Malls use to be so fun and chill to go to it’s a shame a lot of them are closed and fading away

My Grandparents had a hobby shop here on the second floor. I used to do word search puzzles with my Ma while she tended the counter on the weekends. Good memories. RIP Grandpa

I used to work at Northridge Mall in my early twenties. I'm 47 now! This video brought back a lot of good memories!

Speaking of malls, you should check out the Regency Mall in Racine, Wisconsin. It's not abandonded, but it is heavily empty. It got so empty people started walking around laps in it for exercise in the winter. The only popular shop in it is Bath & Body Works of course. It's sad walking through it.

I worked at Northridge mall for years. I absolutely loved it there. And the whole area in General on the northwest side of Milwaukee back in those days, was wonderful! I had so many friends who lived in that area, and the bars, and the restaurants, and just the the activities in general. And then, everything went straight to hell. It's really a shame. The late seventies and through the 80s was the Heyday of that area, and it was wonderful! Wonderful memories.......

A Milwaukee born girl here….Moved to NYC in 1987. My heart hurts knowing a part of my childhood/teen years and my 20’s were spent at Northridge Mall. Special times shopping with my Mom when I was younger, Birthday parties at Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor with The Zoo ice-cream massive sundae… then hanging at the mall with friends as I got older, worked at Casual Corner for 1 year from 1985-1986 on the first floor near the fountain. Went on many dates to the Northridge Mall Movie Theaters and dinner at Shakey’s Pizza! So many incredible memories at that mall. And now, so sad to watch the steady decline over the past 20 years. It was such a safe-haven for us all growing up. I know my mom loved going there too by herself to shop, as did I. Too bad they couldn’t revitalize that amazing property, but the crime that arose in the area over the years, from what I heard, overrode the gentrification of. Mall life as we once knew it. 😢 Goodbye Old friend. Thank you Northridge Mall for all the decades of incredible memories you brought us. You will be missed by many! ❤️🖤💔

This was my favorite mall to go to, besides Forest Mall (Fond Du Lac) and Paradise Mall (the original walk thru mall in West Bend). Such a shame to see our malls go

Milwaukee native here. The downfall of this mall began after Jessie Anderson killed his wife there and blamed it on a random black man. This scared away the white folks and the black folks stopped going after being profiled by mall security and the police.

An air-soft tournament in an abandoned mall would be epic though

For many of us who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s malls were a great place to hang out with friends, meet girls, go to the arcade, get a snack at the food court. I miss those days. Still remember going into stores and they would always play good house or eurodance music while you were shopping. It is sad what is happening to malls. Im surprised that this mall is still in the condition it is after being abandoned for 20 years.

This mall was everything back in the day. It had a movie theater as well and was thriving. So unfortunate.

I used to go to Northridge mall during my high school years and into my 20s, it was such a nice place back in the 80s and 90s, what a shame. 😢

That’s really sad about the mall going into disrepair deteriorating

What a tragedy and a waste of such a beautiful building. There is something so special about malls from this time period anytime I find myself in a town that has a mall I've tried to stop and walk around.

I live in Milwaukee, WI. it was closed down for crime rate and there still is high crime rate there. You got balls of titanium to be exploring there. edit: I forgot to mention that someone in the replies did say they are safe in the day, so just watch out for squatters in the day.

Crime and Social decline is a serious issue.

I really hate online shopping The mall is like an opportunity to really engage in the act of living So it's sad to see malls close Bc life online isn't really life

This makes me want to cry. I spent so many days in my childhood & teenage years there. I met my first boyfriend there when I was 19 & had my first baby a year later. I was 21 the last time I was in there 🥺

Spent many days at this mall up till it closed. We still have southridge but that’s become just a few name brand stores surrounded by pop up bullshit shops selling junk. Mayfair isn’t much better. The real problem is crime and theft, stores don’t want to deal with that shit. Milwaukee fucking sucks.

I’m from Milwaukee.. thank the gods they shut this mall down. The north side is a cesspool here!

It's crazy how inappropiate human behaviors can cause places or cities to rapidly go downhill.

Should used it for skate comps

It wasn’t that the mall stopped being maintained, it’s that crime in that area went to hell to such a degree that women weren’t safe using bathrooms.

They are tearing this down as we speak. Thank god!

They could turn these places into homeless shelters they are already equipped with what they would need

This is Northridge Mall, it opened in 1972. It was a great place to shop or browse. Last time I was there was 1998. Such a waste.

