1988 when I was 17. I remember every hall, every door and every design. Seeing it, made me feel young again. I really appreciate it.
My mom worked at the Sears from 1988-1994 so you might've crossed paths at one point.
@Jennifer Archer Marley Station, further east, still has "the movies" branding.
@@mikefriedman5635 Shit; I would have been classmates from Maple Dale with your brother and sister had I not gone to MUHS instead.
You'd be heartbroken by its condition now.
@@xheralt I’ve seen the recent news. It is truly heartbreaking 😢
My wife has been asking me over and over again why I like these dead mall videos, and I showed her THIS one, and she now gets it. For that, and for all the hours of entertainment and education you've brought, I thank you, Anthony. I soooo wish I could do what you do!
Thank you for making this video.
Today the city of Milwaukee issued orders to demolish all that remains of Northridge mall due to years of neglect and vandalism. This prompted me to seek out some sort of documentation of the mall "in the old days" - and your video brought back a flood of memories for me.
As a teenager in the early 80's, I lived in Northridge Lakes (the housing subdivision across the street from the mall), so I spent a lot of time there during its heyday. I vividly remember all of the stores in all their glory, and your video is a last glimpse of them before their eventual decline into decay and squalor.
It deeply saddens me to bid a final farewell to this icon of my childhood, but "fugit inreparabile tempus".
What a waste...
Well done. Don't apologize for your commentary.....it's very insightful and informative.
Thanks for posting this! I was at Northridge Mall on the opening weekend with my high school pals, had a blast! A few years later I took a gal to the theater on our first date. The movie was James Bond , Live and Let Die. We have been married now for 42 years. I also remember the long straight road that bordered the West side of the mall property. It was a perfect dragstrip for our Mustangs, Camaros, Cudas...
That vintage Victoria's Secret is EVERYTHING at 32:00
Anthony thanks so much for video taping North Ridge mall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
I used to shop there back in the 80's when I was teen.
That brought back many memories as I do remember the Kohls Grocery store in the Milwaukee area.
Thanks again.
I miss the city of Milwaukee.
Carla Jackson thanks carla!
Kohls Grocery Store was across the street from Northridge. I use to work in a TV store just down from Kohls.
the 70s movie theater and super dated Ritz Camera shop were worth the whole trip!! Thanks for this footage!
For sure. A real 'Blast From The Past."
I still laugh at stores that made Frito lay seperate from the other snacks
That Ritz Camera location was originaly a Blacks Photography store, the rainbow striping and black and white color scheme was from Black's. The back of the store with all the cabinets and the wall mural was the photo mini- lab, I worked there almost 6 years. I was there when the Jessie Anderson thing happened, he blamed his wife's murder on a black teenager, causing the area of the mall alot of bad publicity. Mall management sent out statements to the stores to have us tell our customers that the attack did not happen on mall property, but at Fridays which was in a ring of stores that surrounded part of the mall.
Also that giant wall at 25:25 was the entrance to Sears. The store was demolished and that giant wall put up
It’s so nostalgic seeing that.. I remember being a little girl going there and I was always so excited.. it breaks my heart that this is all gone never to be restored again 💔
I was an amateur photographer for a band back in the 90s and I bought my first pro camera at Ritz which I still have and use! And I was there every week getting photos developed. Ah the memories!
I absolutely love that opening shot with all of those different shapes and textures! That was really awesome! Thank you for posting.
The sun shining in from the skylights in the roof looks so beautiful to me. It brings me right back to how exciting it was to go here as a child. As well as the toys R us across the street. Very nostalgic. My uncle worked for the company that assembled the clock tower elevator. I remember bragging about that to my friends. Thank you for the long tour! Very well shot.
I remember when Northridge was built, Southridge Mall was first on the south side of Milwaukee, then Northridge was built as a “high end” mall. Thanks for sharing.
do you rember the mall that was on 27 th just past the Leons Custer stand
@@CDRivera2010 Southgate!!! It was the first "mall" in Milwaukee, opened around 1951 or so. Wasn't in my neighborhood, but I knew someone who worked there. Long since been "reinvented".
@@CDRivera2010 Southgate Mall was originally Southgate Shopping Center they enclosed it in 1970 and renamed it to Southgate Mall. Prior to 1970 South Gate was basically a very long shopping strip with multiple shops. It was a new thing when it opened in 1951. And yes I do very much remember Southgate Mall I do miss it a lot. Kind of wish the Walmart wasn't there in it's place.
Thank you for this video. I remember when this mall opened. I had many wonderful times at this mall as a teen and took my children there when they were young. I never get tired of watching videos about this mall. Great job!
This was by far one of the best dead mall videos ever great job ace keep up the great work
I lived near Southridge mall back in the 70's, 80's, and 90's. It was always fun there. Santa as a little kid. The JC Penney's🎄Christmas🎄Catalog and Sears Wishbook releases. So many memories. I'm sure many Northridge people miss their mall. It's a shame things are happening as they are. Our past was wonderful and while living in it causes issues, losing it all SUCKS TOO!
