Demolition of Southwyck Mall (5/27/09)

Demolition of SouthWyck mall in Toledo Ohio.

The mall closed around June 2008 after many years of growing vacancies and only 5 or 6 stores remaining at the very end. The corridors were so empty and quiet while walking, you could almost believe that you were soon going to be chased down by undead zombies or you were the only survivor of a worldwide pandemic.

In this footage, it appears that the asbestos removal is complete (which was very time consuming at first) and the demolition is going ahead full speed. More of the mall disappears each day. The main demolition started at the theaters / red baron side and looks like they've made it to where the coney island was, inching their way to the center dome. Corridors leading to Montgomery Wards and Dillards look to be going down pretty quick from the Reynolds Road vantage point. They're nearly to the dome, which to me was Southwyck's best external feature that stood out the most. It won't be the same once it is removed. The front side looks like it's been through a hurricane while the back side exterior is still relatively intact, except for the panels around the roof line and the metal scraps trash heap piling up around Dillards main entrances.




It's really sad to see such a good childhood memory being torn down. I will always remember Old Towne, Red Baron arcades, the merry-go-round, those big steps which lead down to the fountain area, the Lion Store, Camelot Music, the pretzel place, McDonalds and of course the movie theaters. It was always funny to see people's reaction when walking past Victoria's Secret. My brother got caught stealing a magazine from B Dalton's about 20 years ago, so that was another interesting memory. I hated shopping with my parents though, so i would intentionally drag my feet and complain until we could go into the hobby store to look at the cool toys. Ah, Great times....

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Southwyck
• Mall
• Demolition
• Toledo
• Ohio
• Reynolds
• Old
• Towne
• Red
• Barone
• shopping
• dead
• mall

[HattieLovesCattie]

@Automcanic The malls in my area are doing fine and many mall walk.My fav old mall tho was torn down for a new swanky outdoor shopping center.If I lived closer to the malls,I'd mall walk in the summer and winters.

[Automcanic]

@HattieLovesCattie look at ebay, amazon anything online. Its a change of times. Everyone doesnt want to stroll at the malls anymore there is no time for that. Go online get what your looking for and done. With gas prices who wants to drive to a mall anyways.

[Bignadim]

wow Dead or what. even the old grey nasty concrete lump we have in England called Brent Cross(North London) is so busy they had to extend it but still looks shit but does bring a lot of money in as apprently people their love its 1970`s brown look!! I went there and got lost its so huge but ugly it will never die as it constanly get repaired as for other super malls there been modernised and in full swing forget shopping at christmas too busy. only get demolished for new bigger malls

[rotunda57]

Maybe a good spot to build a new drive-in theater?

[SarahB1863]

And it's STILL a huge, vacant, weed-choked expanse of concrete. No buyers are interested, and nobody knows what to do with the property. That whole corrider is one long blight, and it's the first thing people coming off the Turnpike see of Toledo. Pretty embarrassing.

[TAKE2TOKES]

DITTO

[tsadrummer]

West field and Falllen timbers or whatever its called

[HattieLovesCattie]

Are those on You Tube?I'd love to see pics of them.Two malls in my area were torn down but new malls and shopping centers replaced them so they are all doing fine.

[qwandiddy]

DAmn, how many decent malls left in Toledo?

[qwandiddy]

Just like the malls in Detroit Area that had Wards like Northland (Southfield), Eastland Center (Harper Woods), Universal Mall (Warren) and Wonderland (Livonia), also Tel-Twelve (Southfield)