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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Merle Hay Mall's basement is frozen in 2000. Explore the mall's abandoned Garden Court.
This is the first in an occasional series taking readers inside unique places in Iowa that aren't readily accessible to the public. Stepping down into the Merle Hall Mall basement, one is greeted by the ghosts of former stores and eerie stares from dolls dressed in Christmas apparel. The 30,000-square-foot space, once the home of a McDonald's, Cost Cutters and more, is now abandoned under the feet of mall-goers. Despite being closed to the public since 2000, Des Moines residents often speculate about what's gone on down there since it was sealed off. Upon entering the space, you run into what used to be the old Disc Jockey. CD shelves have been replaced and now hold the mall's old drinking fountains, sinks and other plumbing parts. Moving into the common area where the escalators were located, empty flower beds and benches are lit by black antique street lights. A faint outline of the former McDonald's sign is still visible on the wooden panel entrance, and the old-school, brown nonslip tiling has a light layer of dust tinting the floor. Before the closure, shoppers visited the basement for the Armed Forces Recruiting Center or to make a quick 10 bucks by completing a survey for a research company. What was the original use of the Merle Hay Mall basement? What was known as the "Garden Court" could do much more than serve as a place to get a burger or a haircut. The original use for the basement was effectively a bomb shelter. The mall took advantage of the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950, which offered matching grants to states for constructing air raid shelters. "Commercial property owners had a pretty significant incentive to build, what they would say would be, a Civil Defense-rated building," said Elizabeth Holland, the CEO of Merle Hay Investors, which owns the mall. Merle Hay Plaza opened in 1959, and it was developed by Holland's grandfather, Joseph Abbell, making her the third-generation to lead the mall in Des Moines. The mall captured the expansion of the suburbs to the north and west of Des Moines. Back then, Interstate 235 wasn't there to cut traffic through the metro. Instead, Douglas Avenue served as one of the main routes from Des Moines to the growing suburbs. The mall straddles the border of Des Moines and Urbandale, effectively serving as the epicenter for the sprawling metro. "Nowadays, they name the road after the shopping center," Holland said. "Back then, Merle Hay Road was already Merle Hay Road, and they named Merle Hay Plaza because it was on the road." When the tax credits expired, Abbell decided to take advantage of the space for commercial use. So he converted it into a bowling alley in 1972 and additional spaces for stores in the early 80s. "When those tax credits expired, rather than having bunk beds and canned foods in the basement, my grandfather developed Merle Hay Lanes," Holland said. "And so we were in the bowling alley business." Is the Merle Hay Mall basement haunted? When Holland decided to work for her grandfather 28 years ago, there were already rumblings of the basement being haunted. "I don't know the genesis of why people thought it was haunted other than 28 years ago, people already thought that," Holland said. Security officers make frequent trips down to the basement. Some of them move the Christmas dolls around to make it seem as if they are alive. Holland never experienced any paranormal activity in the basement, but as an avid horror film fan, she can't help but enjoy the speculation. "It had so many different uses that I think it was probably an urban legend that grew up around having lots of people down there," Holland said of the rumors. Why did Merle Hay Mall's basement close? After a renovation of the mall's interior, many tenants requested to move to the upstairs or out of the mall. So, investors decided it would be best to close the entrance to the Garden Court area, which was located near the mall's children's area. A separate entrance still allows access to the bowling alley. What's next for Merle Hay Mall basement? The mall is in conversation with a possible destination entertainment business that would take over the basement. One contender would develop a speakeasy-type nightclub to pair with the existing bowling alley. The basement's redevelopment project would be part of the mall's larger arena project. In April, Merle Hay Mall announced the arena would be home to Drake University's hockey team when it opens. Other tenants joining in the project at the time included the Iowa Demon Hawks professional indoor soccer team and the Central Iowa Figure Skaters. The Des Moines Buccaneers no longer plan to be part of the project. Conversations about reopening the basement are ongoing, but it is too soon to say what business or who they are with, Holland told the Register. "I don't want to say who it is with," Holland said. "It's a very strong local operator of entertainment venues, but we have had some good conversations." Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@ or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The Merle Hay Mall basement is abandoned. See inside the Garden Court. Solve the daily Crossword
The Sun
23-07-2025
- The Sun
Chilling city of abandoned hotels left to rot for 30 years in forgotten tourist hotspot with drinks still left on tables
