JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Andrew Mayorga said he hasn't been in the Regency Square Mall in years. He's seen posts circulating on social media lately about current conditions at the mall that once boasted over 160 stores.
Curious about how things looked there these days, Mayorga went to see for himself. Shocked by what he saw, Mayorga took photos and posted them on Facebook in a post that has since gone viral.
"Literally held together by chewing gum and bandaids," he said. "All someone has to do is climb the roof and sneeze and this place will go down like a deck of cards."
Mayorga shared his photos with First Coast News.
The images show water stains on the ceiling, missing ceiling tiles, clusters of buckets and trashcans to catch water from the holes in roof, wet floor signs and cordoned off areas restricting the public.
"It's eerie, but quite beautiful at the same time," Mayorga said.
Many of the people commenting on Mayorga's Facebook post, like him, have an emotional attachment to the mall.
One woman said, "When my girls were littles, I would take them to the playground and they’d play until hungry. Then over to food court. Such sweet memories there were made for our family."
"So sad. This used to be my shopping place," another person said.
First Coast News has reached out to the owners of the mall for comment on this report.
Regency Square Mall opened in March 1967. In 1981, the mall expanded, adding 90 new stores and restaurants, bringing the total number of stores and eateries to more than 160 to the 1.2 million-square-foot enclosed mall.
Like many regional malls around the country, Regency now sits largely empty with an uncertain future.
Regency Square Mall photo gallery by Andrew Mayorga
Here's what it looks like now inside Jacksonville's Regency Square Mall 😢
Top Mall Memories
- Making a wish in the fountain
- Taking a picture with Santa
- Live performances (Tiffany)
- First date in the food court
- Hanging out unchaperoned with friends
- Glamour shots at Sears or JCPenny
- Samples from Hickory Farms
- Buying cassettes from Sam Goody
- The arcade