DEAD MALL SERIES : Back to the 80s : The Gallery in Philadelphia (Hologram Plaza - Disconscious) 

Attention! Completely remastered episodes of the Dead Mall Series are now being archived in 4K at ru-vid.com/show-UCfCM_TfrSDMkkMpKuLNWuXA. The remasters have gone through an extensive AI Enhancement process as well as proper sound mixing and colorization. This Dead Mall Series Remastered project has been made possible through viewer support on Patreon. Go over now and watch in glorious 4K. ENJOY!

Fun facts about The Gallery- In the time when I worked there (around 2000-2010) at least two people committed suicide by jumping from one the upper floors. There used to be bathrooms on every floor, but all except for the ones on the basement level were closed and walled over because of the extent of the prostitution going on in them. (Some of that business has moved to Macy's down he street) The only bathrooms that they left open were down a hundred-foot long hallway, near the food court, where people were regularly assaulted and robbed. The Gallery was a primary hang out for all of the downtown heroin addicts- the ones in recovery would come straight from the methadone clinic across the street and hang out with their friends who are not in recovery in the food court. Six security guards might seem like a lot in an empty mall, but when the place was full of hundreds of screaming high school students, it was never enough, and usually those six guards would be nowhere to be found, and I was told to my face on several occasions that they can't really do anything anyway. The place was always full of homeless people- even when it was fully in business, and I expect the same to the true after the renovation.

I wish there were people who recorded malls at the height of their popularity.

The renovation is now complete, transformed into a high-end shopping/entertainment center, cost estimated 200-220 million; opening will be 9/19/2019. Could you do a resurrection from the dead video--I would like to see it?

When Dan Bell walks around your mall with his camera, you know you've hit the bottom.

That mall looks awesome. I love that it's like a dark time warp from the 80s. I wouldn't change a thing, but that's just me. I like retro/vintage. I would hang out there all day and pretend that it was 1985.

I love how you integrate pop culture movie clips and music into your mall episodes. Really great work.

When a mall has stores like "5 Below" and "Family Dollar"-you know the end is near.

I love how he makes the background music seem like it's being played over a PA

empty malls like this give me an eerie/nostalgic/melancholy feeling and I fucking love it

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I just realized that this is the mall Will Smith raps about in "Parents Just Don't Understand."

been binge watching this series the past couple days glad to know there's other people with my dead mall fetish out there

I have so many great memories of this old mall. I first remember shopping there with my older sister for Christmas gifts in 1982. I was 6 years old. I remember how clean and fun the mall was. I also remember those old leather multi-zipper Michael Jackson jackets hanging up for sale in the windows. Those were hot in '82. Then I remember in my college days, walking there from Community College of Philadelphia with friends to get Chinese food and shop for CDs with the little money I had from a side job. One year when I had a cushy, well-paying office job I did all of my Christmas shopping for my family at Strawbridge's, even buying boxes of Godiva chocolates from their gourmet food court. This mall has spanned so many years of my life. I wish I still lived in Philly to see the upcoming renewal.

if anything they should renovate it to make it MORE 80s ... all the retro 80s stuff is cool now.. build an old arcade or something, that would be sweet

In the 80's people would come in from the burbs to shop and eat at the Gallery because the train station was on the first floor, Will Smith even mentioned it the song parents just don't understand. It was very popular and on the weekends there would be thousands of people there. The Gallery has been basically dead since the mid 90's. What you see today is an absolute time capsule of the 80's. Those empty metal racks in the open areas used to have plants and it would give the mall a good look. You have to ask why would a mall of this size with it's own major train station that had trains from every suburb of Philly stopping there just fall by the way side. Well, one reason was crime and the other is the homeless using it as a shelter. Even today the Gallery is NOT a very safe place to shop. It's (like you said) just a cut through to the trains during the work week and on the weekends it's completely empty. The plans to revitalize the Gallery are noting new and have been floating around for a decade, it's just talk and noting actionable has been done. There have been talks to tearing it down (keeping the train station) are building a more modern shopping/upscale housing type of area. But Philly is it's own worst enemy of corruption so good luck on seeing anything anytime soon.