A GHOST city full of eerie, abandoned hotels has stood untouched in Japan for more than 30 years. A Brit explorer has documented his haunting visit to the once bustling tourist hotspot. 11 11 11 11 11 Luke Bradburn stumbled upon the district of Kinugawa Onsen while exploring the Fukushima exclusion zone in early 2024. Famed for its natural hot springs, this area would once have been buzzing with tourists and holidaymakers. But Bradburn's exploration found the town in a much sorrier state. Vast hotel buildings loomed over a cliffside river in a condition of disrepair and decay. The abandoned ghost town is full of spooky reminders of its past glory, with arcade machines, taxidermy animals and even half-finished drinks littered the old hotels. Bradburn spent six hours exploring Kinugawa Onsen, making his way through a handful of around 20 buildings. The 28-year-old from Bury said: "It was like walking into a ghost town. "There were abandoned cars on the streets and while you could drive through the area, every building around you was just left to rot. "When we stepped inside, the contrast was mad. "From the outside, it's all overgrown and decaying, but inside some of the rooms were pristine - like no one had touched them in decades." TSA Urges Travelers: Avoid These Cyber Security Risks at Airports The town met its decline during an economic downturn Japan faced in the 1990s. But while the hotels ended up closing, the country's property laws mean many of the buildings were never demolished. "It's very different in Japan," Bradburn said. "The crime rate is so low that abandoned buildings don't get looted or destroyed as quickly. "In some cases, they need the owner's permission to demolish and if the owner died, they legally can't for 30 years." He managed to explore around five or six of the eerie hotels through interconnected corridors and hallways. 11 11 11 Bradburn made his way through abandoned lobbies, and found traditional Japanese onsen baths. Some rooms were so well preserved it was almost like the guests had only just departed. But others were falling apart more visibly, with missing floors and staircases hanging down. "Each one felt like stepping into a time capsule," he added. "You get a sense of what life must've been like here at its peak and then it just stopped. "It's eerie, sad and fascinating all at once." 11 11 11
Malay Mail
06-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Urban explorers find beauty in China's abandoned buildings amid property crisis
SHANGHAI, July 6 — Xu Pengcheng looks over his shoulder and, after confirming the coast is clear, helps his crew of urban adventurers climb through the broken window of an abandoned building. Long popular in the West, urban exploration, or 'urbex' for short, sees city-dwelling thrill-seekers explore dilapidated, closed-off buildings and areas—often skirting the law in the process. And it is growing in popularity in China, where a years-long property sector crisis has left many cities dotted with empty buildings. Xu, a 29-year-old tech worker from the eastern city of Qingdao, has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers for his photos of rundown schools and vacant cinemas. 'When people see these images, they find them incredibly fresh and fascinating,' he told AFP. 'The realisation that so many abandoned buildings exist—and that they can photograph so beautifully—naturally captures attention.' AFP joined Xu and his comrades at a deserted hotel in the outskirts of Shanghai for a unique photoshoot. From the outside, the hotel looked like a prefabricated medieval castle. Once inside, it was clear the property had been abandoned for years. Searching through the rooms for good spots for striking photos, Xu and his friends came across remnants of the hotel's past—a mahjong table, laundry sheets and piles of dinner plates. Props from past photoshoots were scattered on the floor and on one ballroom wall, 'Long Live Chairman Mao' was written in spray paint. China's recent property market downturn has left many abandoned large-scale projects ready ground for urban explorers. 'I don't think you would find sites like this in Europe,' long-time explorer Brin Connal told AFP as he walked around an empty, abandoned building. 'In China, there's a lot of these places which are unfinished.' Really special One such unfinished megaproject in Shanghai, the Pentagon Mall, has become such a hotspot that explorers leave messages for each other on the walls of its top floor. 'I think this is something really special about Chinese urban exploration,' said Sean, a Shanghai resident who did not want to give his real name. 'There's a very strong sense of community and it's very, very welcoming.' Situated in Shanghai's Pudong district, the project came close to completion in 2009 but investment fell through. The giant concrete building now sits mostly in disrepair—broken tiles litter the ground and a large faded map of the uncompleted mall is barely visible under a thick layer of dust. Some rooms still have signs of life, with mattresses from squatters, discarded takeout and cigarette boxes and even laundry hanging outside. 'In places like Shanghai, people always find a way to make use of these buildings, even if they're not completely built and completely usable,' said Sean's exploration partner Nov, who also asked to go by a pseudonym. Model Mao Yi poses on the ground for Xu Pengcheng (not pictured) as he takes pictures of her in a room inside an abandoned hotel in Shanghai. — AFP pic Way too dangerous Chinese social media companies are less enthusiastic. Looking up abandoned buildings on Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, users are met with a message warning 'there are risks in this area, please pay attention to safety and comply with local policies and regulations'. Connal, originally from Britain, told AFP he understood the restrictions. 