The Euclid Square Mall is not abandoned or dead. The Mall tenants have been shifting the function & purpose of the structure from retail establishment into a faith based community center & places of worship. There are still some retail stores changing the way they do business to survive. Everyone is working toward something that has never been seen. This is a simple documentation of transformation.
The Entrance to the Mall on Babbitt Rd and St. Clair. This entrance opens on to the parking lots and has less growth around the signage. The signs in the tree lawn appear to be the best indication that activity is still present within the mall. This signage changes with the events that are staged in the parking lot. This photo was taken between the Hoop It Up 3 on 3 event and the Soul Circus Family which both are staged in the west parking lot.
This is the entrance to the mall on 260th st. There are several buildings that are vacant as you enter Euclid Square Mall Drive on the left and right, one appears to have been a Red Lobster. The aging signage being slowly absorbed by the foliage of the tree lawn gives the feeling of an abandoned place being taken back by nature. The trees and grass are rather well maintained though so that a strange feeling begins to occur. The general absence of people and the occasional maintenance of others illustrates a struggle between decay, life and rebirth that is happening inside the mall as well as around it.
The outside of the Mall is a space which will be the focus of several events the next few days. Here are some shots of the parking lot, loading area, and a free standing store on the property. The store has the markings of having been a Toy R Us at one time. The building appears to not be in use but I was assured there is a tenant in the space. There are several buildings surrounding the main building of the mall which appear to be in minimal use or for rent. A few of them are managed by the same realty company that handles the interior spaces.
This caught my eye as an amusing anecdote in the history of the mall. Who would have thought that the galaxy, far, far away would wield such a force that a "fake" Vader would be denied a fan club and girls in hot pants. It was probably best to not project that image since nobody suspected he was a dad back then.
I spent the day in the Euclid Square Mall office conference room with this scrapbook. It documents the building, opening and advertising of the mall from press clippings. The book begins around 1977 and ends around 1989 when the clippings fill the last pages. There are some entertaining stories contained within. The first clipping posted expresses the concern that the mall will vacate the stores in downtown Euclid. The mall would suffer that very fate and stand virtually empty until a few years ago. The May Co. signed a 35 year lease on a department store sized space sometime in the Eighties. Dillard's purchased the May Co. and still maintains an outlet store in the mall. The mall has been experiencing a rebirth in the last few years that involve several small businesses and a multitude of Churches. This is my attempt to document of the past, present, and future of the Euclid Square Mall. I hope to listen to the people and witness the events that are transforming this one time Cathedral of Capitalism into a new and different kind of place.
