DeborahDuncansCollection

Deborah Duncan's Mall of Memphis Picture Collection

January 3rd, 2007

Deborah Duncan contributed these images to the site. Her pictures show a crumbling mall lit inside only by the sun coming in through skylights, missing walls and ceilings of the mall during demolition. Big as the mall was, it did not have the more dramatic explosive ending like so many of the towers and skyscrapers you see on TV. The mall was not tall enough to implode and let gravity bring it down. Instead, excavators, cranes and backhoes just started ripping and tearing the walls down, pulling out beams and girders piece by piece until the building was nothing but rubble.

The mall was a dream to the original builders, a great effort and successful project. The mall was home to armies of construction workers for years as the mall was built. Home to thouands who were employed there in the 22 years of existence. Visited by millions of shoppers in it's lifetime.

The 1981 Mall of Memphis - $85 million dollars to build - millions more spent on renovations and upgrades - ended it's days with a small crew of demolition experts.