'Some of them are way too dangerous, and some of these abandoned locations were getting overwhelmed with people,' he said. The hobby also takes place in a legal grey area. Many urban explorers go by a simple mantra—taking nothing from the places they visit and leaving nothing behind. But the act of trespassing can come with fines in China, just as it does in the West. Xu also acknowledged the risks that come with urban exploration—from angry security guards to errant circuitry. 'Firstly, you might face the risk of trespassing illegally. Secondly, private properties may have security guards or be completely sealed off,' he told AFP. 'These locations often involve hazards like no electricity or lighting, structural damage, and injuries from construction materials like exposed nails.' But model Mao Yi said the hobby offered a respite from the drudgery of big city living. 'Living in these sprawling metropolises of steel and concrete, we've grown familiar with the routines of daily life,' she told AFP. — AFP
France 24
06-07-2025
- France 24
China's abandoned buildings draw urban explorers despite risks
Long popular in the West, urban exploration, or "urbex" for short, sees city-dwelling thrill-seekers explore dilapidated, closed-off buildings and areas -- often skirting the law in the process. And it is growing in popularity in China, where a years-long property sector crisis has left many cities dotted with empty buildings. Xu, a 29-year-old tech worker from the eastern city of Qingdao, has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers for his photos of rundown schools and vacant cinemas. "When people see these images, they find them incredibly fresh and fascinating," he told AFP. "The realisation that so many abandoned buildings exist -- and that they can photograph so beautifully -- naturally captures attention." AFP joined Xu and his comrades at a deserted hotel in the outskirts of Shanghai for a unique photoshoot. From the outside, the hotel looked like a prefabricated medieval castle. Once inside, it was clear the property had been abandoned for years. Searching through the rooms for good spots for striking photos, Xu and his friends came across remnants of the hotel's past -- a mahjong table, laundry sheets and piles of dinner plates. Props from past photoshoots were scattered on the floor and on one ballroom wall, "Long Live Chairman Mao" was written in spray paint. China's recent property market downturn has left many abandoned large-scale projects ready ground for urban explorers. "I don't think you would find sites like this in Europe," long-time explorer Brin Connal told AFP as he walked around an empty, abandoned building. "In China, there's a lot of these places which are unfinished." 'Really special' One such unfinished megaproject in Shanghai, the Pentagon Mall, has become such a hotspot that explorers leave messages for each other on the walls of its top floor. "I think this is something really special about Chinese urban exploration," said Sean, a Shanghai resident who did not want to give his real name. "There's a very strong sense of community and it's very, very welcoming." Situated in Shanghai's Pudong district, the project came close to completion in 2009 but investment fell through. The giant concrete building now sits mostly in disrepair -- broken tiles litter the ground and a large faded map of the uncompleted mall is barely visible under a thick layer of dust. Some rooms still have signs of life, with mattresses from squatters, discarded takeout and cigarette boxes and even laundry hanging outside. "In places like Shanghai, people always find a way to make use of these buildings, even if they're not completely built and completely usable," said Sean's exploration partner Nov, who also asked to go by a pseudonym. 'Way too dangerous' Chinese social media companies are less enthusiastic. Looking up abandoned buildings on Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, users are met with a message warning "there are risks in this area, please pay attention to safety and comply with local policies and regulations". Connal, originally from Britain, told AFP he understood the restrictions. "Some of them are way too dangerous, and some of these abandoned locations were getting overwhelmed with people," he said. The hobby also takes place in a legal grey area. Many urban explorers go by a simple mantra -- taking nothing from the places they visit and leaving nothing behind. But the act of trespassing can come with fines in China, just as it does in the West. Xu also acknowledged the risks that come with urban exploration -- from angry security guards to errant circuitry. "Firstly, you might face the risk of trespassing illegally. Secondly, private properties may have security guards or be completely sealed off," he told AFP. "These locations often involve hazards like no electricity or lighting, structural damage, and injuries from construction materials like exposed nails." But model Mao Yi said the hobby offered a respite from the drudgery of big city living. "Living in these sprawling metropolises of steel and concrete, we've grown familiar with the routines of daily life," she told AFP.