Economic failure? Nope. CRIME PERIOD!! Such a shame.

I lived near here and still frequent the area. The whole area is going downhill. Glad I moved.

Economic failure was caused by high crime rate. There I fixed it for you.

It’s always high crime. That’s why malls are only in upscale areas now a days

Not only from there, still here. I’m teary, so many many sweet memories! I wouldn’t trade my childhood for anything! We miss you North Ridge, Grand Avenue, Capital Court🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

That’s so sad. You know someone’s life is full of memories Christmas shopping there and hanging with friends and family. Crazy how things can change

I live near there. It is terrible all that comes from that place is problems.

Looks like the mall from stranger things

My car was stolen while I worked there. But my store never got robbed...probably because it was a bookstore😂

The entire northside of Milwaukee is a dump. This mall was shut down due to high crime. Thank the criminals for the closure of this entire mall.

That's happening everywhere it seems like the signs were there all along we just have been kept in the dark about it that's why I'm so glad that you and others are showing us the truth about what's been going on.

I used to go to Northridge all the time as a teenager. The squandering side of town robbed it to death. Hood shit. North meadows projects, northridge lakes apts, and just down the road, green tree projects… The same thing happened to Capitol Court, which turned to Mid-town… which now, once again, is dead. The decay of the mid-west.

i’m from milwaukee and that mall was such a huge thing for high schoolers to explore and stuff ! i was really sad to hear they are demolishing it, it really is a beautiful mall too

I live in Brookfield, not too far from Milwaukee, nowhere close to the city though. What kind of dystopia has this country become?

I grew up about 3 miles from Northridge. It was a great area during the late 60s and 70s up until it started going downhill around the mid-80s......Crime was on the rise. Most of the nails were already in the Northridge "coffin" by the time the Jesse Anderson imbroglio took place in 1992. That pretty much hastened the pace of the closing of the Mall. But make no mistake.....the mall was on its way out due to crime by that time. But when I was growing up the far northwest side of Milwaukee was as great a place to grow up as you could find....I have such great memories....had great friends...we had so much fun back then....Time sure flies...I'm 64 now....Still feeling good....but I do miss those days....

What a waste. So very sad.

When I was there for the Airsoft events you mentioned. The boys and I found some rooms in the back that still had the blueprints from this place. We took some of em for the memories.

The ceilings are beautiful amazing drywall work 😍

My grandmother often took me to North Ridge Mall circa 1980 or 1981. We would go to the McDonald’s on the first floor by one of the entrances, and she would always get a hamburger, fries, and Diet Coke. She died two years ago. I miss her every day.

Ngl that place would be a great place for paintball.

I never went to Northridge, as it was closed, and my dad knew the area wasn't a good place around the time. But it's crazy to see this and comparing it to Southridge Mall in Greendale, especially now.

I really think this mall couldve had a big revival if it was like an 80s themed mall using stores old logos and having the stuff people actually liked before malls got boring

Way to go, city of Milwaukee!

I used to work in this mall in the 90's. I regretted every single day. I was working there when New Jack City was playing in the mall at the theater. I felt like a piece of popcorn in a raisin bowl.

I grew up in this mall. SO MANY WONDERFUL MEMORIES…it crushes my heart seeing this.

The future of america.

That would make an awesome apartment building.

I got so many memories in this mall growing up in the 90s. This was my teenage hangout spot with friends. And at 16 I worked at Boston Store. The good days ❤

I grew up in Milwaukee, It was in a predominantly black area and remember everyone talking bad about Northridge Mall. There was another Mall called Southridge on the white side of town which was in the suburbs. Lol now its predominantly latino Mall and has gone down hill as not a lot of people go to malls.

First of all, no enemy country should be able to buy USA property.

The funny thing is it's counterpart, Southridge Mall, is (im pretty sure) one of the biggest shopping malls in the state 💀

No joke, I had a college teacher whose sister got murdered there. Also had a friend living down the street from it(many years later after it closed)and he heard gun shots on the regular. Brown deer is a sucky trash heap nowadays.

This is a great example of "we can't have nice shyt in our citys, because "some people" don't know how to act smh smh smh smh.

Just an idea, taking abandoned mall and turn it into a retirement community so everybody has their own little like apartment then the whole thing could be like a little safety village for old folks

There was Northridge and Southridge (still operating) malls in Milwaukee. Northridge just got too dangerous and that pretty much ended its life.