I can remember the layouts too. At Southridge Mall, Sears(North) and Gimbels(South) was at the ends or the North and South entrances. While JC Penney's and Boston Store were in the middle or West for Penney's and East for Boston Store. I saw the Boston Store entrances on top and bottom. The iconic look still there. Wow like a time capsule. It really is bad that this Mall was vandalized, trashed, and used as a drug and gang hub. Sad that so many iconic places fall to disrespecting punks and allowed to fall apart. They at least tried to save it. God, such memories! Thank you again for doing this! 🙏 I was diagnosed with the same illness that took my Mom. It's slow, but lethal. This brought back days of my childhood. My family, my friends, my life. God Bless you sir and thank you again!
This is by far one of the coolest malls in the united states.
the coolest mall in my opinion that stood up back in the day was buckingham palace mall in denver colorado...they tore it down in the early 2000s to make condos and shit
Tell Twelve mall outside of Detroit was really cool. I remember going there and I remember Northridge, too.
Amazing what the Bankers and blacks can accomplish together
will carter Joey Diaz was the reason that place didn’t make it lmao fucker stole from there a bunch of times hahaha
It sure was.
Great video. I grew up in this mall, Brown Port & Bayshore mall nearby in the late 70's thru late '80's. This was always the fashionable and upscale place to shop as I grew up in affluent River Hills..then there was a marked change in demographics to the tune of 180*. Was last there in '99 and couldn't believe the change. It was all no-name stores where the Gap, Kaybee Toys, Spencer's and the like once proudly stood. Now, the surrounding area is a complete sh*t-hole that I wouldn't drive through without a sidearm. I weep for what we have lost. :(
PS. Funny that as a kid; SouthRidge was the sh*t-hole ghetto mall you wouldn't be caught dead in while NorthRidge was THE place to shop. Now; NorthRidge is shuttered and SouthRidge is hip. Can't make this stuff up...
And look at BAYSHORE now too. I don't know if you still live in the area, but that too, has gone down the tubes. The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel doesn't even publish most of the crime for the area anymore either. Shoplifting, armed robbery, and car thefts/chases are now the norm. 35% vacancy rate, and after the re-make of it 12 years ago, they now want to do another $75 million dollar re-do. They will be next, but they continue to throw good money after bad.
@@gobbletegook I remember BayShore when it was just a strip-mall in the 70's and my Dad got a new vacuum tube for the playroom TV at Walgreens. You couldn't PAY me to go to BayShore, now. Grandmother retired from Gimbals at MayFair.
I retired to Dr. Cnty and only miss what those malls USED to be. 😢
@@goofyleo3869 Yes, as a kid, we went to the SEARS on 21st and NORTH AVENUE, until the neighborhood "changed" and we had to start going to the one at BAYSHORE. (I am being polite when I say "changed"). Back then, you bought EVERYTHING at SEAR'S, from tools to paint to appliances. since there were no big boxes like HOME DEPOT or LOWES. BAYSHORE , around 1978, got its first makeover, and sort of went upscale, and even had a high end T.A . CHAPMAN'S. It was just exposed steel beams over the walkways until that first remodel and enclosure, and KOHL'S had a seperate, freestanding store a block away (which became part of the enclosed mall in 2006 for that reincarnation). They are breaking ground this week on a that new rehab do over for BAYSHORE--to demolish much of the 2006 retail space from BOSTON STORE all the way north, for high rise office and apartments . (BAYSHORE SEARS was demolished in 2017 and is still a vacant/fenced lot). When SEAR'S on NORTH AVE first opened in the 1930's, it was the largest SEAR'S in the country (called SEARS CITY). And the City of MILWAUKEE is now investing $10 million in taxpayer money to rehab the abandoned SEAR'S at that first WISCONSIN location on 21st and NORTH into a hotel which they say will cater to the "black" traveler! Good luck with that!
Here is some dead mall trivia regarding Northridge. The indoor trees continued to grow for years after the mall closed. One maintenance employee was retained at closing to act as a caretaker and to look after the building. He dutifully watered the trees for years and they got needed sunlight through the skylights.
There are videos out there with the trees still growing in the mall.
For those wondering, Quality Candy was a Milwaukee-based company that along with Buddy Squirrel nut shops had stores in Milwaukee-area malls as well as Madison and Appleton malls.
For being vacant for 15 years, this mall is in very good condition. It looks as if it has only been closed for a very short time. Other malls that had remained vacant for around the same amount of time had become vandalized, dilapidated, and saturated with black mold, causing them to eventually be demolished. I hope the city of Milwaukee leaves the mall as is and re-purposes it instead of tearing it down for redevelopment. The mall is stunning and would be great as a business complex, community center, or used for educational purposes. If I had millions of dollars, I would definitely buy it from the city of Milwaukee and re-purpose it or re-open it as a mall but build it up to include a hotel and apartments onsite which would give the mall foot traffic as it would become its own little city.
Randy Wright it was well built compared to average mall.
