Metrocenter photos

photography
#metrocenter

Prior to its closing next week, I thought I’d make one final trip to Metrocenter to see it before the lights turn off for good June 30. I grew up close to this mall and visited it more than I probably care to admit in the 1990s. I wrote an appreciation essay on Metrocenter earlier this week, which I invite you to read first before viewing the photos.

Featured image for Metrocenter photos

Prior to its closing next week, I thought I’d make one final trip to Metrocenter to see it before the lights turn off for good June 30. I grew up close to this mall and visited it more than I probably care to admit in the 1990s. I wrote an appreciation essay on Metrocenter earlier this week, which I invite you to read first before viewing the photos.

Exterior of a shopping mall called METROCENTER with a distinctive blue facade, vertical gold/tan pillars, and stone accents. Several palm trees stand in front of the entrance. A parking lot with various vehicles including a red car and white truck is visible in the foreground. Clear blue sky overhead. One of the main entrances to the mall building

Shopping center sign for MetroCenter with directional arrows pointing to stores including Dillard's, Walmart, Phoenix Sofa Factory, Rainbow, Food Court, and Harkins Theatres, set against blue sky with palm trees and parking lot visible. Current and former retailers

A large mid-century style brick building with a prominent entrance featuring tall columns. The structure appears to be a commercial or institutional building with the number "8700" visible on the left side. Several cars are parked in a large parking lot in front. Palm trees and other landscaping surround the building. The sky is clear blue. I never appreciated it until now, but the former Robinson’s / Macy’s store (now a U-Haul?) has a definite New Formalism aesthetic to it.

Exterior of a Walmart store with its blue sign and yellow sunburst logo. The building has sections labeled Home & Pharmacy and Grocery. Parking lot in foreground contains various vehicles and shopping cart return areas. Clear blue sky above. A detached Walmart replaced the former Broadway in 2016-2017

Large beige commercial building with "METRO SELF STORAGE COMING FALL 2019" signage in green letters. The building has a parking lot with several vehicles, desert landscaping with small trees, and a light pole. Clear blue sky background. The former JCPenney (and before that, Dillard’s, Joske’s, and Rhodes) is now a self-storage. Note the symmetry of the building (the black glass is/was an elevator)

Modern shopping mall exterior with blue facade featuring "METROCENTER" signage, palm trees flanking the entrance, and decorative bollards in the foreground. Another mall entrance

A large beige concrete building with a flat roof and columned entryway, a large anchor store to a former shopping mall. Empty parking lot in foreground with marked spaces including handicap spots. Clear blue sky above. Sears (closed 2018)

A large beige commercial building with a flat roof and columns at the entrance, viewed from across a mostly empty parking lot. The building has a modernist design with a tall light pole in the foreground. Trees are visible on the left side. Clear blue sky above. From the north, the Sears was a box on top of a plinth

Glass storefront doors with a yellow sign that reads "THIS STORE IS NOW CLOSED". A turquoise bus is reflected in the glass. If you didn’t know already

A glass door or window with a blue "FREE WI-FI" sign visible through it. The sign includes additional small text about Wi-Fi service. This sticker was still on the door of the Sears

Interior of a shopping mall with a large American flag hanging from the ceiling. The mall features skylights, a two-level layout, and a central courtyard area with children's rides marked "FUN" and a "HURRICANE SIMULATOR" attraction. Small trees and plants decorate the space. Now we go inside. You can see elements of the original architecture but also the postmodern nonsense they put on top of it

Interior of a shopping mall with a glass ceiling skylight running the length of the building, an American flag hanging from the second floor balcony, escalators on the left, terracotta tiled floor with inlaid patterns, and a seating area with curved orange/pink couches and a round center table. Another interior shot. This is the east-west corridor

A security desk with multiple computer monitors and a sign that reads "THERE MUST BE A GUARD AT THIS DESK AT ALL TIMES!" A black leather office chair sits at the desk which has a phone and various papers. The desk area has a yellow wall background. Even the security guards are mailing it in

Architectural interior showing a circular gold ceiling with concentric rings, featuring a bright central skylight dome. Below is the entrance to Dillard's department store with illuminated signage. The Dillard’s clearance outlet is now only accessible from the outside, but the atrium still shows some of the original 1973 architecture

Sign in a shopping mall: FOR LEASE: INLINE SPACE CARTS KIOSKS FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE STOP BY THE THE MALL OFFICE IN SUITE 1001 OR CALL [phone number redacted] The phone number is visible in the reflection of a closed store window. Short-term leases are available - act today, we’re gone tomorrow!

Modern architectural interior with curved ceiling layers in pale green tones transitioning to cream at the bottom, with a circular skylight at the top. The ribbon from a balloon caught in one of the ceiling layers hangs from the ceiling. And, finally, this sad balloon sums it all up.