While doing some research for this week’s strip, I came across some actual pictures of the mall where I got my “ultimate converse” Park City Mall in Lancaster PA.

Needless to say I was shocked, appalled, depressed and inspired (in that order).

First I was shocked by how cool it looked. I vaguely remember these TV monitor things and definitely remember the fountain and some of the store fronts. Then appalled when I realized how horrible and generic it looks now.

Of course this lead to the depression after coming to the conclusion that modern architecture just is so uninspiring. I mean, yeah, it looks kinda dark and poorly lit, but man the shapes and textures are just so cool, that’s what led to the inspiration.

This is the usual cycle of events while gathering as much research as I can for Analog Age.

I’m just so thankful that I came across these photos. I don’t think my memory alone would have done early 80’s Park City justice.

3 thoughts on “Artifacts of the Analog Age: Cool Looking Malls

  1. Nick says:

    Incredible find, man. Poignant in a way.

  2. Mom says:

    Just an FYI…..Park City opened in 1971. It was HUGE in Lancaster!!! Having all those stores under one roof was so incredible!!! Re: the pics you have above, where the people seem to be looking down, standing at the railing…..they really ARE looking down. There was an ice skating rink located in the floor below. The railings surrounded a glass floor that allowed you to watch the ice skaters. This was SOOO new to Lancaster County. It was really awesome!!! Park City was the first and only major shopping center of its kind in Lancaster, York and Lebanon Counties. Very cool!!! Just saying…..
    xoxoxoxo
    PS LOVED the comic strip!!!!! Sorry about the generic trans-morphers…..you’re right….expensive AND we couldn’t afford ’em!!!! Thank heavens you had an imagination!!!!!
    Mom

  3. Chris Sobieniak says:

    The story of the enclosed shopping mall is the story of America’s booming suburban landscape of the later half of the 20th Century altogether.

    Without bothering to tell this story for right now, and it’s certainly one that needs it’s own documentary, I like to think more of it’s presence in my neck of the woods (Toledo, OH). Toledo never got the kind of fancy, multi-level behemoths that existed elsewhere in the country, but what we did get sufficed for most of the 70’s and 80’s. The first of such attractions was erected just out of the city limits in Northwood with the “Woodville Mall “in 1969, several more followed in the early 70’s, with the final mall, North Town Square (some 4 miles from my house) in around 1980. I loved going to North Towne a lot for it’s movies, restaurants, records and more. Of course once the 90’s hit, you can tell where the crowd was going, and the mall ended up dying out by the beginning of the new century. The building’s still there, yet I can’t help but cry everytime I pass by. Funny the Toys R Us outside the mall is still open, I went there a few weeks back, yet still couldn’t get any vibe since they didn’t seem to have too many video game demos to loiter in.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Towne_Square

    Toledo nowadays pretty much has only one mall left (Franklin Park in the west part of town), and it’s only there because it was ‘saved’ by some multi-national Aussie company that apparently found it ripe for it’s assets. I didn’t like the changes they made to that place, as it ruined that aesthetic I loved dearly, especially the mall’s giant glass cube-thingy in the middle court. Managed to take some photos of the thing before and after it’s makeover so I have a visual aid to my memories of it.

    I guess I should be glad I have a mall to go to at all, it’s better than being stuck in the house ordering stuff off my card like ‘normal people’. Certainly that’s were we’re headed. :-/

    Really, you kids make me sick!

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