Chinese investors own this mall and they are doing nothing with it. The city of Milwaukee has been trying to get the property rights to this mall, but the investors keep renewing their paperwork and pay the property taxes so the city can't do anything about it. This mall closed in 2002 because of the high crime and black population that makes up the majority of the north side. Many shoppers didn't feel safe coming to this mall in the 1990s and this eventually led to it's closing. People were afraid of getting robbed in the parking lot or having their car stolen while shopping and young blacks youths made this a popular hang out spot to pick up girls to have sex with and became a nuisance to mall patrons. Milwaukee has many malls that are still thriving. Southridge Mall, Mayfair Mall, Bayshore Mall, and Brookfield Square are still open and thrive with business. The entire north side of Milwaukee is becoming like the bad parts of Detroit, but the properties are nicer because most were built in the 1980s.
@@michaelhuebner6843 I made a comment above and stated in my story that in high school in the late 90s my parents didn't allow me to go to this mall myself. I could go to all the other malls in Milwaukee which all exist very well such as Brookfield Square, Mayfair, Bayshore, and Southridge.
After the Casey Neistat video gave the place some publicity, it started getting targeted. Urbex'ers like The Proper People are one thing, but vandals started getting in too. *The place is absolutely trashed now.* Four arsons in it within the last four weeks, and Milwaukee's Fire Chief is fed up. He obviously can't say "Next time, I'm going to just let it burn to the ground" on camera, but I'll bet he's thinking it real hard.
Nice design in this, better architecture than most malls. The tiered/tray ceilings and repeating octagonal patterns in the common areas, especially with the skylights, and the large hanging light fixtures, are really unusual. Nice color schemes too. They don't make em like this anymore - today you'll get cheap mcmodern or just a box.
It Looks like it could be a modern art museum.
Back when center court meant something. Always things to see and do in center court.
I was digging the lights pretty cool
Taubman masterpiece!
Its twin, Southridge, is alive and well.
For real, you deserve a real round of applause for all the hard work and effort you put into these things. You are basically documenting an era that will soon no longer exist. Thanks.
This is insane! One of your best yet. That movie theatre and that Walgreens were beyond words. I’m so glad you got to do this and share it with us! I love the music, photography and commentary. I appreciate you and your friends and your work so
much.
Being from the Milwaukee area, I can remember when Northridge was the hotness as it was in the late 80s and early 90s. The problem was its location and the crime around it that forced many places to close due to lack of business.
Crime is still just as bad in that neighborhood. There are a bunch of business there closing again after a failed revitalization attempt.
Neil Hood You’re right, too. I was incorrect and thinking about the old Capitol Court Mall location, which is now the Midtown Center. The Starbucks location I used to work at there just recently closed after being robbed at gunpoint 3 times in one month.
As I recall it use to be a nice area back then
@@CDRivera2010 It was. I grew up a few blocks from Capitol Court. In the 1960s, it was like living on the set of Leave it to Beaver. Middle class neighborhood, an amusement park, safe shopping, good parks & schools, it was terrific. Northridge was maybe 5 miles to the north and was a MAJOR destination. Not only for the shopping, but the many restaurants & night spots surrounding it. I'm thankful I was able to experience it. When Capitol Court was reinvented, a Lowe's home improvement store was built on the site of the old amusement park. Within a very short time, it had to close, apparently due to too much merchandise walking out the door. Sad.
I remember the last time I was there. It was the Thursday before Christmas 1988. I was 25 years old and worked in Butler WI at a little tool and die shop. My mom had asked for some plastic salad thing for Christmas and told me she saw it at a store at Northridge Mall in Milwaukee. After I got off work that night I drove to the mall to buy the gift. Walked into the mall and didn’t make it a minute and a group of high school age looking guys walking side by side forced me to step into a store entrance to keep from running into them. All the while they were giving me the serious stink eye. They kept going on by laughing at making me nervous. I made my way to the place selling the plastic salad thing for my mom and purchased it. Had planned on walking around the mall and doing a little more Christmas shopping but the wide walking high school kids had pissed me off. On my way out I had another similar run in with a group of girls. One of them actually leaned a shoulder into me. I turned around to look at her and she has her arms up in the air looking at me like she wanted to fight me. A GIRL! Now I see the same group of guys from 5 minutes earlier making there way towards me. I turned around and made my way to the exit as fast as i could without running. I heard one of the girls say “you better run white boy.” I always try to figure out what it was I was doing to set them off. At that time I was 6’ and around 170 pounds and wearing a Carhartt coat over my work clothes. I never went back there and I’ll never forget it as long as I live.
The worst part is I stopped by Brookfield Square on my way home and they had the salad thingy there.
I think that is why people quit going to Northridge. Jesse Anderson was just the final nail in the coffin.
That end of town went to hell long before the closing of Northridge Mall as have
most areas of Milwaukee, period !
Spent many a Sunday afternoon here with my mom and brother. You got great footage of the interior of the Rocky Rococo restaurant which was in the food court but had it's own seating area. Saw Home Alone 1 in that theater. Played Street Fighter 2 on SNES in one of those central gazebo features when it first came out. This was my favorite mall in Milwaukee even better than the historic Grand Avenue arcade downtown which is half dead and has been for half my life. Great memories. Would love to relive them somehow. Guess this is the closest I'll ever get. Southridge just doesn't have the same vibe. Never has in my opinion. This place seemed more chic. More high end. Then the wife murderer and thugs ruined all the fun.