My girlfriend and I accidentally stumbled upon this place when we had to find a bathroom. There were so many homeless people and it was so much darker than this video. One man tried to follow us into the ladies room when we said we had no spare change. He was drunk and belligerent! The smells were awful and altogether it was creepy. I didn't see any police officers or any type of security. I never ran across a city so fast to get back to my car in my life...

I like how they have the Quaker Oats guy looking like some sort of god on that big sign as you were going down the elevator.

The developers might do well to turn the 4th floor into a "professional" floor, so to speak, with doctors, dentists, accountant services, lawyers, specialists and the like. Many service oriented business would benefit by the train station in the mall since many of their clients use some form of mass transit to get to them. Build on a hotel/convention center for out-of-town clients and visitors to stay at and you may have a winner on your hands.

The mall aesthetics back in 1998,1999 and 2000 was beautiful in my opinion. i was very young but aside from the mugging and crime, the stores and the scenery was amazing. K Mart, suncoast video, strawbridges, etc. i wish there was footage at that time period

Love how you used vaporwave... perfect music choice and fits the nostalgia and maybe a little bit of sadness..

"the gallery for Lea_ning" perfect.

That's interesting. I've never seen a mall that's dead from the 2nd floor up.

It seems that every dead or dying mall at least has a Bath and Body Works open. It is apparently hard to kill those. The mall in Middlesoborough, KY even has one.

I frequently return to this video because I love the first 90 seconds of this video. The song has a very nostalgic 80s vibe and sound to it.

6:27 The Gallery for Leaning. Fantastic, I wish more malls had areas where you could incline your body on objects for support. :)

You failed to mention the many suicides that take place by people going to the third or fourth floor and jumping. I went to go pick up a game at Gamestop in 2012 on the third floor, and the mall was closed down because of one such instance. Happened more than I realized.

The gallery has been dead since the mid 90's you may get robbed or beat down there

I love the old openings... brings back memories.

Burlington Coat Factory was originally a JC Penney, Kmart was originally a Gimbel's, and Century 21 is in a portion of the old Strawbridge & Clothier flagship store

This video and Rolling Acres mall are by far my favorite mall videos you have made.

I can remember visiting here way back in 1999 on my schools foreign exchange trip. I can remember buying a fatboy slim CD from sam goodys and a t-shirt from old navy 😅

I know the video's a couple years old, but I can best describe 9D Cinema as a virtual roller coaster. There were seats that shook when there were a lot of turns in the screen, which needed 3D glasses to properly see. There were options for which "video" to see, some of them shooting out bubbles and other things. 9D cinema was also one of The Gallery's newer editions before closing down.

The place looks cold and outdated. No wonder it's dying. Reminds me of an outdoor mall in my area. I remember visions of tumbleweeds rolling passed the closed doors of shops that were no longer in business that outnumbered the active stores still there. This was years ago. Since then, they renovated and put shops that people would leave their homes to go to. Today, you'd be lucky to get a good parking space. There's still hope for these dying malls. The owners just need to think outside the box and think of creative ways to bring the shoppers back. Great video Dan!!!!

from google - 9D Cinema involves a 3D move ride, moving seats, and special effects like water, snow, wind and more that will make you feel like you are IN the movie! sounds cool!

I knew that Mall like the back of my hand Bruh 😂 Everyday after school walking straight down 11th street before going home and cutting through Market East Station and hitting the Cinnabun. Mannnnnnn the 90's

I have fond memories from the late 70’s and early 80’s at The Gallery Mall! We would ride the train every Christmas to see the big Christmas displays at (I believe) Macy’s. I was a little kid back then but it sticks out in my head!

ironic to see purple cladded bus with "Yahoo" on it....

