Definitely not a dead or dying mall. It's pretty well-kept and maintained for a mall these days. When stores leave they get filled pretty fast. When people say that "less quality" stores are taking spots they mean independent stores (stores with items from other countries, one-off businesses that sell things like hot sauce or stuffed animals) and this is crazy - just because it's not a national chain doesn't mean it's a bad store! The location downtown and connected to so many hotels and the convention center means it will always bring people and money to the stores and dining so it's here to stay! Now they just have to keep it maintained. As for "crime" that is just Rhode Islanders who think Providence is NYC or Compton - crime happens but if you stay aware of your surroundings you'll be ok. It's a very safe place. Also, the parking garage rates are the best in the area and open 24/7!

I’m from Rhode Island but figured I’d mention because you didn’t go up the escalator in the middle of the food court but there’s also a Dave & Busters & movie theatre/IMAX

Also Providence is home to the oldest enclosed mall in America, The Arcade, built in 1828

When the mall opened, it was said the levels of the mall were based on social class. The higher end stores (pottery barn, crate and barrel, brooks brother etc) was on the first floor. Middle class stores were on the second floor (gap, Abercrombie, Victoria secret). The third floor was the food court and stores that catered to teens (Claires, Spencers, CD stores, Charlotte Russe) The higher end stores left and mostly went to Cranston to Garden City Center which is an outdoor shopping center and have been replaced with less established named stores which has reduced foot traffic

Grew up in Providence and been to Prov Place a bunch. I don't think it's dying, but it's definitely getting there. In comparison to other malls in the surrounding area (Warwick, Emerald Square, etc.) it's definitely light years better. There's an effort to keep this place above water so I don't think it'll lose that much steam any time soon. Regarding the crime, I've been here countless times and I've never once seen an incident occur. You're absolutely safe in there. The incidents that you referred to were basically isolated ones.

In my opinion, the only reason to go to this mall is for the IMAX experience. This mall has the only IMAX theater and the largest screen in the state of Rhode Island. What’s very special about this IMAX screen in particular is that it’s an IMAX 70mm screen, which is a large square screen which is perfect for any film shot with IMAX 70mm film, especially considering that Oppenheimer, as of right now, is playing in IMAX 70mm. It offers more image and stellar sound than any traditional movie theater. I guess I could also recommend Newbury Comics for anyone who’s interested in today’s pop culture.

Ahhh.. memories. Thank you for the nostalgic tour..🙏💕

Regular shopper since it opened. Never a problem, in mall, or multiple levels of parking. Nice enough place, but I miss Nordstrom. And Filenes.

I love seeing videos of my home state.

I worked there for 4 years, the first few weeks the mall makes you sick depending on what level you are on because it constantly rocks when large amounts of cars are leaving or coming. Mostly felt on upper levels. Also there are some cool hallways that take you from end to end behind the stores.

In the early days of the mall it had one of the Great Train Stores. That didn’t last too long. It also had a reputation for being a high end shopping center thanks to Nordstroms, a Cheesecake Factory and an IMax theatre. I guess my frustration with the mall stems from the overall direction providence and Rhode Island took (and still take) with redeveloping the city. Moving the train station and mass transit terminals away from the city core in favor of auto centric uses like this mall, among other things, ruins the character of the city. Thankfully there has been a lot of residential and mixed use development around the train station area, so this keeps things alive. Also, when Rhode Islanders talk about an area being dangerous it’s usually because they’ve not actually experienced someplace dangerous. We don’t get out much here in Rhode Island. lol.

I visited this mall on a Saturday recently. Such a strange layout.

I work at this mall, and have for several years. I've heard a lot of things about it's bad reputation, most stemming from the rumors about it being cursed. There have been several suicides here, and at least one murder since I started working here. The criminal element comes in from the nearby bus terminal, Kennedy Plaza, where the homeless and drug addicted gather. Digging deeper, it turns out that the end on which the mall was built was once home to an asylum. I don't think the mall is particularly dangerous, but the area surrounding it is sketchy to say the least.

