Step Inside The Abandoned Mall That's Been Left To Decay In Illinois

Abandoned buildings hold a special sort of mystique. Simultaneously peaceful and eerie, these structures stand as a skeleton of what formerly was.

A shopping mall may seem an unlikely suspect to evoke such emotion, but it’s hard to feel anything but nostalgic when seeing what noted photographer Seph Lawless has captured. What once stood as a quarter-million square foot space filled with shoppers and storefronts is now quietly eroding away. The Lincoln Mall closed in January 2015, but these photographs appear as though the building has been vacant for years.

Seph Lawless

At the corner of Cicero Avenue and U.S. Route 30, Lincoln Mall opened its doors in 1973 as a development of Randhurst Corporation. The mall underwent several renovations, each time in hopes of drawing more and more shoppers.

Seph Lawless

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Seph Lawless

Its most recent renovation plan was to include a movie theatre and would have cost nearly $115 million to complete. During this process, representatives from the city tried to sue the mall due to apparent building code violations. A judge ordered the mall to be shut down just a few months later.

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Seph Lawless

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Seph Lawless

Unfortunately, the codes could not be brought up to standard as all funds had been depleted by the renovations. With its fate cast, Lincoln Mall was left for abandonment. As these photographs show, what’s been left behind is a pale image of what the mall must have looked like during its heyday.

Seph Lawless

Seph Lawless

Peering into this vast, empty retail space, it’s difficult not to feel the sense of loss the building has endured. What once was bustling with shoppers is now completely empty except for a few deteriorating plants. It’s almost impossible to imagine that just a few short years ago, a space like this could have been absolutely packed during major retail events such as Black Friday.

Seph Lawless

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Seph Lawless

The crumbling tiles, chipped paint, and emptied-out storefronts seem to represent a sense of change that has become all too common in today’s shopping malls. In a world of next-day deliveries and online shopping, it’s not altogether surprising that businesses such as the Lincoln Mall would strive to survive.

The following video provides even more footage of the abandoned Lincoln Mall:

Photographer Seph Lawless has captured several different now-empty malls around the country. His ongoing project, known as Autopsy of America, will be documented and sold in a book for next year. Click here to pre-order a copy of this fascinating portrayal of America’s malls. Follow Seph Lawless on Instagram.