I have been so moved by your videos Dan. I share the same passion for abandoned places as it gives me an indescribable feeling of sort of a sadness, and almost a reget that I didn't visit virtually any of these places when they were open. Consequently, I can't walk into a shopping mall without trying to imagine it abandoned, like...the feeling in reverse. Example: I recently visited Trumbull Mall, located in Trumbull, Connecticut. A mall that came pretty close to being a dead mall back in the day (I'll look into the details if I can find any), but now is extremely successful..very busy 100% of the time. Dan, keep your amazing and priceless work coming because your videos help preserve these places in memory, and and are as you said, the last hurrah for these places. Thank you for your work!!!

I cant stop watching these!♡

I thought that was actual music playing in the mall lol

I keep having dreams about malls like this.

Watching this four years after my initial viewing. Feeling nostalgic for two different time periods

Re-watching this I realise that this video and the 'neon dreams' one actually changed my life! I can't thank you enough for introducing me to Vaporwave, which has been my only non-medical anxiety coping mechanism (and sparked my current love of the 80s, though I still love Vaporwave more).

Not even from the 80's but getting nostalgic feelings 😂😂

"The Gallery For Leaning" LMAO

I took my teenage son here back in 2010, expecting it to look like what I remembered the last time I was there, which was the mid-80s, when I was a teen. I couldn't get over how dead it was. The further up we went, the more dead it was.

I love these old malls. The architecture of the 70's to the 90's are just stunning.

Anyone miss going to the mall? I don't even like shopping but I miss going out.

The Gallery was recently remodeled and now called the Fashion District and it’s pretty lively and beautiful. You must come see it and film it.

great intro 👌

"night of the Comet"...Loved this movie as a kid...and still do..

A personal thank you! This was my teen hang out between 1986-thru early 1990s. Lived in West Philly University City from 1985-1998. We left in 1998, after 2000 I got married and moved where my wife was from in North east PA. Our son, 16 this summer (2019) ventured to Philadelphia. When he described 10th and Market at a bus station, I said that should be my old teen hang out. The Gallery. Apparently its completely renovated. Shocked and saddened at this news. I was searched youtube like we all do and started searching abandoned buildings in Phila. I then found your video. You filmed just before the closing. OMG thank you! Again this was my teen hang out. A "few" things remain, especially the lay out, stairs, escalators. BUT its now gone. :(

Dan Bell is one of the best RU-vidrs I've watched in years, focused, professional, and really knows what he is talking about. The Disconscious track used is this posting "Enter through the lobby" is one of the best tracks I've heard on his videos - perfect mall music. All the best from Yorkshire in the UK! :-)

When I worked in a mall, one of the top bosses actually asked me, desperately, why malls were failing. He was so out of touch, bless his heart. I think a lot of these higher ups have poured so much into their malls over the decades that they can't accept the need to adapt and think a renovation will fix everything. Also, how are you still functioning in EVERY dead mall, Bath & Body Works and Radio Shack!?

go to neshaminy mall in bensalem pa. 30 minutes from philly. i give that mall 5 years before it’s gone

This mall is actually really nice looking. Usually these other malls look tired and ready to go, but this one didn't. The inside looked like it was at least trying. I hope the renovation works.

Can you really blame the mall management for not letting a random guy into the basement? lol Interesting to see a mall that's not quite dead yet, but certainly will be soon.

I remember this mall back in the 80’s when it had Gimbels, Strawbridge and Clothier and JCPenneys. The mall went downhill because it’s was a hangout for truants, shoplifters and the homeless. It wasn’t the same after Gimbels went out of business.