This mall was all the rave when it first opened in 1999. Due to all the high end stores it sapped all the customers from the surrounding suburban malls. The IMAX theatre and Dave and Busters really caught the local attention at the time. In regards to crime: there were several incidents involving people who already knew each other (maybe gang related). Are you in a gang? If not I would say you are relatively safe shopping at this mall with the abundance of other shoppers and security personnel. It is not that gangs hang out there as much as the mall's centralized location is easy for all walks of life to access. The only place they have seen trouble is some car break-ins in the parking garage, so do not leave merchandise out for everyone to see.

That abandoned store was a bed bath and beyond also that space at 9:26 was were lord and Taylor and JCPenney were

While Providence Place has certainly taken a hit since the pandemic, it’s usually busier than in this video. I don’t think it’s dying, but certainly slowing in its older age. It’s still usually busier than most other malls I’ve been to in Southern New England in recent years. I think it’s central location to the heart of Providence and the ease of parking there for events at the Dunkin Donuts Center (sporting events and concerts) give it more foot traffic than many others.

My parents live in RI and this is probably one of my favorite mall's I've ever been to. It's easy to get into and out of, the footprint is small enough so you don't feel like you're going hiking every time you visit and there's enough stores that i enjoy visiting that i go there every so often. It's also a great place to stop if you're planning on going downtown or walking around the providence streets.

It's Rhode Island, people always would say that Providence is dangerous because it's a city. I don't think there's hard number on the national level but I expect that post-Covid we're going to see an increase in crime continue to grow in correlation with the growing wealth gap.

The parking lot is a NIGHTMARE also I swear there was a Borders there at one point?

Thank you for the tour! I’m going soon and I wanted to get a better idea of the layout ^^

The parking there is so horrendous! There is also no central escalator so it's not easy to get around the mall.. Just the two ends so it's a hike.

When it opened it was packed all the time because of Dave and Busters and the IMAX theaters. Few years later you'd have to watch your back in the parking garage.

I loved this mall as a teen in the 2000s. My favorite store was Oop!? It was definitely higher end. Sad to see it this way.

Rhode Island's largest mall? I never knew that, but I know it's a great mall.

Every time i go to this mall its always packed lol

You have the theater and Dave and busters up the escalator

I live in providence and have been to this mall a lot, but not usually for general shopping. I've never experienced a crime here. I usually go for either dave and busters or the imax movie theater, which is one of 19 real imax theaters in the country. the food court is also really good with lots of asian cuisine you also mentioned you didn't see any sit down restaurants, and to my knowledge there are 2: Jonny Rockets and Dave and Busters

What about Emerald Square Mall in N. Attleboro? Once a premier mall that did nonstop Christmas business. As the Aerosmith song says, "No more. No more!".

Been there too. I went just for Dave and Busters wayyyyyy back when they never had any in Connecticut. It’s a very big mall and it’s not bad. Referring to the tenants well there’s a story you can find on Mr. Ballen channel on KZfaq that tells the story of an artist that found a loop hole on living arrangements you see there was this corridor that no one ever went down it was a narrow space and it led to a nice sized square space so this guy began living there for a couple years rent free in the mall until security guards caught him. He had furniture, TV, and a place to sleep it a fascinating story.

I definitely don’t think it’s a dying mall. It gets too much foot traffic. Maybe not as much as it once did but still lots of people there. The sit down restaurants you were looking for were on the ground level so that they can be entered from the street. There’s the Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Panera bread, and Dave and busters on the top floor. I live 10 minutes away. Been there many times. There’s been a small history of suicides too since there’s low railings and a tall third floor. I’ve never witnessed those or the incidents you’ve mentioned. They’re pretty isolated. I think they’re bound to happen if you place a mall right in the middle of our only major city. That’s spot you said might’ve been lord and Taylor? I could have sworn there was more access to the parking garage than there is now. But you might be right. I think Level 99 took the spot of an anchor but they’re not utilizing every floor as an entrance. It does span all 3 floors. I’m sure that gets some foot traffic but you wouldn’t see it walking thru the mall if people are there for a while.

