Exploring the abandoned Lakeforest mall (under demolition)

#abandoned #urbex Today, we're exploring the Abandoned Lakeforest Mall. Completed by 1978, This Taubman mall had over 1 million sqft of retail space with 4 anchors. The anchors starting out were Hecht's, Woodward and Lothrop, Sears, and JC Penney. The mall opened with an ice rink (a first for a mall). This was replaced first by a Movie Theatre then witha food court after 2000. The Woodward anchor closed in 1995 and was quickly replaced with a Lord & Taylor. Hecht's became a Macy's in 2006 after being bought out. The decline of the mall really took off in the late 2010s with first the JCPenney closing then the Lord & Taylor and finally the Sears all leaving in 2019. Covid only hurt the mall's fortunes even more. Plans were put in place to convert the mall into a mixed-use center. Macy's closed in 2023 followed by the mall shortly after. The mall was still in good condition overall during our visit. The Sculptures were still in place. The Macy's was still in almost pristine condition and with power. However, signs of demolition were already present. The Mall offices were gutted. The playground was largely removed. Towards the end of the video, you'll hear someone start singing somewhere inside the mall. We got spooked and decided to leave. We tried to continue, but because of whoever it was and possibly more people being outside, we decided to end it. We never really explored the lower level and the food court because of this. The mall will soon be demolished and will be only a memory. Thanks for watching! Explored with: ‪@slackingpacking‬ Song Credit: Tonebox by Radium Music from Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/tonebox/radium This location will be kept a secret to preserve it from destruction. I do not condone scrapping, vandalism, and arson. I just take photos/ videos and leave. I also do not condone breaking and entering into abandoned places. I entered through an existing entryway. Check out my Instagram where i post photos of the places I visit! Instagram:  / left_behind_urbex