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Abandoned - Northridge Mall

Bright Sun Films

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In the early 1970's, Milwaukee had gotten two massive indoor shopping malls that helped define the era. One of them, being the Northridge Mall, a sprawling million square foot mega retail hub for the north side of the city. However as false rumours spread, originating from a notorious crime on the property, business had faded away. Ultimately the mall closed and began a multi decade series of false promises, failed development and the blame game. All ending with a popular abandoned building and as a result, a heavily destroyed one.

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Great Archival Footage -
The Proper People - Exploring the Abandoned Northridge Mall
TMK4 News - ARCHIVE: Sears at Northridge Mall in Milwa...
Incredible Archive - https://jonrev.com/2018/07/09/northri...

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BrightSunFilms 2023

Presented in 4K

20 Comments

@BrightSunFilms Creator 3 years ago Pinned

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@Drolly95 10 months ago

Just an update for anyone watching this video later on. The final part of the mall was finally demolished in September of 2025.

@leah5580 3 years ago

As a security officer in a dying mall (still at about 50% occupancy), it is astounding how hard it is to secure even a smaller mall.

@DarthSmirnoff 3 years ago

Listen, let those amongst us who hasn't stolen 35 commercial air conditioning units from a failing mall cast the first stone here.

@patrickracer43 3 years ago

Milwaukee: "secure the building!"
Black Spruce: "no"

@JustinY. 3 years ago

The sad thing isn't really seeing a decrepit building, it's the fact that a place used to be vibrant and full of life, only to be seen as a shell of its former self.

@weirdmindofesh 1 year ago

You should do an update on the site as the city of Milwaukee has taken possession of the site and demolition is underway, it's expected to finish up by mid summer of this year (2025.)

@zFyixt 3 years ago

I’ve been watching abandoned for 10 years?!?!? Wow! Congrats Jake! Absolutely my favorite series to watch

@geod3589 3 years ago

Our local mall almost suffered the same fate. Sears pulled out, Belk's left, and others followed. Mall management jacked the rent so some businesses barely hung on, others left, others could not afford to open a store inside. Two more malls were build that attracted thousands of shoppers. The first mall became a ghost town and it's future was dim. However, Publix bought the part of the mall that Sears was in, renovated it. Then, management began selling parcels of the parking lot, and restaurants such as Taco Bell, Starbucks, etc, built on those parcels. End result is all of that revived the mall and now a once dying mall is now thriving again.

@simonro9168 3 years ago (edited)

That last bit of footage from Southridge feels like concept art for a renovation of Northridge! You can so clearly see the similarities in the architecture

@RussianPanzer-m5y 10 months ago

The status of the former Northridge Mall is that its demolition is complete, and the site is being redeveloped under the new name Granville Station. The 58-acre property will be transformed with mixed-use development, including residential, retail, and light industrial spaces, and public green space. The city is in the planning process, with the site expected to be listed for sale in early 2026.

@allisoncaswell2893 3 years ago

Thank you for featuring Milwaukee in one of your videos! As a lifelong resident of the city, I really appreciate you covering such an iconic mall and the history behind it. Well done!

@TheSupercarGuyYT 1 year ago

It was me, I stole the 35 commercial air conditioners

@KannikCat 3 years ago

It's amazing to me just how recognizable the "mall of the 70s/80s" aesthetic is. The old footage of the Northridge felt so familiar to me, despite having grown up several thousand miles and over a border away. It'd be interesting (at least to me :P) to catalog the shifting aesthetics of this particularly North American typology as they follow in lockstep across the decades. Also amazing how familiar the 'crime panic' story unfortunately feels... Thanks for another great episode!

@imjody 3 years ago

Imagine buying a property for $6 million, and being court ordered to demolish it for $15 million? Sucks. But it's their own fault. Thanks for this great video!

@rgs8970 3 years ago

11:57 nothing says "I'm taking this seriously" like showing up with Starbucks after missing a court date bc you were on a camping trip 😂

@RocknJazzer 2 years ago

Jan 25, 2024 Milwaukee granted ownership of Northridge mall, demolition planned

@TJKoch91 3 years ago

I work right near Northridge so I see the property all the time. It really is a disaster over there, and the area in general is where retail goes to die. There at one point was a Walmart, a Target, and a Pick N Save grocery store all in the same block and ALL of them left in the last 8 years.