Agreed! My mom worked in the Jewelry department at the Sears that used to be there. She also worked at a luggage store, salon, and Gimbels at Northridge. Plus she saw the first Star Wars movie in the theater. Northridge was also where all mine and my siblings first Santa and Easter Bunny pictures were taken.
God, I used to get SO hungry walking past Buddy Squirrel in that mall.... 😢
I don't understand why PUNKS have to break into these places to tear them up. It is a damn shame. Toys R Us may be liquidating soon.
Dennis W pisses me off too
Toys R Us at 4:10 PM on 3/13/18 announced they will liquate.
who cares, shit should either be torn down or repurposed for homeless...
The former Northridge Toys "R Us store is being repurposed for rebuilding automobile transmissions. It's a sister operation to the same at the former Servite Drive Walmart Store. The former Target is being used for light industrial purposes, the former American TV & Appliance is now a warehouse/distribution center, and the former Stein's garden center is used to clean up used cars prior to auction. There is an auto auction facility next door to the former Stein's. Retailing may have left this neighborhood, but jobs are coming back at light industrial facilities.
cuz theyre fucking dumbass kids,,,i said it before ,,,i hate todays generation of kids,,,,except for my own kids i love them because i raised them to be respectful,,,,,my kids were taught values and to respect peoples property,,,not to go smashing windows, eat tide pods etc........this is ridiculous,,,just cuz its shut down doesnt give nobody the right to destroy it
Ace, your videos are getting better and better. Living here in MKE and growing up on the north side I have SO MANY memories in this mall. Thank you for this wonderful documentation of a mall that may not be with us much longer.
OMG...I grew up in this mall. I was here every weekend from the day it opened until 1994. This video brings back so many memories.Thank you!
Be still my beating heart 💜 Anthony, your videos are never to long. Wonderful! Thanks.
Miss this mall so much.i still live across the street from it now.almost got teary eyed watching this.the memories.
I absolutely loved this mall as a kid. I pass it everyday and I hate that it sits there vacant like that..the entire strip is turning Into a ghost town.
Yes! Brings back a LOT of memories. Last movie I seen there my ma took me and my lil sister to see Aladdin. That whole area used to be a prime area. Even Northridge Lakes is trash now, smdh
Same here. This is my childhood mall. I lived in Brown Deer as a child then moved to Menomonee Falls.
Come downtown :) thats where everything is now.
I was at that mall a year or 2 ago but last time I been to Milwaukee I see people still shop there
@@MetalPete_the_metalfan I grew up in Menomonee Falls. Sad to see what happened to it. Every time I go there now it makes me sad. We went to Northridge all the time too:(
I have very fond childhood memories of Northridge from when I lived in Milwaukee in the 1970s. It was BOOMING back then! At the time you never could possibly imagine it would ever become dead. My family went there every weekend. I saw so many movies at "the movies". I remember being in line to see Jaws in 1975. A man walked out in crutches and my dad joked "Jaws bit him". You mentioned Kohl's owned this mall. I found an old book my mom had as a child...on the first page there was a handwritten note "Happy Birthday from the Kohl's" who were her neighbors in the 1950s.
Ace I have no idea why, but this is one of my favorite videos of any Dead Mall out there and I have seen a ton as a fan of your channel and many others. I can't tell you how glad I am you got this one!
Awesome video! I could remember when all the older Walgreens had those brown marquee signs and had backlighted white lettering that wrapped all the way around the inside walls in the store. Kinda miss that old look for Walgreens back when.
Oh his makes me so sad, I remember when they were building this, we used to go there all the time, that and Brookfield Square mall. 😥
Brookfield Square is still open.
Same!
Haha Brookfield square has a movie theater now 😂 I definitely prefer may fair
We now live near Brookfield Square. I prefer it over Mayfair, which we used to live about a mile from. So glad to be out of the City of Wauwatoxic.
I grew up on the north side of Milwaukee and spent many, many days and nights inside Northridge Mall as a kid. Thank you for posting this.
I realize this comment is old. I am too...lol. Well into my 50's. These Malls represent most of our childhoods. What you and the other enthusiasts do is bring back some memories, some sadness too, as well as many many dreams as kids. Thank you for the RESPECT and CARE that you showed. This Mall became a "bad" spot for gangs, and criminal activity when they shut it down. Supposedly I should say. I plan to watch this entire video and subscribe as well. Your intro was awesome and again so respectful and honoring! Thank you sir! You brought back many memories. Mayfair Mall, Bay Shore Mall, Southridge Mall, and Northridge Mall. Oh and Grand Avenue, can't forget that beast! Ice skating ⛸ at Mayfair Mall as a kid. Gosh I could go on for hours. Memories abound. Movie theaters, seeing Jaws at Southridge with my Mom. Getting a puppy at Animal Crackers, or the little Pet store next to the arcade. Again thank you! God Bless and keep up your great work!🙏 Be safe and stay healthy!
