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A polarizing place since its inception (and many of the ensuing years since), the Amsterdam Mall, now called the Riverfront Center, was once the site of some of my childhood memories, and they were mostly happy ones. Now it’s mostly medical offices and a service center or two. I’d been meaning to revisit the space for a few years, and finally got around to stepping back inside its orange-carpeted glory yesterday, where I spent a few scant minutes before being escorted off the premises. But I’m jumping ahead…

Some of my earliest childhood memories took place at the Amsterdam Mall. I remember buying shoes at Buster Brown’s and lamenting when we would be dragged into Gabby’s for clothes. (Contrary to popular belief, I wasn’t born this way: once upon a time I despised shopping for clothes.) I remember when the mall expanded, dividing a downtown and a city that was already known for its Division Street. Mr. B’s Best, Smile-A-While and The Carl Co. all vied for the attention of shoppers. It seems strange to think that the place was once bustling, but on a Friday night in the 80’s there was no other place to be. 

When I planned returning and taking a few pictures of what the mall had become, I anticipated a warm and nostalgic look back, backed by a few photos of what I assumed were some of the same plants that had been slowly growing skyward for over the last three decades. I remembered these same draceana and ficus. The idea that they had lasted all these years, that somehow they had been tended and cared for enough to survive gave me a sense of reassurance, a sliver of hope that maybe some things could be sustained, if not carefully cultivated, and given enough attention they could still be reaching for the sky. That’s the story I wanted to write, even if I found the mall in a sadder state. I did not expect to find it in such a sorry shambles. 

I entered on the second floor, near the site of what was once Cinema 4, where I saw the first movies of my life, and the ones that formed those first memories: ‘Return of the Jedi’, ‘The Goonies’, ‘Gremlins’, ‘Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ ‘Batman’ and ‘Truth or Dare’. 

Snapping a few photos of the empty expanse, I noticed first one, then multiple five-gallon plastic buckets, placed sporadically around to catch what I assumed were leaks. They littered the vast empty place, while in one corner a security guard sat with his head down, perhaps half-asleep, as no one bothered me as I took a few more pictures. 

Waking down the stationary escalators, I passed the towering plants – the dracaena and ficus that I remembered, beside which stood a few stands of peace lilies. They held their dark evergreen leaves in arching form, a bit tattered but still alive, still deep green. I passed the large store-front where McCrory’s once stood, then the space where The Carl Co. extended its elegant footprint. Heading into the small part of what was once the original mall, the structure changed, and above me the light-filled atrium provided perfect habitat for a few more potted ficus trees which stretched to the top of the ceiling.

Along the rafters of this section I heard a rustling and looked up, where I caught a pair of squirrels running along the length of the place, skirting between electrical wires and the deteriorating walls. I snapped a few photos of the trees and got a bit of video of one of the squirrels, it being relatively rare to catch a squirrel indoors these days. At that point I heard a shout from the darkness of the mall, and saw the security guard making his way toward me.

He asked me what I was doing and I said I had grown up here and was taking pictures for a blog post I was going to write. “Which blog?” he asked gruffly. 

“ALANILAGAN.com,” I said, stifling the ‘duh’ I wanted to add at the end, and fully expecting him not to have a clue what it was. Of course, he didn’t, so I’m not sure why he asked. What blog would it have been ok for?

He said that someone came in the mall last week and took pictures then “tore the place up online” and that’s why the owner doesn’t want any pictures being taken as it was private property except for the offices. I said I was planning on writing a story of my memories here, with some photos to accompany it, but I would no longer include the photos, and the story would have a very different ending now. He then escorted me unceremoniously out of the building. (Not even a hint of ceremony!)

Full disclosure that should come as no surprise to anyone: this was not the first time I was reprimanded for taking photos inside the Amsterdam Mall. Back in the 90’s, there was a period when I took pictures of everything and everyone, including our weekend romps at the mall. I actually have a photo somewhere of a puffy guy in a security outfit extending his hand toward me as he was telling me no pics were allowed in the mall. That was in the early 90’s. Maybe I should be reassured that some things haven’t changed. 

As for this blog post, I originally wanted to write something sweet and nostalgic, and I had a few plant photos that actually made the place seem halfway inhabitable. However, since they didn’t want me to post any, you’ll have to make do with this description, and wonder at the safety and cleanliness of a place that houses medical offices and has squirrels running rogue through its hallways and a dozen buckets scattered throughout to catch the leaks. And I suppose I should be grateful for the new blog post idea, because given the abysmal state of things, I don’t even think artful lighting and clever angles could hide what a dump that place has become. 

As for the current owner of the Riverfront Center, this one’s for you.