Japan Times
06-07-2025
- Japan Times
China's abandoned buildings draw urban explorers despite risks
Xu Pengcheng looks over his shoulder and, after confirming the coast is clear, helps his crew of urban adventurers climb through the broken window of an abandoned building. Long popular in the West, urban exploration, or "urbex" for short, sees city-dwelling thrill-seekers explore dilapidated, closed-off buildings and areas — often skirting the law in the process. And it is growing in popularity in China, where a years-long property sector crisis has left many cities dotted with empty buildings. Xu, a 29-year-old tech worker from the eastern city of Qingdao, has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers for his photos of rundown schools and vacant cinemas. "When people see these images, they find them incredibly fresh and fascinating," he said. "The realization that so many abandoned buildings exist — and that they can photograph so beautifully — naturally captures attention." AFP joined Xu and his comrades at a deserted hotel in the outskirts of Shanghai for a unique photoshoot. From the outside, the hotel looked like a prefabricated medieval castle. Once inside, it was clear the property had been abandoned for years. Searching through the rooms for good spots for striking photos, Xu and his friends came across remnants of the hotel's past — a mahjong table, laundry sheets and piles of dinner plates. Props from past photoshoots were scattered on the floor and on one ballroom wall, "Long Live Chairman Mao" was written in spray paint. China's recent property market downturn has left many abandoned large-scale projects ready ground for urban explorers. "I don't think you would find sites like this in Europe," long-time explorer Brin Connal said as he walked around an empty, abandoned building. "In China, there's a lot of these places which are unfinished." One such unfinished megaproject in Shanghai, the Pentagon Mall, has become such a hotspot that explorers leave messages for each other on the walls of its top floor. "I think this is something really special about Chinese urban exploration," said Sean, a Shanghai resident who did not want to give his real name. "There's a very strong sense of community and it's very, very welcoming." Situated in Shanghai's Pudong district, the project came close to completion in 2009 but investment fell through. The giant concrete building now sits mostly in disrepair — broken tiles litter the ground and a large faded map of the uncompleted mall is barely visible under a thick layer of dust. Some rooms still have signs of life, with mattresses from squatters, discarded takeout and cigarette boxes and even laundry hanging outside. "In places like Shanghai, people always find a way to make use of these buildings, even if they're not completely built and completely usable," said Sean's exploration partner Nov, who also asked to go by a pseudonym. Chinese social media companies are less enthusiastic. Looking up abandoned buildings on Instagram-like Xiaohongshu, users are met with a message warning "there are risks in this area, please pay attention to safety and comply with local policies and regulations." Connal, originally from Britain, said he understood the restrictions. "Some of them are way too dangerous, and some of these abandoned locations were getting overwhelmed with people," he said. The hobby also takes place in a legal grey area. Many urban explorers go by a simple mantra — taking nothing from the places they visit and leaving nothing behind. But the act of trespassing can come with fines in China, just as it does in the West. Xu also acknowledged the risks that come with urban exploration — from angry security guards to errant circuitry. "Firstly, you might face the risk of trespassing illegally. Secondly, private properties may have security guards or be completely sealed off," he said. "These locations often involve hazards like no electricity or lighting, structural damage, and injuries from construction materials like exposed nails." But model Mao Yi said the hobby offered a respite from the drudgery of big city living. "Living in these sprawling metropolises of steel and concrete, we've grown familiar with the routines of daily life," she said.