I too went to the mall back in the day, mostly Southridge in the 90s. Would break my heart if Southridge was in this state!!
Being a kid in the 70s, going to Farrells I've cream in this mall was the greatest thing ever. Thanks for bringing back very old memories.
We probably crossed paths there at some point. What a complete, crying shame it is, remembering what Northridge was like in its heyday. 😢
Farrells, Farrels, Fun at Farrells, Farrells Ice Cream Parlor...
I thought of that jingle completely out of the blue a few weeks ago then read your comment today. Thanks for the memory.
This was MY mall in the 80s and 90s. I loved shopping with my mom or friends there. Went to the movies there too. And the food court was great back in the day. Makes me sad to see the videos of it now. It’s like the death of a friend.
33:14 Taco Bell! I know a Taco Bell menu when I see one! Pintos and Cheese for 99 cents? Wow, that *is* old! I was also amazed at the old Walgreens, seeing the signs for Kodak Film and Polaroid Film. It reminded me of the 90s back when I could go into Walmart and get Type 107 or 108 Polaroid peel-apart film for the old Polaroid cameras I collected back then (Fuji still makes a version of that film but you have to order it).
Fixy Clary omg yes
Well when they introduced the 49,59,99 menu pintos and cheese were 49 cents! Those were the days I liked Taco Bell.
Fixy Clary I loved the pintos with cheese. Good memories..
Brilliant channel & video. Thankyou for the effort you put into this.
when he walked around the movie theaters I was creeped out its like a scary horror movie from the 80s
If I ever bought an abandoned mall. I would turned it into a huge animal rescue/sanctuary.
Kellie Rodery best idea ever!!
Kellie Rodery my exact same thoughts
I grew up in Milwaukee and this mall was on my bucket list for exploring! Thank you for documenting this!!!!!
that younker's is CRAZY. when will they EVER put that much character in a department store again?
Thank you for this AWESOME video of the mall I grew up in. The video footage where you went into Black’s Photography/Ritz Camera is where I worked in the photo lab by the mural in the back of the store. My parents took me to the grand opening of Northridge back in 1974...I was way to young to remember, but I grew up seeing this mall transform and eventually fade away. Thank you for creating this awesome memory piece I couldn’t have relived with out you!
That center court is amazing. Those sky lights breathe life into that place. Incredible!!
P.s. Go Bills! =)
I used to go to this mall consistently as a child and teenager. So many memory flashbacks when seeing this video. I've been wanting to get in there to document it for a while so thank you!!! Northridge died due to many other factors other than the murder of Jessie Anderson's wife. It had been a rapidly declining urban environment for years with mostly government subsidized housing and a rough area in terms of crime, violence, theft, shootings, etc all typical of the early 90's, which made it easy for Jessie Anderson to blame the death on somebody else in the area. At the time, it was actually a plausable argument. Nobody with money wanted to go anywhere near Northridge anymore simply because it became Brown Deer's equivalent to Compton, CA and people started avoiding the area like the plague (including me) and going to Mayfair Mall instead. Northridge was the victim of it's surroundings and I'm really glad I don't have to drive by it anymore, but certainly do have fond memories of when it was considered 'safe'.
What a beautiful mall. I'm glad you are able to document it. Personally I appreciate it the sentiments you shared as it shows the genuine excitement of someone who achieved a bucket list item. As for the mall itself, I love how so much of what you showed us looks like it was straight out of the 70s and 80s. Truly a beautiful piece of History. I appreciate the work you put into making these videos as I'm sure it is not an easy or quick process but I know for you it's a labor of love.
What a mall. It ticks all the boxes - 70s and 80s aesthetics, loads of light and plenty of walkways. Probably been said a million times but it's not hard to see where Rockstar got inspiration for GTA Vice City Mall. I'd love to visit this mall, getting over from the UK to explore such places. Maybe they should turn it into living spaces, be pretty cool. Keep up the good work.
One thing which did not help Northridge was the instability of eastern-end anchors. From Northridge's August 1972 opening this anchor was a branch of Milwaukee-based Gimbel's Midwest. However, in early spring 1986 the parent company of Gimbel's, BATUS, decided to shut down the entire chain. This despite the Milwaukee-Madison-Appleton, Wis. stores being profitable.However, Northridge was one of several locations BATUS decided to place it's other store, Marshal Field. Milwaukee at the time had one Marshal Field's, at Mayfair Mall. Other Gimbel's locations chosen for Marshal Fields were the downtown Gimbel's flagship store (also an anchor of the Grand Avenue Mall), Southridge Mall, Hilldale Mall in Madison, and downtown Appleton (also an anchor of the then-still under construction Avenue Mall.After a few years Marshal Field's decided to close it's Northridge, Southridge and Appleton stores. A Wisconsin-based department store chain called Prange's decided to enter the Milwaukee market with stores at Northridge and Southridge. However, by this time Prange's was becoming heavily laden with debt and Prange's entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 1990s. In 1992 Des Moines, Iowa-based Younkers purchased Prange's and eventually changed the name to Younkers.In the mid 1990s the department store industry began a large wave of consolidation via mergers and acquisitions. Younkers and fellow Northridge anchor Boston Store eventually ended up sister stores of the same chain in the same mall at Northridge and Southridge, as well as at other Wisconsin malls. So the parent company decided to close the Younkers stores at Northridge and Southridge.
