Slap-bang in the middle of a Canadian town sits an abandoned mall that serves as a time capsule to the ’90s, as shown in a fascinating documentary.
Director Jake Williams gained access to the City Center Mall in Hamilton, Ontario, and took a thorough walk through to examine its innards.
He was shocked to find that the mall – which opened in 1990 following a C$150 million investment and closed in 2022 – appeared frozen in time, with interiors “completely preserved and entirely unchanged”.
In one scene, he enters an old office, where he finds clothes in a closet, photographs lying around, and a vintage computer on the desk. He says, while rotating the camera, “Oh my God, has anyone been here since 1990?”
Filmmaker Jake Williams gained access to the City Center Mall in Hamilton, Ontario, and wandered deep to investigate its innards.
He was shocked to find that the mall – which opened in 1990 following a C$150 million investment and closed in 2022 – appeared frozen in time, with interiors “completely preserved and entirely unchanged”.
Jake reveals that the shopping center was originally called the Hamilton Eaton Center and over the years it faced various obstacles as visitor numbers dwindled.
In one scene, he enters an old office, where he finds clothes in a closet, photographs lying around, and a vintage computer on the desk. He says, while rotating the camera, “Oh my God, has anyone been here since 1990?”
The developer who bought the abandoned shopping center, IN8 Developments, said its plans to convert it into residential and commercial space had been “put on hold until the real estate market improves.”
After the mall closed, there were plans to demolish it to make way for a billion-dollar mixed residential and commercial development, but plans are currently on hold.
“There are pictures of them building this room…painting it. I think I accidentally walked into the 1994 office. It’s weird… clothes scattered everywhere,” he added.
In another scene, Jake ventures into the mall’s food court, where he finds the remains of various restaurants, including a Persian restaurant and an Italian restaurant where a plate of pasta is listed for CA$3.99.
The menu also includes 12 wings for CA$10.99 and a hot chicken sub for CA$5.49.
As he looks around the dining room, Jakes tells viewers that “the whole area smells horrible.”
As for the food court design, he says that “the aqua green chairs and tables bring back so much nostalgia” and that “even the tin cans are straight from the ’90s.”
As Jake walks through the mall, viewers get a sense of its size, with the main atrium featuring a large domed ceiling and a glass elevator providing access to two balcony levels.
When it opened, City Center Mall offered more than 550,000 square feet of retail space and several hundred people worked in the sprawling building.
Jake reveals that the shopping center was originally called Hamilton Eaton Center and over the years it faced various obstacles as visitor numbers dwindled. Following its name change and its sale to a new owner, it will permanently close its doors on December 26, 2022.
In Jake’s film, it appears that after the mall closed, most of the content was abandoned.
When it opened, City Center Mall offered more than 550,000 square feet of retail space and several hundred people worked in the sprawling building.
Vintage footage shows the mall in its heyday and filled with shoppers.
Jake ventures into the mall’s food court, where he finds the remains of various restaurants, including a Persian restaurant.
In Jake’s film, it appears that after it closed, most of the contents were left behind.
A dollar store inside the mall still has “closing sale” stickers plastered outside along with other signs informing shoppers that a 70 percent discount was being applied to all products.
Inside the discount store, Jake discovers that many unsold items have been thrown away, while he also spots a “wall of shame” behind the cash registers with photos of unruly customers still stuck up.
In another area of the building, Jake discovers an office space that served as a call center with cubicles still intact and adorned with headsets.
Meanwhile, another corner of the mall has been transformed into a gym to attract customers. However, no machinery was left behind.
As for the condition of the building, Jake says “the decay doesn’t look that bad, but when you look in certain corners it starts to show that this building is just there.”
He notes that there is water damage in parts of the structure and that “the paint is starting to peel.”
His images also reveal that some interiors, such as the elevator doors, have been vandalized with graffiti.
After the mall closed, there were ambitions to demolish it to make way for a billion-dollar mixed residential and commercial development, but the plans are currently on hold.
The developer who bought the abandoned shopping center, IN8 Developments, said Radio-Canada as of December 2023, it had “suspended the project and demolition until the real estate market improves.”
Offering hope to city residents, company president Darryl Firsten added, “In the meantime, we will continue to refine our design and improve it. This will be an incredible project.