This evening, 5:00 EST, Lakeside Mall will close and never open again.
We're not big mall shoppers, but both myself and my wife both came here with our respective parents when we were little.
So many malls are closing and often without much fanfare. But this mall was pretty popular several decades ago. Anyone who lived around here knew about "Lakeside Mall".
Many fond memories of visiting stores, riding escalators, fountains (now gone), and a glass elevator (now not functional). I remember the elevator, that it felt like it would go right into the water!
A happier picture with the fountain going and stores still open.
It was very nostalgic seeing the mall again. Even with all the stores closed (except two), the mall was very clean and well lit. There were a number of people there visiting one final time, everyone was filled with memories.
Many people filming videos and taking photos, preserving the large space that contained so many memories.
My younger children had never visited and my older children didn't remember visiting. It was a one-time opportunity to take some snapshots in their minds, of a place both daddy and mommy visited as children.
I remember the hexagonal skylights with hexagon lights inside that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie.
The architecture was very '70's but sort of futuristic '70's that still doesn't look all that dated. This mall reached it's peak in the 80's and 90's and even into the 2000's. But around 2010 it began it's slow decline.
July 1st, 2024 it will be closed for good. The whole thing is slated for demolition at some unknown time, except JC Penny and Macy's which are still open.
Even though the stores were gone, it was refreshing to see a number of people walking around the mall. Just to get one last look.
One Store was Open
My very pregnant wife was getting tired of the heat (the AC was turned off), so we visited J.C. Penny because it was cool. We shopped a little until we found a small toy section. My littlest one found the cars right away.
I don't know where he learned the line "Can I have them, pleeeeeeese?" I looked him in the eye and like a good daddy said.... "no". Did he fall to the ground and wither around like an animal screaming and crying? Nope, he took my hand and we walked away. What a good boy.
This was his first time ever in a toy store and he did great! He learned what I learned as a child, that "it's ok to admire but not to desire" and "be grateful for what you have and gifts that you get, but if you hear "no", say that's ok."
And someday he will open a present with all sorts of new cars in it and will be very happy.
The Kingdom of Heaven
On the way out, we saw an amazing poster that seemed very fitting for a building about to be closed forever - a reminder that this is not our world, mammon is not our king and that it is good to be crucified to the world - because our savior took upon Himself our iniquities, that our desires are no longer worldly.
Yes it's sad that a mall with many memories attached to it will be demolished, but what will be built to replace it will be much better. Just as this world (with so many memories attached to it) will also be destroyed, but what will be built to replace it will be much better.
Before
Right now the space is mostly parking lot with a very large series of buildings in the center. Only Macy's and JC Penny are still open.
After
What it is proposed to become is more of a green space with a mix of apartments, office space and a shopping center in the middle.
The mall will likely sit abandoned until funds are raised to demolish it. The parking lot will likely sit unused until it is reclaimed as a "green space". Ten years is a looong time.
a billion-dollar redevelopment project at the Lakeside Mall that will include residences, parks, hotel space, retail, dining, and more. The city announced its plans for the 110-acre site that will reportedly positively impact the region by $1 billion over the next decade.
Redeveloping the property is a beautiful dream and perhaps it will actually happen.
But the Reign of God (the Kingdom of Heaven) is more concrete than concrete. Loftier than the most futuristic skylights. More beautiful than indoor fountains. More thrilling than escalators and elevators. More prosperous than many shops, more real then any marketing. So wonderful that any nostalgic feelings from the past evaporate as we are overwhelmed with the glory of the moment.
More than a beautiful dream, the Kingdom of God is a certainty.
Bless the Most High!
Teach Your Children Liberty from Sin
We encourage parents to teach their children principles of Godliness, beginning with the Word and an understanding who God is and what His Son has done to form a relationship with us.
No one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. 1 Corinthians 3:11-13
Teach Your children Liberty from Tyranny
Second to this is the principle of self-determination and freedom, lest we loose the ability to teach our children the first principle in future generations.
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