What an incredible experience! This mall was a gem in its time. So sad and tragic. Another great video. Love the music, too. I hope someone is planning to preserve those plans/blueprints.
Was just here yesterday and it’s so crazy to see that pretty much everything in this mall is destroyed now
i’m talking about no glass at all, everything has spray paint on it, ceiling ripped apart, etc.
That intro was so sad! Like a dystopian sci fi future recalling the last vestiges of a time when people interacted face to face.
Awesome, I remember this mall when I was 15...memory lane.
Whoever got those shots of Milwaukee in the beginning! BRAVO!! That was first rate work.
Seeing you explore a mall I used to go to with that slowed & reverb version of "Don't Disturb This Groove" makes me emotional.
I used to live about a half mile from there. It was a great place to shop, lots of stores. Then they built low cost condos near there, and (I don't know what they called it back then but basically section 8) cheap apartments. The housing drew a lot of the people from impoverished areas of the city.
Over time, it didn't feel safe to go there. Too many hoodlums walking in groups pushing people out of their way. Too many threatening people just walking around. Crime went up. The customers decided it was easier to drive a little further to the suburbs or to Mayfair Mall, Brookfield Square, or SouthRidge than to shop where you didn't feel safe. Customers flocked away in droves. It's not a safe neighborhood.
You speak the truth, Smedley! The low cost housing built just to the west was what killed the mall. Suburban shoppers became frightened and went elsewhere. Damn shame but you get called racist if you say this.....
The guy that killed his wife In the old best buy parking lot and blamed hoodlums. He helped kill the area.
@@rickkarbash2012 it's not racist it's the truth the northside is a shithole and I live 15 min from Northridge. They built a pick n Save there it lasted 2-3 years.
As the area grew shadier the apartment complexes weren't attracting the clientele they were intended for, so they had to reduce the rent..
@@Stephanie-hc3sg The problem is with section 8 Laws
GREAT VIDEO. Thanx for doing these. They have cleaned out a lot of the stuff in that mall and the stores (shelving, lighting, planters, etc.), since I last had access to it. At one point, there were still huge trees growing in the planters. But I always am amazed that so many things have not been salvaged, like lighting fixtures, custom cabinets, and planters and waste baskets. I would kill for some of those things, knowing what they cost. Even the leftover trash bins and counters in some stores. Imagine some small business being able to utilize some of these things. We have become such a throwaway society.
I remember going to that movie theatre there as a kid. It's been well over 35 years for me. By the way my dad worked as a meat cutter for Kohl's food stores back then. Thank you very much for a fantastic video and bringing back fond memories!
I remember seeing Purple Rain on the opening day at this theater. Worked at a strip mall next door. Spent many weekends here in the 80’s. I remember my mom bringing us here when I was very young. Great video.
I remember when this was the mall to go to. Spent many hours in this mall. Special memories. My Aunt took me here every year for my birthday. We'd see a movie then go shopping. I always looked forward to spending my Birthday money here. Woolworth was a store I looked forward too. Saw many movies here. Some of the movies I saw here: Black Beauty (with cousin), Arthur (Aunt), Gremlins (Aunt), The Toy (Aunt), and Rocky 3 (dad and brother). Saw more but those are the ones I remember most. I remember buying clothes at Chess King and being excited about Music Land.
for a place that has been abandoned for 15 years, this place is still in great shape. I have a phobia of being inside a large building where everything is just so quiet - like a mall with nothing inside - I think I'd go crazy if I were there. Great video!
ACE! This was every bit as juicy as you promised it would be.It was me and mom sailing through this mall in my head as this explore played,and it was a time in my life I enjoyed getting back,even if only for 34 brief minutes.Bravo!
Doesn't even look like it's been abandoned for 15 years!
I see people still shop there
Littleoceanfall !! Just at menards now
I love the long videos like this keep up the excellent work man.
Noah Farmer agreed! I prefer longer videos as well. I enjoy sitting back and walking down the memory lanes of other people's lives.
Me too!
The store fronts are so beautiful, it's too bad that people have to destroy them. By the way Anthony, I like the vapor wave music in your videos, it goes really well with them. Thanks for the video!
I remember walking on the Northridge Mall property as it was being constructed. This was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL Mall I have ever seen. I was 14 years old at the time. When the Mall was completed and opened, this was the go-to place for kids to go to on the weekends. It was so exciting to go through all of the stores and explore the wonders of the dream world. I went there with my children in the early 80's and it was still nice. Then from Chicago came the gangs and Ghetto dwellers who have no respect for people, property or beauty. This is a FACT! The entire Brown Deer Road Strip was taken over by them. Denny's across the street from the mall was the first one of their chain that installed locks and closed the doors at night (the others were 24 hour restaurants.) Before Northridge the only malls around were Capitol Court, Mayfair and Brookfield Square. Capitol Court was also a statistic of the Ghetto/Chicago people. Thank you for your nostalgic look back in time. I'm sure you can confirm my info from many of the old shoppers and shop owners and renters.
