20 Eerie Images of an Abandoned Shopping Mall

Weeks ahead of its scheduled demolition, photographer Seph Lawless got a last look at what has become of Kansas City's Metro North Mall in the two years since its closure.

BY Jennifer M Wood

Nov 24, 2016

An empty shopping mall isn’t something you see too often at this time of year, but photographer Seph Lawless isn’t interested in easily observed sights. Over the years, we’ve shared many of his haunting photo series of abandoned places—including homes, amusement parks, a Disney water park, and, yes, shopping malls. It’s that Orange Julius-happy staple of 20th-century consumerism that has fueled Lawless’s latest project: A new photo book, Autopsy of America: The Death of a Nation, that’s slated for an April 2017 release, but is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

Lawless shared some images from Kansas City’s Metro North Mall. According to The Pitch, the shopping mall, which is scheduled to be demolished in a few weeks, “was a rockin’ spot in the 1980s. It closed in 2014, and the property will be redeveloped soon, possibly with a Trader Joe’s in the mix.” But Lawless describes it as “by far the creepiest mall I've been in.” See for yourself in the photo gallery below.

More of Lawless’s work can be viewed on his Website, or by following him on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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All images courtesy of Seph Lawless