It has been long rumored that the mall is configured and wired in a way that if it should fail can easily be converted into a casino. Not sure how true that is.

Reminds me of the South Shore Plaza…exactly like it. I miss old malls like this so nostalgic! 3:34 that’s hilarious 😆

Speaking of crime, there have been fights. In the mall. The police call it “gang related violence”. We all know what this really means.

I live down the street from Providence Place, the reputation of upon walking in and immediately being mugged is an urban legend. There’s definitely crime and I would say the area surrounding the mall carries more danger especially under the 95 overpass right next to the mall. One of my buddies got mugged there.

I was in high school when the mall opened. Its failure to maintain its original concept -- a high-end shopping experience -- was sealed when they decided it was OK for teens and gangs to run all over the place. Mall security has always been an issue, especially on the food court level, which ultimately cost them tenants including its anchor stores, especially Nordstrom's. They pulled out long before COVID happened because shoppers who wanted the kind of "experience" Providence Place was supposed to have didn't want to deal with poor security, teens skipping school, and gang members shanking each other in the food court. Those incidents don't happen on a daily basis but they happened enough, and too frequently, to make the news and damage its reputation. Instead that demo left in favor of Garden City (outdoor mall in nearby Cranston which has always been well run and maintained) or went up to Chesnut Hill instead, and the Mall has regressed into what it is today in terms of shopping. There are still some stores like the Apple Store and Lego Store which are "destinations" but there's an awful lot of nothing comprising it today, as you can see in Tom's video. Financially it's been a drain for the city as it was never, ever supposed to be "just another mall" filled with teenagers. Combine it with the confusing parking garage and we have an eye sore that blocks what was once a clear view of the State House and will probably end up becoming reconfigured as living spaces in the not too distant future.

I haven't been to this mall in a long time. I always liked it... didn't love it. It's very grey and the carpeting doesn't help. For anyone with a fear of escalators, this mall is an absolute nightmare! LOL. I believe the Johnny Rocket's in the food court has been there since opening and it's good to see there's only a couple of vacancies there. Overall, I don't think Providence Place is doing all that much worse than many other malls right now. This mall was a major part of the rejuvenation of this part of Providence in the early 2000's. The sit-down restaurants were on the street level exterior of the mall-- don't know if that's still the case.

Born and raised in RI and currently residing in SC. But I was there when they built it and was there when they opened it. Been to it so many times I've lost count lol. Thanks for the nostalgic memories!

It’s is not a dying mall. It’s a mall that adjusting to experience over just shopping. I live nearby and I am at the mall multiple times a week. I have never seen any violent incidents.

All I know is, someone lived in the mall. And another person yeeted off the balcony trying to escape shoplifting charges. 😬 I live in Providence.

To be honest my largest complaint about that Mall was handicapable access to all the floors. I had mobility issues at the time & was on medication that made me dizzy & I really struggled on the escalators. We had a hard time finding elevators & that 1 you passed in the beginning of the video only went down to the Parking levels if I'm not mistaken. I don't live there though so I don't know if that's a continual issue for residents. We're from CT & visited that mall on a trip to take our daughter to Roger William's Zoo last Summer. It was much busier but we still felt completely safe. Overall we had a great time & enjoyed the mall. My now 13yr old always wants to go back😂