Just wanted to share that I bought Disconscious’s album thanks to your use of it during the showing of my childhood mall (The Gallery at Market East [soon to be Fashion Outlets of Philadelphia]). Thank you very much! As a former Philadelphia native, I have several things to share: 1) YES, it’s a walkthrough. Other than visiting Game Gallery, Software Etc. (now Gamestop in the Gallery II wing), EB Games (used to be on the second floor in Gallery I) and Waldenbooks/Suncoast (now the 9C that you talked about), I just used to Gallery as a way to keep the rain off of me from 8th & Market, through City Hall and at the western edge of Penn Center (18th and John F. Kennedy Blvd.). You could even stay underground all the way to Broad St. (now called by the stupid name of Avenue of the Arts) and Spruce Street. You have access to PATCO, four Market-Frankford stations, the Broad-Ridge Spur, the Broad Street line and SEPTA Regional Rail (formerly Market East Station, now called Jefferson Station) from the adjoining concourses. The Gallery also closed rather early on weekends, and I was an adult before I found out why (NEVER be stuck in Center City at night!). 2) The easternmost anchor was Strawbridge & Clothiers, and housed their headquarters. I remember being interviewed there and I think it was six stories tall (the location of a MAJOR sex scandal) with three floors facing the mall. I don’t know when, but only the ground floor was accessible. I never shopped at the S&C, but I shopped at all of the stores surrounding it back in the 90s - Sam Goody, Suncoast, an African-American bookstore, an ice cream stand, the Waldenbooks, the Gallery sign, the Game Gallery around the corner down the hall leading to 8th Street Station, I can go on. The middle anchor kept changing since the mall was built (Gimble’s/Stern’s (maybe?)/Clover/I forget/to K-Mart [and NOT a good one]). The westernmost anchor (I think was JC Penney before it became Burlington Coat Factory, and I know that JC Penney pulled out sometime in the mid-to-late 90s. BCF had been there for a LONG time. 3) The reason that so many guards are there is because of flash mobs as well as the usual. Students have been known to cut class and congregate at the Gallery causing all kinds of problems not only there but at the shops and the former arcades on Chestnut Street (one block south of the mall). The biggest flash mob I saw was around 2004 when it appeared that about fifty youths came out of nowhere, caused a HUGE ruckus and then raced towards Chestnut Street. It may have made the news - I’ll check. Also, shoplifting, fighting, the homeless and the lack of proper lighting plus the smells coming out of the concourse attached to 11th Street Station didn’t help the ground floor of Gallery II. 4) The food court…meh (shrugs). McDonald’s had it’s own space just west of the food court, but the food court proper had Sbarro’s, Taco Bell, KFC, (maybe) a Chik-fil-A, a cheesesteak stand (of course) and a couple of others. One of the best spots was Tiffany’s Bakery, which sat outside the eastern edge of the food court, and across from that, between Modell’s and the old newsstand (that newsstand had been there FOREVER) was a diner (another hot sandwich/pizza spot) that opened in the early 2000s, what it replaced I don’t remember. NOT in the food court were the best places - a Chinese food sit-and-eat, Subway, and another bakery which sat across from Market East Station (I REFUSE to call it Jefferson Station). 5) I think (I’m not sure), but Kay-Bee used to be where the Old Navy is now… 6) the top floor had been dead since the 1990s! no one went up to the top floor unless it was to have some peace and quiet. There were entrances to the garage on that floor, but I’ve never witnessed people coming in and out. I went up there a couple of times during lunch breaks while working for Jefferson University, but every time I went up there, here come the security guards, my shirt and tie be damned. From then on I sat and ate around Walnut Street closer to work. I honestly can’t remember when The Gallery for Learning was last open. Anyway, just wanted to say thank you. I moved from the metro-Philadelphia area to Ohio in 2013 and your video reminded me of how craptastic the Gallery became after the early 2000s. But you should have seen it in the 1990s. Or maybe it’s my rose-tinted glasses and nostalgia those days talking. High school for me SUCKED but the Gallery gave me short repreives on the weekends.

I miss the gallery, Ive been to the fasion district and its definitely heart breaking for me to see the changes. It'll never be the same. The stores were one of kind, the art, the people and just the atmosphere was different.

I live in Philadelphia and have been to The Gallery hundreds of times over the years. It was once a great place to shop and eat, but has gone down hill dramatically over the years. Hopefully, the planned renovations will give the place a much needed update. For the movie lovers, several scenes from the Brian DePalma film Blow Out were shot in The Gallery 1 in 1981. Here's an article explaining what the developers have in mind for the renovation of the mall. articles.philly.com/2015-06-16/news/63452370_1_gallery-concourse-market-east-the-gallery

I always like the video before I watch it, because I know it's gonna be great!