I can confirm, raised in River Hills, that everything you said was 100% FACT.
I used to work at Danielle's. When I saw the name plate for Danielle's, it brought back so many memories.
I'm not 100% sure, but I seem to recall stumbling upon your channel circa 2017/2018 and I think I actually subscribed circa 18 or 19. Point is, I just wanted to tell you that I actually enjoy very much when you do the voiceovers and provide all of the factoids and details about the history of the mall or anecdotal stories etc. I find the narrative of any given mall that you profile to actually be among the best part of each installment in addition to the visuals as well. Especially with retro malls like this one. Just wanted to say how much I appreciate all the information and research that you provide Anthony. For many reasons, I could not do what you do. My sense of meglophobia a term by the way that I think I might have learned from your channel. LOL I determined was so cute once while standing outside of an abandoned Sears Roebuck in Citrus Heights California, the one I grew up with. It just freaks me out- the idea of being in huge vast empty spaces like that.
I came back to rewatch this one. I have such clear childhood memories of coming here with my mother. I would take the stairs and she would take the escalator, and I would speed up to beat her to the second story. I am pretty sure I had a few Easter bunny and Santa photos taken here in the 80s as well. Thank you for your continued documentation. -Bree
Oooohh! This is it! The big one! Glad you all made it! Preliked.
Another fabulous video. I️ absolutely love the esthetics of this mall. Next time you encounter any maps during your explorations, do you think you can try to get a shot of the whole map. I️ love maps and it is super cool to look at some of the retailers at that time. :)
I loved the sky lights up above on the ceiling! What a beautiful mall! I wished that I could afford to buy a mall like this.
Would anyone go to a mall that looked how they did back in the 50's. mid 60s and early to late 70s, with employees dressed in period clothing, vintage cars, and music from each era playing in each section? It would be 3 or 4 sections each set up to look like they did in each of those periods, including a movie theater with the 70s design that shows cartoons, news reels, vintage movie trailers, concession clips, old movies and other things that used to be shown before the movies. I'm just curious. Would anyone also like to see at least one empty mall turned into affordable housing too?
Yup, I said that on another video--a lot of these places would make excellent apartment complexes or even hotels. But, my other suggestion was to make it a complete living village--shops and living space enclosed so you work, live and have entertainment all in one space. But, I also like your idea of turning an old mall into a huge working museum.
Extremely expensive to make living space out of a mall, none of the stores outside the food court have plumbing. Cheaper to raze it and start over.
So the working museum idea might not be so bad, then. ;)
It's actually more expensive to demolish and rebuild then it is to redo.
If only I had the money to make it a reality.
Thank you so much for documenting this part of my home city.
My childhood and young adulthood right there. I have great memories with my grandmother there.
Thank you so much for doing this. I have childhood photos of being there back in the mid-'90s and seeing this video is like being a little kid all over again. I always remember it being really busy, even though the consensus seems to be that it started going downhill in the '90s.
I grew up with Northridge being the mall we always went to (I saw pagemaster in the theater with my dad and sister when I was four (and somehow was the only 1 who remeberd it even though I was by far the youngest) my dad used to show us this burn mark up on the ceiling on the east end of the mall from when he was a kid and shot a rocket off (when the mall was new.) He died a long time ago tragically and I was hoping to see the mark on ur video but wasn't so lucky.
Thank u for the walk down memory lane. And for proving to my sister that the movie theater really existed!!👍
Thank you for making these videos that help us remember the good times of our youth
REALLY outstanding work, Anthony! LOVED all the retro details!! Keep up the good work!
Im from Milwaukee. This mall closed when I was still relatively young, but I think I still have some memories of being in this mall. The sister mall to this, southridge, is still open but it's owners just filed for bankruptcy. At one point north and south pretty much looked exactly the same. I remember the water features and those wire seats! It's crazy to see how the malls of this country are disappearing right in front of us. I still have the theory that online shopping will eventually peak and dwindle, then maybe the indoor mall will come back. Especially the northern states with such an array of weather conditions
I still remember the summer of 1992. Northridge had billboard up in the Milwaukee metro area stating "For 20 years Milwaukee we've been your style." They even had a small "Northridge Museum" in a window case in the center court area. It compared 1972 fashions against those of 1992. Polyester clothing, bell bottoms, platform shoes along with 8-track tapes and portable monaural radio/tape players. In summer 1992 Northridge was still full of life (despite the Terry Anderson murder of his wife months earlier in April(.
Another fantastic job! Ugh, so so awesome. Expertly done. The aesthetics and that theater, holy shit! From all of us who don't have the extra time, means or connections to visit as many of these gorgeous places as we'd like to, a million thanks for what you do! Keep doing what your doing, so glad to support you!
wow. this brings back memories. thank you. and i think your commentary is superb.
