JUNKYARD EXPLORER - EUCLID SQUARE MALL
It opened in March 1977. The massive, retail fortress was constructed by Cleveland Indians owner Richard Jacobs. For Euclid, it was a vortex of commerce and human interaction modeled after those already open across America.
Twenty-five years later, the final end came with certainty. Urban congestion, crime, and changing consumer loyalties made it a tragic dinosaur.
Euclid Square Mall is commemorated on websites like deadeuclid.blogspot.com and deadmalls.com - but these cyber outposts don't properly address the fact that ESM is still very much alive, in potential, at least.
A website still remains for the shopping temple. (www.euclid-square-mall.com) But it is surreal, offering a promise long-since abandoned.
Currently, only a Dillard's outlet store is active at the mall. A check-cashing depot also occupies a spot on the perimeter. Yet it it exists in stasis, no less complete than in that first year. Only tenants would be needed to restore it to fiscal health. It is not a decrepit hulk. Instead, the venue simply seems to be at rest, waiting for the future to arrive.
Whilst gathering photos, this reporter was approached by a security official in a red, Ford Ranger pickup. He roughly asked if I was taking pictures to 'slam' the mall for being past its useful life.
After I assured him that this was not the case, he observed that naysayers would be embarrassed when ESM returns to life in the future.
Indeed, a resurrection for the mall doesn't seem impossible. Everything is there. One would only need to start the clock movement into motion once again.
But for now, ESM is lost in time. It is 1977 in Euclid, forever, forever...
In through the out door
Abandoned Red Lobster location
Entrance sign to the mall
Rini-Rego grocery store. (Closed, early 1990's)
Southcenter Entrance to the mall
ESM parking sign
Detail of the 70's architecture
Looking inside... to yesterday
posted by Rod Ice at 11:19 PM
3 Comments:
I very much believe something can be done with the mall and its outparcels. It is a mammoth structure sitting empty that is well taken care of.
I've taken a lot of photos of the mall to chronicle the whole thing - if and when the mall is revitalized, I will be more than happy to go take photos of open stores and happy customers, but until that time, I'm stuck with what is happening now, and it is a sad state of affairs for the mall and many other places in Euclid, Ohio.
The entire reason I started the blog in 2005 was because I'm aggravated at the way the ball has been dropped in regards to this city and its businesses. I'm not slamming the mall. The mall is a building. I'm upset with the way things have been handled for years now.
I am now and always have been 100% behind getting Euclid Square Mall restored to what it once was; I'm simply putting what is happening around me out there for others to look at. I've gotten a lot of feedback on the blog, and most of it has been very positive.
ESM isn't the only thing waiting for some changes in this city.
Jen - Your blog is fantastic. I once worked for Rini-Rego Supermarkets and remember when the ESM location was our poorest store. A pity because as you mention, the mall location is great. It is an example of how commercial interests and communities must work together, or perish. On a different level... the 'period' architecture & fixtures at ESM are delightful. Very cooool. Thanks for your comment.
I have never set foot in Ohio; however, this mall and Randall Park Mall really interest me. I hear Randall Park Mall finally closed this year.
I would love to see these two malls come back to life. Maybe once this economy gets back to normal someone will discover that these malls are still usefull.
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