As a resident of Providence, putting a "high-end" mall, was always a disconnect to the community it is in. Now Tesla wants to come in the the city as well. I have worked with many people from the burbs who love to see a show, go to waterfire or eat on the hill, but then talk trash about those of us who actually live here. I think while malls across the country are less popular than in the past it is possible to change for the future. I would prefer to see a mall that serves the community. perhaps has a grocery store (something Downcity lacks), some malls have dental and optical- that could be a good resource for people who need to utilize public transportation to get to appointments. Although rent is high so that might be difficult to achieve. Ownership of the space could help the environmental integration. I don't think the kids causing issues at the mall feel like Tiffany's represents them. Also, for people who drive- Warwick ( or Emerald square but a lot less stores in that mall now)- doesn't charge for parking and has many additional stores nearby, also route 1 in attleboro creating competition. High end- Tiffany's, Brooks Brothers, basically the stores on the first floor and the anchors lower end- Rainbow, rack room shoes, old navy

The first and only time I went to this mall was in 2004, on a Sunday after a hockey game. We basically walked through the closed mall to the Dave & Buster's, so my memory of what was there at the time is pretty non-existent.

I prefer the Burlington Mall in Burlington, MA since it offers free parking and it’s located just off of I-95 and Route 128.

I've been to this mall about a dozen times, throughout 2010 to current, coming from Connecticut. I have never seen any of the violence/crime that is said about this mall, and I think its VERY overblown compared to what reality is. It looks much better off that Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester, CT... and a million times better than my local mall, Crystal Mall in Waterford. Other than some closed storefronts scattered throughout the mall... and a lot of missing storefronts on the parking garage approaches... it looks, dare I say, like a pre-Covid mall. The entrance approaches are usually lower-cost stores at most malls, either trinket stores, nail salons, perfume/candles, or grab and go food like Cinnabon/Auntie-Annes or maybe a coffee/juice place. Those, being lower cost, also usually are the ones who have the most problem coming up with rent after their initial seed money runs out. I will say, I don't see as many kiosks in your video as there used to be (things like phones cases, stuffed toys, etc)... thats another that falls in the same vein as the entrance approach. Low cost, but also low ROI. As to sit down food places at this mall, you actually need to go down to the lower levels and out to the street. I caught sight of a PF Changs sign in your video, and I know there's a Cheesecake Factory right off one of the garages too. You also have Dave and Busters up the escalators of the food court, right across from the theater and IMAX. That said... of all the places in there, I'd probably only ever end up going to Newbury Comics. Malls, in general, have a much higher markup on their merchandise than their competitors outside... and thats because the storefronts themselves need to mark up the price to afford their rent. In the 80's to early 2010s, malls had a captive audience, as it was the only place to obtain an item... not so much now. That high rent of the storefronts is actually what is pricing malls out of existence.

Bro I live in RI and haven't been Dave & Buster's in a long time

saw your vid and when this Mall opened it was shock and awe. well lit and big a bit like what you would find in Boston. by the way while its foot print is not massive, this is the largest mall in the area, not just Rhode Island. I enjoy this place between the shops Movies and Restaurants, its great.

ive never personally had any issues with criminals here btw im a rhode island resident so anyway the mall is still doing pretty well in my opinion its also a popular hangout for teens and young adults to meet up maybe do a few things before they execute their plans as many of them live right near it and its also fairly busy everyday so its still doing pretty well if not better

I was there last night. It's fine. It's a mall. Malls have never been special. Southcenter Mall in Tukwila, Washington is more dangerous than Providence Place.

The most dangerous part of going to this mall is driving on 95. They could have built a commuter rail station for this mall since the tracks run right under it including the MBTA Providence line. This would have given the mall a ridership base from Warwick to many of the suburbs of Massachusetts to the north and even to Boston itself.

i been to this mall on a class feild trip back in 2015 and bought a lego classics set for myself at the lego store and it was wonderful

That parking garage is most confusing one I've ever been in. Last time I went, they had you drive on the left like you're in the UK. Is it still that way?

