Valley View Mall was already dying before most of the people photographing its ruins were born. The mall opened in August of 1973 and began its decline nine years later when the Galleria opened two miles to the west.
After decades of slow decline, Beck Ventures bought it in 2012 and promised Dallas Midtown: four billion dollars, four hundred and thirty acres, a park four times Klyde Warren, a "city within a city." Then, nothing really happened. The tenants were pushed out in waves with AMC hanging on until January of 2022. A year later, it was enclosed in temporary fencing and demolished.
This is the state I found it on this particular day. The slate, wiped clean, ready for new development. Or, given the nature of this particular site, ready to sit unused while nature begins to take over for who knows how many more years.
This particular walk was special because my daughter joined me. The last time we were in this location together was some 10 years ago, daughter in stroller, enjoying art while thinking the place was cool and at the same time thinking there was no way it was going to exist for too much longer.
Arguably the coolest thing the mall did was from 2012 to 2017 when the empty wings were filled with artist galleries and studios. Culture! But, the rest of the mall was a weird mix of shops where I felt as if I was in an entirely different country – another place altogether.
So I guess it was the perfect backdrop for a mystery thriller web series where a young YouTube vlogger is transported into this otherworldly place from the middle of the woods. The Oldest View was created by Kane Pixels, or Kane Parsons, the creator of the recent Backrooms film.
Kane's latest video in this series shows the site of the demolished mall. The burned chair above makes its appearance, filmed several months after this photo was taken.
This receiving area, now serving as some sort of shelter/hangout did not make an appearance. But, it seems the site won't sit in its current empty slate for too much longer, with the Dallas Mavericks' plans to make the site their new home.
Given that this site is not far from home, expect to see more photographs of the site as it develops into something new.