I’ve been using this train station my entire life and never knew this mall had a third or fourth floor. For context the first floor is underground you come up one level from the regional rail to get to the first floor. The second floor is street level. Therefore those two floors get all the foot traffic. NPR recently did a story on this mall. You should check it out.

Holy cow. Talk about memory lane! I lived in center city for two years between ‘96-‘98 while attending University of the Arts. I used to frequent this mall! I moved to L.a. in ‘98 and have been there ever since. This video brought back so many memories! Even back in ‘96, it didn’t feel that lively either.

Man I miss watching these. It makes me miss when vaporwave was big in 2015 and 2016 when everything was aesthetic

I haven't been in this mall since Christmas of 2004. Man, it really seen better days.

Great video, as always! The mall that was featured in Night of the Comet (in your intro) was Bullocks Wilshire - a beautiful art deco-style mall in LA. Ghostbusters was filmed on top of the building as well

9d cinema is like 3d only better you sit in seats that move there is also lots of special effects and it makes you feel that you are really there things jump out at you it looks very cool .

I just walked through The Gallery today. The only stores that are really open are Burlington Coat Factory, a Bath & Body Works, a Five Below (think of Woolworths but targeted at Millenials), and a T-Mobile. There's a bakery that's still open and a convince store which are really getting their business from people who are coming off the subway or regional rail trains. It's heartbreaking because I remember taking the train into Philly and walking through that mall with friends when I was in college.

I'll bet it was even more spectacular with the plants installed

The Gallery At Market East, (Gallery 2) was built along with the Market East (now Jefferson Station) SEPTA station, that was totally rebuilt to link SEPTA regional rail to more Philadelphia suburbs in 1984. Up until the early 2000s it was a hustling place. Lots of stores, lots of people spending money in them. Dunno what happend. It literally died overnight..

Those neon signs are epic.

Looks like this was quite the place back in the day. I wish them good luck in revamping it.

OMG SUPER MAD PROPS FOR THE CLIP FROM NIGHT OF THE COMMET!

OMG! I'm so glad you did the Gallery! I worked there from 1995-1996 in Gallery I at G&G. This mall was THE place to go to back then. This place was super crowded on Saturday afternoons! There was a Merry Go Round in Gallery I, 3rd floor, Suncoast in Gallery I, 1st Floor, and lots of other 90's stores. Thanks so much for featuring this mall!!

I know this is ancient in terms of dead mall videos, but I come back once in a while for the nostalgia. I’m a native philadelphian, and my mom and I stopped in a few times when I was a kid probably before we hopped on the el since jefferson station is right there. I remember eating at the food on one of the upper levels there once and being in awe of the views, plus the pretzel factory and cinnabon have been there as long as I remember. the new renovation does make it a better mall, but it just isn’t the same for me anymore. love your vids btw man! ❤

I find these series extremely disturbing and extremely creepy makes me think of the 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead 💀 Which took place in A empty shopping mall plus the series on the Bristol mall is 20 minutes from my house I practically grew up there shopping every weekend while I was in high school we had some awesome shops !!now the jewelry stores sucked but we had Spencers the county seat for jeans all types of clothing for men and women and a huge Belk!! So sad to see it go it was built in 1975 and I started going in around 1976 or 77 we had 4 AMC theaters that were awesome I remember June 1980 when the movie Friday the 13th came out there was a line of people all the way out the back door I was in sixth grade. Saw so many movies they're up until the theater went out of business which was so sad I loved the Bristol mall and I will never forget all the money I spent there

You've probably tried 3D, and possibly even enjoyed a 4D theme park experience. But now, prepare to meet 9D. The next-generation technology offers moviegoers a remarkably intense experience. It's not quite nine-dimensional video, but it describes the nine sensory effects moviegoers can experience. They include everything from wind, smoke, rain, snow, and even smell.

I lived in Center City from '88-'94. At the 10:00 mark, the red wall across from the Food Court area was a department store called Stern's. It closed in 1989. When they were having their 'going out of business sale,' I bought a nice set of cookware for about 75% off. I still use it to the day--and it remind me of this mall.