I haven't been to the Providence Place mall in about twenty years but I recall it being constructed and how the downtown area of Providence has seen tremendous revitalization over the last 25 years. When the mall opened, it featured an eclectic mix of high-end retailers with mid and lower-tier ones such as the old favorite Spencer Gifts and also featured a few pricey places to eat as well in addition to the food court. From this video, it appears to be a shadow of the mall I visited. It no longer seems to be a place I'd drive to visit and shop as it once was. Sic transit gloria mundi. Or something.

You should go check out the warwick mall in warwick Rhode Island

@3:30 If you ever worked for mall security or for any other security detachment at the mall, you would know that there are dozens, and I mean dozens of abandoned rooms all over that place. I had roof access and lower level access when I worked there; the amount of leftover goodies and relics from the heydays of U.S. mall culture are all over that building. When the Providence Place mall finally dies completely, I sincerely hope people take a walk through the backrooms at Macy's, Boscov's, etc. etc. There are a lot of cool rooms in those places that lead to really niche spots in the mall.

I haven’t been to this mall in about 8 to 10 years. It looks very different to me and seems like there’s a lot of empty space now.

Virtually every mall looks “dead” if you’re going to film at 2:00pm in the afternoon on a weekday. The parking is free for the first 2 hours, then goes up to $2.00 until you’ve been there more than 4 hours. You also don’t have to worry about door dings as there are plenty of spots near pillars, as well as wide spaces. Film it again on a Friday or Saturday night. 19:58 You didn’t look very hard for the sit down restaurants.

Nice mall, there was a stabbing, a man fell to his death, shoplifting, and more stabbings, and I wonder how my classmates are still ALIVE! Emerald Square is my favorite mega mall in the area!

It easy to get lost in there especially you go garage

Was there quite a few years ago. The advantage to a downtown mall like this that you can walk out the door and see other attractions like the State Capitol, etc.

I used to live in this beautiful little city back in the early 2000s. THe mall was bustling then ; wall to wall people. Seems very empty now. Wonder how the rest of the center city is doing now.

Worked at the mall for 2-3 years. So much theft, security was always chasing people around.

The original anchors were Filene's, Lord &Taylor, and Nordstrom's.

I live down the street from this mall and go there a ton. Always seems pretty busy, tons of natural light, and haven't experienced any crime. That statistic seems pretty bogus honestly. The only time I ever see a ton of negativity is with the weirdos that want it to be turned into a casino.

Sit down restaurants (other than Dave and Busters) are all on the ground floor with their main entrances facing the outside street level

The Providence Place mall is such a pain in the ass to get to, and it's just not worth it

We go to this mall all the time, it’s basically our go to mall. Definitely not dying and while there were incidents in the past I don’t feel unsafe at all when there. I think the media has sensationalized the incidents they have had.

The section is closed off that used to be where JCPenney was

I haven't stepped foot in my home state in 3 years, but I am *not* surprised that the roads near the mall are still torn up.

I watched that riot on Facebook live. It was horrific. Especially since we don't live more than 3 miles from downtown. I don't think it's unsafe. I just don't go there because the parking garage is a nightmare and I don't like having to walk all the way around to use the next escalator.

I'm 64 and can't believe the discussion nowadays is how dangerous a mall is. Back in the 70's when I was growing up in So-Cal we had about 20 malls in my vicinity and none of them were dangerous. We never even talked about any risks, including in the parking lots. But I guess when you invite half the 3rd world into your country without so much as a questionaire, and put what used to be an X rated show for violence on TV, this is what you end up with.

I haven’t been to that place in forever. There’s hardly any stores there I like. And the ones I do like hardly have anything I want.

Ahh finally my home state and loved this mall in “99. I was in my 30’s then I went here night and day for the first 15 years. It was never this empty then however compared to the malls you have walked through it’s holding its ground. Sad to see all these malls slowly burning out. This is definitely empty. You shouldn’t have to walk into a mall with hardly any foot traffic. Day or night this was the mall to enjoy. I’m 20 minutes away in North Attleboro, Ma Emerald Square Mall has slowly become a memory. Happy you made it to Rhode Island!

