Dead Mall: The Final Days of the Lakeforest Mall | Gaithersburg, MD

In today’s adventure, we’re exploring the Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg, Maryland. At the time of it’s opening in 1978, the mall was one of the largest in the country and one of the only to boast an indoor ice rink, which later became a movie theater and eventually a food court, which we will see shortly.

The mall went through various renovations and expansions over the years, adding new stores and amenities. As is the case with most malls these days, In the early 2000s, it began facing challenges due to competition from newer malls and online shopping. Arguably the biggest hit to the mall though was in 2019, when, over the course of the year, three of the mall’s four anchor stores closed, leaving only Macy’s to hang on until the end. By 2020, most of the mall's stores had closed, and the property was sold to a developer with a final closure date of March 31st, 2023.

Plans have been announced to demolish the mall and build a mixed-use development that includes residential, retail, and office space. The redevelopment project is expected to take several years to complete, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for this iconic Gaithersburg landmark.

I lived and worked just a few miles from this mall for nearly a decade around 2010, so this is the first time I’ve had the unfortunate opportunity to film a dying mall that I’m personally familiar with. Let’s take a few minutes to explore what was left of the Lakeforest Mall just a few months before it closed its doors for good.

00:00 Intro
01:28 Start Walkthrough - Downstairs
07:22 Exploring the 2nd Floor
11:47 Taking the Elevator
14:57 LOUD Food Court
19:14 Outro