Richer & more populous than ever, this is what happens when the Richest take all the money out of the pockets of the average citizen. Very strange to think how we're poorer now while being so much richer.

My first deadmall video of your series and still my favorite! You outdid yourself with the nostalgic intro. And the awesome mallsoft music😍

There were two separate commuter railroads joined at Market East (now Jefferson Station) around the time the Gallery opened. At a time when the abandonment of central cities by retail was nearly complete, Philadelphia was leading the country to a transit renaissance that is still under way. This mall seemed like an urbanist's dream come true. Not only could you catch any train from there, you could take take care of business in an almost futuristic setting. The impact of both the station and mall opening at the same time (Gallery 2 late '83, ME Station '84) was a huge morale boost for the city. Gallery 1 opened in 1977. I was there in 2015 also and especially loved the incandescent Hollywood lights ( 9:57 ). These have largely been obliterated or replaced with tiny CFL bulbs and LED bulbs. Only a place about to close would keep them going. Sometimes you see 'fake old' ones that are incandescent, but never in huge arrays like this!

You should definitely see it today! It’s now called the fashion district and there’s always people there. A common hangout for me and my friends after school!

this is a train station mall...its also the bottom floor of the convention center. what pisses me off is Philly is shutting down tons of schools but paying billions to renovate this shit.

I just love your 80's inspired intros!

The reason for so much security is to keep "Mannequin" fans from seeing the trash compactor room.

Funny how I’m watching this and the gallery is about to reopen this winter lol

I remember going to this mall during a summer as a teenager with my uncle when he lived there one early 2000s. This mall use to be a busy and bustling place, I remember my uncle bought me a Lego set at the know closed Kmart. We also entered the mall via the subway station as well. Watching this video sure brought back some memories, can't believe the mall has fallen on such hard times.

The Gallery is still a very popular place to shop and the prices are great. We go into the city just to shop there about once a month. And PS, that guy wasn't sleeping he was either overdosed and dead or just nodded. Kensington (heroin capital of the east- is not far at all. Maybe 10 min away?)

I remember when it was pretty active in the early 2000's. It's not a great mall, but it had a nice bookstore and some cool little stores here and there. That collage around 8:36 used to have Bill Cosby on it, but he was removed.

I always feel like I've stepped out of time and snuck into another one when I watch your videos. Like something I shouldn't be looking at, because it should've been dead a long time ago. It's a weird mix of nostalgia, depression, and curiosity that I don't quite have a word for.

I remember my first time in this mall back in 1993, It was incredibly busy, you can't even walk from store to store without bumping into someone. The ceilings and railings were decorated with hanging sculptures and artwork, and banners. I thought it was how it got its name "Gallery." There were also water fountains shooting up water 2-3 stories high, filled with coins that people toss in to make a wish. By year 2004, there was half the amount of people/stores- and they took away the fountains, I would walk through it everyday transferring subway trains after grabbing a bite in between, feeling sad how it lost its life. I dropped by for a visit today, they are still under renovations since 2015. I am not sure the stores will be lively and appealing after its completion due to the convenience of online shopping, and cheaper chain stores. There is another mall in philly called Philadelphia Mills (used to be called Franklin Mills and not as amazing) and even that isn't doing well.

They did not demolish any of The Gallery buildings, but are revamping from the outside and inside. Mall security was very high because kids use social media to organize attacks and fights in large numbers. The Gally was a big target due to it's accessibility from the train station. Special Note: Will Smith mentions this mall in "Parents Just Don't Understand"!

I live 15 min from this place in nj . I havent been there in over 10yrs. Last time I was there it was hustle and bustle. Cant believe it has become dead...

My grandmother worked at Boscovs in Camp Hill Pa. they shot a lot of the smashing and destruction at that store for Mannequin. The store was going to be renovated after so they let them destroy anything they wanted.

I love the character this mall has.

Love the vaporwave intro!

Night of the comet is one of my favorite movies from the 80's..

This is such a pleasing and interesting mall, the fact that it's dead but has over a 100 stores just shows how huge the mall is.