Eerie Video Gives Glimpse Inside Deserted Lincoln Mall

MATTESON, IL — Recently released footage takes viewers inside the silent, debris-strewn halls of the abandoned Lincoln Mall in Matteson.

Photojournalist Seph Lawless took his camera inside for a tour as part of the ongoing project Autopsy of America. What he captures is haunting: a snapshot of the downfall of a south suburb's hopes of blossoming retail and prosperity.

The shopping center closed in 2015 after years of declining sales and crumbling facilities. The mall opened in 1973 and once had a bright future — with 100 stores to draw customers from Matteson and the surrounding areas.

In its final days in January 2015, the mall was a shell of its once bustling self. But to see it now, it seems like decades have passed since shoppers browsed storefronts and hustled home from holiday shopping. Trees have toppled. What appears to be a stretcher lies empty in a courtyard. Shattered glass and debris is seen throughout. Escalators are frozen. Stores appear almost as if they have been looted; security gates hang only halfway down, windows smashed. The bright pink hues of an empty Victoria's Secret store seem electric in the otherwise eerily blank space.

One year ago, the mall looked like this:

Take a peek inside and see what the mall looks like now.

Photo Screenshot of YouTube Video by Seph Lawless