[Vermont Lt]

I thought it was going to be a picture of a pasture. Because that’s what they were in New England.

[Dilbert San Diego]

Back in the ‘60s, shopping areas which weren’t fully enclosed were called shopping centers, while the term shopping mall was used for those shopping centers which were completely enclosed.

As we see the mall conceot is nothing new.

[Califreak]

Some of the defunct malls have been turned into housing.

[JBW1949]

I think most of those photos were of malls in the ‘60’s, not the ‘50’s...

Unless they made 1960 Chevys and 1964 Ford Falcons back in the fifties...

[dhs12345]

Most of the malls in my area are gone now.

However it is ironic that the once thriving malls were beaten out by newer, larger malls. Being the “newest” seems to be the winning game.

A new evolution are outdoor malls (a cluster of stores around a courtyard or walkway). Apparently maintenance and overhead costs are less this way.

[G Larry]

Columbia Center in the late 60's was my introduction to malls.

I was in High School, so it was great!

Next was as I was stationed at Lowry, AFB, CO in 1972.

Cinderella City, in Denver was great!

Both had Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor, which was heaven at that age.

[goodnesswins]

Not in the Northwest...we did not have a “mall” until the 1960s

[MNJohnnie]

Southdale Shopping Center in Edina, Minnesota, February 1957. In 1956, the Southdale Shopping Center, located in Edina, Minnesota, opened its doors to the public as the first modern shopping mall in the nation.

Being Minnesota with 6 months of winter, kinds of makes sense they were 1st

[Skooz]

The first “mall” I remember was the Town & Country shopping center in Minot, ND.

With the harsh winters, it made sense to enclose a dozen or so stores so shoppers could go from one to the other without facing the snow and freezing temps.

[Chickensoup]

most of the pics are from the sixties.

[golux]

Wow! Would you look at all those women identifying as women!

[madison10]

Did not think malls rose up until the 70s. I think of the six malls that were in my area all were built in the early to mid-1970s. Only one remains.

[LeoTDB69]

The term "mall" originally meant a place where people played pall-mall, a game similar to croquet. By the mid 1700s it had come to mean a tree-lined park where people went to walk and socialize.

Today, Pall-Mall is a cigarette and a mall is where people smoke Pall Mall's and fight to the death for sale items on holidays.

I say bring back the good old tree-lined parks.

[Old Yeller]

No gang problems backbthen. Well except West Side Story dancers.

[polymuser]

Rode our bikes to the Macomb Mall in Michigan. They had an Orange Julius stand, with the oranges hand-juiced/pulped to order. Awesome with a big warm pretzel!

(Today’s Orange Julius is a pale comparison.)

[alternatives?]

I didn’t see any shoplifting deterrents.