I’ve spent the past year documenting the slow destruction of one of East Central Indiana’s most recognizable retail landmarks- Muncie Mall. I stop by to see what’s changed as often as I can! Sometimes the differences are dramatic, like the demolition of old cinema. Other times they’re more subtle. My latest visit found plenty of those transformations.
Continue reading “More updates as Muncie Mall meets its maker”
A few days ago, Lost Muncie member Tom Stark sent me a tip about a growing mound of concrete debris and detritus near the former Sears Auto Center at Muncie Mall. Construction fencing has surrounded both Sears and JCPenney since last October, but after the three-screen cinema was recently demolished, that fresh activity suggests Sears could be next.
Continue reading “It looks like Sears is next on the chopping block”
Back in March, I published a post called “One last trip to the Muncie Mall.” As it turns out, I’m a liar! Last week, I wanted to see how the inside’s holding up now that demolition has started on the exterior. The results were not surprising.
Continue reading “Inside Muncie Mall after demolition began”
The day has finally arrived: exterior demolition at Muncie Mall is underway. The first area in the wreckers’ sights is the old Muncie Mall 3 cinema. For those of us who’d hoped for one last glimpse inside the theater, we finally got our chance! It just happened to be through a gaping hole in the wall.
Continue reading “Updated: Muncie Mall Cinema is being destroyed right now”
Make that thirteen threads: in February, people in Muncie learned that all of our mall would be demolished, beginning with the long-vacant Sears, J.C. Penney, and old three-screen cinema. At first, the wrecking ball was supposed to arrive in March1. Later, the timeline was pushed back to April2. Now, with two-thirds of May already gone and no visible signs of demolition outside, a strange limbo has settled over the property. Curious, I ventured in. A baker’s dozen of tenants are still hanging on compared to sixty-seven in 2004.
Continue reading “Muncie Mall hangs on by a thread”
I guess it should come as no surprise since the mall that houses it will soon be demolished, but Muncie’s MCL cafeteria is closing on March 29th. This is a real shame: I’d only just become acquainted with it!
Continue reading “Muncie’s MCL is closing and everything sucks”
Last summer, we learned the old JCPenney at Muncie Mall was slated for demolition. By September, the plan ballooned to JCPenney, Sears, and an abandoned movie theater. Fencing went up, then progress seemed to freeze in place. Yesterday, shocking news spread across social media: the entire mall will be torn down! It’s the end of an era- one that, if I’m being honest, may have lingered longer than it ever should have.
Continue reading “All of Muncie Mall will be demolished”
East-Central Indiana waits with bated breath over the future of our forlorn Muncie Mall. I got curious about the company now holding its fate, so I took a closer look at Hull Property Group and the rest of its portfolio. The organization says it has a “long track record of successfully reimagining properties that have lost their dominance and relevance1!” I wondered what Hull’s efforts might consist of. What might they mean for Muncie Mall?
Continue reading “What’s in store for the Muncie Mall?”
Back in July, word spread that a big piece of Muncie’s retail past was on the chopping block: the old J.C. Penney at Muncie Mall was headed for demolition. By September, the scope ballooned: nearly 255,000 square feet -including Sears and the long-shuttered cinema- were also slated to disappear! Fencing went up in October, then everything seemed to stall. What happened? At last, we have an answer.
Continue reading “Here’s why half of Muncie Mall is still standing”
Thirty-five years in, it somehow never crossed my mind to eat at MCL Restaurant & Bakery. Honestly, I’d forgotten Muncie even had one! With a speaking engagement looming there in a couple of weeks, I figured it was time to correct my oversight and see what I’d been missing. It was also a good opportunity to poke around the moribund Muncie Mall, so there was that, too.
Continue reading “My first ever trip to MCL”