We would go to this mall when I was 7 or 8 years old and at that time it was jumpin'! Always packed. Got my first skateboard, baseball mitt and several Star Wars action figures there back in 1979 and saw Flash Gordon at the movie theater in 1980. There was a Kohl's nearby which was most definitely a grocery store and where my mom did our weekly shopping. Good times.
Thanks to the people that made this video, I sent A LOT of time at the mall we lived within walking distance and was always there, it’s nice and very depressing at the same time to see this video. The punks mentioned in a prior comment that vandalize it now are the same reason why the mall closed years ago, the theft and trouble was too much for insurance companies handle. This was a place people could go and enjoy car shows, snowmobile displays, they even had live models that would stand next to brand new cars. THANKS AGAIN!
Ace Adventures you are doing exstreamly Fabulous job along with your co partners making it possible to reproduce the dead malls series. I'll try and watch as many dead mall series as possible during the Cornavirus pandemic. Keep up the awesome job. 👍👍👍👍
Amazing! It’s everything I thought it would be and more. Did not expect the 70s decor movie theater either, or the old school Walgreens 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
An abandoned movie theater is so creepy. The rows of empty seats in the dark just gets to me.
I could not see the theater it was so dark
Before they Demo (Raze) this, allow pickers to purchase some of these items for reuse. Looks like most fixtures are salvageable and can be repaired. Good job on video.
No doubt. I saw a lot of stuff in the video that would be worth $$ to the right person. Stupidity on the part of the owners if you ask me.
My dad opened the Lowes store that was down the street from this mall. The lowes closed like 2 years later and became a walmart
Alec Salloum Lowe’s replaced the Walmart
@@calebdouglas7622 WALMART took over the LOWE'S space. LOWE'S was lucky if it made it to the 5 year mark before it was shuttered...just enough time probably to make sure it didn't have to pay back loans from the Village of BROWN DEER. I think they had a clause that says so many jobs for so many years. They also closed the LOWE'S at the old CAPITOL COURT. I guess people in these neighborhoods don't fix up houses.
It's probably because Menards is cheaper
Great work, Ace! Thank you!
this is absolutely beautiful. today i’ve realized how much i’m fascinated by dead malls, wow. thank you for filming this so well (: (ps i really enjoyed the voice-overs; so informative!!)
Very sad and brings back memories of a vibrant mall. I worked there as a Security Supervisor. We put our heart and soul into protecting Northridge. I fault management for not allowing us to trespasse/ ban offenders from the mall because " they're customers!" By being passive on crime it created an atmosphere of acceptance. To all you men and women who served there with me, thanks and God bless! P. S. That murder was not on mall property! It was just next door.
Jonathan, you had an almost impossible job. Thanks for your efforts.
so sad! shopped there all the time... like a funeral watching this
This is a gorgeous mall, I hope and pray it’s saved
This video is fantastic! You are right, I love the interior design and architecture. Your channel is excellent. Thanks so much for posting this. Hope JonnRev posts something also. I miss his videos.
This is truly sad seeing this, my family & I have a long history with this mall. When it opened, we lived around a half mile away, my mother who worked for Sears in a neighboring suburb transferred to the Northridge store shortly after the opening, as a customer service representative, then as an instructor teaching customers how to cook meals in early Kenmore microwaves. My friends & I would walk to the movie theater to see the latest movie during summer or after school in the mid to late 1970's, when I was 8 to 11 years old & was where we did all of our Christmas shopping, school shopping, & appliance & furniture shopping, & every year had to make the traditional visit to tell Santa Claus what I wanted for Christmas. We moved away from the area in 1980, but always came back to do any necessary shopping. In my high school years, my friends & I would shop at the in style clothing stores at the time, stop at Music Land to buy albums, go the movies, or just hang out. When I got married in 1991, my wife & I registered at 1 of the anchor stores, can't remember which one, & bought our first kitchen table there. Shortly after that, the Jesse Anderson murder happened at TGI Fridays, my grandmother had her purse snatched in the parking lot just outside Sears, & my car was broken into, thus ending my shopping there. The idea of these giant beautiful malls was simple, create an inviting atmosphere where people can come to shop for anything & everything, not unlike the Walmarts, Meijers, Costcos there are today, but at these malls, you could buy from a wide variety of brands & different stores. Unlike the brick & mortar stores closing today, Northridge was not a victim of the internet, it might have been had it survived long enough to see the birth of Amazon & the rest of the internet shopping giants, but Northridge died because the new management let it's appearance decay, smaller shops were closing all the time, some I was told because the owners kept raising the rent without making any of the needed improvements. The area the mall was located in was becoming more & more unsafe, gang members & drug dealers frequenting the mall, & the malls outside Milwaukee were growing & expanding, & were much safer to shop at. In it's early years, Northridge was incredible, always clean, beautiful, never any vacant spaces, & always crowded. Towards the end, it was a depressing shell of it's former glory. But I will always have very fond childhood memories of that place.