My mom’s first job was at a store that sold men’s ties at this mall in 1975. We went there all the time when I was a kid in the mid 90s. Then one time (the last time we went there), there was a shooting in the food court while we were eating. I’ll never forget it. I was maybe 8 years old and all I could hear was BANG BANG BANG. Never went back. My parents said that prettt much signified the end of Northridge.

I’ve been there. That was in a bad neighborhood, while a mall just like it on the other side of town flourished. I wonder why.

Bro why T Roy tagged on the wall

everything black people touches, it goes downhill really fast.

Very fortunate to have good friends and explored it in 2021 pretty dangerous place and people have died there. The fact its getting destroyed makes the experience that much more unique. A surreal feeling thats for sure

So what really happened is the mall used to be a prosperous area. UNTIL they built affordable housing units nearby, shortly after you would see increase in robberies and crime - causing all of those businesses to close down. 🤷‍♂️ if you look at housing over in that neighborhood- 4+bedroom units going for $150k cause that area is ghetto and nobody trying to live there.

When they say "Due to high crime rate", it usually means either mismanagement, embezzlement, or both! 😎

bro it sucks that these places go abandoned. Legit remember going to these places😔

I give you guys the highest respect for actually learning the history behind what you guys discover...its history...

Demographics are destiny.

The reason it’s getting demolished or smth it’s because there was a crime scene somebody died there in the parking lot

Malls were in their heyday in the 70s and 80s. I was fortunate enough to be a teen through the 80s and have many great memories of hanging out with my peeps and getting our asses kicked out by security. Those were some of the best days of my life.

I haven't been to Northridge since I was a kid. It is very reminiscent of Southridge before they renovated it. I remember the waterfall walls in the food court. Good times.

The fact that it's in Milwaukee explains everything

As always, there was a small subset responsible for 99% of the crime.

I use to go there a lot. It was a lot of fun!! I really miss it. Now Mayfair Mall is my fav.

People: Its just a abandoned mall Trevor Henderson fans: CARTOON CATTT

The land the mall sat on could be replanted with native trees and plants rather than becoming a weedy lot.

I was 18 and white, and got chased out of there 28 years ago. Gang of kids wanted my jersey i had on. Nothing but trouble there, theft, robberies, shootings ect.

The mall of my childhood.. We loved hanging out at this place.

This breaks my heart...😢 I used to go to Northridge all the time! Such good memories... 💔 😢

I was born and raised in Milwaukee and loved this mall. Such a shame it had to be shut down.

Thank you for giving great backstory instead of fake running from the cops skits

Paintball tournament in an abandoned mall sounds like a dream so much fun!

it was consideed to be one of the fancy malls, lovely neighborhood. very sad😢

I remember going there as a kid, crazy to see the difference from then until now! Glad they’re finally tearing it down tho.

The Northridge Lakes property next to the Northridge Mall used to be a high-end Complex. It also went downhill fast. It is strange because the neighborhoods between this area and the city are nice. Usually the farther you go out of Milwaukee the better but not in this case.

Fun fact: there’s also a Southridge and it looks kinda like this but is almost on set to become another northeidge

I use to love this mall when I was a teenager! It was so nice I’m 61 now❤

I have so many great memories there in the late 70's, early 80's

IVE ALWAYS WANTED TO SEE INSIDE! thank you fro posting this! I’m kinda sad it’s being demolished! The floor plan looks so nice!

I visited Milwaukee in 1993 and went to that Mall. I remember getting this huge Gyro that tasted so good. I hate that Malls have become a haven for Crime. It should be a place to get away and see other people, find a date or be with your mate or friends. By them closing down, that's why you have teen takeovers in some parts of the country

Oh wow, flashbacks of going here around Christmas time when I was a kid. I always wondered why we seemed to have just never came back to such an amazing looking mall. Well now I know, damn.

😥Man! Soooo many memories as a teen going with my girls on the weekend there!!!

I loved Northridge Mall for many years! This is a very sad moment!

I remember visiting there as a kid. Tried to stick my head through the banister on the second level lol. The pink and blue tones, so 80s/90s, just how I remember it.

Being a teenager in the 90s and going to this mall was some of the best times of my life 😢😢

I bought my prom dress at this mall in 1993! This mall was the place to be, back in the day, they had all the cool stores and I used to love going there.

A lot of memories in that mall with my cuz and I. We basically lived there. Sad to see it like this. I really miss it.