Neon was once a must for the newer trendier malls in the United States, but malls have mostly eliminated neon from their designs. Many restaurants and bars still use neon for signs, but with LED lighting costs going down neon is on the way out. Downtown areas in the mid 1900's were also lined with buildings that had neon signs, but very few remain today in most areas of the United States. A few retailers such as Target also still use neon in their stores, but the next generation remodels will more than likely eliminate neon from most if not all retail establishments. Here are some examples from my blog of malls with neon.
Lakeside Mall Metairie Louisiana
Neon on the support columns. Photos from Jan. 2012
Neon on the support columns. Photos from Jan. 2012
Cortana Mall Baton Rouge Louisiana
Neon in the JCPenney and Macy's court. Photos from Jan. 2012.
The Mall of Acadiana Lafayette Louisiana
Neon in the center court. Photo from Jan. 2012.
Riverwalk Marketplace New Orleans Louisiana
Neon in several places, but this mall is scheduled for a complete remodel and will become an Outlet Mall in the near future. Photos from 2010.
Photo from May 2012.
University Mall Nacogdoches Texas
Neon throughout the mall. Photos from Sept. 2012.
Sunrise Mall Corpus Christi Texas
Neon Burlington Signs and several signs in the food court area. Photos from May 2012.
Post Oak Mall College Station Texas
The neon has been removed from the mall though as part of the 2012 renovation. Photos from late 2011.
Brazos Mall Former Gadzooks Lake Jackson Texas
(Look behind the plant). Photo from late 2011.
South Park Mall San Antonio Texas
All mall signage. Photos from Sept. 2011.
Wonderland of the Americas Mall San Antonio Texas
Neon signs all over the mall. Photos from Sept. 2011 & Sept. 2012.
Ridgmar Mall Fort Worth Texas
Near the food court and in the Sears court. Photos from the Summer of 2012.
Mall of the Mainland Texas City Texas
Neon throughout the mall. Photos from early 2012.
On my past two trips to Mall of the Mainland the neon has been turned off. Currently the mall is up for sale and the nearby brand new Tanger Outlet Mall has hurt business. A few stores also left the Mall of the Mainland and moved to the new Tanger Outlets.
Mall of the Mainland is done for, no surprise that the neon is no longer being repaired.
ReplyDeletePart of the other problem is that's just not trendy anymore. By the way, "mall neon" is different than "true neon". "Mall neon" is basically thin colored florescent tubes, while true neon is clear and glows red. That being said, I enjoy "mall neon" and wish it was not going out of style.
I did not know there was a difference with neon types, thanks for sharing that information. You should make a trip to check out Mall of the Mainland and see how much has changed in the past few years.
DeleteAre you doing a full post on Ridgmar Mall? i'd be interested in it.
ReplyDeleteRidgmar Mall is not on my radar for a future update, but if you would like to add information to my post I will be happy to add your commentary with full credit.
DeleteI didn't realize how dead Mall of the Mainland had gotten! I was there in late 2010, and it was much healthier looking back then (or at least the middle of it). They still had: Tilt arcade, the sports bar adjacent to it (to the left of the movie theater entrance), a mostly occupied food court, and of course Macy's.
ReplyDeleteAs of February the entire wing from the former Dillards and JCPenney to the edge of the food court has been closed to the public. There is now a wall blocking access to that part of the mall. Is new development taking place in that section of the mall? The mall is also listed on Loopnet as "Off-Market" and no longer for sale.
DeleteHere is the latest on the Mall of the Mainland. This is an audio file from The Galveston County Transit District Board of Directors. This audio talks about the current state of the mall and what some options for redevelopment are for the property.
Deletehttp://www.guidrynews.com/13February/04413Finan.mp3
Here's a link to a youtube video of mall of the mainland I recorded and uploaded on my channel on what the mall really looks like as of 3-2-2013.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLVdBNCW7fY&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Thanks for sending it over.
Deletei just put up a video i did at mall of the mainland called "tour of mall of the mainland" on youtube. the wall is completly walled off at where the dillaids used to be at.
ReplyDeleteAn add to this post from the former Westwood Mall in Houston. Check out this website that created the neon for the Westwood Mall and an image from the old mall at http://www.neoteklighting.com/clients_malls.html
ReplyDeletehttp://www.neoteklighting.com/images/mall_westwood1.jpg
A neon sign is a lighting display. This neon sign made of glass tubes that have been filled with a gas and bent into the shape of letters or decorative designs. Now businessmen prefer digital Neon Signs to promote their business. This sign is so much attractive to the audience.
ReplyDelete