scott f (@scott@carfree.city)

97d

What happens when a mall dies? In my latest newsletter, I visit two of San Francisco's moribund shopping spaces -- the former Twitter building, and the former Westfield mall. What I find is very liminal. https://buttondown.com/thehypothesis/archive/inside-the-dying-malls-of-san-francisco/ #sanfrancisco #urbanism

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These are two pictures of empty mall spaces. One is an empty rotunda, whose shopfronts are covered in butcher paper. The floor is fake brown marble. The other is a forgotten hallway, most of its doors and windows covered in paper. Only one sign remains etched on the glass: "Brow Savant." The text reads: As I ascended toward the blank spaces where Nordstrom once ruled, I found a glorious unbranded emptiness that future archaeologists will no doubt describe as “ceremonial chambers” or “special use spaces.” The mall seemed to degenerate into absurdism as I continued to ride the escalators up. Twinkling strands of gilded holiday decorations fell from the distant, illuminated ceiling, past five dark levels of unfilled retail space.

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97d

@annaleen The last time I spent much time in the Westfield was during the November 2018 wildfires, for the breathable air. It's hard for me to see these malls coming back because given our mild climate, I would think any store would rather front a pedestrian-scale street outdoors so people can find it.

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