Slap-bang in the middle of a Canadian city is an abandoned shopping mall which serves as a time capsule for the 90s, as a fascinating documentary shows.
Filmmaker Jake Williams gained access to the City Center Mall in Hamilton, Ontario, and he went for a thorough walk around to investigate its innards.
He was shocked to find that the mall – which opened in 1990 following a CA$150 million investment and closed in 2022 – appeared frozen in time, with the interiors ‘completely preserved and entirely unchanged.’
In one scene, he enters a former office, where he finds clothing in a closet, photographs laying around and a retro computer on the desk. He says, as he pans the camera around: ‘Oh my God, has anyone been here since 1990?’
Filmmaker Jake Williams gained access to the City Center Mall in Hamilton, Ontario, and he went for a thorough walk around to investigate its innards
He was shocked to find that the mall – which opened in 1990 following a CA$150 million investment and closed in 2022 – appeared frozen in time, with the interiors ‘completely preserved and entirely unchanged’
Jake reveals that the shopping center was originally called the Hamilton Eaton Centre and over the years it faced various hurdles as visitor numbers declined
In one scene, he enters a former office, where he finds clothing in a closet, photographs laying around and a retro computer on the desk. He says, as he pans the camera around: ‘Oh my God, has anyone been here since 1990?’
The developer who purchased the abandoned mall, IN8 Developments, said plans to convert it into a residential and retail space had been ‘paused 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 retail development but the plans are currently on hold
‘There’s photos of them building this room… painting it. I think I’ve accidentally entered the office from 1994. This is bizarre… the clothes scattered everywhere,’ he added.
In another scene, Jake ventures into the mall’s food court, where he finds the remnants of various eateries, including a Persian restaurant and an Italian where a plate of pasta is listed for CA$3.99.
Other things on the menu include 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 horrifyingly bad.’
In terms of the food court design, he says that the aqua green ‘chairs and tables bring back so much nostalgia’ and ‘even the waist cans are straight from the 90s.’
As Jake walks through the mall, viewers get a sense of its size, with the main atrium area featuring a grand domed ceiling and a glass elevator providing access to two balcony levels.
When it was open, the City Center Mall offered more than 550,000 square feet of commercial space, and several hundred people worked in the sprawling building.
Jake reveals that the shopping center was originally called the Hamilton Eaton Centre, and, over the years, it faced various hurdles as visitor numbers declined. Following its name change and sale to a new owner, it finally closed its doors for good on December 26, 2022.
In Jake’s film it appears that after the mall’s closure, most of the contents were left behind
When it was open, the City Center Mall offered more than 550,000 square feet of commercial space, and several hundred people worked in the sprawling building
Vintage footage shows the mall when it was in its prime and bustling with shoppers
Jake ventures into the mall’s food court, where he finds the remnants of various eateries, including a Persian restaurant
In Jake’s film it appears that after its closure, most of the contents were left behind.
A Dollar Store inside the mall still has ‘closing sale’ stickers pasted on the outside with other signs informing shoppers that a 70 per cent discount was being applied on all goods.
Inside the discount store, Jake finds that many unsold items have been left discarded, while he also spies a ‘wall of shame’ behind the cash registers with mug shots of unruly customers still pasted up.
In another area of the building, Jake discovers an office space that was used as a call center with booths still intact and adorned with headsets.
Meanwhile, another nook of the mall was converted into a gym to attract customers. However, no machinery was left behind.
In terms of the state of the building, Jake says the ‘decay doesn’t look so bad but when you look in certain corners it does does start to show that this building’s just been sitting here.’
He notes that there is water damage in some parts of the structure with the ‘paint starting to peel.’
His footage also reveals that some of the 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 retail development but the plans are currently on hold.
The developer who purchased the abandoned mall, IN8 Developments, told CBC in December 2023 that it had ‘paused the project, and demolition, until the real estate market improves.’
Offering hope to the city’s inhabitants, company president Darryl Firsten added: ‘In the meantime we will continue to refine our design and make it better. It’s going to be an amazing project.’