Maybe now the secret apartment will thrive

My ex used to work at that filenes before it became a macys. You just taking me down memory lane.

Im glad this mall isn’t dying considering all the other malls in my area are

Providence Place took a big hit when Nordstroms left... Replaced with bargain basement Boscovs. Overall, it's still solid as far as malls go. Level 99 opened recently, as well as Fogo De Chao... The IMAX is cool too. As far as violence goes - Providence in 2024 is nowhere near as bad as Providence in the 80's and 90's. You still get the groups of kids with nothing better to do than be obnoxious, but it's manageable.

I live in Rhode Island and have been there many times. It’s always been busy when I have been there. On the other hand it’s just a Mall.

I would go to this mall when I worked in downtown Providence, but I would never drive in to shop. I don't like the access and it's a real pain in the butt that the only Apple Store is here when I need support.

Now you're in the town where I live. There has been some gang activity there, and most days a lot of high school and middle school kids are there, so most of the rowdy behavior involves them. A lot of homeless hang out there too.

I go once a year when visiting for Rhode Island Comic Con. It's a great mall. The Dave & Buster's is very nice. I wish the movie theater would upgrade their seats though.

Live in RI and haven't been to PPM in over 15yrs. The parking garage is a nightmare in itself you feel like a rat in a maze. I keep saying going to check out Boscov's but still haven't ventured over there and most likely won't.

Security at this mall was on some “racist” stuff at one point. I worked there as a teen, and they would kick us out because the mall was “closed” wasn’t even doing anything, just waiting for my friend to finish closing up the store so I could give him a ride home. Keep in mind at that time, the food court was still full of people, and the movie theater was still open. They seemed to chill out a bit later on but I don’t know what that was about.

I love that mall so much all my friends say they go to Warwick Mall bc they get lost but my mama let’s me wander around

There used to be a nice sit-down dining area Dave & Buster's years ago, but the last time I was there, it was gone. Shame.

And a few days ago, It was announced Macy’s is shutting their doors at this location around early 2025

Hi, I like your videos. May I ask what camera you use and what your set up is?

When it opened up, I remember it being higher end, but now all the good stores have moved to Garden City, which is largely more pleasant. I haven’t seen the inside of the Providence Place Mall in years, but this is kind of sad. I also don’t think people want to drive to providence with the traffic if they don’t have to. Btw they’re making a documentary on that hidden parking garage apartment.

There are many restaurants, most of them are just on the outside at street level.

If you want to visit a dangerous dying mall for a video, go to Circle Centre in Indianapolis on a Friday or Saturday evening. Like the one in this video, it once had a reputation of being pretty high end, but has fallen much further.

"lower quality" stores refer to just that. Lower quality stores. Think of things like "Lids" or "Footlocker" or Claires" as opposed to higher quality stores like Michael Khors, Abercrombie , and Burberry.

It is officially a zombie mall. It didn’t age well, Nordstrom is long gone, and people always hated the parking garage.

Love the video and quality. What’s your video setup like?

I didn't think there were any more Showcase Cinemas around. That must be the very last one in existence since the majority of them became AMC's.

i love going to the providence place mall. it’s a very nice place and i actually had apple camp at the apple store there.

This mall still holds up even during pandemic it was packed still. Dave and busters and the iMax is what brings in the crowds and during the summer the river of fire. Food court is not like it use to be

The champs sports outlet is awesome

I miss this place!

I am watching this video on the same day that a security guard was killed and others injured at MACY'S in Philadelphia. I used to live in RI. and now retired in Northeastern Brazil, but definitly can say that nowadays their are few places that are "Safe" and Providence Place may be just like other places (i.e. Target in San Francisco) Totally agree with the IMAX comment though I only went once. My go to movie places were in West Warwick. Thanx for the video.😎

Carpet was a horrible idea.

i live in east prov and hit this mall almost weekly... it is not dangerous lmao what is this even..