Deadmalls.com
Encyclopedia
Deadmalls.com is an independent not-for-profit website best known for featuring shopping malls that have failed or are in the process of failing. The site features nearly 300 listings of dead or dying shopping malls
, many with pictures and historical narratives. Created in 2000 by friends Peter Blackbird and Brian Florence as a hobby, the website has grown, garnering interest from major media outlets due to its unusual content and its comprehensive (sometimes humorous, sometimes wistful) coverage. The creators describe the website as an attempt to retain pieces of history that might otherwise be lost with the destruction of these malls. The site benefits from hundreds of online contributors who supply the website with accounts and photos that might be otherwise difficult to obtain.
The website has also become increasingly influential in the retail and real estate industries as well. National Public Radio reports that new developers often use the site as a first point of reference, while mall owners often lobby
to have their malls removed from the site, following redevelopment. Indeed, site creators report several incidents with mall security as well as legal threats based on photographs hosted by their site.
Dead mall
A dead mall or greyfield is a shopping mall with a high vacancy rate or a low consumer traffic level, or that is dated or deteriorating in some manner. Many malls in the United States are considered "dead" when they have no surviving anchor store or successor that could serve as an entry into or...
, many with pictures and historical narratives. Created in 2000 by friends Peter Blackbird and Brian Florence as a hobby, the website has grown, garnering interest from major media outlets due to its unusual content and its comprehensive (sometimes humorous, sometimes wistful) coverage. The creators describe the website as an attempt to retain pieces of history that might otherwise be lost with the destruction of these malls. The site benefits from hundreds of online contributors who supply the website with accounts and photos that might be otherwise difficult to obtain.
The website has also become increasingly influential in the retail and real estate industries as well. National Public Radio reports that new developers often use the site as a first point of reference, while mall owners often lobby
Lobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
to have their malls removed from the site, following redevelopment. Indeed, site creators report several incidents with mall security as well as legal threats based on photographs hosted by their site.